Participation and sense of community: youth development organization involvement and perceptions of public entities
Date
2020
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Over the past decades, both governments and public benefit organizations have
diversified their efforts to address young people’s needs. One strategy for doing so has
been through the implementation of initiatives specifically targeting youth. These
efforts, which are referred to as youth development (YD) initiatives, come in a variety
of forms. They provide a diverse array of resources with varying levels of impact in the
lives of youth. The present study explores the dynamics of youth disproportionality in
Africa. Using case study of the country of Senegal, it examines what services and
resources are provided to youth by YD organizations. It contemplates whether the
quality of youths’ participation in youth-specific initiatives is in itself a resource that
these organizations leverage. Finally, it questions youth involved in these initiatives
about their perceptions of their communities and the national government. It is guided
by the following research questions: Do YD organizations’ participatory models and the
types of resources they provide to youth in a particular neighborhood in Senegal affect
how they perceive their government and/or their geographically defined neighborhood?
Does the level of youth participation influence whether their perceptions of a successful
YD initiative are congruent with those of the organizational administration?
Description
Keywords
Africa, Demographic dividend, Senegal Ministry of Youth, Sense of community, Youth bulge, Youth development