Age range

Website:  www.youthchallengesports.com

Mission/Goals: Facilitates interaction between children with physical disabilities and youth volunteers. Enrich children's lives through participation in a variety of sports and recreational opportunities.

Source: Program Evaluation of Youth Challenge, Final Report, 2003-2004, prepared by TRANS.FORM

www.youthchallengesports.com

Please click here for more information on this evaluation.

Type of Evaluation: Outcomes Monitoring. (An independent consulting firm, TRANS.FORM, in conjunction with Youth Challenge staff, designed and conducted an evaluation. TRANS.FORM also assisted Youth Challenge in creating the internal capacity of replicating the evaluation including data collection on program outcomes.)

Objective: "To identify the changes or benefits that might be expected to accrue to youth" as a result of participating in the program and "to test whether these expectations of the program are valid."

Impact/Outcome Findings: The evaluation study reported that among participants: 58% indicated that they tried to do new things that they might not have tried without the program; about 85% indicated that the program helped them make new friends; and about 70% agreed with the following statement indicating their level of self-efficacy, "going places with Youth Challenge helps me feel good about myself." For teen volunteers, results suggested that most volunteers felt that they were sufficiently prepared for the activities, and they saw the staff as "a reliable source of assistance." However, they felt that their suggestions on the program might not have been taken too seriously. Slightly more than half of volunteers rated the program experience as great. Over 80% indicated that "they would like to learn more about specific disabling conditions as a way of better assisting their partners." Slightly over 90% agreed that they
developed friendships with peers, and slightly over
80% said that they tried out activities that they would have never tried without participating in the program. About 95% indicated increased acceptance and respectfulness of others with different physical ability. More than 86 percent increased their sense of self-efficacy and leadership skills, and 80% increased their
self-esteem.

About 70% of the participants received the sponsorship in 2004.