Analyzing Youth-Adult Partnerships and Voice: A Critical Response to Foundational Readings on Effective Engagement and Collaboration

Assignment: This week, you learned about foundational concepts of youth-adult relationships/partnerships and youth voice. You read the following readings:

• Reading 1: At Our Best: Building youth-adult partnerships in out-of-school-time settings. Chapter 2 https://iastate.app.box.com/s/n4hkeqt2c19mmn8vkymtpaeeuikmui1w
• Reading 2: Zeldin & Collura Chapter 2

Your reading response essay should not include direct quotes from the readings if at all possible.  If you either directly quote or paraphrase the author’s words from the text, include the appropriate citation.  Utilize your APA manual and/or see the brief APA handout about in-text citations here

or within the Home tab on the left-hand side of the course in Canvas. Your reading response essay should address the following (and must be written in the same numbered format as you see below).  I have provided length guidelines, as it is important to develop the ability to write thoroughly yet succinctly. This is not an easy skill to master, though students vastly improve on this skill as they move through the semester! The skill will come in handy in your professional and academic lives. Remember, one paragraph = 5 sentences.   Be sure to check out the Reading Response Essay example.

1. Thoroughly yet succinctly summarize the main points and highlight key themes for each reading.  Tip: pay attention to the topics laid out in the headings, and make sure you touch on each of those (at minimum). (Length: at least one paragraph for each reading; no more than 1.5 paragraphs each).
2. Discuss any shortcomings or provide a critique of the information presented for at least one reading.  Think about what you think the author should have talked about in order to strengthen their argument but didn’t, or think about the quality of the information provided, or what you didn’t like about the reading, etc.  (Length: at least one paragraph; no more than 1.5 paragraphs)
3. Discuss at least two overall strengths of this week’s readings. For example, you may discuss the merits of the topic, the information provided, how it contributes to and improves knowledge regarding Y-ARs, the research that was cited, etc. (Length: at least two paragraphs; no more than three paragraphs)
4. For the last part of this assignment, complete Tool #5 with your mentor/organization partner. You can each complete Step 1, and then come together and discuss in Step 2. Or, you can complete Step 1 and just have a conversation with your mentor/organization partner about these concepts (what impacts they hope to achieve by strengthening youth engagement). Either way, for Step 1, type up your answers to the prompts, and either provide the answers from your partner or summarize the conversation you had about the Step 1 prompts. Then, type up your answer for Step 2 (which will reflect a discussion you had with your partner).    Simply type your answers into a Word doc and submit here – just make sure your answers are labeled so I know which question/step you’re answering!

To earn full credit, your essay must:

1. Meet the length requirements described in the assignment;
2. Use 12 point Times New Roman font, single-spaced;
3. Thoroughly and succinctly address all of the components of the assignment;
4. Be free of mechanical (spelling, punctuation, grammar) errors
5. Consist of full paragraphs (1 paragraph = at least 5 sentences)