CAPE-Y Youth Interview

OMB Control Number: 1225-0088

OMB Expiration Date: 1/31/24

Public reporting burden for this interview is estimated to average 45 minutes per response. The burden estimate includes the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and submitting the interview. This collection of information is voluntary. You are not required to respond to this collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. Please send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information to the Office of Disability Employment Policy, Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., NW, S-1313, Washington, DC 20210 or [email protected] and reference OMB control number [1225-0088]. NOTE: Please do not send your completed interview to this address.

CAPE-Youth Evaluation

Working Group Youth Members/Fellows

Interview Protocol

Thank you for taking the time today to participate in this conversation. My name is ___________, I’m with the American Institutes for Research (AIR), a nonprofit and nonpartisan social and behavioral science research organization. The Council of State Governments has contracted with AIR to conduct an evaluation of the Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth). For this interview, we are interested in hearing about your experience as a CAPE-Youth Working Group member and fellow.

This conversation should take about 45 minutes. There are no risks to you for taking part in this interview. The information you share can help CAPE-Youth improve its engagement and leadership opportunities for youth Working Group members.

To protect your privacy, your responses shared today will remain confidential and no one’s name will be attributed to any information used in reports or presentations. At any time during our conversation, you can let me know if you have any questions or if you would rather not answer any specific question. You can also stop the interview at any time for any reason.

With your permission, we would also like to record our conversation. Doing so is only to ensure the accuracy of my notes, and you can ask me to turn off the recorder at any point. No one outside of the AIR project team will hear or have access to the recording, and data we collect for this evaluation will be stored in a secure location. At the end of the project, we will delete all files and shred any paper records. Do we have your permission to record? 

INTERVIEWER – Ask for verbal consent from the participant. 

Do you have any questions before I begin recording?

Begin recording if no questions.

CAPE-Youth Working Group Membership

Interviewer notes (do not read aloud): Youth members are expected to a) attend and provide their perspectives during in-person and virtual working group meetings, b) review and share CAPE-Youth content, and c) provide input to policymakers regarding policy options.

1. Please tell me how you became involved in the CAPE-Youth National Working Group.

Probes:

1. How did you learn about the Working Group?

2. What made you decide to become a youth member of the Working Group?

1. Please describe your experience as a youth member in the Working Group.

Probes:

1. To what extent and how has CAPE-Youth created space for you to share your experience during Working Group meetings?

2. To what extent and how does CAPE-Youth prioritize youth perspectives during Working Group discussions?

1. In what ways have you been involved in reviewing or contributing to CAPE-Youth documents or resources?

Probes:

1. Could you provide an example or two of something you had a chance to review?

2. How beneficial was this experience (reviewing or contributing to CAPE-Youth documents or resources) for you?

1. What support, if any, did you receive from CAPE-Youth to prepare you to be a Working Group member?

Probes:

1. For example, were there any training sessions, resources, or mentoring to help you prepare?

2. How, if at all, did CAPE-Youth provide you with adequate guidance about how to engage with policymakers?

1. What has been most rewarding about your experience as a Working Group member?

2. How could CAPE-Youth improve the experience of youth members of the Working Group?

CAPE-Youth Fellowship

Interviewer notes (do not read aloud): The CAPE-Youth Fellowship builds on the opportunities created through the Working Group by establishing a formalized fellowship for the Working Group youth to develop leadership skills through professional development and training facilitated by CAPE-Youth staff. All youth are part of the Working Group, but not all youth chose to participate in the fellowship (that was developed later on).

Now let’s talk about the types of CAPE-Youth fellowship opportunities or activities that you may have participated in.

7. Could you first describe how you became involved in the CAPE-Youth fellowship program?

Probe:

1. What made you decide to become a CAPE-Youth fellow?

1. As a CAPE-Youth fellow, what opportunities have you had to develop your communications skills (for example, presentation and facilitation skills; writing and editing or online presence and professional communications?)

Probes:

1. What opportunities have been most helpful in developing your communications skills?

2. Do you feel like you have expanded or improved your communications skills through these opportunities?

1. As a CAPE-Youth fellow, have you had the chance to interact with state leaders and policymakers?

Probes (only if yes):

1. Describe a typical interaction with state leaders and policymakers.

2. Were these interactions helpful or beneficial to you in any way?

3. How, if at all, did CAPE-Youth prepare you for interacting with state leaders and policymakers?

10. Do you think CAPE-Youth provides fellows with the right tools and experiences to help them become leaders in their community?

Probes:

1. (If yes) In what way?

2. (If no) Why do you feel this way?

11. How could CAPE-Youth improve the experience of youth fellows?

Probe:

1. Are there any resources, guidance, or opportunities that could have made the fellowship experience more meaningful or helpful to you?

Closing

12. Is there anything else that you would like to share about your experience as a CAPE-Youth Working Group member or fellow?

Thank you so much for your time and sharing your perspectives!

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