About us > Annual Reports > Community Impact Report 2005-2006
Expanding our Reach: COPE Youth Pilot Project
Every parent wants the best for their kids, but how to do that isn't always clear and it's rarely easy. Since 1999, FSA Toronto has run a highly successful Community Parent Education Program (COPE) to help parents and young children improve communication and strengthen their relationships. COPE is a therapeutic and preventative intervention that seeks to decrease childhood behaviour problems by addressing family relationships, parenting practices and children's behaviour.
In 2005, we launched a pilot project in collaboration with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and Olagen Community Services to apply COPE's principles to a program for parents and youth in two United Way priority neighbourhoods. COPE Youth consists of eight weekly two-hour education sessions, with parents and youth attending separate but coordinated workshops. This targeted outreach program was launched in Rexdale-Jamestown, where FSA had longstanding connections to the community, and in the Jane-Finch community, where we are less established. After experiencing low attendance at the first meeting, the Jane-Finch program was adjourned.
The realities of adapting the COPE model to a teen audience proved challenging. Eight teens attended COPE, compared to 14 parents and the weekly attendance among youth was more inconsistent. Parents provided several explanations for teen attendance: they were unable to persuade teens to attend; school work and other activities were scheduled at group times; or parents preferred to attend alone.
COPE attendance rates highlight the importance of community outreach and strong collaboration. The outreach activities were successful in attracting families experiencing problems with their teen(s), but it is important to note that approximately half the participant families had pre-existing relationships with FSA Toronto or the TDSB and received direct referrals to participate. TDSB and FSA Toronto staff also reported that enthusiastic participation from school personnel was imperative in recruitment.
More mothers (n=11) than fathers (n=2) participated and more male teens (n=6) than females (n=2) attended. Eight of the 14 parents were immigrants to Canada, arriving between 1970 and 1996 and the same number claimed to be of Jamaican or Caribbean cultural background. Parents ranged in age from 30 to 59 years and a majority (n=8) had more than three children and almost half (n=60 had four or more children.
Voluntary participant surveys completed by 10 parents and three teens revealed positive short-term changes and benefits for both groups. Participants reported improvements in their relationships with one another, new ways of communicating and better listening skills.
Many comments from parents described how the program helped them talk to their teens and deal with them without arguing. Similarly, teens indicated that they learned to express themselves better and that their parents listened better, were more open about their feelings and didn't get angry as easily or often.
In the report produced following the COPE Youth pilot project, a number of recommendations were made :
- Successful implementation of COPE Youth in a new community requires sufficient lead time and resources to acquaint TDSB personnel within the family of schools and local groups and agencies sufficiently with FSA Toronto and COPE so that they also commit the necessary resources for active outreach and recruitment.
- Registration and participation patterns suggest that it is sufficient to offer COPE Youth only once per school year in any one school location. However, it may be offered within a family of schools more frequently.
- Leaders of the parent and youth programs should continue to work closely in planning and implementing the weekly programs so as to adapt session to accommodate participants' needs and interests and attendance patterns.
- When implementing programs in collaboration with other organizations, FSA should document in writing any and all agreements regarding roles and responsibilities.
- Subsequent evaluations of COPE Youth could reasonably focus on effectiveness in terms of short-term outcomes. Such an evaluation might include a pre-post participant questionnaire or a post-follow-up questionnaire. This latter suggestion may be most feasible where COPE operates in the autumn school term, allowing for follow-up with families before the end of the school year.
As FSA continues to innovate and work collaboratively with partners, recommendations from the pilot are informing the next stage of COPE youth programming.
