Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Rigorous evaluations of YouthBuild and National Guard Youth ChalleNGe provide further evidence of the effects of an intensive program model for young people. YouthBuild provides hands-on, vocational training, educational services, case management, counseling, service to the community, and leadership-development opportunities, to low-income, out-of-school young people ages 16 to 24. Operating with both federal and private funding, there are over 250 YouthBuild programs nationwide, serving over 10,000 young people each year. National Guard Youth ChalleNGe is a residential program that aims to “reclaim the lives of at-risk youth” who have dropped out of high school. The residential phase focuses on preparing young people for a high school equivalency credential (or diploma) while promoting positive youth development through other core components. A post-residential phase provides gaduates with a mentor as they transition back into their community. More than 145,000 young people have completed the program since it was launched in the early 1990s.

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) provided positive evidence of each programs effectiveness. With an evaluation completed in 2011 based on a three-year follow up period of the study sample, ChalleNGe led to an increase in high school equivalency credential attainment, receipt of college credits, and increases in employment and earnings (Millenky et al, 2011). More recently completed in 2018, the YouthBuild evaluation showed positive effects – over a 4-year follow-up period - on high school equivalency credential receipt, initial college enrollment and some evidence of differences in employment and earnings (Miller et al, 2018), In addition to the impact findings, each evaluation provided recommendations for program improvement based on the implementation research and impact analysis. A common recommendation included improving the connections to jobs and further training for young people upon completion of the ChalleNGe or YouthBuild program.

Program improvement efforts on each program are underway. For example, the U.S. Department of Labor is piloting an expansion of the ChalleNGe program, known as Job ChalleNGe. The pilot provided $12 million dollars in additional funding to three existing ChalleNGe programs. Job ChalleNGe extends the residential program for interested and eligible graduates with a specific focus on further vocational training, in partnership with local community colleges. An implementation and outcomes study of this pilot is underway.

In addition to addressing possible improvements in the program models, interest in the formative studies remains high. For each original study sample, efforts are underway to match to government administrative databases and conduct a longer term follow up around key outcomes.