Age range

Website: www.fridaynightlive.org

Mission/Goals: Friday Night Live began as a pilot program dedicated to reducing the number of deaths and injuries caused by teen motorists driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs. The primary focus of the Friday Night Live Mentoring Program is to form partnerships between young people and adults, to provide programs offering a range of opportunities and support, in the hopes that participants will be less likely to engage in problem behaviors, more likely to succeed in school, and more likely to attend higher education or secure a full-time job. FNL’s vision is "to work hand-in-hand with young people so they are both problem free and fully prepared".

Note: FNL is a statewide program operating throughout California. Oakland children are included in the Alameda County regional branch.

Source(s): www.fridaynightlive.org

Type of Evaluation: Outcomes Monitoring

Objective: To measure the extent to which FNL programs were successfully applying their youth development training in their programs, to measure the experiences of youth participants, and to determine the extent to which programs effectively and thoroughly integrated key supports and opportunities into their work with young people.

Impact/Outcomes: Outcome results included the following: 1) Environmental Safety: This dimension received the highest ratings from participants, with a mean score of 3.48 out of 4 (SD = .41). The range of safety means across the counties was 3.34 to 3.57; 2) Community Involvement : The mean score was 3.15 (SD = .60), although there was variation across counties (range = 2.86 to 3.33); 3) Skill Building opportunities: The mean score was 3.17 (SD = .55), with a relatively wide range across counties (2.83 to 3.38); 4) Relationship Building: The mean score was 3.09 (SD = .64), with a mean range across counties of 2.87 to 3.27. Participants reported, on average, that they had two adults they could go to for support, and almost all participants reported having at least one such adult; and 5) Leadership and Advocacy: The mean score was 3.11 (SD = .62), with a range of 2.83 to 3.29 across counties. Outcome differences by participant characteristics include the following: 1) Gender: Female participant scores in all areas were significantly higher than those of males. 2) Ethnicity: There were no significant differences across ethnicity for the Relationship Building standard, but differences were found in other areas. African American participant scores were significantly lower than their Asian/Pacific Islander (API), Latino, and multiracial peers on the Community Involvement standard and their scores on the Safety standard were significantly lower than those of Caucasian, multi-racial and Asian/Pacific Islander participants. Latino youth scores were significantly higher than Caucasian youth on Skill Building and Community Involvement, and their scores on the Safety and Leadership and Advocacy standards were significantly lower than those of Caucasian participants.  3) Level of participation: Significant differences were found for this characteristic for the community involvement, skill development and leadership and advocacy standards, with longer participation being associated with higher ratings. Scores were significantly lower on Safety and Relationships for youth who were newer to the program, but this difference dropped off among the mid- and higher-level participants, indicating that youth reports about program safety increase significantly after six months and then plateau.