SKILLS AND YOUTH PROGRAMS
CBU study focuses on youth development.
A Cape Breton University student researcher is examining a possible link between childhood and adolescent involvement in youth programs and the development of social and emotional skills.
Fourth-year psychology honours student, Sheryl Fogarty, is in the process of collecting voluntary responses from students who are in some way involved in the Whitney Pier Youth Club.
Having grown up in Whitney Pier, the Sydney mother of two is now hoping her research can be used to expand the public’s knowledge of positive youth development and, in turn, help provide a basis for future funding of youth programs in the area.
As part of the study, participants have been divided in two categories: Youth who are already taking part in the club’s programs and those who are wait-listed. Fogarty’s research is a part of her undergraduate thesis, which is being carried out under the direction of faculty advisor Michelle Jetha.
“We really wanted to use the wait-list group versus the children who have been in the program — matched on age and gender — so we sort of used (the wait-listed) as a quasi-control group,” Fogarty said in an interview Wednesday. “We’re looking at group differences, not individual differences.”
To date, Fogarty said about 30 students have completed questionnaires that will help support her study titled Testing the Efficacy of Community Youth Programs on the Development of Social and Emotional Skills.
A second phase of study will take place in about three months, although Fogarty is hoping to continue her research beyond her May graduation.
Fogarty has hypothesized that students involved in the program will show a statistically significant increase in social/emotional skills compared to wait-listed students, as a result of being involved in youth programming.
Having worked in the mental health field prior to her current studies, the 35-year-old said psychology has always been a passion.
“Social and emotional learning to me was something that is a necessary skill and it’s very important for development and for understanding our emotions, managing our emotions, feeling empathy for others, creating positive relationships and responsible decision making,” she said.
“That really stuck with me. I really felt like that was something that was important for youth and something that wasn’t necessarily being taught, and definitely not taught in schools. These types of youth development programs offer a lot of the opportunities that help to foster those skills.”
Fogarty said she would like Whitney Pier to serve as an example of what can be achieved by programs run by hard-working and caring people.
Anyone with a child involved in the Whitney Pier Youth Club, or wait-listed for programs, who wishes to take part in the study can contact Fogarty at cbu16bsm@cbu.ca.