ABSTRACT

A Comparative Study Of Community Youth Development Projects, &
Innovations For Community Enterprising

Marc Langlois
2013

The broad area of study of the thesis is the engagement of young people in community development. The thesis is organized in two parts. The first is a comparative study of nine community and youth development projects that had significant elements in common: program design, applied dissemination and structure. The second part introduces emerging practices, and a framework and a practical social enterprise design for community enterprising. 

The researcher developed a working theory, with action-oriented research and developmental evaluation. Open Systems Theory (Emery, F. & Trist, 1965) provides a theoretical foundation. The research demonstrates limitations to conventional approaches to the assessment, convening and backbone support of comprehensive community and youth development projects. The thesis builds on theory, findings and previous experience in the field to identify conditions for engagement, and a new paradigm for organizing community development that includes criteria for convening. Part B discusses a set of practices for facilitation and developmental evaluation, and a whole-systems framework to guide community builders. The research concludes with the completed design of a social enterprise model intended to generate and fuel a chain reaction of community enterprising. 

Key words: community enterprising, youth engagement, community youth development, comprehensive community youth development, intervene, developmental evaluation, facilitation, convening, backbone support, community development, social enterprise, social franchise, open systems theory