- Log in to post comments
The Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) recruited participants from its four sites in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Recruitment focused on youth ages 14 to 24 from low-income households living in areas with primarily populations of color. Potentially eligible youth were also referred to the LAYC from schools, government agencies, and nonprofits. Once referred, youth completed a risk screening assessment; those determined to have high levels of risk and need were determined eligible for the Promotor Pathway program. Between April 2010 and February 2013, 476 youth were determined eligible, agreed to participate, and were then randomly assigned to the intervention group (165) or the comparison group (311).
Random assignment occurred from April 2010 to February 2013. Participants were surveyed 6, 12, and 18 months after random assignment; therefore, the last data were collected in August 2014 or shortly thereafter. For each participant, the study period was 18 months.
The study was funded by the Social Innovation Fund, Venture Philanthropy Partners, and the World Bank Group Community Outreach Program.
The sample group included 476 youth ages 14 to 24, with an average age of 18. Nearly all (99 percent) participants identified as people of color, primarily Latino (56 percent) or Black (38 percent). The group was evenly split by gender, and 31 percent were parents. Educational attainment and employment were low among the sample group. Though 76 percent were 18 or older, only 25 percent had attained a high school diploma or GED. Only 22 percent were employed at baseline.
The Latin American Youth Center
The LAYC's Promotor Pathway program was created in 2008. This implementation of the program evaluated in this study included youth who entered the Promotor Pathway program from April 2010 to February 2013.
Individuals assigned to the intervention group were high-risk, disconnected youth ages 14 to 24 who were admitted into the Promotor Partnership program of the LAYC in the Washington, DC, area. They were paired with a "promotor" who provided intensive, long-term case management, mentorship, and advocacy. Promotors also assessed the participant's needs and provided referrals to services internal and external to LAYC, including those in the areas of employment, education, arts, mental health and substance abuse, arts, housing, parental involvement, and community resources. In addition, participants had access to all LAYC services, which fit into the major categories of advocacy, education, healthy behaviors, housing, recreation, and workforce development.
Individuals assigned to the comparison group were high-risk, disconnected youth ages 14 to 24 who were not given access to a promotor. Comparison group participants had access to all other LAYC services, which fit into the major categories of advocacy, education, healthy behaviors, housing, recreation, and workforce development.
None
During the 18-month study period, the time between a youth's first and last contacts with their promotor was 15 months, on average. For 64 percent of youth in the study, that time was 16 or more months.
Not known
This study took place across the four sites of the LAYC, a youth services organization in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area (Washington, DC, and Langley Park, Riverdale, and Silver Spring, MD).
Births (becoming a parent), housing stability, substance use, delinquency, relationships, and self-efficacy.