‘I feel safe out here’: Youth perspectives on community-based organizations in urban neighborhoods

Objective: Community-based youth organizations (CBYOs) serve a variety of roles in urban neighborhoods, and past research examines the impact of structured youth programs on particular youth outcomes. Rarely do we hear from youth directly about their perspectives on the CBYOs they frequent. This paper aims to understand urban youth of color’s perspectives on CBYOs and why youth see CBYOs as important, specifically in a neighborhood affected by violence. Methods: We used qualitative interviews from 74 urban youth of color. Focusing on comprehensive youth centers that offered a wide variety of structured and unstructured activities, we used an inductive analysis to identify how youth describe the role of CBYOs in their lives and for their community. Results: Youth identified key components of CBYOs that occurred in unstructured time – or time outside of programmed activity – including spaces to build relationships, access to resources, and opportunities for youth voice and engagement. These inter-related components contributed to feelings of relational, physical, and community safety in the context of neighborhood violence. Conclusions: Taken together, these findings document the elements of CBYOs that hold particular value for urban youth of color and have implications for how CBYOs can best serve the needs of youth.

Article Link