Influence of Youth Advisory Boards on Psychological Empowerment and Self-esteem in Adolescents

Youth advisory boards aim to examine the issues that youth view as a part of their community through youth-led discussion and action. This study used a mixed methods quantitative and qualitative design to explore the effects of a youth advisory board on adolescents’ sense of psychological empowerment and self-esteem. This study engaged youth in the San Bernardino community through the use of discussion groups and facilitator training. CSU San Bernardino’s Community and Relationship Enhancement (CARE) research team successfully utilized a youth advisory board with middle and high school aged teenagers attending the Waterman Gardens Boys and Girls Club. It was hypothesized that a youth-led programming intervention, such as a youth advisory board, would lead to higher levels of self-esteem and psychological empowerment in participating youth. The Psychological Empowerment Scale (PES) and the Self-Esteem Questionnaire (SEQ) were administered to establish baseline scores for each child prior to participation in the youth advisory board. After completion of the youth advisory board, the PES and SEQ were administered a second time to establish the effects on self-esteem and psychological empowerment. The qualitative data was collected via prompts, prepared by the teenage facilitators to create discussion. The meetings were recorded and transcribed to find recurring themes. This data is presented in a different report. Quantitative data, with regard to youth advisory board participation, psychological empowerment, and self-esteem was analyzed. The results of the study revealed psychological empowerment and self-esteem were influenced in the expected direction as a function of youth advisory board participation