1. Acknowledgments Introduction SO, it’s not enough? In the past UCalgary has engaged students from a variety of age groups using EWB style presentations in a formal class room setting. This approach, called “school outreach” (SO), worked to engage volunteers and students alike about development issues. However, we have found that this approach didn’t leave students with new skills and tools needed to be sucessful leaders. Since 2009 we have worked to develop two new youth engagement programs to run in compliment of SO to develop stronger youth leaders through deeper action based engagement. Current State of Action at UCalgary Youth Social Change Mentorship Working with St. James Junior High approximately once a month. Constantly developing new content tailored to the students. Youth Action Day We are currently working to bring the idea into the prototyping phase. This involves finalizing content, and promoting the idea to educators and volunteers. Our goal is to hold this event in 2011. Discussion Questions Which program do you think has more potential for impact at your chapter? How does your chapter navigate the tension between breadth of engagement and depth of engagement? How do we integrate multiple strategies into Youth Engagement? Two New Youth Programs: How does the Impact measure up? Youth Impact Innovative Forum, Engineers Without Borders 2010 Stephanie Coupal, Alena Hart, Bikram Jatana, Jessica Lam, Patrick Miller Danielle Phaneuf Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada For further information Please contact stephanie.coupal@gmail.com. More information on this and related projects can be obtained at ???? UCalgary Goals Raise awareness among youth about development issues Provide inputs to improve youth leadership experience Establish EWB as a strong complimentary force to the curriculum provided by educational institutions (both government based and private) Build new connections with other groups, institutions, and teachers in order to continue to innovate, grow, and expand our youth engagement programs. To achieve these goals we have developed two new innovative youth programs “Youth Social Change Mentorship” and “Youth Action Day”. Youth Social Change Mentorship Challenges SO presentations Too much focus on ideas and content Not enough focus on developing student skills, engaging them in discussion, and fostering action Lack of follow up The Idea A new youth mentorship program Content and Delivery This program has created a strong partnership that will span multiple years. It will deliver skill building workshops and mentorship for students in grade 9 working on their own social change projects. This allows EWBers to share their experiences with youth, while helping youth further develop projects. Once a month we return to a class on “global leadership” at St. James Junior High to deliver content and mentorship. This program is now in its second year. Does the Impact Measure Up? Students develop their own projects Strong teacher partnership Year long student engagement Fewer students involved Youth Action Day Our Un Conference Challenges SO presentations Difficulty achieving mass student engagement Difficulty finding volunteers for presentations School scheduling is a problem Traditional conferences are logistically challenging Selection of venue Encouraging student participation Ensuring waivers and fees are taken care of The idea A large-scale workshop aimed at engaging an entire high school in Calgary for one day in 2011 in their own classroom! Content and Delivery Students will be given a Social Change Challenge kit to work on one of five challenges: fair trade, water and sanitation, food security, human rights, sustainability. Partnership with teachers and admin from a local high school. Each problem will be delivered using a DVD or youtube video that frames the problem in both the Canadian and international context. Students will then have their regular class time to complete a project outline. The kit will also include helpful resources. This challenge will be a launch pad for future mentorship programs. Does the Impact Measure Up? Student’s develop their own projects Strong teacher partnership Short time frame More students involved