Milwaukee

1
Milwaukees Community Development Block
GrantConnecting Youth Services and Economic
Development

• Nina Carlson
• Julie Fitzgerald
• Kevin Murphy
• Bethany Shore
• Prepared for the City of Milwaukee,
• Budget and Management Division, Department of
  Administration

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Introduction

• Framing the issue Problems facing Milwaukee
  youth
• CDGA allocates almost 2 million each year in
  federal CDBG funding to Youth Services

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Purpose

• Research Tasks
• Determine the effectiveness of Youth Services
  grants
• Explore the possibility of better linking Youth
  Services programming to economic development
• Methods

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Table 1 Carnegie Youth Characteristics and
Corresponding CDGA Program Categories
Carnegie Council Youth Characteristics Corresponding Program Category
Intellectually reflective Education
Healthy/Caring and ethical individual Crime prevention/personal development
Good citizen Civic Engagement
En route to meaningful work Economic Development
Healthy Recreation
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CDGA-sponsored youth programming by category
Program Category of Programs
Crime Prevention/Personal Development 20
Civic Engagement 8
Recreation 7
Education 4
Economic Development 4
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(No Transcript)
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Research Question 1 Overview

• Are CDGA Youth Services grants effective?
• Literature review on the general effectiveness of
  youth programming
• Analysis of CDGA performance files

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Do Youth Programs Benefit Young People and Their
Community?

• According to academic research, they do.
• Examples
• Education ? Boost GPAs and school attendance
• Rec Crime Prevention ? Lower anti-social
  behaviors
• Civic Engagement ? Improve concern for others
  welfare improve work ethic
• The Benefits Last

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CDGAs Reporting Monitoring System

• The beginnings of a successful performance
  measurement system
• Outcome identification
• Outcome tracking

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Best Practices in Performance Measurement How do
grantees perform?

• Outcome measurement
• Struggle to distinguish between outputs and
  outcomes
• Data sources
• Some fail to use an adequate data source to
  measure outcomes
• Signs of success

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Reporting and Monitoring Systems Recommendations

• Mandatory Grantee Training Session
• Strengthen Grantee Reporting Requirements
• Implement a More Interactive Monitoring System

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Research Question 2 Overview

• How can Milwaukee link Youth Services programming
  to economic development?
• HUD definition of economic development
• Creating and maintaining jobs

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Evaluation of Programming for Youth
Type of Programming Outcomes
Early Intervention -Higher rates of return -Improves capacity for future learning
School Age -Increases attendance and graduation rates -Lowers incidence of risky behavior
Preparation for Post-Secondary Education -Develops personal qualities necessary for post-secondary success
Economic and Workforce Development -Develops soft and job-specific skills -Positive short-term effects -Limited long-term employment and wage effects
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Policy Options

• Focus on Job Training
• Focus on Post-Secondary Education
• Status Quo

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Research Question 2 Recommendations

• Take a broader perspective on economic
  development
• Expanded definition of economic development
• Services that encourage post-secondary
  opportunities for youth, teach marketable job
  skills, provide workforce or higher education
  training for young adults, or encourage
  productive citizenship
• Maintain current mix of programming

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• Conclusion