Evaluation of the Voyageurs Area Council Boy Scouts of America
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Evaluation of the Voyageurs Area Council Boy Scouts of America Views about effectiveness and impact of Scouting programs DECEMBER 2005 Evaluation of the Voyageurs Area Council Boy Scouts of America Views about the impact of Scouting programs December 2005 Prepared by: Greg Owen, June Heineman, and Michelle Decker Gerrard Wilder Research 1295 Bandana Boulevard North, Suite 210 Saint Paul, Minnesota 55108 651-647-4600 www.wilder.org Contents Summary............................................................................................................................. 1 Background......................................................................................................................... 6 Evaluation design................................................................................................................ 8 Methods........................................................................................................................... 8 Characteristics of survey participants ............................................................................... 10 Parents surveyed ........................................................................................................... 10 Scouts surveyed ............................................................................................................ 11 Volunteer Leaders surveyed ......................................................................................... 12 Results............................................................................................................................... 14 Parents views about the purpose and benefits of Scouting........................................... 14 In their own words: What youth like best about Scouting............................................ 17 Parent and Scouts’ views about the impact of Scouting............................................... 18 Volunteer leaders’ views about the impact of Scouting ............................................... 23 Suggestions for program improvements ........................................................................... 26 Parents’ suggestions...................................................................................................... 26 Youth suggestions......................................................................................................... 28 Volunteer leaders’ suggestions ..................................................................................... 29 Conclusion and considerations ......................................................................................... 31 Appendix........................................................................................................................... 33 Parent telephone interviews: tables of responses.......................................................... 35 Scout (youth) telephone interviews: tables of responses .............................................. 43 Volunteer Leader self-administered survey: tables of responses.................................. 49 Parent survey: open-ended responses ........................................................................... 55 Scout survey: open-ended responses ............................................................................ 83 Leader survey: open-ended responses .......................................................................... 90 Voyageurs Area Council Boy Scouts of America Wilder Research, December 2005 Figures 1. Impact of Scouting reported by parents and Scouts.................................................. 19 2. Impact of Scouting on youth performance according to Leaders............................. 24 3. Top five suggestions for program improvement according to parents ..................... 26 4. Top five suggestions for program improvement according to volunteer Leaders.... 29 Voyageurs Area Council Boy Scouts of America Wilder Research, December 2005 Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank Voyageurs Area Council Scout Executive Loren Stach, Executive Board member, David Smith, and Ernie Stauffenecker for their support of the project. This report was funded by the Duluth/Superior Area Community Foundation and the Blandin Foundation. In addition to the authors, many other Wilder Research staff contributed to this report including: Jacqueline Campeau Louann Graham April Lott Nicole Martin Mark Miazga Ron Mortenson Sueann Olson Brian Pittman Miguel Salazar Dan Swanson A special thanks to the Scouts, their parents, and the many volunteer leaders of the Voyageurs Area Council for their willingness to answer our questions and make this report possible. Voyageurs Area Council Boy Scouts of America Wilder Research, December 2005 Summary In 2005, Wilder Research was contracted to conduct an evaluation of the Voyageurs Area Council of Boy Scouts. This evaluation was meant as a follow-up to a similar evaluation of services conducted in 1999. In 2005, more than 310 Scouting units and their chartered partners, together with 8,784 Scouting youth and 2,215 adult volunteers participated in Scouting in the Voyageurs Area Council. These numbers have grown since 1999 – when the previous evaluation report was published. There are 35 additional Scouting units and more than 400 additional youth participants. This study was undertaken to measure the effectiveness, value, and impact of the Scouting programs delivered by the Voyageurs Area Council. The Executive Board of the Voyageurs Area Council wished to identify the extent to which their programs strengthened: Interest in and appreciation for the outdoors The ability of young people to solve problems on their own The respect young people show for their families and others Self control young people show when frustrated or angry or facing difficult circumstances Their willingness to carry out responsibilities, set goals, and make good decisions The ability of young people to see themselves as role models for other youth Their ability to resolve conflicts Their ability to work as team members Their ability to form strong, trusting relationships with Scout leaders In order to better understand program outcomes, Wilder Research conducted telephone surveys with 163 parents and 151 youth and compared results to similar surveys completed in 1999. In addition, 56 leaders completed a mailed survey that adds some helpful descriptive information to the study. Voyageurs Area Council Boy Scouts of America 1 Wilder Research, December 2005 About the survey participants The Voyageur Council of the Boy Scouts of America serves a large volume of youth from a variety of circumstances. Information reported by a random sample of parents surveyed shows that 18 percent of youth served have a disability or individualized education plan at school. Parents. Parents surveyed were similar in demographic characteristics to the general population in the areas served. Most are White and live in a two-parent household. The vast majority of parents are actively involved with the Scouting. Eighty percent volunteer time and 89 percent have attended at least one Scouting function in the past year. Scouts. The typical Scout interviewed for the survey had been involved with Scouting for approximately four years. While some Scouts had less than one year experience, others had more than ten years experience. Six in 10 of the Scouts interviewed were in elementary school. Leaders. Fifty-six of 206 randomly selected volunteer Scout Leaders returned a self- administered mailed survey. Of these 56 leaders, three-quarters are male. Leaders ranged in age from 19 to 69 with an average age of 45. On average, leaders had been involved in Scouting 7.6 years. Some respondents have less than one year of experience while others had as many as 40 years of experience. Three- quarters of leaders surveyed report serving Scouts from single parent families, nearly half serve youth with disabilities, and 20 percent serve youth of color. Results: parent perspectives Parent views: benefits of Scouting Nearly all parents surveyed feel that Scouting exposes their child to positive adult role models “almost always” or “most of the time.” Parents were asked to describe in their own words the area in which Scouting had produced the greatest impact for their child. The following were the top five categories cited by parents in 2005: 1. Opportunities to make new friends 2. Opportunities to learn new skills and have new experiences 3. Increase confidence and self esteem 4. Learn teamwork 5. Learn how to set goals Voyageurs Area Council Boy Scouts of America 2 Wilder Research, December 2005 Parent views: increased skills and areas of change 89 percent of parents observed an increase in their child’s ability to work as a team member. 67 percent of parents observed an increase in their child’s skills in three areas: willingness to carry out responsibilities, getting along with other youth, and self- esteem. 66 percent of parents observed an increase in their child’s ability to get along with adults and their ability to make good decisions. 65 percent of parents felt that their child was more willing to help others due to Scouting. Between 1999 and 2005, an increased percentage of parents observed skill improvements for their children in 16 out of the 20 areas addressed by the survey. The three areas that showed the most significant change (using a statistical test that shows that the differences are unlikely to occur by chance) were: Ability to get along with adults other than parents (up