Applied Major Project
Maggie Conway
Langara College
RECR 4400: Applied Major Project
Joanne Edey-Nicoll
March 19th, 2023

Executive Summary
Purpose
The purpose of this research paper is to determine what transferable skills youth ages 13-18
develop through participating in municipal recreation and how can the City of Richmond's Youth
Staff create opportunities that enable youth to develop these skills.
Methods Used
Research for this paper was conducted using four different methods: secondary research
(review of literature), interviews with staff and those who are involved in youth development within
the City of Richmond, public observations of youth programs and services, and analysis of content on
this topic.
Findings and Conclusion
Through participation in drop-in sports, registered programs, social clubs, youth councils and
volunteer opportunities, youth gain a multitude of new skills, and abilities. The transferable skills that
youth gain from participating in recreation range from social-emotional skills such as communication,
conflict resolution and building healthy relationships to professional development skills such as
leadership, organization, and time management. In addition, youth also develop a sense of positive
self-esteem and view of their community. Youth can become a vital part of the shaping of their
community through this participation in recreational activities and can create their own impacts on
their community by learning more about how the city works and how decisions are made. The key
components for a successful youth services foundation are involved and engaged staff,
developmentally appropriate and engaging programs, the involvement of youth in the planning
process of these programs and services, and the continued support of youth serving programs. These
components are essential to the health and success of a youth serving organization and must be
constantly re-assessed to determine where certain challenges, issues or opportunities exist.
Recommendations
1. Redesign the Focus and Intention of Programs and Services
2. Create more Youth Focused Events and Outings.
3. Enhance Staff Training
4. Create Methods to Retain and Maintain Relationships with Youth Volunteers.
5. Explore More Opportunities to Connect with Youth Who Are Experiencing Social
Challenges.
6. Create a Developmental Framework or Guidelines for Programs and Services
Key Terms
Transferable skills, Youth, Municipal Recreation, Enable

Table of Contents
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………… 1
Background and Context…………………………………………………………………...2
About the City of Richmond…………………………………………………………………..3
Statistics on Youth Participation in Recreation………………………………………………3
Youth Services in Richmond…………………………………………………………………..4
City of Richmond’s Youth Strategy and Framework………………………………………….4
Literature Review……………………………………………………………………………5
Overview of the Different Skills that Youth Develop from Participating in Recreation………8
Overview of the Role that Youth Staff Play in the Development of Youth…………………….8
Overview of How the Success of these Programs are Being Measured………………………9
Gaps or Challenges that Exist within the Delivery of Youth Recreation Services…………..10
Areas of Controversy………………………………………………………………………...11
Gaps in Literature……………………………………………………………………………11
Best Practices………………………………………………………………………………..11
Summary…………………………………………………………………………………….13
Methodology………………………………………………………………………………..13
Interviews……………………………………………………………………………………13
General Public Observations………………………………………………………………..15
Content Analysis…………………………………………………………………………….16
Research Findings and Analysis…………………………………………………………...17
Youth Learn About Their Influence in the Community………………………………………17
Environment and Staff are Key Components to Successful Programming…………………..18
Youth Serving Organizations Often Implement Similar Frameworks or Foundations………19
Recommendations…………………………………………………………………………..19
Redesign the Focus and Intentions of Programs and Services………………………………19
Create more Youth Focused Events and Outings…………………………………………….20
Enhance Staff Training……………………………………………………………………….21
Create Methods to Retain and Maintain Relationships with Youth Volunteers……………...21
Explore More Opportunities to Connect with Youth are Experiencing Challenges…………22
Create a Developmental Framework or Guidelines for Programs and Services……………23
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………...23
References…………………………………………………………………………………...25
Appendix ……………………………………………………………………………………30

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Introduction
There are particularly useful and transferable skills that youth ages 13-18 can develop
from participating in recreation programs and services (Benson, 2000; Ellis et al., 2001;
Hamilton & Hamilton, 2004). These recreation programs and services for youth may include
instructor led recreation programs, volunteer opportunities, outdoor recreation opportunities,
and arts and cultural services. Youth who participate in recreation have also seen
improvements in their mental and socioemotional health, enhanced academic performance,
and enhanced life satisfaction (Agans, et al., 2014). In addition, youth can develop useful and
transferable skills that will enable them to experience success in other areas of their life
(Agans, et al., 2014). Therefore, it is important to research the most common transferable
skills that youth can develop through participation in municipal recreation. Furthermore, it is
important to also determine how recreation services providers can deliver the necessary
guidance, support, environment, and resources to youth to help them to achieve success in
developing these skills.
This report will aim to answer the question: what transferable skills do youth ages 1318 develop through participating in municipal recreation and how can the City of Richmond's
Youth Staff create opportunities that enable youth to develop these skills? The following key
areas will be discussed within this report:
● Background and context
● About the City of Richmond
● Statistics on youth participation in recreation
● Youth Services in Richmond
● City of Richmond’s Youth Strategy and Framework
● Review of literature on this topic
● Overview of the different skills that youth develop from participation in
municipal youth recreation (social recreation, volunteerism, sports, and arts
and culture)
● Overview of the role that youth staff play in the development of youth.
● Overview of how the success of these services is being measured
● Gaps or challenges that exist within the delivery of youth recreation services
● Areas of controversy
● Gaps in literature

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● Best Practices
● Summary of literature review
● Methodology for primary research
● Research findings and analysis
● Recommendations
The key terms used in this research report are operationalized as follows:
● Transferable Skills - This term refers to the different attributes and abilities that youth
will develop from participating in municipal recreation. These transferable skills can
range from professional and personal such as time management, critical thinking,
leadership, building healthy relationships and collaboration and can be used in a
variety of different opportunities or roles.
● Youth - Youth refers to the 13–18-year-old age bracket. The City of Richmond
recognizes youth within different age brackets ranging from 13-24, 15-20 and 13-18
depending on certain programs, grants, and opportunities (City of Richmond, n.d).
● Municipal recreation - This term refers to services such as community center
programming and municipal events. These services can look like structured recreation
programs for youth, youth volunteer opportunities, youth outdoor recreation
opportunities, and cultural services.
● Enable - This term means the ability to offer the necessary means (resources, support,
guidance) to youth to allow them to achieve or attain something. In the case of this
research, the youth will be attaining or developing transferable skills.
Background and Context
Community-based youth organizations such as municipal recreation play a substantial
role in the development of youth (Benson, 2000; Ellis et al., 2001; Hamilton & Hamilton,
2004; Mannes, 2005). Youth development approaches can look different across
municipalities and other levels of government. For the purposes of this research, the City of
Richmond will be explored to determine their approach to youth development and to
determine how this research topic is situated within the realm of municipal recreation.

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About City of Richmond
The City of Richmond is a “culturally diverse and geographically unique” island city
located in Metro Vancouver (City of Richmond, n.d). Their mission is “to protect and
enhance the City’s livability and economic well-being for current and future generations
through:
● Visionary leadership and responsible decision making
● Accountable and sustainable fiscal practice
● The development of a unique and beautiful city
● Product and service excellence and efficiency
● Community consultation (City of Richmond, n.d).
Furthermore, their vision is “for the City of Richmond to be the most appealing, livable, and
well-managed community in Canada” (City of Richmond, n.d).
The City of Richmond is home to 9 community centers or spaces, 5 libraries, 20 parks
and outdoor spaces, 3 arenas, and 4 aquatic centers. In terms of their demographics, there are
approximately 29,000 youth living in Richmond (City of Richmond, 2019).
Statistics on Youth Participation in Recreation
Within Canada, more than half of the youth are currently participating in sports or
recreational activities and 53% of these youth are participating in these services through a
recreation organization such as municipally operated recreation (Statistics Canada, 2022). In
a self-reported survey in the City of Richmond’s draft Youth Strategy, approximately 92% of
respondents reported belonging to a club, or organized group, with the majority
(approximately 40%) meeting in those organization’s a few times per week (City of
Richmond, 2019). According to Wing Ho, Volunteer Coordinator for the City of Richmond,
in 2022 there were 736 youth volunteers out of 1174 volunteers total and these youth
contributed 20,092 hours which is almost half of the total volunteer hours for that year (Ho
W., personal communication, 2023). Among these youths that participated in these activities’
opportunities, 64% reported “engaging in activities that were meaningful to them,” and 45%
reported “feeling as though their ideas were listened to when participating in those activities”
(City of Richmond, 2020, p. 75). Statistics indicate that youth in Richmond are engaged in
after-school programs and activities and receive some degree of satisfaction and enjoyment
from doing so.

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Youth Services in Richmond
The City of Richmond offers a wide range of municipal recreation programs and
services for youth ages 13-18. These programs and services are offered at their various
community centers, parks, their Media Lab, and other various community spaces. The main
types of programs offered are:
● Arts based programs
● Drop-in fitness center hours
● Youth councils and social clubs
● Registered programs such as sports or general interest
● Volunteer opportunities such as community special events, environmental
volunteer clubs, and children’s day camps
● Intergenerational programs
● Media Lab drop-in hours
Each program is created and overseen by Youth Development Coordinators or Youth
Outreach Workers and are instructed by Youth Development Leaders and volunteers.
City of Richmond’s Youth Strategy and Framework
The City of Richmond has two different documents that help guide their work with
youth. The first document being the Youth Strategy and the second being the Youth Services
Plan. The Youth Strategy outlines the strategic directions and actions taken by the City of
Richmond to help guide them in serving and supporting youth and was created with input
from youth, families, staff, youth serving organizations, and members of the public (City of
Richmond, 2022). The strategy provides information on best practice research, engagement
with youth, their families and key stakeholders, and the demographic profile of youth in
Richmond (City of Richmond, 2022). This document builds on the progress made by the
Youth Service Plan (City of Richmond, 2022).
The City of Richmond’s Youth Service plan is a living document that outlines the
City’s plans to develop youth and youth related services. The document was created with
consultations from Richmond youth and other key stakeholders and offers a snapshot of the
current youth strategy and goals for these services (City of Richmond, 2020). The document
is available to the public on the City of Richmond’s website and is currently in the process of
being updated for the 2021-2031 issue. This document is the most instrumental in this
research as it provides the city’s goals, action plan, associated outcomes and the City’s roles
and timeline as it pertains to youth recreation and development (City of Richmond, 2020).

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As expressed in both documents, the City of Richmond stresses the importance of
youth engagement and involvement in their community. This vision is reflected in the
multitude of different youth councils and clubs for youth that are offered. These councils and
clubs offer youth the opportunity to become involved in their community through
conversation, philanthropy, and volunteerism. Currently there are over 14 youth councils and
clubs and each one focuses on a different theme of community development or social issues.
For example, at City Centre Community Centre alone, they offer six different youth councils
and leadership teams. The themes that are discussed and promoted in these councils and
teams range from promoting social justice and mental health to learning how to turn business
ideas into real-life ventures and connecting with older generations (City of Richmond, n.d).
The Youth Civic Engagement Program is another example of an opportunity for civic
participation that is offered to youth. The Youth Civic Engagement program is a free, eightweek program offered to youth ages 15-20 years where participants learn about their
municipality and the decision-making process of local government (City of Richmond, n.d).
Youth who register have the chance to design and present a project of their interest to a mock
City council at the end of the program (City of Richmond, n.d).

Literature Review
Overview of the Different Skills that Youth Develop from Participation in Municipal
Recreation
Peter L. Benson introduces the concept of the “40 Developmental Assets” which is a
framework for understanding what youth need to be successful (Benson, 2000). With the
proper staffing, implementation framework, and ongoing maintenance, these assets can be
achieved through participation in municipal recreation services (Benson, 2000). Among these
developmental assets are support, empowerment, boundaries and expectations, constructive
use of time, commitment to learning, positive values, social competencies, and positive
identity (Benson, 2000). These 40 Developmental Assets are touched on in many of the
different resources on this topic and many of the transferable skills that are developed
through participation in recreation fall under one of the eight assets listed above. These assets
are featured in the City of Richmond’s Youth Service Plan where they have implemented
these assets into their framework to help guide their programs and services (City of
Richmond, 2020).

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An example of a transferable skill that youth who regularly participate in municipal
recreation develop is self-efficacy and resilience (Hamilton & Hamilton, 2004; Ellis et al.,
2001). Self-efficacy refers to a person's confidence and belief in their own capacity and
abilities (American Psychological Association, n.d.). Those who have self-efficacy have a
higher tendency to exert control over their motivations and behaviors and are more likely to
maintain positive values (American Psychological Association, n.d). Responsibility and
independence are also two main skills that youth develop through participation in recreation
(Sibthorp et al., 2013). Both responsibility and independence enable youth to feel
empowerment and enhance their social competencies.
Volunteerism is another form of youth recreation and plays a large role in helping
youth develop new skills. Through volunteerism as a form of recreation, youth can find
confidence in their abilities and strengths and feel empowered to develop themselves (Liu, et
al., 2009). From a sociological approach, volunteering offers youth the opportunity to build
or enhance social relationships, and interactions with individuals, groups, organizations, and
their communities (Cosmin-Nicolae, & Georgiana-Mihaela, 2020). This helps youth improve
their interpersonal relationships and stimulates their compassion for other people and their
challenges or barriers in life (Cosmin-Nicolae, & Georgiana-Mihaela, 2020). From a
psychological perspective, youth can improve their self-esteem, enhanced appreciation for
their community, and a sense of utility in society (Cosmin-Nicolae, & Georgiana-Mihaela,
2020). Furthermore, through engagement in one’s community, youth can experience selfactualization where they realize their own potential to achieve their highest capability (Liu, et
al., 2009). Furthermore, youth can gain a sense of importance in their community and feel as
though they are contributing to a brighter future for themselves and others (Young &
McChesney, 2013). The challenge then lies in focusing on the individual rewards of the
volunteer, rather than focusing on using these volunteers as a tool to achieve organizational
goals (Young & McChesney, 2013).
The significance of recreation for youth overall is discussed and four major
hypotheses concerning the significance of youth recreation are presented (Canadian Council
of Social Development, n.d):
1. The Human Development Hypothesis: A lack or absence of recreational
activities for youth will have a negative impact on their overall socioemotional human development which will impact them as adults.

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2. The Civic Competence Hypothesis: A lack or absence of recreational activities
for youth and a lack of engagement in these activities will impact youth’s civic
competence and will impact the quality of democracy.
3. The Insufficiency Hypothesis: A consequential number of youths are “not
participating in recreation activities at levels sufficient to support their human
development and future civic competence (Canadian Council of Social
Development, 2001, p. 2).
4. The Inadequacy Hypothesis: Low or no participation in recreation activities
can be attributed to insufficient provisions for youth by public systems.
These hypotheses highlight the cause and effects of recreation services on the
wellbeing of youth as well as the wellbeing of a community (Canadian Council of Social
Development, n.d). When looking at the topic of youth participation in recreation, it is
important to consider how youth engagement impacts the larger system that is municipal
recreation and what roles each person plays in the support of this demographic.
Through research of this topic, it was discovered that youth engagement is a major
theme that goes hand in hand with youth development and gaining transferable skills. The
United Nations shares four degrees of youth engagement (United Nations, 2021):
1. Youth Consulted - Youth are consulted for their input on services, programs or
processes relating to them.
2. Youth Contributing - Youth play a role in planning, implementing, and facilitating
programs or projects.
3. Youth as Partners - Youth are engaged with the agency or organization and create
open dialogue during all decision-making processes.
4. Youth as Leaders - Youth are responsible for all elements of a project or program
through all stages of development.
This structure provides context for each level of youth involvement in their
community and can be used to measure how programs can engage youth at each level.
Projects and programs for youth can use this framework to determine the level of youth
engagement that is possible and how best to create opportunities for youth to reach that level.

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Overview of the Role that Youth Staff Play in the Development of Youth
One common theme among the literature on this topic is that municipal recreation
staff play a key role in the development of these skills and assets in youth (Agans, et al.,
2014; Barcelona et al., 2011; Witt, Caldwell, 2010). Staff who implement youth services have
a consequential influence on whether youth experience positive outcomes from participation
(Barcelona et al., 2011). As well, these staff can help youth build healthier perceptions of
adults and impact their experiences interacting with adults (Witt & Caldwell, 2010).
Therefore, it is crucial, when hiring these staff, to stress the difference between youth
work and youth development so that staff understand the necessary competencies required of
them to serve this population within certain capacities (Barcelona et al, 2011). These
differences in youth work and youth development can look like knowing how to design, lead
and evaluate programs as opposed to occupying time or supervising the youth (Barcelona et
al, 2011).
The National Collaboration for Youth declares the following ten competencies be
required for entry level staff who work face-to-face with youth (Barcelona et al, 2011, p. 127128):
1. Understands and applies basic child and adolescent development
principles.
2. Communicates and develops positive relationships with youth.
3. Adapts, facilitates, and evaluates age-appropriate activities with and for
the group.
4. Respects and honors cultural and human diversity.
5. Involves and empowers youth.
6. Identifies potential risk factors and takes measures to reduce those risks.
7. Cares for, involves, and works with families and communities.
8. Works as part of a team and shows professionalism.
9. Demonstrates the attributes and qualities of a positive role-model.
10. Interacts with and relates to youth in ways that support asset building.
These competencies can be used to develop staff who work with youth and can be
used to identify any gaps in the staff’s abilities (Barcelona et al., 2011).
The United Nations created a document that promotes purposeful engagement
practices and relationships with youth (United Nations, 2021). Purposeful engagement
practices look like investing in youth-friendly resources, spaces and processes, respecting

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youth as knowledge keeps and contributors to society, and allowing youth to choose their
areas of engagement and participation (United Nations, 2021). Furthermore, adults who work
with youth play not only a vital role in the leadership of youth but also in the shaping of
youth services and the advocacy of their rights and importance in the community (United
Nations, 2021).
Overview of How the Success of these Services is Being Measured
There are multiple different ways to measure program outcomes and success and
different municipalities measure their programs using different tools. The Youth Outcome
Battery (YOB) is one tool that is mentioned for youth staff to measure their youth programs’
outcomes (Sibthorpe et al., 2013). The YOB is a tool that can help youth serving
organizations evaluate their program goals and determine how their youth are developing
skills and assets (American Camp Association, 2019). This tool was created with the idea of
providing youth service providers with the necessary tool to determine their impacts on their
participants and to create more robust and better-serving programs where their efforts can be
validated (Sibthorpe et al., 2013).
The YOB works by measuring eleven common youth outcomes that can be developed
or achieved during youth programs or camps (American Camp Association, 2013). These
eleven outcomes are as follows (American Camp Association, 2013):
1. Friendship Skills
2. Independence
3. Teamwork (i.e., become more effective when working in groups of their peers
4. Family Citizenship
5. Perceived Competence
6. Interest in Exploration
7. Responsibility
8. Affinity for Nature
9. Problem-Solving Confidence
10. Camp Connectedness
11. Spiritual Well Being
The YOB was created in a survey type format where youth are expected to rate their
experience developing the above eleven outcomes (American Camp Association, 2013). The
data that is collected from the YOB can be entered into a spreadsheet or other form of data

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entry template and can then be compiled to create statistics and measurements of the youth’s
experience in programs and camps and their levels of development per outcome (American
Camp Association, 2013).
Gaps or Challenges that Exist within the Delivery of Youth Recreation Services
Within recreation, there exist challenges and gaps in services that can impede the
overall success of positively impacting the community. In the matter of youth services,
certain research suggests that there is an absence of capable staff to create opportunities for
youth to develop these transferable skills and experience success in youth recreation
programs due to insufficient training or knowledge of youth development (Barcelona, et al.,
2011). Furthermore, staff development efforts must adapt to “move beyond activity-centered
approaches that focus on a narrow range of outcomes toward a more youth-centered
approach” (Barcelona, et al., 2011, p. 123). Moreso, these approaches must look at recreation
as a mode to delivering positive developmental outcomes where youth are involved in the
process (Barcelona, et al., 2011). It is also propounded that “poorly structured activities
(attract) youth with both social and academic problems” and that regular participation in
these programs were associated with higher rates of juvenile delinquency (Witt & Caldwell,
2010, p. 17). Furthermore, there exists challenges in leveraging a community’s social capital,
human capital, and organizational resources to collectively solve the problems that exist
within this infrastructure (Mannes, 2005).
The PEAK (Promoting Esteem Among Kids) Mentorship Program, in partnership
with the National Parks and Recreation Association (NRPA) and the Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention is one example of how staff who serve youth are working
towards creating better connections with them (Reece, 2023). The PEAK Mentorship
Program strives to connect youth with staff to create opportunities for youth to build healthy
relationships with adult mentors (Reece, 2023). Although this program specifically target’s
youth impacted by substance use, it was developed with the idea in mind that the practices
and initiatives can be implemented in a multitude of different recreation environments
(Reece, 2023).
The Vancouver Parks Board also talks about the challenge of creating impactful
programming for youth and including them in the conversation. The VPB wants to move
away from simply programming and marketing their services and anticipating that youth
show up and instead pivot their efforts towards approaching youth where they are (BCRPA,

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2017). This article highlights the ongoing issue of creating appropriate and engaging
programs for youth that have an impact on their lives.
Areas of Controversy
Measuring the intended outcomes of youth programs can be challenging to do. There
are different approaches that can be taken to do so, and these approaches can rely on
statistical data or anecdotal data such as testimonials. The controversy then lies in which type
of measurement or output is more beneficial to look at to measure program success and
improve on services. Many youth-centered organizations and municipalities will focus and
rely on data such as program registration numbers or the number of programs offered for
youth to measure success as opposed to documenting what happened to youth because of the
programs (Witt & Caldwell, 2010). This topic of controversy remains unanswered across
different literature.
Gaps in Literature
Many of the resources on the topic of youth participation in recreation differ in their
definition of what age is considered a youth and some research does not state an age at all.
There exists research that considers youth to start from the age of 10 and end at the age of 30.
This can make it challenging to determine where the youth ages 13-18 fit in and what
transferable skills are being developed by this specific age range.
In addition, some research spoke about employing partnerships with other youth
serving organizations or services to help serve the youth population.
Best Practices
Using an approach where youth play a facilitative role is common recommendation
across much of the literature on this topic (Agans, et al., 2014; Barcelona et al., 2011;
Bonnell & Zizys, 2005; Government of British Columbia, n.d; Hamilton & Hamilton, 2004).
Youth who are involved in the program planning process can identify their interests, learn
leadership skills, and can even act as outreach staff to recruit more youth (Bonnell & Zizys,
2005). The Government of British Columbia has a Youth Engagement Toolkit Resource
Guide that was created with consultation from the Ministry of Children and Family
Development, The University of Victoria and youth themselves. Within this guide, they
outline the best ways of serving youth and highlight youth engagement in planning as a
crucial step to serving them (Government of British Columbia, n.d). The toolkit applies a

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community-based research and evaluation approach wherein youth and adults work
collaboratively to create and share information pertaining to this topic (Government of British
Columbia, 2013). The toolkit lays out the benefits of youth engagement for youth, adults,
and organizations, offers guidance on how to use the toolkit, shares frameworks and
foundations for approaching youth engagement, and highlights the “dos” and don’ts” on how
to build meaningful relationships with youth.
The British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association is another example of an
organization who operates as a leading standard in the field of recreation and provides current
best practices and information on the topic of community service. BCRPA’s Empower
YOUth conference is one example of a professional development opportunity for staff who
work in the field of youth services. Empower YOUth is a biennial conference offered for
professionals who work with youth and youth programming and attendees learn about
“promising practices, leading edge programs, new tools, resources and approaches to youth
programming, and critical services that can support their daily work” (BCRPA, n.d).
Municipalities who send their staff to this conference can help them build on their core
competencies and learn about the best practices in the industry to report back to their
communities and implement into their programs. Empower YOUth is a great tool to use to
align recreation organizations with the current strategies that are consistent with the ideals of
high-quality recreation experiences. Not only do recreation professionals get to network with
one another, they also get to see how other youth-centered organizations or services are
serving their patrons and increasing their likelihood of benefiting from recreation.
Lastly, many different municipalities develop youth strategies or frameworks which
help to guide them when making decisions for this demographic. These strategies often
feature data and statistics on the youth in their community and offer suggestions and
recommendations for improvements or developments based on feedback from community
members. This offers municipalities a more comprehensive and accurate snapshot of their
youth demographic. The City of Richmond’s Youth Services Plan is one example of a
guiding document that helps staff in this municipality shape their youth services and measure
their progress. Within the strategy, they outline their goals, action plan and their
implementation process and provide data on the current participation of youth and the
opportunities that exist for this demographic (City of Richmond, 2020). The City of
Richmond first created the Youth Strategy in 1995 and then developed this strategy into their
Youth Service Plan in 2005 and was adopted by City Council (City of Richmond, 2020). This
document has provided staff with the direction and information on how to enhance youth

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experiences in their community for 18 years and continues to be developed and utilized in the
City of Richmond.
Summary
Research indicates that there are various transferable life-skills that youth develop
through regular participation in municipal recreation. These skills range from self-efficacy,
responsibility, teamwork, and independence and they are mostly rooted in social and
emotional development. The transferability of these skills then lies in the suggestion that
youth who develop them are more capable of interacting with their communities and can
create a more positive outlook on their lives, thus experiencing higher rates of success in their
endeavors. However, for recreation professionals to deliver the necessary resources and
environment for youth to develop these skills, the programs must be youth focused,
intentional, and the staff delivering them must be capable and competent. Moreso, youth
recreation services must give youth a key role in the shaping of these opportunities.

Methodology
Three different methods of primary research were employed to help determine what
transferable skills youth develop through participation in municipal recreation and how the
City of Richmond is creating opportunities for youth to do so. Please refer to Appendix 2A
and 2B for observation details and 3A, 3B and 3C content analysis findings.

Interviews
Interviews provide relevant and in-depth information on the topic of youth
development in recreation within Richmond. Speaking directly with staff who work with
youth provides information on the current climate of youth culture and trends and provides
insight into the challenges and opportunities that exist within this scope of recreation.
Interviews were conducted via Zoom or in person with two Youth Development
Coordinators, one Youth Outreach Worker, one Volunteer Development Coordinator, one
Program Lead and one Program Manager, Child Care and Youth. Each staff member was
chosen to be interviewed for this research due to their level of experience in the field and the
diversity of their roles. The staff were contacted via email to inform them of this research
project and to request interviews. Once staff were interested and confirmed to participate,
meeting invites were sent out. Each interviewee was introduced to the research topic and

14

question and the importance of this topic to the researcher. Ten different open ended and
unbiased questions were asked, and answers were recorded via voice notes as well as written.
Various Youth Staff were chosen based on the diversity of their roles and their
experience working with youth. Each position differed from the last in their interactions with
youth and their roles in developing youth services. For example, Youth Development
Coordinators are responsible for working directly with youth in a community center setting,
creating programs and facilitating services for youth as well as overseeing staff who lead
their programs. These staff were able to bring the perspective from a front-line staff who
works and interacts directly with youth. The Youth Outreach Worker also works closely with
youth in the Media Lab. This staff oversees the Richmond Youth Media Program as well as
facilitating and supporting multiple youth councils and advisory committees. This staff was
able to share their experience and perspective on working in such a unique position within the
city and how their work with the Media Lab impacts youth. The Volunteer Coordinator
creates and markets volunteer opportunities for youth as well as supports staff across
Richmond in managing their volunteers. This staff was able to share their experience with
working with youth in a volunteer-based environment where youth are working in a more
professional scope. The Program Lead for Youth works out of City Hall and works on bigger
picture projects such as the creation of the Youth Strategy as well as other city-wide
initiatives. Lastly, the Program Manager, Child Care and Youth works with the Community
Social Development Team, and primarily works on creating strategies and frameworks, and
determining what kinds of policies or development practices the city should adopt or create to
ensure the safety, and health of youth. These two staff were able to provide their perspectives
on the youth strategies and initiatives in place as well as what it is like to support youth from
a behind the scenes scope.
Interview Details
Interview 1 - Wing Ho (Volunteer Coordinator) via Zoom
Date: Thursday, February 9th at 4:30pm.
Interview 2 - Omar Rajan (Youth Development Coordinator) in-person
Date: February 17th at 6:00pm.
Interview 3 - Michael Patrick (Youth Development Coordinator) via Zoom
Date: February 21st at 5:00pm
Interview 4 - Mia Mascarina (Youth Outreach Worker) via Zoom
Date: February 27th at 5:30pm.

15

Interview 5 - Joyce Dieudonne (Program Lead, Youth) via Zoom.
Date: February 28th at 4:30pm.
Interview 6 - Chris Duggen (Program Manager, Child Care and Youth) via Zoom.
Date: February 28th at 4:30pm.
General Public Observations
Three different programs and one volunteer event were observed throughout the
duration of this research. Each youth program differs from the last with two being
unstructured (drop-in), one being instructor-led and one being a volunteer opportunity where
the youth were interacting with their community in a different capacity. This method of
research offered insight into the inner workings of the programs and services and how youth
interact with staff and their programs. Youth participation was also observed to determine
what skills they are developing, how the staff were interacting with the youth and how
successful these programs are in achieving organizational goals of developmental outcomes.
The one challenge that was anticipated for this method of research was a lack of participants
present to provide accurate and substantial information on how youth interact in programs.
However, participant numbers cannot be controlled by the researcher and the abundance or
lack of participants can provide information on how these programs are impacting youth.
The Youth Development Coordinators from two different centers were contacted to
request a General Public Observation of their youth programs and volunteer opportunities.
Once these observation requests were approved, the instructors of these programs were
informed by the Youth Development Coordinator that a General Public Observation would be
taking place. The programs that were observed were: Family Day event at Steveston
Community Centre, the PAINT program at Cambie Community Centre (People for
Acceptance Not just Tolerance), registered Youth Volleyball program at Cambie Community
Centre, and the Youth Hangout drop-in program at Cambie Community Centre.
Secondly, an observation checklist was created prior to observing these programs and
volunteer opportunities. The checklist was created using the 40 Developmental Assets as a
guiding framework for assets and skills that can be developed through participation in
recreation. The secondary research for this project revealed that this framework was often
used to guide the work of many different youth serving organizations and therefore, was
included as in the observations. The programs were also observed for their structure (i.e.,
duration of program, youth led, or instructor led, attendance and record keeping,
measurement of outcomes), and the ways in which youth and staff engage with one another.

16

Again, secondary research touched on the importance of structure in youth programming and
the importance of giving youth a role in the planning and facilitation of programs and
services. Therefore, structure and observation of how youth are involved in the program from
a facilitator role were added to the observation checklist. Field notes were recorded to report
on the interactions of youth in the program and observations of skills being developed.
The programs that were observed were chosen based on their variance in structure and
theme (i.e., drop-in, instructor-led sports, social/creative and volunteerism). Field notes were
taken during the program and youth were observed but not interacted with.
Please refer to Appendix 1A for interview details, and 1B for interview questions.
Content Analysis
This method of research gave more insight into the statistics of youth engagement
within the City of Richmond as well as the current youth strategies and frameworks that exist
to help guide recreation professionals in serving this demographic. Analysis of youth
strategies and frameworks provides information on the municipality's current approach to
youth development and provides insight on the themes, patterns, challenges, opportunities,
and best practices that are present. Comparisons, contrasts, and recommendations were
highlighted within each piece of content to provide a more robust understanding of youth
development.
A content analysis tracking sheet was created to determine which areas of the
documents were going to be analyzed and against which measurements. The documents were
analyzed to identify the intentions, focus or communication trends of the organization, reveal
similarities and/or differences in the communication method or approach of content, and
determine how municipal recreation is serving youth and to what capacity it is doing so.
The City of Richmond’s Youth Strategy was analyzed first to determine how the
municipality structure their youth programs and services and what their approach to youth
development looks like. This then led to their program guides being analyzed to determine
how the municipality was reaching out to their youth demographic and what sorts of
programs and services were being offered because of their approach. The Government of
British Columbia’s Youth Engagement Toolkit Resource Guide was analyzed to determine
what best practices currently exist within the province and which of these best practices are
being used in the City of Richmond. This comparative analysis provided more information on
how the topic of youth development is being approached throughout the province and how
aligned each municipality is. Lastly, the City of Richmond’s Sport and Recreation Strategy

17

was analyzed to determine its content on youth specific services and data. Please refer to
Appendix 3A for content analysis details and 3B for checklist.
Research Findings and Analysis
Youth Learn About Their Influence in Their Community
Recreation services in all capacities offer youth an opportunity to learn life-skills such
as how to build healthy relationships with adults, how to build confidence, how to access
resources, and how to navigate their community. There are also development skills that youth
achieve from participating in recreation that solely revolve around navigating complex
problems in their society. For example, Joyce Dieudonne spoke about how the Youth Civic
Engagement program allows youth to determine an issue or challenge that is being presented
in their community and create a case to present to a mock council to bring that issue to
attention (Dieudonne J., personal communication, 2023). These issues or challenges can
range from bike theft to environmental conservation. Through these interactions and building
of skills, the youth also learn about their influence in the community. This key finding
created a new perspective on the capacity at which youth develop in programs and expands
the opportunities that exist in the realm of recreation. The City of Richmond’s Youth staff
expressed their determination and passion towards developing youth through all different
channels and services and stressed the importance that participation in recreation has on a
youth that moves beyond learning how to shoot a basketball or communicate respectfully.
The staff appear to be very engaged in their youth and present new perspectives on the
challenges and trends that exist in this area of recreation.
For example, Chris Duggen, the City of Richmond’s Program Manager for Children
and Youth brought up the topic of the COVID-19 pandemic and how it created many
challenges in recruiting and retaining youth. She discussed how the pandemic significantly
impacted the development of youth and she said that youth are at the time in their
development where they are expanding their horizons and exploring who they are and what
impacts they want to have on the world (Duggen C., personal communication, 2023). The
pandemic created barriers to youth accessing the necessary programs and resources to explore
their world and learn these crucial skills (Duggen C., personal communication, 2023). Now
that in-person programming is regenerating, youth are looking for opportunities to experience
the development they missed out on during the pandemic (Duggen C., personal
communication, 2023). Therefore, the City of Richmond’s Youth staff are looking for new

18

ways to engage youth and provide them with the tools, resources, and support to develop new
skills, exercise their influence on the community and create impacts in their society (Duggen
C., personal communication, 2023). This reflects the level of engagement that staff have in
the development of youth and their dedication to ensuring youth have a healthy and happy
life.
Environment and Staff are Key Components to Successful Programming
In terms of program environment and staffing, youth seem to gravitate towards
programs where the staff are engaging with them in a healthy and equal way. The City of
Richmond refers to their staff who lead the youth programs as Youth Development Leaders.
These Youth Development Leaders in each program were engaged with the youth and the
youth appeared to be quite comfortable with talking to the staff about their issues at school or
home. The PAINT program and the Volleyball program were two observations that solidified
this key finding. The PAINT program is a drop-in program that runs every Thursday from 46pm. The program was created four years ago by the youth and Youth Development
Coordinator. The program is open to youth who wish to socialize and take part in weekly
activities in a safe and accepting environment. The program does not have a very strict or
comprehensive structure and acts as more of a social space for youth to use.
The staff in both programs were welcoming to the youth and conducted a check-in
with the youth as they arrived to assess their needs and to allow them to set their intentions
for the program. This observation in conjunction with interviews with staff revealed that staff
play a vital role in the recruitment, retention, and development of youth. This key finding
from the observations connected to a key finding in the literature review where multiple
different authors spoke about the importance of a strong staff team when serving youth. The
staff that were observed in programs were devoted to helping their participants develop in all
areas of their skills. The youth and the staff shared a co-leaderships relationship where both
parties were equally engaged in programs and responsible for certain aspects of elements of
the program design and facilitation. This connects to a point made in the literature on this
topic which is that staff who implement youth services have a consequential influence on
whether youth experience positive outcomes from participation (Barcelona et al., 2011).
These staff can also help youth build healthier perceptions of adults and impact their
experiences interacting with adults (Witt & Caldwell, 2010).
Youth Serving Organizations Often Follow the Same Frameworks or Foundations

19

After analysis of the content on this topic, it was discovered that there exists lots of
overlap in content or information included in these documents. For example, the 40
Developmental Assets are referenced in two of the City of Richmond’s youth-centered
documents and are used in a way that helps inform the directions and actions of the
organization. Another example is that many of the resources use the words development,
opportunity, support, and engagement and operationalize them in similar ways. There exist
many similarities between documents on this topic as well as a clear objective for supporting
this demographic. Similarly, another common theme was the inclusion of input from
community stakeholders, partners, parents, and youth themselves. All the documents
analyzed included input and suggestions from those directly impacted by these programs and
services and this created a sense of inclusion and voice to the documents.
Overall, each document on youth within a municipal setting and context follows
similar themes and best practices and takes similar approaches to creating positive changes in
this area of recreation and sharing information on the importance of continuing to build on
youth services.
Recommendations
Redesign the Focus and Intention of Programs and Services
As the City of Richmond’s youth community changes and evolves, it is important to
redefine what their focus and intentions are for serving this population. The City of
Richmond should focus on redefining what a healthy and happy youth demographic looks
like and how the changing needs of the youth are being heard and taken into consideration.
The existing Youth Strategy and Youth Services Plan aims to determine the status of their
youth and how their initiatives and strategies are being received. However, it would be
beneficial for the Youth staff who work directly with this group to become more involved
with the creation of the framework and provide pertinent and relevant information on the
youth demographic from a municipal recreation standpoint.
Although the strategy is widely used and commended, there are always going to be
new trends, challenges and opportunities that arise where youth staff and decision makers
alike must consider and incorporate into their frameworks. For example, the Youth Strategy
is updated every 10 years or so. The City of Richmond should instead create a framework
that is updated every 2-4 years to ensure that the information they are providing is up to date
and relevant to the field.

20

Create more Youth Focused Events and Outings
The City of Richmond offers a few youth events and programs that include things
such as the U-ROC Awards (Richmond Outstanding Community), an awards ceremony for
youth who have demonstrated dedication to the community through volunteerism or other
acts, and certain youth councils and clubs that participate in outings to arenas or rockclimbing facilities (City of Richmond, n.d). However, the City of Richmond should explore
opportunities for more social and networking forward events and outings for youth where
they can interact and connect with youth from across the city in social or professional ways,
explore new areas of Richmond or other municipalities, and try new activities that may not be
offered through municipal recreation settings. For example, the Canadian Mental Health
Association has a program called UROK (Urban Resilience Opportunities for Kids). This
program offers youth ages 13-18 struggling with mental health challenges a safe and social
setting to participate in community recreation activities (Canadian Mental Health
Association, n.d). The program also provides opportunities for youth to connect with one
another and promotes a peer support network (Canadian Mental Health Association, n.d).
Programs like UROK enable youth to explore recreation and different communities in a
healthy and positive setting and try new activities that they otherwise may never have known
about. The City of Richmond should create a similar program for youth where youth from all
over the community can meet once or twice a month and go on outings around Richmond as
well as outside the municipality. This will enable youth to explore their world, network and
socialize with other youth, and learn more about the benefits of being active and engaged.

Enhance Staff Training
Currently, the City of Richmond does not require any formal education or prior
training to work with youth in any capacity. Although certain degrees in the field of youth
development or social work are encouraged, they are not mandatory. The training/workshops
that are required of staff once they receive the position are first aid and HIGH Five Principles
of Healthy Child Development. Instead, many of the staff who work closely with youth
within the City of Richmond either possess lived or gained experiences from working directly
with youth. Although those staff do portray a fair amount of knowledge and expertise when it
comes to working with youth and facilitating youth development, it would be beneficial for
existing staff and new hires to participate in professional development courses that pertain
specifically to youth development. This would also enable the City of Richmond to keep their

21

staff accountable for keeping up to date with best practices and ensure that all staff are trained
equally and can serve youth appropriately and impactfully.
One suggestion is to provide mandatory training for staff that work with youth that
focuses on teaching them the basic foundations of healthy youth development as well as how
to create and facilitate the necessary opportunities for youth to experience this development.
For example, BCRPA’s Empower YOUth conference offers those who work with youth an
opportunity to network with other youth staff, learn about best practices, and take workshops
on specific themes and topics pertaining to youth development and health (British Columbia
Recreation and Parks Association, n.d). This conference should be mandatory for staff to
attend so that they are kept up to date with the field of youth recreation and development and
can network with one another and bond as a team. Another example of a beneficial workshop
would be the Positive Youth Development 101 Training course offered by ACT for Youth
(Assets Coming Together). This course is an orientation to positive youth development for
those who work with and for youth (ACT, n.d). The curriculum includes five different
sections:
● Theoretical Foundation of PYD and Adolescent Development
● Positive Youth Development Outcomes
● Youth Voice and Engagement
● Youth Development Programming
● Youth Worker Competencies
These mandatory courses would enable the City of Richmond to better gauge the
education and experience of their staff who work with this ever-changing demographic and
will help to enhance the staff's understanding of youth development.
Create Methods to Retain and Maintain Relationships with Youth Volunteers
The benefits of volunteerism are vast and impact any age group, especially youth.
These benefits range from finding confidence in one’s abilities and strengths, to feeling
empowered to develop oneself (Liu, et al., 2009). Volunteering also offers youth the
opportunity to build or enhance social relationships, and interactions with individuals, groups,
organizations, and their communities (Cosmin-Nicolae, & Georgiana-Mihaela, 2020).
The City of Richmond includes in their vision statement that they strive to “enhance
the City's livability and economic well-being for current and future generations through
''visionary leadership and community consultation (City of Richmond, n.d). Therefore, the

22

city would benefit from exploring strategies to help enhance relationships with volunteers
where youth staff or Volunteer Coordinators can stay in contact with volunteers and continue
to monitor the positive impacts that volunteerism has had on the youth. This initiative or
strategy can create a more comprehensive objective and framework within the Youth Strategy
that focuses on encouraging youth to become long term volunteers. This framework or
foundation can be created with consultation with Youth staff, Volunteer Coordinators, and
volunteers. The framework or foundation would also include statistics on youth volunteerism,
the current youth volunteer opportunities and their intended outcomes for youth’s
development and would include strategies for engaging these opportunities and relationships
and retaining these volunteers to build competent and strong leaders in the community and
life-long dedicators to the community.

Explore More Opportunities to Connect with Youth Who Are Experiencing Social
Challenges
The City of Richmond offers external services for youth who are experiencing certain
social challenges such as homelessness, abuse, mental health challenges, etc. Examples of
these services are Foundry, an organization that offers youth ages 12-24 sexual health
consultations and tests, mental health care, substance use services, physical healthcare, youth
and family peer support, and social services (Foundry, n.d). There is also the Touchstone
Family Association’s RESET Youth Team. This service, in partnership with the Richmond
School District, offers youth ages 13-19 with programs and services that aim to support them
in their education, development and relationships (Touchstone Family Association, n.d.). The
services they offer range from family counseling, group work, school support, and advocacy
(Family Touchstone Association, n.d.). Lastly, there is the Richmond Addictions Services
Society which offers support for youth ages 12-24 who are dealing with substance abuse and
mental health challenges (Richmond Addiction Services Society, n.d).
However, when it comes to serving these populations in a municipal recreation
setting, there are few strategies or initiatives in place. Municipal recreation mainly offers
programs that are focused on sports, art, socializing and professional development. The City
of Richmond should investigate expanding their partnerships with these existing
organizations and offer more of these sexual health talks or mental health talks or programs
in community centers. In addition, the community centers and youth staff can investigate
redesigning their approach to accessibility and support and determine how they are serving
these at-risk populations and how best to approach those dealing with these challenges who

23

may not be aware of the services available to them or how to access them. This initiative
would help bridge the gap between the City of Richmond's youth services and those in need
and would enable the City of Richmond to create a more comprehensive and impactful youth
services network.
Create a Developmental Framework or Guidelines for Programs and Services
The City of Richmond’s youth services sector should create a framework that outlines
the most crucial skills that can be developed in each area of community recreation and
volunteerism and use this to measure the youth service’s success as well as the successful
development and satisfaction of their youth. This framework can look different depending on
the type of program or service (i.e., volunteer opportunity vs. youth council vs. drop-in
programs) but will ultimately determine and measure the most developed skills in that
program or service. Staff can use this framework to help guide their efforts to enrich their
programs and help provide more direction on how to structure their program to maximize the
potential for youth development and satisfaction. This framework can be developed in
collaboration with other staff who work with youth and can be modified where needed as
new programs are created.
This framework can provide staff with a clear foundation for how to structure each
type of program and will enable staff to measure the success of these programs more
accurately in developing certain skills in youth.
Conclusion
Through the review of scholarly research on this topic as well as through primary
research such as interviews, observations, and content analysis, it has been determined that
municipal recreation plays a vital role in the healthy development of youth. Through
participation in drop-in sports, registered programs, social clubs, youth councils and
volunteer opportunities, youth gain a multitude of new skills, and abilities. The transferable
skills that youth gain from participating in recreation range from social-emotional skills such
as communication, conflict resolution and building healthy relationships to professional
development skills such as leadership, organization, and time management. In addition, youth
also develop a sense of positive self-esteem and view of their community. Youth can become
a vital part of the shaping of their community through this participation in recreational
activities and can create their own impacts on their community by learning more about how
the city works and how decisions are made.

24

The key components for a successful youth services foundation are involved and
engaged staff, developmentally appropriate and engaging programs, the involvement of youth
in the planning process of these programs and services, and the continued support of youth
serving programs. These components are essential to the health and success of a youth
serving organization and must be constantly re-assessed to determine where certain
challenges, issues or opportunities exist.
It is evident that youth are a vital component of every community and that, given the
proper resources and support from their community, possess the potential for influencing
their environment and creating a more equitable and healthy community. Therefore, it is
important to consider how municipal recreation continues to serve them and in what capacity
they can grow to significantly impact their lives and wellbeing.

25

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30

Appendix
1A. Interview Details
Interview 1 - Wing Ho (Volunteer Coordinator) via Zoom
Date: Thursday, February 9th at 4:30pm.
Interview 2 - Omar Rajan (Youth Development Coordinator) in-person
Date: February 17th at 6:00pm.
Interview 3 - Michael Patrick (Youth Development Coordinator) via Zoom
Date: February 21st at 5:00pm
Interview 4 - Mia Mascarina (Youth Outreach Worker) via Zoom
Date: February 27th at 5:30pm.
Interview 5 - Joyce Dieudonne (Program Lead, Youth) via Zoom.
Date: February 28th at 4:30pm.
Interview 6 - Chris Duggen (Program Manager, Child Care and Youth) via Zoom.
Date: February 28th at 4:30pm.
1B. Question Guides
1. What is your position? In what capacity do you work with youth?
2. What is your experience in this topic area?
3. Do you think youth benefit from participating in recreation? In what ways?
4. What sorts of things do youth learn or gain from participating in recreation?
5. What has been your role so far in developing programs or services for youth?
6. What are some of the tools you use to measure the success of these programs in developing
youth?
7. What are some of the current challenges you face when programming for youth? How do you
deal with these challenges?
8. What are some of the opportunities that you believe exist in this area of recreation?
9. What sort of training or workshops are offered or required of staff who work with you?
10. How do you keep up to date with youth culture?
(For Volunteer Coordinator)
1. What is your position? In what capacity do you work with youth?
2. What is your experience in this topic area?
3. Do you think youth benefit from volunteering in their community? In what ways?
4. What sorts of things do youth learn or gain from volunteering?
5. What has been your role so far in developing volunteer opportunities for youth?
6. How many youth typically volunteer per month? Per year?
7. What types of volunteer opportunities are the most popular amongst youth?

31
8. What are some of the tools you use to measure the success of these opportunities in
developing skills in youth?
9. What are some of the current challenges you face when recruiting youth volunteers? How do
you deal with these challenges?
10. What are some of the opportunities that you believe exist in this area of volunteerism for
youth?
1C. Interview Transcripts
All interview notes were edited for clarity and are not verbatim. However, the transcript
accurately reflects the interviewees answers.
Interview #1
Date and time of Interview
Thursday, February 9th, 2023 at 4:30pm.
Person Interviewed
Wing Ho - Volunteer Coordinator
Location interviewed
Via Zoom.
Transcript
1. Wing is the Volunteer Development Coordinator for the City of Richmond. He is responsible
for supporting staff in recruiting and managing volunteers and teaching them how to use the
volunteer management system icanhelp. In addition, lot’s of parents reach out to Wing to help
them set up volunteer opportunities for their children.
2. Wing says that youth are among the most prevalent volunteers in the City of Richmond. He
says that he saw the growth that youth volunteers do through regular volunteering.
3. From a city wide event perspective, usually youth who volunteer get to deal with people
(customer service, communication skills, learn how to interact with people outside of their
inner circle). He says that the more exposure youth get from taking on volunteer
opportunities, the more they develop their skills.
4. Wing says that youth gain organisational skills from volunteering. He says that due to the
nature of certain volunteer opportunities (i.e. Salmon Festival, Culture Days, Remembrance
Day), youth get to use their talents and problem solving skills to solve issues on sight. They
are also supported by staff which also helps them learn leadership. Wing says that the library
program also helps youth volunteers interact with children which teaches them how to interact

32
with other age groups. The intergenerational programs for youth and seniors is also a great
opportunity for youth to learn how to teach seniors how to do a certain task or learn a new
skill (i.e. teaching them how to use a smartphone). He says that municipal recreation offers
youth the most exposure to their community and learning new skills.
5. His role is more rooted in assisting centres in developing their volunteer opportunities for
youth. He offers guidance to centres and staff on how to support youth and cater to the
volunteers needs and development. Helps also helps staff develop new ways of
communicating with youth in volunteer environments.
6. In 2022 there were 736 youth volunteers out of 1174 volunteers total. Youth contributed
20,092 hours which is almost half of the total volunteer hours for that year.
7. Summer Camps are the most popular because youth get the most volunteer hours (30+), and
special events are second most popular and lastly are seasonal programs.
8. Usually Wing reports on youth volunteer engagement in summer camps as this is the most
common and popular volunteer opportunity for youth and they spend the most time
volunteering in these positions.
9. One challenge is dealing with parents who volunteer their child for events or opportunities.
Wing says that a youth’s Personal development can be diminished if the youth is working
with their siblings or in a position or environment that might not be the best fit for their
abilities or interests. He says that often parents will request to have their children volunteer
together in opportunities that do not match their abilities.
10. Wing says that the City of Richmond should explore a volunteer policing program where
youth can volunteer with the RCMP or Richmond Fire. He says that it would be beneficial for
youth to be exposed to social justice, safety protocols and systems as well as the justice
system. He believes that these types of volunteer opportunities can help deter youth from
delinquency.
Interview #2
Date and time of Interview
Friday, February 17th, 2023 at 6:00pm.
Person Interviewed
Omar Rajan
Location interviewed
In-person at Cambie Community Centre.
Transcript

33
1. Omar is the Youth Development Coordinator for the East Richmond Community Association
working out of the Cambie Community Centre. He programs and oversees Youth and Preteen
programs and oversees youth volunteers and special events for youth. He offers a wide range
of programs ranging from the arts, dance, social clubs and their most popular programs,
sports. He developed the Youth Taking Charge youth council. One of his main goals is to
help develop youth into leaders and give them the necessary resources and support to learn
new skills and try new things. He also has staff on his team that used to volunteer and
participate in youth programs. One important aspect of working with youth that Omar wants
to make clear is that Youth Development Coordinators and other staff who work with youth
are not social workers, they are just there to support youth.
2. His experience was mostly gained on the job. He also holds a degree in political science
which has helped shape his philosophy around youth. He has also worked as a one on one
support worker with youth who have cognitive impairments or mental health challenges.
3. Omar says that he most definitely believes that youth benefit from regular participation in
recreation. He believes they learn healthy socialization through programs, and have access to
positive mentors. This can help youth build a sense of belonging in their community, and a
sense of ownership of their community. When it comes to specific programs such as sports,
Omar wants youth to see sports as not something that is competitive but as something that is
fun and where they can create new relationships and improve their health. He wants to
emphasize the importance of developing youth in healthy ways and not making them into
perfect people. Has experienced first hand the impacts of recreation as a youth and gives
credit to his municipal recreation outlets and programs for a multitude of his skills and
abilities.
4. He believes youth learn how to communicate, and build on their instructional skills, and
healthy youth development skills. Youth also get to learn how to work with different age
groups, and develop administrative skills (budgeting for programs, keeping attendance, risk
management), and people skills.
5. Omar has established Youth Taking Charge which is Steveston Community Centre’s youth
council. The council mainly focuses on social justice issues like fundraising and creating
healthier and happier communities. Omar ultimately wanted to give youth the power to create
their own programs and services and create a difference in their community. In terms of other
programs such as art, sports and other social clubs, Omar took a youth facilitated approach
where participants planned and budgeted for their own programs in order to see what steps go
behind the program planning process etc. Omar also finds grant funding for programs to add
more to his services.
6. Omar wants his youth to feel comfortable in programs and wants to eliminate any expectation
for youth to always be super engaged or developing new skills. Omar says that he “just wants

34
them to be happy and healthy”. Sometimes Omar will use surveys to ask youth about the
impacts of these programs or services at the end of a set of sessions or a season. He says that
it is challenging to measure statistics of youth engagement and development and that
testimonials and stories are the most tangible and meaningful feedback he gets.
7. Omar says that there is an unwillingness for youth to commit to registered multi-week
programs due to financial barriers, a lack of commitment, or lack of time. In addition, Omar
says that the majority of his programs rely on grant funding to run and that he sometimes
struggles to find funding to run all of the programs that the youth are interested in. Marketing
for youth is another challenge, but social media has been the best way to market to this age
group.
8. He says there are endless opportunities when it comes to youth programming. Youth are “the
testing ground for recreation in a lot of ways and they kind of forced us to really think about
things in different ways”. Many of Omar’s programs were requested by youth and the youth
had the opportunity to help develop them. However, the challenge with taking the requests of
youth is keeping it low cost or no cost and trying to keep programs and requests realistic.
9. Required = First Aid CPR level C and AED, HighFive. Staff are responsible for finding the
workshops or training they believe will develop them professionally. Once a staff has a
workshop or training in mind, they must get approval from their supervisor. Many of these
workshops and training are usually paid for by the East Richmond Association. However,
planning for and offering these workshops and training for staff requires a lot of budgetary
planning to work around and fit into a budget. Omar says the Internet Safety training
workshop was a really helpful one that was offered at the Empower YOUth conference.
10. Social media and being in programs with youth and creating those connections really allows
for Omar to keep his finger on the pulse. Youth Coordinators have the biggest opportunities
to engage with their participants in relation to other Coordinators. Often Omar will facilitate
programs instead of hiring a youth development leader to help cut back on costs and to
engage with the youth. Many times, during programs the youth will discuss current issues or
challenges they face which allows Omar to create those open conversations and program with
those challenges or trends in mind.
Interview #3
Date and time of Interview
Tuesday, February 21st, 2023 at 5:00pm
Person Interviewed
Michael Patrick - Youth Coordinator.

35
Location interviewed
Via Webex.
Transcript
*All interview notes were edited for clarity and are not verbatim. However, the transcript
accurately reflects the interviewees answers.
1. Michael is a Youth Development Coordinator for the Steveston Community Association and
works out of the Steveston Community Centre. He creates safe spaces for recreation
opportunities and develops programs for Youth and Preteens. He is also a part of the
Richmond Youth Council.
2. Michael has a degree in Criminology with focus on prevention of youth in the criminal justice
system. He has also worked as a Student Behvioural Support Worker, and a Support Worker
for those with mental health issues. He ultimately wants to give youth positive outlets in the
form of traditional recreation.
3. Michael says that youth benefit from participation in recreation and he has experienced first
hand what recreation can do for youth. Through municipal recreation, Michael has gained
resilience and coping mechanisms. He says that recreation is a “safe place to fail”. He adds
that female youth specifically benefit from participating in recreation which helps them gain
self esteem and reduce their anxiety and depression.
4. Communication, mixes classes and enables youth to engage with different demographics,
time management, planning, learning to fail and understanding criticism.
5. Michael applies the Experiential Learning Model into all programs where youth are
encouraged to participate, learn, and apply their skills to the real world. Michael also ensures
that his staff are properly trained by providing them with opportunities to learn how to
effectively work with youth through certain training modules and opportunities.
6. Michael measures the success of his programs by asking the following questions: how much
do the youth talk about the program outside of the program and what do they say? Do the
same youth keep coming back? Are the youth learning skills? He says that the easiest way to
gauge the success of a program from a statistical viewpoint is by looking at the registration
numbers.
7. The biggest challenge is space allocation for Steveston and not being directly connected to a
school which makes it challenging for youth to walk or get to the centre. He says that it is also
challenging to find space for youth programs to take place. The Youth budget is also at a loss
for across the city. Despite these challenges, Steveston has supervisors who value youth
engagement and want them to have the space to participate in and feel valued and right at
home.

36
8. A big opportunity that exists with youth is innovation. Youth spearhead the changes that
everyone follows (i.e. using social media to market). Youth are progressive and have good
ideas to improve the community and are beginning to have a bigger role in planning.
9. Required = High 5 is the bare minimum, PIC and First Aid Level C with AED.. Optional =
Free BCRPA courses, Sport Canada, and any other related and relevant modules (preferably
free). Michael wants to offer mentorship workshops or training to help staff work with youth.
10. Michael remains curious and engaged with youth and asks questions. He says that not a lot
has changed since we were teenagers (wanting to fit in, making friends).

Interview #4
Date and time of Interview
Monday, February 27th, 2023 at 5:30pm.
Person Interviewed
Mia Mascarina - Youth Outreach Worker
Location interviewed
Via Zoom.

Transcript
1. Mia is a Youth Outreach Worker and she primarily works out of the Media Lab. Mia says that
this position is unique in that there are only two people in this role. Her signature program is
the Richmond Youth Media Program. RYMP is a free drop-in program that runs three times a
week. Two of these days are focused on building on youth’s media arts skills and exposing
them to different media art forms. The other day of the week is unstructured and youth can
work on independent projects (i.e. try out new skills, do homework, work on creative projects
with others). She facilitates this program and also works as a hybrid Recreation Leader and
helps out in different departments.
2. Mia started as a Youth Development Leader 3 at City Centre Community Centre. She also has
prior experience in the social service sector mostly dealing with children and youth with
developmental disabilities. She also works as an Education Assistant and works with ages 1324.
3. Mia believes that youth benefit from participating in municipal recreation in so many ways.
The main one is social development. She says that youth have the opportunity to create
“valuable connections in the community” and that recreation is a “great doorway for them to

37
explore different opportunities and try new things that they might not have had access to or
even known about”. Mia says that it is “hard to put a number or value on the impact they
make”. She also highlights the impact that recreation such as RYMP has building careers for
youth. One example she shares is the paid opportunities that youth can experience from
joining RYMP. She says that some youth who pick up certain skills at the media lab while in
the program may be hired to help work a community event. The youth also get to keep 100%
of the profits. She says that youth who have come out of the RYMP are fully taking on
careers in fields that they were exposed to in the media lab.
4. Media lab specific = youth learn skills that are media arts based (coding, filming,
instruments), broader = how to create a resume, job hunting, making connections in
community, being knowledgeable in the different resources that are offered in Richmond.
5. Mia helps facilitate the Youth Civic Engagement Program. This program is designed for
youth who are interested in civic engagement and learning about how municipalities operate.
Mia also sits in on the Youth Development Coordinator table where they discuss youth
perspectives and topics and bring that to upper management.
6. Mia creates and distributes annual, semi-annual surveys that help keep staff on track in
measuring if they are accomplishing what they set out to do and if youth are participating. She
also is required to report program attendance and stats to her program funders. The Youth
Advisory Board is another channel to connect with youth and provide them with a voice to
make their points heard. This board also helps guide their programming (the youth can voice
their concerns or challenges or desires).
7. One challenge is that they can never predict attendance. Sometimes youth won’t show up for
programs or they will have tons of youth show up. One of the nice things about drop-in
programs is that they are low barriers and low commitment. However, this does make it
difficult to program certain activities or workshops. One way they combat that is to “shift
their mentality to focus on the fact that even one youth came and that is meaningful and they
will provide the best they can for that one person as they would the same for 20 youth”.
Staffing is also a challenge at the media lab. There are only two staff who run the RYMP and
this can make it difficult when a staff member is sick or cannot make their shift. She says that
they are open to youth volunteers helping out in programs and they have created a partnership
with School District 38 where youth who are looking for volunteer hours can connect with
them and help out with programs. Another challenge they face is that they have youth with
some developmental delays or disabilities and it's difficult because they don't have the proper
support to help that youth.
8. One opportunity for youth is that they are provided with employment opportunities and can
become involved in different areas of their community.

38
9. Required = HIGH FIVE, First Aid CPR Level C, cleared Police Information Check. It is
suggested that the Youth Outreach Workers have a degree that is related to youth or social
work.
10. Talking to youth and keeping up to date on social media are the best ways to know what
youth are into. Their Youth Development Coordinator meetings also are very impactful.

Interview #5
Date and time of Interview
Friday, February 28th, 2023 at 5:00pm.
Person Interviewed
Chris Duggen - Program Manager, Child Care and Youth
Location interviewed
Zoom.
Transcript
1. Chris is the Program Manager for Children and Youth and she works with the Community
Social Development Team. She primarily works on creating strategies and frameworks and is
currently working on determining what kinds of policies or development practices the City
should adopt or create to ensure the safety, and health of youth.
2. Her experience is rooted in child care and her work with youth came into her portfolio
through her current position.
3. Chris says that recreation helps youth build life-long healthy habits, and supports their mental
health and well-being. Recreation also helps youth develop their relationships with positive
adults and these adults act as mentors and model positive development.
4. Chris says that youth learn life-skills such as learning how to talk to others, asking for help,
building confidence, learning how to access resources, interacting with others and building
healthy relationships. There's a development piece that just revolves around learning how to
talk to adults and navigating a complex problem in their society. She says that youth also
learn job-related skills such as carrying on a conversation with an adult or those they do not
know.
5. She is currently working on the final stages of developing the Youth Strategy. She says that
this strategy sets a foundation for the City and all of their partners (library, school district,
Foundry, Vancouver Coastal Health) and gives them a guiding focus to ensure they are
meeting the diversity of needs that youth have.

39
6. Chris says that they do not have a standard tool or measurement but the Youth Development
Instrument and the Adolescent Health Surveys are two tools that are used to determine how
youth are doing in the community health wise.
7. She says that COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the lives of youth. “They are at a
time in their development where they are expanding their horizons and the pandemic has
impacted this stage”. She says that staff need to pay close attention to youth who have been
impacted by the pandemic and the developmental resources and needs they will require as
they grow up.
8. “COVID-19 is also an opportunity. Youth are hungry and enthusiastic for anything that is
offered in person, in-public, with new people. Youth are finally given the opportunity to try
new things and put new programs out to bring youth together in new and different ways”.
9. She was involved with a project with nation-wide service providers on the topic of how to
improve mental health and wellbeing in youth. Chris says the benefit of being in this project
was hearing about the experiences of different organizations and communities. This enabled
Chris to learn about the lived experience of other people and the impacts they have had on
youth. “Learning from youth is also a critical component to making informed decisions”.
10. She uses social media as it is a “huge indicator of youth trends and culture”.
Interview #6
Date and time of Interview
Friday, February 28th, 2023 at 5:00pm.
Person Interviewed
Joyce Dieudonne - Program Lead, Youth.
Location interviewed
Zoom.
Transcript
1. Joyce is the Program Lead, Youth. She delivers some programming to youth directly but her
work is more planning based.
2. She has an educational background in Social Work specifically in child protection and has
experience in working with youth through her position.
3. She says that recreation “keeps youth busy”. Youth get to work with one another and other
youth to build relationships and learn about their community.
4. She says that youth learn how to work with others, and learn about themselves. She used to
volunteer as a youth and through her experience, she learned about different opportunities in
the community.

40
5. She is deeply involved with the Youth Civic Engagement program which is an 8 week
program for youth ages 15-20. Youth get to meet different departments in the city and learn
about how the city works. She received an email from a parent expressing her gratitude for
the program and the impact it had on her child. Introduces youth to how they can influence
their community. Through this program, youth can learn about their influence in the
community in all different capacities (i.e. meet staff, connect with like-minded youth,
learning admin skills).
6. Same answer as Chris.
7. “Transitioning programs back to in-person and enabling youth to feel comfortable with being
in-person again”.
8. She says there is an opportunity to build relationships with youth who are already very
engaged in the community and to connect with other serving organizations to learn about their
strategies and approaches to youth development. .
9. She is always seeking opportunities to learn and stay up to date with youth information. She
signs up for newsletters and talks to colleagues at MCFD to stay informed of best practices,
trends, and opportunities and challenges.
10. “Digging into what's out there and talking to youth”. The Youth Civic Engagement Program
allows her to do this.
2A. Observation Details
Observation 1 - Family Day Event
Date: February 20th
Location: Steveston Community Centre
Observation 2 - PAINT (People for Acceptance and Inclusion Not just Tolerance)
Date: March 2nd at 5:00pm
Location: Cambie Community Centre
Observation 3 - Youth Volleyball
Date: March 3rd at 5:00pm
Location: Cambie Community Centre
Observation 4 - Youth Hangout
Date: March 3rd at 6:30pm
Location: Cambie Community Centre
2B. Observation Checklist and Field Notes
Looking for …
Are the 40 Developmental
Assets being offered or built on

Observation

Notes

41

in programs?
● Support (Other Adult
Relationships).
● Empowerment
(Community values
youth, youth as
resources, safety)
● Boundaries &
Expectations (Adult
role models, positive
peer experiences)
● Constructive Use of
Time (Creative
activities)
● Commitment to
Learning
(Achievement,
motivation)
● Positive Values
(Caring, equality,
integrity, honesty,
responsibility,
restraint)
● Social Competencies
(planning and decision
making, interpersonal
competence, cultural
competence, resistance
skills, peaceful conflict
resolution)
● Positive Identity
(personal power, selfesteem, sense of
purpose, positive view
of personal future)
(Benson, 2011).
Staff Engagement
● How often are the staff
interacting with youth?
● What role do staff play
in the delivery of these
services?
Youth Engagement
● How are they
engaging?
● What role do youth
play in creating the
structure of this service
or program?
Structure of Program
● Is the service or

42

●
●

●
●
●

program youth
focused?
Youth led?
Is there a clear goal in
mind for the outcomes
of this service or
program (i.e. learning
new skills, socializing,
etc.).
How long is the
program (per session,
per month, per year).
How are staff keeping
attendance?
How are staff
measuring the success
of this program in
developing youth?

References - Benson, P. L. (2000) Our Greatest Resource. Parks and Recreation, 35(10), 56.
Observation #1
Date and time of Observation
February 20th, 2023 at 9:30am-11:00am.
Who/what was observed
The Family Day event at Steveston Community Centre featured multiple different activities such as a
pancake breakfast, arts and crafts, fun zone and a dance workshop. Each activity was free and families
could drop-in as they pleased. Each activity was participant led with some support from the volunteers
and staff in that particular zone. The event ran from 9:30am-5pm but was observed only until 11am as
the remaining activities and workshops were instructor-led and did not require volunteers.
Location observed
Steveston Community Centre.
Observation Checklist
Looking for …
Are the 40 Developmental Assets being offered
or built on in programs?
● Support (Other Adult Relationships).
● Empowerment (Community values
youth, youth as resources, safety)
● Boundaries & Expectations (Adult role
models, positive peer experiences)

Observation
●
●
●

Building positive relationships with
adults and making connections with
staff who can potentially employ them.
Giving back to their community through
dedication of their time and support of
activities.
Interacting with community members in

43

●
●
●
●

●

Constructive Use of Time (Creative
activities)
Commitment to Learning (Achievement,
motivation)
Positive Values (Caring, equality,
integrity, honesty, responsibility,
restraint)
Social Competencies (planning and
decision making, interpersonal
competence, cultural competence,
resistance skills, peaceful conflict
resolution)
Positive Identity (personal power, selfesteem, sense of purpose, positive view
of personal future) (Benson, 2011).

Staff Engagement
● How often are the staff interacting with
youth?
● What role do staff play in the delivery of
these services?

Youth Engagement
● How are they engaging?
● What role do youth play in creating the
structure of this service or program?

●
●

●

●
●
●

●

●

●

●

Structure of Program
● Is the service or program youth focused?
● Youth led?
● Is there a clear goal in mind for the
outcomes of this service or program (i.e.
learning new skills, socializing, etc.).
● How long is the program (per session,
per month, per year).

●

●
●

a positive and healthy way and going
outside their comfort zone.
Exercising responsibility by supervising
each activity station and ensuring the
safety of their participants.
The youth are upholding Steveston
Community Centre’s reputation by
being respectful and responsible in their
roles.
Gaining personal power and self esteem
by exercising their responsibility and
taking on roles where they get to be
leaders.
Learning teamwork and how to
collaborate effectively with one another.
There were two staff overseeing the
volunteers and ensuring they were
properly supported.
One Community Facilities Coordinator
was the lead on the kitchen for the
breakfast component of the event and
the Special Events and Volunteer
Coordinator was overseeing the two
other programs mainly while also
checking in on the breakfast crew.
Volunteers in the craft zone area seemed
to be the least interactive with
participants.
Seems as though the activities that are
more active or offer opportunities for
the volunteers to play with the children
and families are more appealing to the
volunteers.
Volunteers also seem to be partnering
up with other youth and working in
groups of 2-3.
Volunteers we’re getting participants to
sign photo waivers and this builds
admin skills and organizational skills.
The volunteer opportunity was posted
on the City of Richmond’s icanhelp
website which is the main website for
all volunteer opportunities across
Richmond.
There were 40 volunteers present at this
event.
Each one was assigned a certain area

44

●
●

How are staff keeping attendance?
How are staff measuring the success of
this program in developing youth?

●

●
●

●

and activity to oversee (Fun Zone,
Pancake Breakfast and Arts and Crafts).
Madhav (Special Events and Volunteer
Coordinator and the Community
Facilities Coordinator were the two
main staff overseeing the volunteers.
Youth are taking a lead on many of the
activities.
The goal for this volunteer opportunity
appears to be building on the youths’
leadership skills and exposing them to
their community.
Madhav was keeping attendance by
signing volunteers in as they arrived.

References - Benson, P. L. (2000) Our Greatest Resource. Parks and Recreation, 35(10), 56.
Observation #2
Date and time of Observation
March 2nd, 2023 at 5:00pm.
Who/what was observed
The PAINT program is a drop-in program that runs every Thursday from 4-6pm. PAINT stands for
People for Acceptance and Inclusion Not just Tolerance. The program was created four years ago by
the youth and Youth Development Coordinator. The program is open to youth who wish to socialize
and take part in weekly activities in a safe and accepting environment. The program does not have a
very strict or comprehensive structure and acts as more of a social space for youth to use.
Location observed
Cambie Community Centre.
Observation Checklist
Looking for …
Are the 40 Developmental Assets being offered
or built on in programs?
● Support (Other Adult Relationships).
● Empowerment (Community values
youth, youth as resources, safety)
● Boundaries & Expectations (Adult role
models, positive peer experiences)
● Constructive Use of Time (Creative
activities)
● Commitment to Learning (Achievement
motivation)
● Positive Values (Caring, equality,
integrity, honesty, responsibility,

Observation
●
●

●
●
●

Youth have the opportunity to build
healthy relationships with adult staff.
Youth get to form their own
environment where they feel safe and
accepted and where they can create and
enhance their own community values.
Youth develop social skills by
interacting with one another and the
staff.
They develop public speaking skills
from doing daily check-ins.
They learn how to become caring
individuals and build safe spaces for

45

●

●

restraint)
Social Competencies (planning and
decision making, interpersonal
competence, cultural competence,
resistance skills, peaceful conflict
resolution)
Positive Identity (personal power, selfesteem, sense of purpose, positive view
of personal future) (Benson, 2011).

Staff Engagement
● How often are the staff interacting with
youth?
● What role do staff play in the delivery of
these services?

●
●

●
●

●

●

Youth Engagement
● How are they engaging?
● What role do youth play in creating the
structure of this service or program?

●
●
●
●

Structure of Program
● Is the service or program youth focused?
● Youth led?
● Is there a clear goal in mind for the
outcomes of this service or program (i.e.
learning new skills, socializing, etc.).
● How long is the program (per session,
per month, per year).
● How are staff keeping attendance?
● How are staff measuring the success of
this program in developing youth?

●
●

●

●

others in their community.
They become more tolerant of
differences in others and become more
accepting of themselves.
The youth get to choose and create their
own activities for each session and this
helps build planning and decision
making skills.
The two instructors were checking in
with youth as they came into programs
and were asking them about their day.
The staff did a round table with the
youth (questions included what are your
pronouns that you would like to be used
in the program, highs and lows of their
day, access needs which are what the
youth need to feel comfortable, if you
could be a cookie what type of cookie
would you be).
The instructors consulted the youth on
what activities they wished to do today
or what kind of environment they
wanted to create for today.
The instructors were providing snacks
for the youth and starting/facilitating
conversations with youth.
7 youth attended.
Youth were super engaged with the
instructors.
They were mainly having conversations
with the staff.
Most of their conversations surrounded
school and challenges with teachers.
The youth chose to focus on homework
that day and socializing with one
another.
The main goal for this program appears
to be offering youth a space to interact
with one another and staff in a safe and
inclusive space.
Each session of the program starts at
4pm but the youth did not arrive till
about 5:15pm as they were busy with
other extra curricular activities.
Staff are keeping attendance in a binder
with their name, when they arrive and
when they leave. This is for safety
purposes so that staff can keep track of
the youth and if they leave the program.

References - Benson, P. L. (2000) Our Greatest Resource. Parks and Recreation, 35(10), 56.

46

Observation #3
Date and time of Observation
March 3rd, 2023 at 5:00pm.
Who/what was observed
Youth Volleyball is registered depending on season and usually runs a 5-6 week program offered to
youth ages 13-18. This program runs every Friday from 4:45-5:45 pm and is led by two Sport
Instructors 2/YDL 1. It is intended that youth will develop skills and socialize with peers. The
program is offered in the gymnasium of Cambie Community Centre and is programmed and
supervised by the Youth Development Coordinator, Omar Rajan.
Location observed
Cambie Community Centre.
Observation Checklist
Looking for …

Observation

Are the 40 Developmental Assets being offered
or built on in programs?
● Support (Other Adult Relationships).
● Empowerment (Community values
youth, youth as resources, safety)
● Boundaries & Expectations (Adult role
models, positive peer experiences)
● Constructive Use of Time (Creative
activities)
● Commitment to Learning (Achievement
motivation)
● Positive Values (Caring, equality,
integrity, honesty, responsibility,
restraint)
● Social Competencies (planning and
decision making, interpersonal
competence, cultural competence,
resistance skills, peaceful conflict
resolution)
● Positive Identity (personal power, selfesteem, sense of purpose, positive view
of personal future) (Benson, 2011).

●
●

Staff Engagement
● How often are the staff interacting with
youth?
● What role do staff play in the delivery of
these services?

●

●
●

●

●
●

●
●

Access to positive role models.
The staff are interacting with the youth
in a positive and uplifting way.
Youth get to play with one another in
friendly games.
Staff are checking in with the youth
during the program and are using
encouraging language which helps build
a network of supportive adults and build
their self esteem..
Due to the nature of the games, there is
friendly competitiveness and banter
which can build on social skills and a
positive view of personal future and
self.
Many of the youth are encouraging one
another as well by using positive
language and affirmations.
The youth get to set their own intentions
at the beginning of the program and this
builds on their decision making skills,
interpersonal skills and personal power.
Staff have their own lesson plans in a
binder that they have referred to during
the program.
The instructors are in charge of Set up
and take down of equipment.
Supervising volunteer.

47

Youth Engagement
● How are they engaging?
● What role do youth play in creating the
structure of this service or program?

●
●

●

Structure of Program
● Is the service or program youth focused?
● Youth led?
● Is there a clear goal in mind for the
outcomes of this service or program (i.e.
learning new skills, socializing, etc.).
● How long is the program (per session,
per month, per year).
● How are staff keeping attendance?
● How are staff measuring the success of
this program in developing youth?

●
●

●
●

●

●
●

●

●
●

There is one youth volunteer present
who helps with running drills and other
leadership tasks.
The youth have set their own intentions
for the program by checking in with the
instructors and going over what they
wish to improve on or suggesting new
drills.
The youth are playing their own music
off of their own speakers during the
program.
Led by two Sport Instructors 2/YDL 1.
One youth volunteer who helps set up
nets and helps with drills and
observations of leadership skills from
the instructors.
First half of the program is building
skills and the youth are learning new
techniques (i.e. bumping, setting)..
Second half of the program is aimed at
casual games. There is an emphasis on
encouraging the youth to challenge
themselves.
Intended that youth will develop skills
and socialize with peers and gain
confidence.
Program runs every Friday for $48 for 8
sessions.
Staff have checked in with the Youth
Development Coordinator before the
program starts and then again at the end.
They report all incidents or risks to the
Youth Development Coordinator.
However, there were no incidents today.
Youth keep a class list and keep
attendance.
As youth are leaving the instructors are
saying goodbye and using positive
words of affirmations.

References - Benson, P. L. (2000) Our Greatest Resource. Parks and Recreation, 35(10), 56.

Observation #4
Date and time of Observation
March 3rd, 2023 at 6:30pm.
Who/what was observed

48
Youth Hangout is an unstructured drop-in program offered every Thursday from 6:00-8:00pm.
Location observed
Cambie Community Centre
Observation Checklist
Looking for …

Observation

Are the 40 Developmental Assets being offered
or built on in programs?
● Support (Other Adult Relationships).
● Empowerment (Community values
youth, youth as resources, safety)
● Boundaries & Expectations (Adult role
models, positive peer experiences)
● Constructive Use of Time (Creative
activities)
● Commitment to Learning (Achievement,
motivation)
● Positive Values (Caring, equality,
integrity, honesty, responsibility,
restraint)
● Social Competencies (planning and
decision making, interpersonal
competence, cultural competence,
resistance skills, peaceful conflict
resolution)
● Positive Identity (personal power, selfesteem, sense of purpose, positive view
of personal future) (Benson, 2011).

●

Staff Engagement
● How often are the staff interacting with
youth?
● What role do staff play in the delivery of
these services?

●
●

●
●

●

●
●

Youth Engagement
● How are they engaging?
● What role do youth play in creating the
structure of this service or program?

●
●
●
●

Staff are engaging with youth by
keeping casual conversation and
checking in with youth as they enter.
There appears to be relationships
between staff and youth that are already
built.
The youth get to create their own
experience in the program which helps
build on their ability to connect with
their community and see themselves as a
leader and a resource.
At the end of the program the youth
cleaned up after themselves and threw
all of their garbage out and made sure
the room was put back together.

Staff are present in the space.
The Youth Development Coordinator is
checking in on the staff every 30-45
minutes.
They are trying to facilitate games by
interacting with youth or asking them to
play a round of pool.
The staff are ensuring the environment
is safe for everyone by supervising and
ensuring there is safe and inclusive
language being used.
There is one grade 11 volunteer in this
program. They are assisting the
instructor.
Youth are mostly on their phones or
playing on the pool table/foosball table.
Youth are playing their own music on
their own speakers.
Youth are allowed to come and go from
the program space freely and will leave

49

to get snacks from the vending machine
outside the room.
Structure of Program
● Is the service or program youth focused?
● Youth led?
● Is there a clear goal in mind for the
outcomes of this service or program (i.e.
learning new skills, socializing, etc.).
● How long is the program (per session,
per month, per year).
● How are staff keeping attendance?
● How are staff measuring the success of
this program in developing youth?

●
●
●
●
●
●

●

No activity planned.
Giving youth safe space to socialize
appears to be the main outcome and
goal.
Program runs every Friday from 6-9pm.
Youth use their Youth Facility Pass 1 to
get into this program.
Staff keep attendance in this program
and are greeting youth as they arrive.
Staff have stepped out of the program a
few times to gather supplies or check in
with the Youth Development
Coordinator.
There does not appear to be any form of
measurement for the success of this
program other than the number of youth
who are attending.

References - Benson, P. L. (2000) Our Greatest Resource. Parks and Recreation, 35(10), 56
3A. Content Analysis Details
1. City of Richmond’s Youth Strategy 2022-2032 - This is a draft and will be finalized in 2023
after public consultation. The strategy outlines the strategic directions and actions taken by
the City of Richmond to help guide them in serving and supporting youth and was created
with input from youth, families, staff, youth serving organizations, and members of the public
(City of Richmond, 2022). The strategy provides information on best practice research,
engagement with youth, their families and key stakeholders, and the demographic profile of
youth in Richmond (City of Richmond, 2022). This document builds on the progress made by
the Youth Service Plan (City of Richmond, 2022).
2. City of Richmond’s Youth Services Plan 2015-2020 - The City of Richmond’s Youth Service
plan is a living document that outlines the city’s plans to develop youth and youth related
services. The document was created with consultations from Richmond youth and other key
stakeholders and offers a snapshot of the current youth strategy and goals for these services
(City of Richmond, 2020). The document is available to the public on the City of Richmond’s
website and is currently in the process of being updated for the 2021-2031 issue. This
document is the most instrumental in this research as it provides the city’s goals, action plan,
associated outcomes and the City’s roles and timeline as it pertains to youth recreation and
development (City of Richmond, 2020). In addition, thisdocument is widely used across all
centres and staff who work with youth use this document on a regular basis.

50

3. Government of British Columbia Youth Engagement Toolkit Resource Guide - This document
was created with consultation from the Ministry of Children and Family Development, The
University of Victoria and youth themselves. This document provides information and
guidance on how to engage youth in a community setting (Government of British Columbia,
n.d). The document outlines youth frameworks and foundations, practical strategies for youth
engagement, and engaging youth from diverse backgrounds (Government of British
Columbia, n.d). Comparisons were made against the City of Richmond’s current strategies
and approaches to youth development through recreational programming. This document was
chosen to determine how the City of Richmond aligns with the larger governing provincial
body and see if there are congruences surrounding the topic of youth development at all levels
of government owned recreation. This document was accessed on the Government of British
Columbia website.
4. City of Richmond 2019-2024 Recreation and Sport Strategy - The City of Richmond’s
Recreation and Sport Strategy “guides the work of the Community Services Division,
especially the Recreation Services Department, with the aim to increase reach and impact of
recreation and sport benefits to all residents in Richmond” (City of Richmond, 2019). This
document provides a larger scope of what the City of Richmond’s approach is to recreation
and community services for all ages. The strategy was analyzed for its content on youth
specific services and data. This strategy was accessed on the City of Richmon’s website.
5. City of Richmond Youth Program Guides - This document was analyzed to determine the
current youth programs and services offered in the City of Richmond. These program guides
are offered online and in community centres and City owned community spaces and they
provide patrons information on the current youth services and programs running that season.
This data was collected by accessing the program guides on the City of Richmond website.

How the documents were accessed (include date and time they were accessed)
1. The City of Richmond’s Youth Services Plan was accessed on February 5th via the City of
Richmond’s website.
2. The Government of British Columbia’s Youth Engagement Toolkit Resource Guide was
accessed on February 14th via the Government of British Columbia’s website.
3. The City of Richmond’s Youth program guides were accessed on February 17th via the City
of Richmond’s website.

51
4. The City of Richmond’s Sport and Recreation Strategy was accessed on February 17th via the
City of Richmond’s website.
3B. Checklist
The following documents will be analyzed to:
●

Determine who created the document and why.

●

Determine when it was created and/or last updated.

●

Identify the intentions, focus or communication trends of the organization.

●

Reveal similarities and/or differences in the communication method of or approach to content
across each document.

●

Determine how municipal recreation is serving youth and to what capacity it is doing so (what
kinds of programs, services, strategies, etc. are being created to serve youth)? Recurring
themes?

●

Type of verbiage, visuals and other communication tactics or strategies being used to present
this information to those who work with youth and/or target youth directly.

●

Existence of keywords and how the document operationalizes these terms.

Keywords to look out for (and the operationalization of words):
●

Develop or development

●

(Transferable) skills

●

Opportunities

●

Support

●

Staff

●

Engagement

3C. Content Analysis Field Notes
Youth Strategy 2022-2032
Who created the document? When was it
created and when was it last updated?

●
●

The City of Richmond’s Youth Strategy
Stakeholder Advisory Committee and
Project Leads.
Was adopted by council in 2022 and is
still in its draft phase, awaiting public
consultation and finalization in 2023.

52

●
●

What is the purpose of the document?

Intentions, focus or communication trends of
the document.

This document lays out the City of
Richmond’s strategic plans for the next
10 years.
22 municipal and regional youthoriented strategies and plans and six
national and international strategies
were analyzed to inform the structure,
framework and the priorities within this
document (City of Richmond, 2022).

To “guide the City and those working with
youth and further the vision that all youth in
Richmond are safe, valued, respected and have
the support, opportunities, and resources to live
rich and fulfilling lives” (City of Richmond,
2022, p. 2).
●
●
●
●

●

Developing opportunities for youth to
thrive.
Focusing on the wellness of youth in all
facets of their wellbeing.
Provides six guiding principles that help
the developers of the strategy.
Communicates important information
on the current youth demographic in
Richmond and provides context on
certain issues, challenges or
opportunities that exist.
Encourages the reader to support youth
services.

How is this document serving youth and to
what capacity it is doing so (what kinds of
programs, services, strategies, etc. are being
created or shared to serve youth)? Recurring
themes?

●

Shares five strategic goals and actions to
enhance youth services and experiences.
These goals and actions are (City of
Richmond, 2022):
- Foundation - access to resources
and services that enhance
wellness.
- Voice - youth are valued, heard,
supported and engaged as
members in the community.
- Collaboration - youth are
supported by and integrated into
a collaborative network.
- Opportunity - youth have access
to accessible and equitable
services and programs.
- Awareness - youth and their
families have access to
information and resources that
support them.

Type of verbiage, visuals and other
communication tactics or strategies being

●

Information is reader/user friendly and
displays information in a visually

53

used to present this information or target
youth.

Key Words ( How does the document
operationalize these terms?)

●

●

●
●

●

●

●

appealing way.
Uses photos of youth and visuals such
as graphs to show statistics or highlight
important information.
Development - “Positive Youth
Development encompasses an
intentional, prosocial and strengthsbased approach that engages youth
within their communities, schools,
organizations, peer groups and families”
(City of Richmond, 2022, p.35 ).
Opportunity - youth have access to
accessible and equitable services and
programs (City of Richmond, 2022).
Staff - “Examples of strengths included
the network of Youth Development
Coordinators at community centres and
dedicated City of Richmond Youth
Service staff (City of Richmond, 2022,
p. 38).
Skills - “Ensure a range of programs and
services that prioritize learning and skill
development are available for youth”
(City of Richmond, 2022, p. 46).
Support - “Youth are supported by an
integrated and collaborative network of
youth serving agencies, non-profit
organizations, public partners and local
governments that work together to
promote positive youth development”
(City of Richmond, 2022, p.3).
Engagement - “Youth are heard, valued
and engaged as members of the
community and their opinions and
perspectives inform plans, programs and
services that are important to them and
impact their lives” (City of Richmond,
2022, p.41).

Youth Services Plan
Who created the document? When was it
created and when was it last updated?

●

●
What is the purpose of the document?

The City of Richmond’s youth and key
stakeholders, community partners, the
Project Implementation Team, which is
composed of City staff, and the Project
Reference Group which is composed of
City and Community Association staff
and youth stakeholders.
The document is currently being
updated for the 2021-2031 issue.

To “identify priority program and service areas

54

for Richmond youth and to provide the City
with a strategic approach to making decisions
about youth-related matters over the next six
years. The 2015-2020 Youth Service Plan is
intended to be a guiding framework to support
the development and implementation of youth
programs and services” (City of Richmond,
2015, p.1).
Intentions, focus or communication trends of
the document.

●
●
●

Outlining key themes and challenges in
the youth services in Richmond.
Keeping the document updated with
information on evolving topics and
themes.
Presents statistics and feedback from
youth consultants, stakeholders and city
staff in a user-friendly way so that the
reader can understand youth trends.

How is this document serving youth and to
what capacity it is doing so (what kinds of
programs, services, strategies, etc. are being
created or shared to serve youth)? Recurring
themes?

●

Shares three different goals to enhance
youth services and experiences. These
goals are (City of Richmond, 2015):
- Building youth assets through
engagement and partnerships.
- Expanding opportunities for
youth.
- Improving quality of youth
services.

Type of verbiage, visuals and other
communication tactics or strategies being
used to present this information or target
youth.

●

Groups information by goals, then sub
topics which include themes and then by
implementation steps and processes.
Uses photos of youth and visuals such
as graphs to show statistics or highlight
important information.
Photos included are taken of youth in
various different programs and settings
across the city.

●
●

Key Words (frequency and in what capacity).
How does the document operationalize these
terms?

●

●

Development - “The 40 Developmental
Asset framework provides a shared
vision and language to guide practice
and decision-making. Community
Services, in collaboration with various
community partners, will ensure
common understanding of the 40
Developmental Asset framework in
youth programming. Youth will be
aware of how their participation
influences their asset development”
(City of Richmond, 2015, p. 25).
Opportunity - “Youth are aware and
have equitable access to a number of
diverse recreational, social, volunteer

55

●

●

●

and cultural opportunities that are
responsive to their specific needs and
interests, and build on their
Developmental Assets” (City of
Richmond, 2015, p. 32).
Staff - “Develop and implement training
opportunities for City staff, Community
Associations and Community
Organizations to enhance common
understanding of Developmental Asset
principles” (City of Richmond, 2015, p.
26).
Skills - “Provide leadership skills
development programs that are
specifically designed for youth” (City of
Richmond, 2015, p. 29).
Engagement - “Develop a systematic
approach to engage youth in planning
programs, services and facilities that are
of interest and benefit to them (City of
Richmond, 2015, p.29).

Youth Engagement Toolkit Resource Guide
Who created the document? When was it
created and when was it last updated?

●

●
What is the purpose of the document?

The Government of British Columbia in
partnership with the Ministry of
Children and Family Development, the
University of Victoria and youth
consultants.
This document was created in 2013 and
has not been updated since.

To “provide in-depth information about youth
engagement, as well as practical strategies for
engaging youth” (Government of British
Columbia, 2013, p.4).

Intentions, focus or communication trends of
the document.

●

The presentation of the content is meant
to inform the reader and provide them
information on specific topics on youth
engagement.

How is this document serving youth and to
what capacity it is doing so (what kinds of
programs, services, strategies, etc. are being
created or shared to serve youth)? Recurring
themes?

●

Provides an extensive list of practical
strategies for engaging youth.
Provides a list of best practices and
various toolkits to enhance youth
development and engagement.
The document was created with
engagement and contributions from
various youth-centred organizations and
groups dedicated to supporting this
demographic.
Includes information on engaging and
serving youth from diverse backgrounds

●
●

●

56

●

Type of verbiage, visuals and other
communication tactics or strategies being
used to present this information or target
youth.

●

Key Words (frequency and in what capacity).
How does the document operationalize these
terms?

●

●
●

●

●

and with specific needs (i.e. Indigenous
communities, youth with developmental
or physical challenges, youth
experiencing homelessness, youth with
children, at risk or those dealing with
mental health challenges, etc.).
Includes seven principles to follow to
ensure actions made to engage youth are
ethical. These include viewing youth
engagement as a “natural way” of
working in an organization, ensuring
staff that are working with youth are
recruited for their knowledge, expertise
and passion for supporting youth,
considering all perspectives, using
debates as a healthy way of raising new
ideas and opinions, ensuring youth feel
safe and respected, setting realistic
expectations for youth, and ensuring
there is a balance and accessibility
within these youth-serving organizations
(Government of British Columbia, 2013,
p.19).
Information is targeted towards youthcentered organizations.
Provides plenty of images and pictures
from youth events or conferences.
Organizes information under type or
theme of content.
Development - “Youth engagement
provides many opportunities for youth
to learn new skills and abilities. These
can include the development of
academic, intellectual, civic, emotional,
physical, employment, social, and
cultural competence (Government of
British Columbia, 2013, p.9).
Engagement - “Meaningful participation
and sustainable involvement of young
people in shared decisions in matters
which affect their lives and those of
their community, including planning,
decision-making and program delivery”
(Government of British Columbia, 2013,
p.8).
Opportunity - “Young people are given
opportunities to lead and assume some
decision-making power. Youth help
make decisions about the design and
direction of programs and services
geared towards them (Government of
British Columbia, 2013, p.9).

57

●

Skills - academic, intellectual, civic,
emotional, physical, employment,
social, cultural (Government of British
Columbia, 2013, p.9).

Youth Program Guides
Who created the document? When was it
created and when was it last updated?

The City of Richmond’s youth serving staff
across each centre.

What is the purpose of the document?

To provide the community with information on
the current youth services and programs at each
community centre.

Intentions, focus or communication trends of
the document.

●

How is this document serving youth and to
what capacity it is doing so (what kinds of
programs, services, strategies, etc. are being
created or shared to serve youth)? Recurring
themes?

●

Type of verbiage, visuals and other
communication tactics or strategies being
used to present this information or target
youth.

●

Key Words (frequency and in what capacity).
How does the document operationalize these
terms?

●

●
●

Inform the reader of current youth
programs and services.
Share information on community events
or volunteer opportunities.
Youth programs are marketed on 1 page
or less in most program guides.
The youth programs are also commonly
grouped together on one page with
preteen programs (ages 9-12).
Many of the programs and services
offered are non-registered, drop-in (i.e.
drop in sports, youth fitness center
hours, social clubs and youth councils).
Each community centre uses different
marketing styles (i.e. font, color
schemes, photos).

N/A

Sport and Recreation Strategy
Who created the document? When was it
created and when was it last updated?

●

The City of Richmond’s community
stakeholders which include recreation
and sport organizations, the general
public and City of Richmond staff (City
of Richmond, 2019). The process of
creating this strategy was guided by a

58

●
What is the purpose of the document?

strategic advisory committee and staff
operational team (City of Richmond,
2019).
This is the latest version of the strategy.

To “build on the strong and successful
foundation already present in the City to address
the new and diverse interests of stakeholders and
to encourage all citizens of every age to enjoy
the benefits of an active and involved lifestyle”
(City of Richmond, 2019, p. 3).

Intentions, focus or communication trends of
the document.

●

To inform the reader of the current
recreation and sport trends, issues,
challenges and opportunities in the City
of Richmond.

How is this document serving youth and to
what capacity it is doing so (what kinds of
programs, services, strategies, etc. are being
created or shared to serve youth)? Recurring
themes?

●

Information and statistics on youth is
limited in this document.
The information that is included in the
strategy matches information in the
Youth Strategy and Youth Services
Plan.
The overarching strategies and goals of
this document appear to encompass all
ages and demographics.

●

●

Type of verbiage, visuals and other
communication tactics or strategies being
used to present this information or target
youth.

●

Key Words. How does the document
operationalize these terms?

●

●

●

●

Uses a wide range of images and
pictures of the municipality’s facilities,
parks and outdoor spaces, community
art, staff, and community members.
Presents their seven main focus areas
and highlights achievements for those
focus areas.
Opportunity - “Providing opportunities
to build confidence and basic skills, to
become familiar with the range of
activities that might appeal to different
preferences, to have fun and build social
connections through recreation and sport
are keys to engaging a broader range of
community members to ‘move more, sit
less’ – however they envision doing so
for themselves” (City of Richmond,
2019, p.23).
Staff - “In Richmond, recreation and
sport services and programs are
delivered collaboratively with the City
and Community Associations and
Societies, and through over 50
community sport clubs” (City of
Richmond, 2019, p.51).
Skills - physical literacy, confidence,

59

●

social and emotional literacy, etc.
Support - “To keep pace with the
increasing diversity in recreation and
sport participation levels and
preferences, providing a range of
opportunities that support community
members to choose how, when and
where they participate, and ensuring the
availability of activities that residents
are familiar with or are inspired to try, is
vitally important in promoting lifelong
physical activity” (City of Richmond,
2019, p.33).

Similarities and Common Themes Documents
Similarities
●
●

●
●
●

●
●

Each document was created with input
from stakeholders, community groups
and the public.
Each document discusses strategies for
engaging youth or similar participants in
the decision or planning process of their
programs.
Each document has some form of
strategic goals or actions that help guide
its’ efforts.
Two of the documents make references
to the 40 Developmental Assets
framework.
The 40 Developmental Assets
Framework is used as a guiding
document to help staff create
opportunities and services that help
build on these skills.
The majority of the documents are
living and are being continually
updated.
Includes pictures of youth from the
community as well as photos of current
community facilities and parks that are
being utilized for youth services.

Common Themes
●
●
●
●

●
●

Grouping information and actions by
objectives or goals.
Setting timelines for certain projects or
initiatives.
Involving youth in the creation of the
document through surveys or working
groups.
Highlighting the importance of
collaboration with community partners
(i.e. stakeholders, not-for-profit
organizations, youth services and
programs, etc).
Identifying gaps and challenges in this
topic area.
Each strategy touches on the importance
of building and maintaining a strong
network of stakeholders.