Cultivating knowledge of resiliency and reintegration among military youth through a national youth leadership program

• Published in: Evaluation and program planning Vol. 86; p. 101915
• Main Authors: Weston, Kayla L., Garst, Barry A., Bowers, Edmond P., Quinn, William H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Elsevier Ltd 01-06-2021; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Clubs; Community; Deployment; Knowledge; Leadership; Leadership Training; Military youth; Professional development; Program evaluation; Resilience; Skill Development; Skills; Social development; Triangulation; Youth; Youth development; Military youth; Leadership; Program evaluation; Youth development; Resilience
• ISSN: 0149-7189; 1873-7870
• DOI: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2021.101915

•Leadership training incorporating the 7 Cs of resilience model may be an effective strategy for programs seeking to build resilience among military youth.•A program evaluation of the leadership training revealed significant mean increases over time in military youths’ knowledge and awareness of resilience and reintegration.•Significant mean increases in military youths’ perceived leadership skills were also found.•Military youth participating in the training also demonstrated significant mean increases in levels of community awareness.
Youth in military families are frequently challenged by the adjustment demands associated with the deployment and reintegration of a parent. A positive youth development approach was undertaken by the Boys and Girls Clubs of America to develop and implement a Military Teen Ambassadors (MTA) training for youth in military families that would facilitate knowledge of resiliency and reintegration and foster leadership skills to build assets for themselves as well as their peers within their local communities. To determine if MTA was functioning as intended and to refine future programming, this preliminary formative study assessed perceived participant learning outcomes associated with MTA on variables pertaining to knowledge acquisition, perceived skill acquisition, and community needs awareness. Data were collected prior to the training, immediately following the training, and 6 months after the training. Repeated measures analysis indicated significant mean increases over time in knowledge and awareness of resiliency and reintegration; perceived leadership skills; and community awareness. Qualitative findings provided triangulation in the aforementioned areas. These findings strengthen the body of knowledge on resiliency by demonstrating that the 7 Cs model may be an effective strategy to incorporate into leadership development programs seeking to build knowledge of resiliency among military youth. Study limitations, lessons learned, and recommendations for further research are delineated.