Youth Development Insight

By Betsy Olson Collecting opinions from the youth in your program can be as easy as asking the right question. But in surveys, asking the right question can be tricky. The questions can be too complex, the responses can be mismatched or the vocabulary can be confusing. Don't go through all the hard work of collecting survey data from a group of young people without ensuring the responses measure what you intend to measure and accurately reflect their experiences. Research into how young people respond to survey items is a topic that has gotten more attention as researchers and evaluators have begun to understand the value of collecting data directly from youth. Here are some tips:

By Karyn Santl At the recent National Extension Conference on Volunteerism, Jones Loflin  gave a keynote speech in which he asked, "How will you grow it when you return home?" Jones speaks globally about innovative yet practical solutions to workplace challenges. An author whose books include "Always Growing" , Jones made me think about leadership and how to move change forward - even in small ways. He said, "To be an effective leader, think like a gardener." I'm not much of a gardener, but his message stuck with me.

By Kari Robideau Do you listen to podcasts?  The number of people who do is exploding. Last year Edison Research found that one in four Americans aged 12-54 had listened to a podcast within the last month.  And podcast listening grew 23% between 2015 and 2016. So the audience for podcasts is bigger than you think! To help provide context..the percentage of Americans who listen to podcasts is the same as those who use Twitter. Podcasting has been around for more than a decade. So why the increase in the last couple years? People are using mobile devices much more than they did three years ago. We’re also in a TV on-demand era, in which we watch and listen to WHAT we want WHEN we want it. When do they listen? People listen to podcasts anytime they might listen to the radio or music on a CD. This includes listening at home, the gym or while commuting to work. What are they listening to? The most popular podcasts are educational, current events-related or fictional series.