Abstract
The United Teen Equality Center in Lowell, Massachusetts uses Street Outreach Workers (SWs) to intervene with individuals 13–23 years old who are involved in high risk behaviors or in need of assistance. Few studies have explored the perceptions of SWs by their target population (both individuals they have worked with and those who they have not yet worked with). To better understand how youth perceive the SWs and to contribute to the scant literature regarding their roles and impacts, we conducted a community-based survey to capture youth perspectives of, and experiences with SWs. Regardless of whether they had worked with a SW, youth respondents reported that their peers believed the SWs made Lowell a better place. Youth who had prior contact with a SW were more likely to respond that their peers view the SWs as helpful to youth and respected. Youth who had no prior contact with SWs were more likely to report that SWs were not present where they lived. Among youth who had worked with a SW 38% received help finding a job and 67% indicated that working with a SW made a difference in their lives. Approximately 82% of individuals who participated in mediation activities led by the SWs reported that it resolved their conflict. These results support the value of SWs in helping youth meet their needs and in mediating disputes. SWs should continue to connect with local agencies to address the needs of youth, especially employment, which was a priority.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
U.S. Department of Justice. (2008). Best practices to address community gang problems: OJJDP’s comprehensive gang model. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs.
National Council on Crime, Delinquency. (2009). Developing a successful street outreach program: Recommendations and lessons learned. Oakland, CA: National Council on Crime and Delinquency.
Webster, D. W., Vernick, J. S., & Mendel, J. (2009). Interim evaluation of Baltimore’s safe streets program: Report to the Baltimore City Health Department. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence.
Skogan, W. G., Hartnett, S. M., Bump, N., & Dubois, J. (2008). Evaluation of Ceasefire-Chicago. Chicago: Northwestern University.
Frattaroli, S., Pollack, K. M., Jonsberg, K., Croteau, G., Rivera, J., & Mendel, J. S. (2010). Streetworkers, youth violence prevention, and peacemaking in Lowell, Massachusetts: Lessons and voices from the community. Progress in community health partnerships, 4(3), 171–179.
Wilson, J. M., Chermack, S., & McGarrell, E. F. (2010). Community-based violence prevention: An assessment of Pittsburgh’s one vision one life program. Pittsburgh: The Rand Corporation.
United Teen Equality Centerb (2010). Streetworker Center. http://www.utec-lowell.org/programming.php. Accessed October 1, 2010.
United States Census Bureau (2010). Lowell (city) quickfacts. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/25/2537000.html. Accessed October 1, 2010.
U.S. Department of Justice (2010). Crime in the United States: Offenses known to law enforcement by state, by city. Accessed October 1, 2010.
Braga, A. A., McDevitt, J., & Pierce, G. L. (2006). Understanding and preventing gang violence: Problem analysis and response development in Lowell, Massachusetts. Police Quarterly, 9(1), 20–46.
Heckathorn, D. D., & Jeffri, J. (2001). Finding the beat: Using respondent-driven sampling to study jazz musicians. Poetics, 28(4), 307–329.
Heckathorn, D. D. (2002). Respondent-driven sampling II: Deriving valid population estimates from chain-referral samples of hidden populations. Social Problems, 49(1), 11–34.
Heckathorn, D. D. (1997). Respondent-driven sampling: A new approach to the study of hidden populations. Social Problems, 44(2), 174–199.
Wejnert, C. (2009). An empirical test of respondent-driven sampling: Point estimates, variance, degree measures, and out-of-equilibrium data. Sociological Methodology, 39(1), 73–116.
Johnston LG, Whitehead S, Simic-Lawson M, Kendall C. (2010). Formative research to optimize respondent-driven sampling surveys among hard-to-reach populations in HIV behavioral and biological surveillance: lessons learned from four case studies. AIDS Care: Psychological and Socio-medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV, 22(6), 784–792.
Abdul-Quader, A. S., Heckathorn, D. D., McKnight, C., et al. (2006). Effectiveness of respondent-driven sampling for recruiting drug users in New York City: findings from a pilot study. Journal of urban health, 83(3), 459–476.
SurveyMonkey. Online Survey Database. http://www.surveymonkey.com. Palo Alto, CA: SurveyMonkey.com, LLC.
DuBois, D. L., & Silverthorn, N. (2005). Natural mentoring relationships and adolescent health: Evidence from a national study. American Journal of Public Health, 95(3), 518–524.
DuBois, D. L., Holloway, B. E., Valentine, J. C., & Cooper, H. (2002). Effectiveness of mentoring programs for youth: A meta-analytic review. American Journal of Community Psychology, 30(2), 157–197.
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The authors gratefully acknowledge the individuals affiliated with UTEC, the youth who completed the survey, and the UTEC Streetworker program who participated in this work. The authors are also extremely grateful to Dr. Abu Abdul-Qadar from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for his invaluable methodological guidance on this research.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pollack, K.M., Frattaroli, S., Whitehill, J.M. et al. Youth Perspectives on Street Outreach Workers: Results from a Community-Based Survey. J Community Health 36, 469–476 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-010-9329-3
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-010-9329-3