Benefits of State Youth Council Membership as Perceived by Adult Advisors of North Carolina Youth Councils

Abstract

ABSTRACT

GILES, CYNTHIA HICKS. Benefits of State Youth Council Membership as Perceived by Adult Advisors of North Carolina Youth Councils. (Under the direction of R. Dale Safrit.)

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore possible benefits of the State Youth Council, as perceived by youth council advisors of both chartered and non-chartered youth councils in North Carolina. Twenty-seven youth council advisors participated in focus groups or telephone interviews using an eight-item interview schedule. Responses were tape-recorded, with the use of a journal, transcribed and analyzed using the constant comparative method. Five resulting themes were identified: (1) youth council organizations’ knowledge of the State Youth Council (SYC) and sponsored conferences (i.e., mini-grants, teambuilding, leadership and service, and the Youth Legislative Assembly); (2) the benefits organizations have gained from participating in SYC conferences; (3) reasons for the decline in participation by chartered youth councils; (4) opportunities to influence the increase of existing councils’ attendance at State Youth Council conferences; (5) the role of the state coordinator to influence non-chartered councils to become chartered. The researcher concluded that although most non-chartered council advisors were not knowledgeable of these conferences, they were aware of the existence of the State Youth Council. The majority of youth council advisors expressed their concerns about improved awareness efforts to inform existing councils about State Youth Council conferences. However, most of the youth council advisors interviewed believed that the state coordinator should be proactive in inviting non-chartered councils and offering incentives for attending state conferences. Additionally, lack of funding, location of conferences, and the inability of councils to recruit and retain members contributed to the decline in participation. Finally, all of the participants interviewed indicated that youth councils gained benefits by participating in conferences sponsored by the State Youth Council.