Youth Internship ToolKit

Note: We would like to keep track of who uses this toolkit in the future. If you choose to use it, please email jeffersoncountyctc@gmail.com. 

Key points

Want to "recycle" any of the materials below? Have sample materials you could share? Please email Pamela Gould at pgould@jeffco.us. 

Background

In 2018, Communities that Care (CTC) at Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) hired 21 youth researchers to better understand youth perspectives on what underlies youth depression and anxiety, youth violence, and youth substance abuse. Since then, Jeffco CTC Youth Interns have held focus groups, town halls (in-person & virtually), created social norming campaigns-- and provided leadership and input into the coalition's decision making for 4 years.

Positive Youth Development

Our goal is to allow our youth to engage in authentic community change efforts while gaining skills and a experience a feeling of connectedness with their community. We use a positive development framework that is strengths-based, inclusive,  collaborative, sustainable, and works with youth as partners.  We use the social development strategy as our guide in programming, always looking for opportunities for youth that allow them to build, use or teach skills that leads to recognition, since this has been shown to promote bonding that leads to following group norms for healthy behaviors. 

Youth Recruitment

Each year, we meet with youth leaders and stakeholder to decide what the main goals of the internship will be that year (ex. provide input for www.twelvetalks.com, recommend policy changes, etc.). Then we create a flyer advertising our youth internships. That flyer, along with a Google form application, are posted on an application webpage on the youth internship website. 

Then, youth are recruited by:



Tip: Increase attendance by creating the internship schedule before you begin recruitment.  Post the calendar on the application webpage on your youth internship website. Then, on the application form, ask youth if they are definitely available to meet at scheduled times.

Applying online

Youth are invited to apply in teams of three. All team members had to be from the same school and applied together on one application through Google forms. The application was available for about one month. To encourage broader participation and collaboration, in 2020 we offered priority to teams with members from multiple schools. 

Tip: Ask you how they will bring diversity into the work they will be doing. This allows them to share what they feel comfortable sharing about themselves, as well as expanding adults definitions of what "diversity" means.

Interviews

After completing the applications, each team is invited to be interviewed. Each group of interns speaks with several groups of coalition members in a rotating fashion. Interviews lasted approximately 30 minutes, after which the interview team provided comments and scores to staff members. Staff then talk to the students about their ability to attend meetings and complete the project(s), along with finding out if the wanted to use their own computer or borrow one and if they needed assistance with transportation. This process can be done in person or online using breakout rooms.

Tip: Providing payment stipends to youth helps youth who work participate since they won't miss out on income and helps compensate for costs for attending, such as transportation. Allowing children or siblings to attend with youth also increases accessibility.

Tip: Recruit youth in teams of three. Youth will recruit each other-- and youth who normally wouldn't participate are talked into it by their peers. Also, youth often feel safer when they have friends with them.

Youth Researchers Flyer-1.31.18.pdf

Tip: Use Google sites to create a free, one-stop website for interns to find the paperwork, calendar, links to their projects, agendas, sign up forms & attendance forms! This makes sharing information very easy.

Tip: Set up a GroupMe with all staff, youth leaders, and youth interns. Send reminders for each meeting (with a link to your youth internship website) via both email and GroupMe.

Internship website

Our internship meetings take place twice a month-- and are scheduled prior to recruiting interns. They are 90 minutes long.  In person meetings always include snacks, of course. Online meetings always include a fun warm up question. We have approximately 15 meetings, including: 

About this internship and introductions.

Additionally, staff or coalition partners may want to host special events or just-for-fun opportunities. Interns may also be invited to coalition meetings. 

Please visit our youth internship website to see how we organize our calendar-- and make sure youth and adult volunteers know when the meetings will take place.

Tip: Consider taking attendance via online survey. They are simple to add to a Google site.

On-Boarding for success

Agreements

The youth are paid in a lump sum at the completion of the internship AFTER successfully completing three components as outlined in a signed letter of agreement. Partial payments are made if only one or two components are completed.

Tip! Pay youth in a lump sum for successfully completing a project, rather that paying per hour of work-- and  be sure to remind the youth about your agreement frequently.


Paperwork

 Each newly-hired youth intern signs a packet of forms – along with a parent/guardian sign if they are under 18. The forms included:

Tip: Post all paperwork on your youth internship Google site (see below for an example).

2020-2021 Youth internship agreement .docx

Youth-led input events

As required by their signed agreement, youth interns invite at least 3 other youth to a townhall that takes place after school on a weeknight. Our town halls are 2-hours in person (including time for a meal) but only 1 hour for virtual event(s). Participants that stay the whole time are given a gift card. As youth come to the town hall, they are divided into groups of between 15 and 20 youth. These youth then rotate through a combination of activities, which include a town hall survey and activities or focus groups, followed by a meal (for in person town halls).

Getting Youth to Attend

Each youth intern is asked to invite approximately 10 youth and must have at least 3 (number varies by year) actually attend. Youth are provided with a post to use on social media and a link to have their friends register. Additionally, youth are invited to attend by emailing former interns and by posting an invitation on our Instagram account @jeffco_ctc.

Youth each receive a big thanks and a $20 gift card for attending-- and they are given dinner and swag at in person events. 

Yearly Town Hall Survey

CTC staff, in consultation with our coalition data workgroup, created a Yearly Townhall Survey that included questions about demographics, alcohol and other drugs, interpersonal violence and support structures. The survey takes approximately 15 minutes and is done on either phones or iPads, using the REDCAP platform to assure anonymity. 

Activities

In collaboration with coalition adults, youth develop research questions that will move the work of the CTC coalition forward. Then youth develop hands on activities for participants at the town hall to provide answers to those questions. For in person events they include:

For our 2021 townhall, we had to move online. We created a townhall website with "room" to visit along with interns acting as guides. Rooms included online input tools, including:

Tip: If your town hall is in person, try to provide a meal at the end allowing youth to select an optional dinner discussion group for youth that have more to share.

Focus Groups

One year, our interns did focus groups, rather than a town hall. A focus group guide, including a detailed script and focus group questions, was created by CTC staff at JCPH with technical assistance from CTC staff with input from the CTC Data Work Group. 

Before conducting their own focus groups, the youth researchers participated in two focus groups led by CTC staff. This allowed them to understand their roles in running a focus group. In addition, their responses to the questions were included in the data analysis. Then, during their own focus groups, each youth research team member had a unique role. One person was the facilitator and read questions using a flip chart, one person was the co-facilitator and asked follow up questions, and one person was the note-taker and ran the recording device. In each focus group, two or three CTC staff were present to assist with taking notes and supporting the facilitator and co-facilitator as needed.

Qualitative data was analyzed in collaboration with University of Colorado. Data analysis was a very time consuming process.

Youth Created Video about our 2019 Youth Town Hall

Tip: You will likely have a number of adults who want to come and "observe;' however, observing adults will likely stifle youth responses, especially from youth who have reason to not be totally trusting. We give every adult and active role and limit the total number there. 

Tip: be sure have an adult ready to follow up with any youth who leave suddenly or become upset-- whether you are in person or online. Tell the youth that you will be doing this and they can give you a thumbs up when they are leaving if they don't need support.

Projects to share with our Community

Each year, youth interns prepare posters or videos to share with the coalition board and community at a Youth Voices Event. They are assisted by staff and adult volunteers in creation of dissemination pieces that can be used to make change happen in their community.  Examples include:

Preventing Alcohol Misuse through Social Hosting Laws

Safe Spaces for Teens

Providing Safety & Support

Emotional Support

Because the topics discussed in the focus groups and town halls had the potential to trigger youth, all the youth participants received a one-page handout with a list of resources to utilize if they needed help or support outside of the focus group discussion. This resource list is shown to the right. Additionally, therapy dogs were available to students following some of the focus groups.  For online events, resources were listed at the bottom of each page. 

Mandatory Reporting

Participants were told that staff members in the room are mandatory reporters and staff explained what mandatory reporting means. Participants were encouraged to talk in generalities or use non-identifying phrases like "someone I know." 

“Staff” tasks

For internships

For townhalls

Adult Coalition Members/ Volunteers

Adults are invited to work side-by-side with the youth, which can be very meaningful for both the youth and adults.  If possible, provide adults with PYD and SDS training to support their work with youth. Also, let adults know that the very best adult volunteers are excited when youth take over and they get to watch and cheer them on! When working with volunteers, you may need to plan for enough paid staff in case of cancelation by adults. 

Tip: Ask that adult volunteers commit to attending all or most of the meetings to prevent the sense that adults are coming and going, which makes developing trust more challenging. It's better to have fewer adults that come consistently and form relationships with the youth they are working with. 

Jeffco-Resources-Crisis-Lines.pdf

List of resources printed an passed out to interns and at Town Halls

Tip: Youth were not at all excited about receiving printed resource sheets; we have switched to swag with the Colorado Crisis line, posters if in person and links for online events.

Lessons Learned

Lessons learned have been plentiful! One is that adult cheat sheets are a must. 

Adult Cheat Sheet for Adult Co-Hosts
Lessons Learned Youth Researchers

Tip: Youth internships take a lot of staff time, regardless of how many community volunteers and other supports you have. Count on about 15 hours per week to provide communication in multiple formats  and answer questions from both youth & adults, create and organize paperwork (payments, tax forms, attendance, etc.), plan meetings, organize sign ups, and much more.


A few lessons learned about engaging youth leaders:

Note: We would like to keep track of who uses this toolkit in the future. If you choose to use it, please email Pamela Gould at pgould@jeffco.us. 

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