Co-creating a Social Work Apprenticeship with Disadvantaged African-American Youth: A Best Practices After School Curriculum

Co-creating an after school program with disadvantaged African-American youth between 2006-2011 resulted in a social work apprenticeship. In a participatory action, youth-led evaluation process, youth (N=203) prioritized positively impacting their communities, especially mentoring community children and promoting alternatives to community violence. Starting from the strengths perspective and self-determination theory, topics youth valued included human rights, peace-building, trauma and stress management, and mentoring. Knowledge about human development and interviewing helped youth experience the fulfillment of being mentors. A subsample (133) described what they learned about social work, and 43% of those reported an interest in pursuing a social work career.