In 2010, teenagers in New York City had more than 7,200 births and though this is a decline of nearly 30% over the past decade, it still represents nearly 6% of teenagers having children- approximately 50% higher than the national average (City of New York, 2011 & Kost & Henshaw, 2008). The high school graduation rate in New York City is 58%, and the graduation rate of Black and Latino boys is 34% (New York City Parents for Inclusive Education, 2006). In 2012, while youth offenders comprised a small percentage of the total NYC prisoner population, approximately three-quarters of 16-18 year olds in prison were charged with violent felonies compared to 30 percent of inmates 25 years of age and older (DOC, 2013).

To rectify these issues, in October 2007, the Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) in NYC began the Teen ACTION (Achieving Change Together in Our Neighborhood).  The program, currently located in 17 sites, focuses on youths in grades 7 through 10, and seeks to reduce behaviors that might result in teen pregnancy, promote positive youth development and promote community engagement through afterschool service-learning initiatives.  Young people in the Teen ACTION program are expected to go through a 10 month, 150 hour service learning program split into three doses: 50 hours of action learning, 50 hours of structured learning, and 50 hours of reflection learning.  During the program, teens will take part in community service efforts designed to connect them to their community while also learning about topics such as the environment, immigration, and sexual/ reproductive health.  Rounding this out are reflection activities which seek to connect what youths are learning in the field with what they are learning in the classroom, enabling them to make better decisions regarding their own potentially risky behaviors.

Last year The Urban Institute was asked to conduct a qualitative evaluation of the program.  The team conducted focus groups and in-depth interviews with youth at eight of the Teen ACTION sites with a goal of understanding how effective the program has been in reducing risky behaviors among teens while also promoting positive behavior.  The team also spoke with program staff to understand what works for the program and what can be changed.  The findings from this evaluation provide a greater understanding of how service learning- a relatively new innovation- works to improve the outcomes of young adults.

The presentaton will focus on the findings from the Teen ACTION evaluation, which will concluded in April 2014, and demonstrate how the staff and youths from these programs perceive the program, how they believe it can be improved, and the elements they believe are most effective.