Trent University International Development Studies

This report is the culminating piece of a four-month evaluation of the Amigos school Program of Heads up for Inclusion. The project had two objectives: 1) Evaluate the success of the Amigos school program since its implementation in 2001 from the perspective of teachers, students and parents/guardians of the participants, and 2) To research and provide the host with best evaluation practices for the program in the future. A literature review of best practices for inclusion of similar programs around North America was completed prior to data collection, while primary data was gathered using semi-structured interviews conducted in February and March 2018. Three interviews were conducted with different stakeholders who are involved with or have been formerly involved with the implementation of the program.

This report provides an analysis and evaluation of the Aspire program based out of the John Howard Society of Peterborough. This program aims at assisting youth ages 17-25 in achieving their personal career and training goals through mentor-based relationships. Methods of analysis include literature review and semi-structured interviews. A review of academic and grey literature on engaging young adults in positive development through mentoring relationships was completed. The semi- structured interview aspect of the research focused on identifying the aspects of successful mentoring relationships that have lasted more than three months and assessing the effectiveness of the Aspire program as it is currently practiced. Currently there are six mentoring matches at the John Howard Society which have exceeded three months in length. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with mentors and mentees involved in the program. The interviews focused on the participants' experiences in the program and were not life history type interviews. The data obtained was transcribed and analyzed using coding and grounded theory. The data collected suggests that that mentoring relationships can contribute to positive youth development. In particular, mentoring relationships that last a year or more tend to show increased signs of positive youth development. The report finds the prospects of the Aspire Program in its current position are positive, however implementation in some areas of the program could be improved. The areas of weakness require further investigation and action by the management of the program. However, these results are based on a small sample size so may not be generalizable to the program as a whole. The report also investigates the fact that the analysis conducted has limitations. Some of these limitations include; data limitations as a result of the small group of interviewees.

Peterborough Ontario is looking at ways to improve immigration integration within the community. This environmental scan explores current and innovative practices of workplace and vocational English as a Second Language (ESL) programming for small urban cities to determine if such a program could fill this need. The broader literature and prior studies maintain that there is a need to determine if language is the sole deterrent to hiring foreign-born employees in small urban centers or if there is a larger cross-cultural issue that must be addressed. The research presented here suggests that the most successful programs consider these cross-cultural matters and the importance of including stakeholders at multiple levels. Given the diversity of Peterborough's immigrant population and the logistical vastness of the Peterborough area, it was determined that a program that was multileveled and delivered as a workplace ESL program to meet the varied needs of immigrants and their employers would be best suited to the area. Qualitative data collected through a literature review and key informant interviews with service providers generated deeper understanding and nuances of program challenges, and an online survey supported the collected data.

This evaluation has revealed that WIN has had a great deal of success and that it definitely warrants expansion to include as many elementary schools as possible. As the program expands, it may face more challenges that it did as a pilot project.