Abstract:
Out-of-school time (OST) programs frequently
struggle with recruitment and retention of youth in their programs.
Recruitment and retention in OST programs can be thought of as two sides of
the same coin: after the initial decision to try out a program, youth need to be
continually recruited to keep attending, or to be retained in the program. Youth
decide to participate (and to keep on participating) in programs based on a
number of interacting intrapersonal, interpersonal, and contextual factors.
Several approaches to understanding these factors are discussed, and suggest
that youth are “active agents” in their own development; are influenced by
their “ecology,” or social surroundings; and consciously plan their behavior.
Youth attendance in programs is also influenced by a combination of social
and peer factors, psychological processes, program structure, and context.
Some specific methods and recommendations for increasing the success of
recruitment and retention efforts are also provided. These recommendations
are based on several youth development assumptions: (a) youth have power
and ability to make conscious decisions about their activities and behaviors;
(b) youth experience multiple influences on their OST program participation;
(c) youth desire the opportunity to engage in “voice and choice;” and (d)
authentic representation and participation of youth is crucial to all recruitment
and retention efforts
