Age range

Website: www.thespot.org

Mission/Goals: To help at-risk urban youth, teens, and adolescents have fun and mature into productive adults by providing a safe, supportive night time youth center that encourages respect, creativity, education, employment, and career and youth development.

Sources: www.guidestar.org; www.thespot.org

Type of Evaluation: Outcomes Monitoring.

Note: This program is currently being evaluated. The following summary provides preliminary evaluation results.

Summary of Available Evaluation Information: Preliminary evaluation information findings indicate that The Spot attracts an older adolescent and young adult population. The evaluation found that 60% of the participants were between 18 and 22 years of age, with 19.6 as the mean age. Of the 478 young people who attended The Spot over a five-day period, 194 completed surveys. The researchers found significant correlations between relationship to The Spot and behavioral change. As length of time participating in The Spot increases, fighting, arrests, selling drugs, and stealing decreases. As trust in The Spot increases, accomplishing goals, beliefs that the Spot keeps youth out of trouble, feeling better about self, and positive decision-making increases for youth.