Abstract
This study was intended to contribute to a better understanding of the problems, needs, and efforts that are underway in the area of at-risk children and youth programming in a large sample of recreation and park agencies across the nation. The objectives of this thesis were to: (1) identify the definitions of at-risk children and youth that are most prevalent in the recreation and parks field; (2) establish baseline data which reports the efforts being made by agencies to serve at-risk children and youth; (3) to identify the relationship between the extent to which recreation and park agencies are investing in servicing at-risk children and youth, and population size and number of gangs in communities. One thousand and seventeen agencies were sent surveys and the 656 useable questionnaires returned represented an overall response rate of 66%. The purpose of this exploratory research was to gain insights into the general nature of the at-risk children and youth problem. The results indicated that recreation and park agencies in all sizes of communities were targeting at-risk children and youth with recreation programs. Results also indicated that larger communities with more gang problems were the largest investors in these programs. However, it appears that this trend is shifting and in the last five years more agencies with smaller populations and fewer gangs have started targeting at-risk children and youth. The budgeted amounts invested in at-risk children and youth by these agencies typically varied from 8% to 16% of their total budget. Although gangs were perceived to be a problem by 89% of agencies that target at-risk children and youth in general, recreation and park agencies focus on targeting potential at-risk youth and a portion of at-risk children and youth rather than severely delinquent groups.
Espericueta, Lorina (1995). The investment made in serving at-risk children and youth by a national sample of recreation and park agencies. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -1995 -THESIS -E87.