Project #UR041
Project Number: UR041
Project Title: Best Practices in Youth Development: Enhancing Services, Building Strengths, and Solving Homelessness
Faculty Sponsor: Hillary Heinze
Department: Psychology
Telephone: 810.762.3424
E-Mail: hheizne@umflint.edu
Proposed Starting Date: 01/10/2009
Proposed Ending Date: 12/15/2009
Student in mind: Yes
Number of hours to work per week: 7-10 hours
Project Description: The current proposal serves as a first step in building relationships with area providers to improve existing services and promote healthy development in homeless youth. Interested youth within participating agencies will complete surveys assessing background characteristics (e.g., age, gender), service provision (e.g., staff-youth relationship quality), and psychological and social outcomes (e.g., service satisfaction, school status). Relationships among background factors, service provision, and outcomes will be analyzed. Findings will be disseminated within participating agencies and community, academic and professional contexts to improve service provision, spur program development, and identify additional university-community collaborative opportunities. Student research assistants may become actively involved at every step of the project, developing research skills, deepening their understanding of risks and consequences associated with homelessness, and collaborating with youth and providers within community agencies to identify ways to better meet the needs of these youth.
Student Tasks & Responsibilities: Conducting surveys with youth at participating residential agencies. Will involve travel to out of town agencies. Data entry, literature review, report generation.
Minimum Student Qualifications: Junior or senior status in psychology. Coursework in psychology, including research methods.