A multidimensional ecological examination of a youth development program for military dependent youth

The purpose of this article is to conduct a multi-method evaluation to investigate the effectiveness of a youth development program for military dependent youth entitled, Youth Action Program. The dimensions of an ecological program are used to examine the program post-de-facto. The comparison with elements of ecological programming provided reasons as to this program's perceived impact and its weaknesses. A multi-dimensional evaluation is employed that examines the processes and outcomes in their natural settings. Youth and parents overwhelmingly believed that this program had made a positive difference in their lives. Youth demonstrated an improvement, although not significant, in their self-concept; however, participating youths' levels of social isolation and withdrawal from social contact remained at a high level. The results and need for future research are presented related to evaluating youth development programs and the ecological model.