Practical Partnerships: Analysis and Results of a Cooperative Life Skills Program for At-Risk Rural Youth

Working with at-risk youth presents unique challenges for rural agencies and organizations. This study describes the results of a life-skills management program, Survival Skills for Youth (SSY), that was organized and delivered to rural youth via collaborative efforts of education and noneducation agencies. The program was replicated with 10 groups of rural youth in Tennessee and Missouri (N = 114). All programs were a collaborative effort of 2 or more organizations, such as University Extension, school districts, juvenile justice programs, and state human service or workforce development programs. Pre- and postevaluations of knowledge of life management concepts, self-esteem, and social skills showed SSY to be effective in changing the attitudes and behaviors of rural youth. Performance and generalization of the skills in natural settings were also demonstrated. Interagency partnerships were shown to be an effective means of providing extracurricular life-skills management workshops for at-risk rural students.