Adobe Youth Voices
Reaching youth in underserved communities
Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) is built on research showing that motivation and engagement are prerequisites for learning. In a recent study of high school dropouts*, almost half of the students said they dropped out because their classes were not interesting and they were bored.
Demonstrating the power of technology to engage middle- and high-school-age youth, Adobe Youth Voices provides breakthrough learning experiences using video, multimedia, digital art, web, animation, and audio tools that enable youth to explore and comment on their world. The program is designed to capitalize on young people’s innate optimism and sense of justice, helping to transform disengaged youth into creative and articulate contributors in their communities.
Young people have a lot to say, and Adobe Youth Voices provides them the tools and the stage to be heard.
Measuring impact
Education Development Center (EDC) is conducting an evaluation of Adobe Youth Voices over the five years of the initiative. As part of the evaluation, EDC conducted a review of relevant literature to situate AYV in a broader context, provide stakeholders with a framework for understanding goals and outcomes, and frame and inform the evaluation questions. EDC reviewed scholarly articles, program reports and evaluations, and research studies that addressed youth media programs, youth development, teacher professional development, and other areas related to AYV’s goals.
Although very little research-based evidence of the outcomes of youth media programs exists, descriptive, self-report, and anecdotal information is available. Literature on youth development, which is somewhat more robust, provides support for many of the goals and outcomes of youth media programs.
Among the findings, the literature review includes six key points that speak to the AYV program:
- The goals of youth media programs most commonly cited can be grouped into several
categories:
- Youth voice — the capacity for self-expression
- Youth development — the process of developing the skills and personal attributes that enable young people to become successful adults
- Media literacy — the ability to analyze, evaluate, and produce information in a variety of media forms
- Skill development — such as communication, critical thinking, technology, and media production skills
- Social action or civic engagement
- Outcomes and impacts on participants of youth media programs commonly found in the
literature include:
- Improved skills
- Improved community perception of youth
- Positive youth development
- Increased social action and civic engagement
- Outcomes and impacts on participants of youth development programs frequently cited
include:
- Improved communication, critical thinking, and related skills
- Increased self-esteem
- More positive attitudes towards school and their futures
- There is broad agreement that traditional educational approaches do not adequately address 21st-century skills. Education must adapt to be more compatible with the ways in which young people think and learn, as well as the tools and media that are part of their environment.
- Student engagement in education has been associated with positive youth development and 21st-century skills. Engaging instruction often includes inquiry- or project-based, multidisciplinary, and authentic learning activities.
- Educator professional development is believed to be a key step toward improving student outcomes. While there is little research that can demonstrate this connection, there is new focus on evaluating the effectiveness of professional development activities. Elements of effective professional development include learning communities and collaboration, ongoing support and assistance, and active or applied learning.
*"The Silent Epidemic — Perspectives of High School Dropouts," a report by Civic Enterprises in association with Peter D. Hart Research Associates for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, March 2006.
