CTYS is well known within the social service sector for being at the cutting edge of conducting research on youth trends, including controversial issues such as youth gangs, violence in schools, child abuse, street youth and HIV. Our research has often been broad-based and collaborative. Our goal has been to increase the knowledge of the youth service sector as a whole by sharing information with other stakeholders.
At CTYS we also view research as indispensable in the development, assessment and evaluation of programs. Information is a powerful tool to ensure our programs and services continually adapt to meet the needs of young people. We are committed to research because it drives the agency’s innovation.
Ways We Can Help
CTYS partners with government and other agencies to conduct critical research on a variety of areas involving youth services. CTYS can also assist other agencies to design a framework for the assessment and evaluation of their programs.
Getting Feedback
CTYS regularly holds focus groups and conduct surveys to gather input from various stakeholders, including clients and referring professionals. Our consultation with community partners brings together social workers, medical staff, child protection workers, and professionals in the criminal justice system and government officials to conduct a detailed review of all of CTYS’ programs, procedures and services. Their valuable input helps CTYS focus on ways to strength the agency.
Our regular client surveys are very important because it’s an opportunity for youth and their families who use our services to give us first hand input on their experience.
Research itself gives valuable feedback because it can underscore the effectiveness of our programs. For example, tracking recidivism of participants is one means of measuring the impact of CTYS’ youth justice programs.
Current Research
Youth-Gender Action Project (Y-GAP)
is a community-based research project between Pride & Prejudice, CTYS, and Rebecca Hammond of Dalhousie University who is funded through the Ontario HIV Treatment Network. The project is committed to understanding and improving the lives of trans youth living in Toronto and across Ontario through identifying gaps in knowledge about their lives and in current program/service delivery.
P&P was a fortunate recipient of a 2006 grant from the Lesbian and Gay Community Appeal Foundation (www.lgca.ca). We thank them for their support and recognition of our initiatives. The money was used towards hiring a Peer Research Assistant in keeping with the project’s community capacity-building principles. We are pleased to have Krys McGuire join the Y-GAP team.
Highlights of Research Reports
Youth Animal Project (YAP)
This report evaluated a unique community program, which teamed young offenders with hard to adopt dogs. Through learning to train the dogs, the goal was for the youth to develop better life and anger management skills.
Youth Gangs On Youth Gangs
The federal government commissioned the study. The report looked at youth gangs in Toronto and southern Ontario through getting the first hand input of young people involved in these groups.
Guideline For The Development of An HIV/AIDS Policy For Youth-Serving Agencies in Canada
This was a joint project with the former Canadian Child Welfare Association. The comprehensive report was intended to help a range of agencies develop a policy to suit the specific needs of their clients.
The Development of Sexual Behaviour Problems in Children and Youth
This inter-agency research program examined some of the gaps in knowledge about children and youth with sexual behaviour difficulties.
