FOCUS GROUPS SUMMARY

Introduction:

The purpose of the focus group phase of the research was to gain critical feedback from the youth at risk target group, and the youth service providers who work with the target group. The overarching goal was to elicit suggestions and feedback on youth learning to be used in developing a teaching model and activities for literacy work with youth at risk. Specific focus group questions were designed to gain insight into eight areas of inquiry:

1. what incentives can be used to attract and maintain the target group's participation in a learning programme
2. how do youth spend their time - hobbies and locations
3. what learning activities do youth find interesting and engaging (and the inverse)
4. what learning styles are most prevalent within the target group
5. what are the most common goals and objectives of the target group
6. what are the most common access barriers and means of ameliorating them
7. what forms of outreach are most likely to succeed in reaching the target group
8. do subgroups (teen parents/ young offenders/rural youth etc) express different goals/ interests/ experiences.

In discussing the research findings, I will describe each focus group setting and its participants, and use the specific focus group questions as a framework. The first section will discuss the results of the Youth Focus Groups, and the second section will discuss the results of the Youth Service Provider Focus Groups. At the end of each section, concluding remarks are given to summarize the findings for each group. Copies of the advertisements for the Youth and Service Provider focus groups, and the youth consent forms are included as Appendices A to C.

1. Description of the Settings and Participants: Youth Focus Groups

(A) SETTINGS:

Youth Haven is a temporary shelter for homeless youth, 16 to 24, located in downtown Barrie. In order to be permitted to stay, youth need to demonstrate a measurable commitment to finding either further education or employment. Youth Haven works closely with area youth resources, including the Brock Street Youth Resource and Employment centre, JobConnect, and Career Incentives, a YMCA program. Mary Burrows, the executive director of Youth Haven, reports that literacy issues and probable learning disabilities are often apparent during the intake of new residents, as many have difficulty filling out intake forms, and report dropping out of school after grade 9 or 10. The focus group at Youth Haven was held on Wednesday November 14, from 6 to 9 pm.