Request for Committee Action

2017-01412 - Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Office of Justice Programs grant for youth intervention program

2015-01528 - State and federal grants for youth violence prevention services

Grant Details: The Health Department has received these Minnesota Department of Public Safety (MN OJP) funds during three previous grant periods (2014-2015, 2016-2017, and 2018-2019) to partially fund the Health Department's Inspiring Youth program. New 2020-2021 funds will continue to support Inspiring Youth. The grant requires a 1:1 match, the entirety of which can be covered by current ongoing general funds allocated to the Health Department for Inspiring Youth.

Inspiring Youth Overview: Inspiring Youth works to address the issue of a gap in services for youth in Minneapolis ages 10-17 who are at risk of system involvement or involvement with violence. In Inspiring Youth, Youth Workers build positive adult relationships with participants through weekly contact and facilitate access to a network of community-based resources. Through that, the program is intended to reduce risk factors for involvement with violence while increasing protective and resiliency factors.

Inspiring Youth Background: In the mid-2000s, high rates of juvenile homicides raised concern in Minneapolis, leading the Minneapolis City Council to declare youth violence a public health issue. In 2008, the Health Department released the City’s first Blueprint for Action to Prevent Youth Violence. Youth violence has dropped significantly since The Blueprint was released—2008 saw 2,141 victims of violent crime and 172 gunshot victims ages 0-24 in Minneapolis compared to 1,615 and 134 respectively in 2017. Similarly, key measures of arrests have decreased—in 2008 there were 903 arrests for simple assault among ages 0-24 in Minneapolis compared to 411 in 2017. However, while these declines show promise and progress, the present numbers of young people being victimized and arrested demonstrate a need for continued attention.

In 2013, community and partner feedback led to recognition of a gap in early intervention services for youth at risk of involvement with the system or with violence. Many of those young people were not receiving services despite facing the same risk factors and lack of protective factors as those who were receiving services because of system involvement (e.g. probation) or victimization. In response, City leadership committed funds for creation of an intervention for youth otherwise likely to fall through the cracks. With City and MN OJP funds, a pilot of Inspiring Youth was launched in 2014. Since then, Inspiring Youth has served over 200 young people. Participation is referral-based, with referrals coming primarily from juvenile diversion programs and schools.

Inspiring Youth Services: Inspiring Youth participants are matched with a Youth Worker who provides voluntary, individualized long-term services. Youth Workers and participants meet at least weekly, and services combine aspects of mentorship and case management—Youth Workers serve as positive, caring adult mentors, while at the same time using their deep experience with system navigation to connect participants to community-based resources as needed. Youth Workers also engage participants’ families to facilitate access to resources essential for participants’ success and to celebrate accomplishments. Young people are encouraged to participate for a minimum of six months, and Youth Workers are encouraged to transition participants from their caseloads at 12 months.

Inspiring Youth intervenes with participants in a context that honors individuality and employs a strengths-based, youth-focused approach. Service is informed by the best practice principles of Positive Youth Development (PYD) and the 5 C’s framework. The strengths-based program model functions on the belief that young people want a safe and healthy community and a chance to contribute to it, and that youth can lead, want to lead, and have a tremendous amount to offer as leaders.

PYD is a framework for youth programs that prioritizes building resiliency and protective factors for youth. PYD generates positive outcomes by enhancing young peoples’ connections to their communities, schools, organizations, peer groups, and families. The model utilizes and enhances young peoples’ strengths and promotes positive outcomes by providing opportunities, fostering positive relationships, and furnishing the support needed to build on innate leadership strength. The outcomes from PYD have been modeled using the 5 C’s: confidence, character, connection, competence, and contribution. Research suggests these attributes promote resiliency and reduce problem behavior among adolescents and young adults.  Research also suggests that young people exposed to opportunities for engagement encounter less risk and ultimately show higher rates of successful transitions into adulthood.  Driven by the PYD framework, Inspiring Youth’s strengths-based approach engages participants as leaders of their own success.

Participants are routinely engaged in program planning through co-creation of individualized goal plans. Inspiring Youth participants often have needs that are complex and intertwined. Many young people facing significant barriers need help determining which services they need and in what order they need them. And they may need help finding and accessing those services, as well as support successfully completing them.  Individualized service from a Youth Worker provides participants with the assessment tools, planning, advocacy, and practical support (transportation, fees, etc.) characteristic of targeted case management that are necessary to meet those complex needs.

Despite individualized plans, there are core fundamental program elements for all participants:

1) Intake/assessment of client strengths and needs: Following the referral/warm handoff, a Youth Worker initiates an intake meeting with the youth and family at a location convenient and comfortable for the participant.

2) Goal setting/service planning: Youth Workers guide youth in designing their own service delivery, mapping goal plans that will frame weekly sessions. Participants identify goals related to academic support, pro-social activities, community resources, community service opportunities, job readiness and placement, physical/mental wellbeing, stress and anger management, substance abuse, peer pressure, positive cultural identity, self-image, and healthy relationships. Youth Workers and participants regularly revisit goal plans, creating new goals as needed.

3) Weekly sessions: Participants meet with their Youth Worker at least weekly. Regular, long-term contact creates the positive adult relationships that are vital to program success. Youth Workers support participants in making progress toward goals, engage in problem-solving, and support participant self-regulation. Meetings are also an opportunity for participants to engage in pro-social activities with a positive, caring adult.

4) Connections to resources: Participants often have diverse needs beyond what Youth Workers can provide directly, so Youth Workers use their knowledge of community resources to identify appropriate referrals.

5) Advocacy/systems navigation: Most participants are engaged in school, and some are fulfilling court or law enforcement obligations. Youth Workers provide support and advocate within those systems, ensuring that participants receive both have and do what they need to succeed.

6) Family support: Youth Workers coordinate with parents, guardians, and others who youth identify as family to build strategies that recognize positive attitudes and actions. Family celebrations are held monthly when possible to celebrate accomplishments. When necessary, Youth Workers connect families to needed services including access to household, personal care, and baby supplies, housing support, and referrals to other supportive programs and community agencies.

7) Discharge: As participation nears 12 months Youth Workers work to connect youth to other sustainable resources and relationships. Youth are typically discharged successfully after one year.

Program data demonstrates the impact of Inspiring Youth to date. Analysis of available self-reported data for participants with an intake date prior to 2019 shows that after 12 months:

•          71% reported maintained or improved relationships with caring and trusted adults compared to when they joined the program

•          84% reported a decrease or leveling of behavior problems at school compared to when they joined the program

•          70% reported a decrease or leveling in school truancy compared to when they joined the program

•          90% reported a decrease or leveling with involvement with criminal activity compared to when they joined the program

•          87% reported a decrease or leveling of violent behavior incidents compared to when they joined the program