Developing Effective Youth-Adult Relationship: Perspectives of Adult Volunteers in Physical-Activity Based Youth Development Programs

Physical activity-based youth development programs (PA-based YDPs) utilize a range of individual and team sports and activities to simultaneously teach character development and physical skills. Such programs provide a suitable context for the development of youth-adult relationships (YARs). Twelve adult volunteers from PA-based YDPs were interviewed to investigate their motives and their perceptions of YARs in PA-based YDPs. Participants identified numerous facilitators of and some challenges to developing YARs. Facilitators of YAR development focused on the presence of two YAR characteristics, trust/mutual respect and partnership. They also linked their involvement in a YAR with satisfying their personal motives for volunteering.