Diversity Fellow Project, Manuel Clark
Missouri Youth Engagement Project
Missouri Youth Engagement Project [download]
Project Narrative
1. Please describe your activities during your Fellowship experience. Describe your final capstone project(s).
The Missouri Youth Engagement Project (MYEP) is built around the objective to provide individuals with intellectual and or developmental disabilities (IDD) the tools needed to create social change in their community. As new leaders emerge from younger generations, providing them with research methods that will increase social, educational, and political efficacy equips them with the skills to advocate for their community. This is especially important for individuals with IDD as so many elements of society are built to question their capability. Harnessing the tenets of research methods as a manner of problem solving and community capacity building rallies others to a cause. The Missouri Youth Engagement Project is being conducted in two separate locations: one urban and one rural. The first setting is Hogan Preparatory Academy in Kansas City, MO. Hogan is a K-12 college preparatory charter school with a mission to instill self-motivation and community service into their students. The project is set in the Sophomore seminar course. The Sophomore class is made up of 113 students. Fifteen percent of the students have an IEP or 504 letter submitted to the school. An unidentified number suffer from mental health issues associated with living in economically deprived, violence prone areas of Kansas City.
The second setting is the Shooting Stars 4-H Club of Greene County which meets in Springfield, MO. It is a 4-H club that caters to youth that are home schooled and/or have intellectual and/or developmental issues. Being rurally based, diversity is based around disability. Most of the individuals receive formal education at home.
Based upon the Youth Participatory Action Research model, this project uses elements of 5 different modules. Module 1 is centered on group building to bridge gaps amongst those with diversity of background. For our project settings, racial diversity and varied diversity around disability is represented. This module is built to bring about team building by breaking down barriers built around diverse backgrounds that might divide project work groups.
Module 2 provides the introduction to participatory action research. The participants will learn why research is important and what qualifies as research. This will branch from observation and listening in their environment to performing internet and literature searches.
Module 3 provide the opportunity for project groups to develop their own research project. This involves issue identification, research modeling and hypothesis development.
Module 4 teaches the participants how to collect and analyze data from their projects. This provides an introduction to the difference between qualitative (interviews, focus groups, field notes) and quantitative (number based) data.
In module 5, the participants will learn how to make sense of their data. This provides information to help utilize the data gained to build up to presenting their project. Module 6 looks at future usage of the main learning points from the project.
2. Who did your project inform, help, influence or impact? (UCEDD, individual, community, state) How?
The aim of the project is to provide youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities with skills that will make them stronger self-advocates able to question systemic issues in their environment. Through these questions/research methods they will be able to find incremental ways to work to resolve these issues. Because of the setting (high school, 4-H club), this program is fully inclusive. A diverse population representative of all members of a community must come together to use their collective skills to resolve an issue of group choice.
This project informs organizations at all levels. People in the community learn from individuals involved. The hope is to drive further action in the community by way of this influence. Being a project sponsored by a state based entity (Missouri Developmental Disability Council), hopefully this program will merit further scalability in future years. Finally, the UCEDD can find usefulness in youth participatory action research and can recommend other groups attempting to empower self-advocates use similar methods.
3. Why did you choose to work on that project(s)?
I believe that in order to ensure work continues toward creating better, more inclusive communities we must engage people at the earliest age possible to compel them toward service oriented pursuits. For individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, it very important to provide a firm foundation regarding the power they have to affect change in their community. As people currently without a disability, we all must realize that input and leadership from people with a disability must be recognized and rallied behind.
4. What did you gain from being a Diversity Fellow?
I received two major benefits from being a Diversity Fellow. First, I was able to connect with current and future leaders in the UCEDD network. Through meetings set up by the fellowship mentor I was able to learn about the day to day experiences in various centers around the country. Second, I received directions toward policy resources regarding issues affecting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Having clear information provided me a valuable perspective to move forward with this project and those I will be part of in the future.
5. How will this experience impact your education or career decisions?
This Fellowship has provided more information regarding opportunities to be of service in field of supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Conversations with various individuals working within the UCEDD network allowed me to learn about the path that brought them to their current position. This is information I wish could reach interested parties at an earlier age. So much of career development focuses on roles that appear in television narratives. If the UCEDD network could reach out to individuals in high school, more people will know about opportunities within associated organizations.
6. What are your future goals? Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
I would like to take on a leadership role within a health care organization. I am not certain if it will be for profit or a non-profit entity. However, within that work I would like to ensure that there is adequate input from our entire, diverse community. People in our community are not homogenous and have different needs and desires. We need socially aware health care professionals willing to be open about what is needed to create a care based environment that is equitable.
7. What recommendations do you have for other Fellows?
Take full advantage of the Fellowship to network with people from other centers. It is entirely possible that there is someone either in a leadership role or in the Fellowship that is has travelled the path that you are currently on and has insight regarding the best way to move forward in your career. Plus, it is nice to gain insights from likeminded individuals.