The South Carolina American Legacy Empowerment (SCALE) Evaluation Project: Building Youth Development and Empowerment Program Model Guidelines for Tobacco Use Prevention

FUNDING SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control Foundation and the American Legacy Foundation

TIMELINE: October 2000 – September 2003

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Deborah Parra-Medina, PhD (USC-HPEB)

CO-INVESTIGATOR:
DeAnne Messias, PhD (USC-Women's Studies)
Louise Jennings, PhD (USC-Educational Psychology)
Dennis Shepard, MAT, CHES (USC-PRC)

PROJECT STAFF:
Sherer Royce, MPH, Project Coordinator
Elizabeth Fore, MEd, Data Analyst

The University of South Carolina Prevention Research Center in the Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health received a grant from the Centers for Disease Control Foundation and the American Legacy Foundation to learn more about youth programs in South Carolina. The goal of the three-year project is to develop a comprehensive program model for tobacco use prevention and effective guidelines for enhancing youth development and empowerment (YD&E) in youth programs.

Youth development and empowerment represents a paradigm shift in prevention efforts. This concept is grounded in a philosophy that places value on all youth, not just those at risk, and emphasizes building their strengths and potential for development and resiliency. Empowerment is seen as one of the most effective strategies for providing young people with opportunities to develop competencies.

Following, a participatory action research model, the current study will partner with community programs to assess YD&E. The subjects of the research will become the researchers themselves. During the exploratory first year, multiple methods will be used to identify variables for inclusion in the conceptual framework including a comprehensive literature review, key leader interviews and photovoice, a documentary photography technique. During year two, the model will be tested with multiple surveys sent to a random selection of youth programs across the state and to youth participating in those programs. Analysis and dissemination will occur in year three.

More information on the project is available in a "USC Times" article from October 18, 2001:
http://www.sc.edu/usctimes/articles/2004-09/empowered_research.html