This study examined the various ways adults engage and support youth in connected learning settings, which are focused on supporting youth in their interests or passions. Youth from 5 Chicago community-based, out-of-school time (OST) programs participated in focus groups on the topic of adult-youth relationships. Participants reported characteristics and behaviors of supportive adults as well as the outcomes associated with those behaviors. Analyses revealed that the following characteristics of adults enabled engagement and relationship development: (a) mutual respect, (b) genuine interest, (c) ongoing communication and friendship, and (d) going above and beyond. Youth also identified the specific ways that adults supported them: (a) guidance and motivation, (b) skill-based support, (c) role modeling, (d) connecting, (e) emotional support, and (f) cultivating youth voice. Finally, participants reported the following outcomes related to such support: (a) social capital, (b) a sense of empowerment and control of their futures, and (c) a sense of acceptance and validation. This study is a contribution to the literature on adult-youth relationships in connected learning sites and draws attention to the potential socioemotional and instructional benefits of such programs. Our study also highlights the various ways that adults in OST programs can successfully engage youth and form relationships.Most recently, researchers have become interested in youth sparks and interests because of their developmental benefits. Sparks are a "passion for a self-identified interest, skill or capacity that metaphorically lights a fire in the adolescent's life, providing energy, joy, purpose and direction" (Scales, Benson, & Roehlkepartain, 2011, p. 264). A national study of racially/ethnically diverse 15-year-olds found that participants in the high sparks group had better academic outcomes (i.e., more focused on learning, higher grades, more effort in school) than youth in the low sparks or no sparks J. Community Psychol. 2017;45:906-921. wileyonlineliberary.com/journal/jcop c 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 906 Recent mentoring studies have revealed that simply the presence of natural mentors is insufficient in promoting positive youth outcomes; high-quality, close relationships are necessary. For instance, in their sample of African American adolescents, Hurd and Sellers (2013) found that more connected (e.g., closer, more involved) mentoring relationships yielded greater academic engagement compared to not having mentoring relationships at all. Liao and Sanchez (2016) also found that urban, low-income Latinx adolescents with closer and more growth-oriented relationships (e.g., higher relational quality and instrumental quality) had better academic outcomes compared to those with less close and less growth-oriented relationships or those without mentors. Hence, the youth mentoring literature suggests the importance of focusing on the quality of youth-adult relationships. Similar to research on mentoring, investigations of OST and conne...

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Local and national evaluations of the federal Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) have demonstrated a high rate of placement of program participants in permanent housing. However, there is a paucity of research on the long-term outcomes of HPRP, and research on rehousing and prevention interventions for single adults experiencing homelessness is particularly limited. Using Homeless Management Information System data from 2009 to 2015, this study examined risk of return to homeless services among 370 permanently housed and 71 nonpermanently housed single adult HPRP participants in Indianapolis, Indiana. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were conducted to analyze time-toservice re-entry for the full sample, and the homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing participants separately. With an average follow-up of 4.5 years after HPRP exit, 9.5% of the permanently housed HPRP participants and 16.9% of those nonpermanently housed returned to homeless services. By assistance type, 5.4% of permanently housed and 15.8% of nonpermanently housed homelessness prevention recipients re-entered services, and 12.8% of permanently housed and 18.2% of nonpermanently housed rapid rehousing recipients re-entered during the follow-up period. Overall, veterans, individuals receiving rapid rehousing services, and those whose income did not increase during HPRP had significantly greater risk of returning to homeless services. Veterans were at significantly greater risk of re-entry when prevention and rehousing were examined separately. Findings suggest a need for future controlled studies of prevention and rehousing interventions for single adults, aiming to identify unique service needs among veterans and those currently experiencing homelessness in need of rehousing to inform program refinement.

This study examined the negative adult characteristics and practices that prohibit connection between youth and nonparental adults. Racially/ethnically diverse youth from five community-based out-of-school-time programs participated in focus groups on youth–adult relationships. Analyses revealed that the following adult characteristics and practices prohibited connection: (a) unengaging communication styles, (b) inappropriate behavior, (c) lack of respect, (d) contradictory expectations, and (e) adult-driven approaches. Participants also reported the negative psychological consequences of these practices: (a) decreased self-esteem, (b) decreased motivation, and (c) disconnect from adults. This study provides a unique contribution to the literature on negative youth–adult interactions and has implications for training programs for adults who work with youth to improve relationships and promote positive youth outcomes.