Theses (Child and Youth Care)
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Item Exploring the potential of belonging: A participatory study with disabled youth(2025) Eirikson, Emily; Gerlach, AlisonDespite the prevalence of inclusion discourses and policies in education and disability services, some disabled youth continue to experience a lack of inclusion in educational and community spaces. Critical disability scholars and self-advocates have also raised concerns that dominant notions of inclusion continue to fall short and cause harm due to their underlying ableist assumptions. This participatory study engaged four youth with disabilities in focus groups to explore their experiences and perspectives of inclusion and belonging. Drawing on critical disability studies scholarship, reflexive thematic analysis identified two themes, (1) exploring belonging and (2) unpacking ableism, with interrelated subthemes. The findings indicate that the concept of belonging may provide a more meaningful and nuanced alternative to inform policy and practice, with the potential to disrupt the inequitable power relations inherent in inclusion rhetoric and shift power back into the hands of individuals with disabilities. The implications of this research inform how Child and Youth Care practitioners, public school educators, and professionals who support youth with disabilities in community and educational contexts can collaborate with disabled youth to foster their sense of belonging.Item Threads of resilience: Unraveling the labyrinth of agency and social-structural vulnerabilities in female youth survival sex through an institutional ethnography lens(2025) Foster, Leigha; Kakuru, DorisThis thesis explores the experiences of self-identifying female youth in Canada, aged 13–24, who have engaged in survival sex—a term used to describe the exchange of sex for basic needs like food, shelter, or money. Using Institutional Ethnography (IE) and an intersectional lens, the study examines how systemic inequities, institutional barriers, and constrained agency intersect in shaping these youths’ decisions. Drawing on secondary sources, including 12 media-based interviews with 11 women who engaged in survival sex during their youth, the study identifies two central themes: (1) Navigating Survival and Agency within Systemic Constraints and (2) Barriers to Exiting and Cycles of Entrenchment. Findings highlight that poverty, housing instability and trauma are key drivers of survival sex, while societal stigma and fragmented systems make exiting incredibly difficult. Despite these constraints, youth demonstrate resilience and agency, often making pragmatic decisions within limited options. The research challenges dominant rescue-oriented narratives by showing that many youths are not coerced but navigating structural failures. This study contributes to current literature by re-framing survival sex as a systemic issue rather than an individual choice, and offers policy recommendations grounded in harm reduction, trauma-informed care, and youth-centered supports. Ultimately, this thesis calls for systemic reform that respects the agency of youth while addressing the structural conditions that shape their lives.Item ȽÁU, NOṈET SXEDQIṈEȽ - Healing House post (totem pole): Addressing Indigenous specific systemic racism with ancestral knowledge and matriarchal wisdom(2024) Underwood, Tracy; Wright Cardinal, SarahMy doctoral project, ȽÁU,NOṈET SXEDQIṈEȽ - Healing House Post (Totem Pole): Addressing Indigenous specific systemic racism with ancestral knowledge and matriarchal wisdom, consists of an Indigenous Healing Framework which finds expression in the raised form of a WSÁNEĆ Healing House Post/Totem. My overall research question is: How do QENÁȽ LÁ,ET SȽÁNI W̱SÁNEĆ heal from systemic anti-Indigenous racism? ȽÁU,NOṈET SXEDQIṈEȽ (Healing House Post) responds both conceptually and practically to the ongoing damage inflicted on our peoples through prejudice, dehumanization, and systemic racism – all too familiar to survivors of colonization. The house post is comprised of four sections: KELȽOLEMEĆEN Orca whale: Life before europeans; SPÁ¸EŦ Bear: To give and receive acknowledgement; WEXES Frogs: Reconstruction within Canadian Systems – Persistent Dehumanizing Trauma Theory/Response Theory; and QELEṈSEN Eagle: Healing vision. Each section has stories that frame my epistemology embedded with my Matriarchal roots in WSÁNEĆ. All are connected to the QELEṈSEN Healing Vison of Eagle at the top of the House Post, which will speak healing pathways in response to the anti-Indigenous racism in the systems we live and work within that were not created for us. The Healing House post transitions from theory to practice through its material representation of both decolonizing resistance and culturally specific WSÁNEĆ pathways to healing. The result is storytelling from my Matriarchal teachings, which came from traditional ways of knowing and being that are the reasons why we are still here. It does this by addressing Indigenous-specific systemic racism with Ancestral knowledge and QENÁȽ LÁ,ET SȽÁNI (Matriarch) teachings that speak to Matriarchal wisdom derived from my advocacy for and protection of my children, family, and community members.Item Dance land: Community-based dance, youth, and relationships with land(2024) Hamar, Lori Jean; Gerlach, AlisonIn 2015, the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) announced 94 Calls to Action, one of which called upon the Canada Council for the Arts to fund Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists to collaborate on projects that contribute to the reconciliation process. Reconciliation is a highly contested term, and before and after this announcement, several Canadian scholars and artists recognized Indigenous land sovereignty as central to this critical discussion. This inquiry is inspired by the work of these scholars and the spirit of the TRC Call to Action 83. In collaboration with a local ‘Native Friendship Centre’ and community youth programming, this arts-based inquiry aimed to explore how youth can use expressive movement to explore their relationships with land. To explore these collaborative processes, I co-designed Dance Land as a method grounded in critical facilitation of community-based dance that was informed by critical place inquiry and engaged Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth participants in exploring their relationships with land. This emergent process revealed that the youth participants’ creative decision-making and my critical facilitation were rooted in embodied ways of knowing. This way of knowing is highlighted by dance scholar Barbour as thinking in movement. Thinking in movement can be attributed to relationality within Dance Land’s dance making process. Findings suggest that embodied ways of knowing can help youth explore their relationships with land. In the final chapter, implications for CYC are discussed.Item A woven approach: Decolonizing my praxis(2024) Louie, Michaela; Carere, SandrinaIn my thesis, I explore the development and embodiment of my decolonial praxis as an urban Indigenous Child and Youth Care front line practitioner with white privilege. My approach to storywork inquiry weaves together five thematic strands to emphasize the complexities of navigating both white privilege and my responsibility to my Nuu-chah-nulth identity and culture reclamation. My research was conducted through Kinship Rising, a community-led Indigenous research project focused on reclaiming Indigenous resurgence and wellbeing through arts- and land-based storytelling methodologies. Through a methodological cedar weaving process that draws on Nuu-chah-nulth teachings, storywork, a critical review of published and grey literature, and photographic collages, I explore five interrelated thematic strands: colonial disconnection and the impact on Indigenous people in what is now colonially called Canada; my own identity as a Nuu-chah-nulth urban Indigenous woman with white privilege; my academic experiences; the development of my front line, decolonial praxis ethics, and; my personal process of reclaiming my Nuu-chah-nulth identity and culture. In weaving critical literature, storywork and photographic collages together, I acknowledge the political, practice, and personal dimensions of being an urban Indigenous Child and Youth Care front line practitioner with white privilege, and how this relates to supporting advocacy, justice, and decolonization in front line praxis. My thesis concludes with a discussion of implications that contribute to Indigenous knowledge about the complexities of Indigenous praxis, education and reclamation for a growing population of urban, mixed-race Indigenous young people with white privilege.Item Child neglect from the standpoint of mothers(1997) Weller, Fay ElizabethThis study documents the standpoint of mothers in relation to the child welfare system using institutional ethnography as the research method. Specifically this research explores the contradiction between the crucial role mothers play in protecting children and the absence of their standpoint in child welfare, an absence exemplified in the recent Gove Inquiry. The literature reveals that management tools, such as risk assessment and mandatory reporting organize the child protection process to ensure accountability without incorporating the experience of mothers. This study focuses upon why mothers' standpoint is left out, what happens when it is left out, and how mothers experience systems in which there is little or no acknowledgment of their work in caring for children. The starting point for the research is the mothers' stories. As consistent with the methodology, these stories provide a starting point for illuminating how documents, forms, legislation and policies impact mothers' experiences with the child welfare system. I argue that the knowledge held by mothers, which provides insight into the prevention of child neglect, is silenced through the official child welfare process. According to the findings, the official process of responding to reports of child neglect textually construct 'neglectful mothers' without including the context of mothers' lives, nor their knowledge. This unintentionally leads mothers to isolation, distrust and hopelessness. This research turned the official way of understanding neglect around, to hear about it from mothers themselves. As mothers with limited resources describe their daily work in caring for children, new definitions of the problem of so-called child neglect are highlighted from their stories. Associated with these definitions are potential responses to the issue of child neglect. I conclude that, including the standpoint of mothers in conceptualizing the problems underlying child neglect provides a greater depth of understanding and more effective response to so-called child neglect.Item The practice of self-awareness : exploring the meaning of self-awareness as a professional process(2002) Weingart, Shelley BarbaraWhat is the meaning of self-awareness in professional human service practice? How is self-awareness experienced through the work of helping others? Why does it matter? While recognized as an essential component of effective human service practice across the helping professions, the meaning of practitioner self-awareness as a professional process could be more fully understood. The intention of this study is to develop a descriptive account of the experience of practitioner self-awareness that captures what it means to be self-aware in practice for the individual participants. A quality of reflective inquiry shaped by the values that characterize the experience of self-aware practice, such as openness, respect for uniqueness, and collaborative knowing, is used to elucidate the experience of practitioner self-awareness in human service work. Three front-line professionals working in somewhat diverse areas of the human service field were individually interviewed for this study. Five common themes relating to notion of balance emerged from the exploration of the participants' experiences: (1) balancing the personal and the professional, (2) balancing humanness with professionalism, (3) balancing reflection with awareness in the moment, ( 4) balancing openness with self-protection and (5) balancing comfort with discomfort. A meta-level of reflection involving a discussion of the findings from a synthesized perspective concludes the descriptive section. Personal reflections and the implications of the findings on practice are discussed in the final chapter.Item The ethical behavior of residential child and youth care workers : an exploratory study(1989) Van Amsterdam, Denise AdrienneThis study examines the ethical conduct of residential Child and Youth Care Workers. Using canonical correlation and multiple correlation procedures, the study explored (1) the relationship between training and the ethical behavior of residential Child and Youth Care Workers and, (2) the relationship between self-awareness and critical thinking with ethical behavior of residential Child and Youth Care Workers. Fifty-seven residential Child and Youth Care Workers in British Columbia were tested using the Schutz Self-Concept Measure, the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal, and three vignettes which depicted typical ethical situations in Child and Youth Care. Ethical conduct was determined by whether Child and Youth Care Workers indicated "action with reason" in responses to three vignettes, where reason reflected one or more of the principles of the Canadian Psychological Association Code of Ethics. The result of the first hypothesis was not significant. The same hypothesis was tested a second time using a different definition for trained and untrained. These results, though improved, also proved not significant. Further analyses of the simple correlations and of the content of the subject responses to the vignettes, however, suggest that a relationship may exist between training and ethical behavior, particularly in complex situations where structures such as the law, rules and policy, and general values are not enough for determining right action. The results of the second hypothesis also proved not significant. An analysis of the simple correlations however, demonstrated that critical thinking is related to ethical behavior in complex situations. Accordingly, a relationship was also found between critical thinking and training. Self-Awareness does not appear to be related to the ethical conduct of residential Child and Youth Care Workers. An analysis of the content of the vignettes indicated that the Child and Youth Care Workers in this study perceive themselves as dependent on the rules and structures of the law and of the institution, and may attain their professional identity by maintaining these laws and institutions. In addition, "caring responsibly" seems to mean consulting with colleagues and supervisors, rather than responding and intervening directly with children and youth.Item The relationship of perceptions of interaction and learning style to learner satisfaction in distance education.(1996) Stuart, Iain JosephThis study consists of two components. The first is a replication of Fulford and Zhang's (1993) Perceptions of interaction: The Critical Predictor in Distance Education study. In that study student perceptions of overall interaction were found to be the critical predictor of learner satisfaction. The present study was undertaken in the context of a real-time, full-motion, two-way, interactive television delivery of a Child and Youth Care course using fiber optic technology to link classrooms at the University of Victoria and the University College of the Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada. The effect reported by Fulford and Zhang (1993) is not observed in the present study, and difficulties with obtaining adequate numbers of subject responses, similar to those experienced by Fulford and Zhang, were encountered. Changes were made to the statistical analysis methods to better fit with the data that was collected. The analysis indicated that in spite of high levels of perceived interaction, some learners had lower scores for satisfaction. The second part of the study investigates what relationship Learning-Style, as measured by the Kolb Learning Style Inventory (1984), has to learner satisfaction. The distributions of learning-style types show that the majority of learners in Child and Youth Care programs are likely to be Divergers who appear to have the highest satisfaction levels with an interactive television course delivery. The Accomodators are the second most common learning style type while Assimilators were the third. The Converger learning style was consistently the least represented learning style type. Chi square tests were performed to determine if the observed distributions of learning-style types deviated significantly from the expected distribution. The results were mixed, with some cohorts showing statistically significant deviation while others appeared to be consistent with what was expected. The results obtained in the study, while not producing results consistent with those obtained in the original Fulford and Zhang (1993) study, are suggestive. Further research is indicated to explore what factors might help explain the differences in learner satisfaction and perceptions of interaction noted.Item Professionalization of child and youth care in British Columbia : a case study(1990) Rose, Leanne ElizabethThis study examines the development of the child and youth care field in British Columbia, with a focus on its professionalization and readiness for a self-regulatory process. Individual and focus group interviews were conducted with twelve informants from the child and youth care field. In addition, an analysis of records and documents pertinent to the purpose of the study were drawn upon to more fully understand child and youth care in British Columbia. The information gathered through these methods was subjected to a thematic analysis which illuminated a number of findings indicative of the fact that the structure of child and youth care has evolved considerably over the past twenty years. First, that child and youth care in British Columbia has achieved a number of key elements necessary for professional status. Second, that the next logical step is to implement some form of self-regulation for practitioners in the field. Third, that this self-regulation should assume an enabling, supportive stance by allowing access through education, experience, or a combination of both. Fourth, that education of both the child care community and the community in general is important to the success of a self-regulatory program. Fifth, that a collaborative effort between those key institutions and organizations which impact upon child and youth care in B.C. is necessary for the development of a self-regulatory program.Item Road to integration : a personal account and analysis of the process leading to the establishment of the Ministry for children and families in British Columbia(1999) Rimer, Mary LynneThe purpose of the study is to provide insight into the factors contributing to significant public policy change, through the personal account of one person as well as perspectives of other key informants during a change filled time in British Columbia's child and youth service history. The results suggest three key factors influence changes to significant public policy: the dynamic relationships and interdependence between elected officials, bureaucrats, communities of interest, the public, and the media; political will; and policy analysis and planning. The study seems to suggest that in the current climate the media has a great deal of influence on political will. The study also suggests that executive leadership and ownership of the change process by those with direct interest in the health and well-being of children in their community are key to the successful implementation of a significant public policy change.Item Mothers' and daughters' experiences of motherblaming in relation to sexual abuse investigations(1997) Priest, SharonThis thesis explores mothers' and daughters' experience of motherblaming during child sexual abuse investigations. The impetus for the study arose out of my own professional practice as a child welfare worker in the Ministry for Children and Families. During sexual abuse investigations, we were required to assess the mothers' ability to protect her children from the offender. That investigation became the focus of our work. I had no idea how mothers and daughters felt about this process as we received little feedback from them. I began this study with a review of literature in three particular areas. The first area focused on theories that penetrate the training of social workers and other helping professionals. A feminist critique of these theories underscores their potential for perpetrating motherblaming beliefs. Second, I reviewed the feminist literature itself. It provides new perspectives on caring that connects the function of caring to broader social forces, well beyond the control of individual mothers. The third area, the organization of child welfare work, provides insights into how work processes focus attention on mother's responsibilities and not on those of the perpetrator. To gather data for this study I chose a case study approach, with a feminist lens. This method allowed me to explore the experiences of four mothers and three daughters during child sexual abuse investigations. Questions related to the unfolding of this process were used to prompt a recount of it. The data analyzed according to themes emerging from the interviews, themes that helped ilucidate the experience of motherblaming. These themes were connected to literature in the area. Mothers' and daughters' experience of motherblaming differed in many respects but some common themes were evident. The process of investigating child sexual abuse opened the family to scrutiny and provided opportunities for mothers to feel responsible for what occurred. Whether mother took strong actions against the perpetrator was important to their experience of motherblaming. Taking such action was not a simple matter as mothers' relationship to the perpetrator may have many other facets. Although daughters did not necessarily blame their mothers, particularly if she left the perpetrator, there was a feeling that this blame could appear at a later time. One strong theme was the feeling of shame experienced by mothers and daughters. Dealing with shame is not really considered in child sexual abuse investigations, yet shame can prevent long term recovery from sexual abuse and the investigation. This study further provides support for recent research on motherblaming in child sexual abuse investigations. A further study on the phenomenon of shame is warranted. Recommendations for improving policy and practice in child sexual abuse are included.Item The existential meaning of recovery(2002) Muir, Bruce AlexanderHuman beings are beings of meaning; we seek meaning in our lives and for our lives. Existential theory proposes that we are also beings faced with the responsibility of making free choices, choices designed to support each and every one of us to live an authentic life in relationship with others. Those of us who have suffered in a life of addiction enter into our recovery needing and desiring to develop an altered system of meaning. A small number of men and women who identify themselves as being in recovery were interviewed and asked, "What is the meaning of recovery in your life?" In addition, the author of this study responded to that same question. All interviews were audio taped, transcribed verbatim, edited to a series of coherent addiction-to-recovery life stories, and the author was presented a dialectical analysis of existential meaning of recovery in his life.Item In pursuit of a model of conflict resolution : First Nations family justice(1997) Monias, David AllanThis thesis represents the story and analysis of a journey taken by myself as the Child and Family Services Coordinator for Awasis Agency of Northern Manitoba and by other community participants. Over the past six years, Awasis has undertaken a search for a better way to design and deliver First Nations child and family services. As a Child and Family Services Coordinator, my main responsibility was to increase accountability in the area of child and family services and to facilitate, provide resources, and provide support for the development of community specific and defined standards of practice regarding child and family matters. As a First Nations member and as an agent for the child and family services system, I witnessed the detrimental impact of removing First Nations children from their families and sometimes from their communities and culture. I have heard the personal stories of people who passed through the child welfare system and how this separation from their families affected the rest of their lives. I realized that the current child and family services system was not working in the best interests of our First Nations children, families, and communities. My vision for healthy First Nations and commitment to creating social justice for the First Nations people are the driving force behind this research. A paradigm shift within the Awasis' approach to child and family services and the development of a partnership between Awasis and University of Victoria provided an opportunity to create practical and useful change in child and family services practice for First Nations people.Item A fire in my heart : a story about early childhood educators of British Columbia(1998) McDonell, Linda MaeEarly Childhood Educators of British Columbia (ECEBC) is the professional association of educationally qualified individuals who work with children in early childhood settings in the province of BC. ECEBC changed its name from British Columbia Pre-School Teachers Association (BCPSTA) in 1988. ECEBC is popularly known in the early childhood field as the 'Association'. The Association at the time the research was undertaken was twenty-seven years old. Because there has never been a detailed history of the Association written and all twelve of the past-presidents of the organization are still healthy despite, for some, advancing age, it seemed timely to tell the Association's story from the perspective of the past-presidents. "A Fire in My Heart: A Story About Early Childhood Educators of British Columbia" engaged a constructivist methodology to chronicle the story. The constructivist perspective ensured an interactive and collaborative research process between myself as researcher and the past-presidents of BC PST A/ECEBC. In addition to the past-presidents' stories, the Association's archival holdings were used as a source of information. A list of key events and milestones were developed based on a review of the archival holdings. The past-presidents were asked to comment on the relevance and importance of those miletones based on their own particular experience with the organization. They were then individually interviewed using a series of open-ended questions. In a back and forth process between myself and the past-presidents, a story unfolded that reflected their particular experiences in and with the organization. Using the constructivist theory, also ensured that my own biases resulting from my long-time involvement with the organization, my position as a past-president of the Association, and my association with the past-presidents over-time was not only permitted but expected. After the story of the Association was developed, themes were identified that related to several of the questions. These questions asked the past-presidents to consider: the key purposes of the organization, the accomplishments and challenges of their term as president; and the key social and political influences during their term of office. The key themes focused primarily on, but were not limited to areas: creating and maintaining relationships with both the internal and external environments; education; professionalism; advocacy and political activity; organizational structure; membership; and finances. Actions for ECEBC were suggested, based on advice and recommendations offered by the past-presidents. These actions related to the identified themes, as well as 'ensuring strong leadership' and 'being introspective and remembering our roots'.Item Evaluation framework for the development of an alternative form of education for marginalized youth in developing countries : a case study Nairobi, Kenya(1995) McAdam, Jacqueline LoreenThis case study documents how an alternative form of education developed in Canada, the Canadian Work Orientation Workshop (WOW) model, was translated into the context of Nairobi, Kenya to assist marginalized youth. Aspects including program relevance, program feasibility , program development, program implementation, program relationships, program recommendations, and program sustainability are considered within an evaluation framework. The Kenya WOW model presents a promising alternative form of education for marginalized youth which can strengthen their integration into the informal employment sector, an area where youth are often exploited in developing countries. This evaluative process provides valuable information regarding the development of services for marginalized youth and offers a framework for informing a similar process in other developing countries.Item A descriptive study of the impact of foster children on the marital relationship of foster parents(1993) Kruisselbrink, Audrey WilmaThe purpose of this study was to explore the marital relationship of foster parents, specifically examining their level of marital quality and the impact that foster children had on their marriage relationship. Forty foster parents completed questionnaires. including the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (Spanier. 1976) and the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale (Schumm, Paff-Bergen, Hatch. Obiorah. Copeland. Meens & Bugaighis, 1986). Twelve of the 40 foster parents also participated in face-to-face interviews. Foster parents reported 'average ' levels of marital adjustment and 'very satisfied' levels of marital satisfaction. In answers to open and close-ended questionnaire and interview questions. foster parents clearly indicated that foster children did not have a negative impact on their marital relationship, but rather they had either no impact or a positive impact on the married foster couple's relationship. Reasons for the neutral or positive impact of fostering on foster parents' marriage relationship included the common goal and shared experience of fostering , the positive influence of increased communication between spouses and the building of personal relationships with foster children.Item Against the odds : a phenomenological study that examines the academic success of at risk youth(1998) Koroll, MichelleIn recent years there have been numerous studies that have attempted to understand the experiences of high school dropouts. While the literature revealed extensive research on why some students leave school prematurely, there appears to be a lack of understanding as to why some at risk students stay through till graduation. This study focused on the experiences of at risk youth who remained in high school and graduated with their peers. A phenomenological inquiry was used as a guide to examining the lived experiences of the participants. The goal was to understand how the participants were able to remain in high school in spite of tremendous risk factors. Three individuals, who met the criteria for being severely at risk while in high school, were interviewed. Relevant themes emerged and they are presented in the analysis of each interview. Five common themes discussed in the last chapter are: Developing a sense of belonging in the school; Finding nurturance and mentoring relationships; Increasing confidence through accomplishments; Becoming responsible and being in control; Resisting negative influences. The final chapter also discusses what the author has learned from this project and where further research would be useful.Item Fetal alcohol syndrome in the Canadian press : a discourse analysis(1998) Huber, Anna-MariaThe discourse analysis of newspaper articles about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) published between 1977 to 1994 in six Canadian daily newspapers sheds light on how the phenomenon of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome was constructed in the press. Within two decades of being identified, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome came to be seen as an epidemic, and as the totally preventable number one cause of mental disability in North America. The construction of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in the print media was shaped by five key events which are described. Voices absent and present in the discourse, and an examination of the messages are examined. In addition three themes are explored: 1) The use of numbers in the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome discotuse; 2) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome identified as an aboriginal problem; and 3) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome as a women-blaming issue.Item Utilisation-focused evaluation of a youth-led health promotion conference(1998) Hill, Brian HarryQualitative, utilisation-focused evaluation examined how participation in a youth- led health promotion conference affected participation in other youth-to-youth activities. Data from interviews with a maximum variation sample of 14 conference participants led to themes of connections, abilities, understanding and feelings as outcomes affecting participation in youth- to-youth activity. Themes of factors affecting these outcomes include : by youth and for youth, diversity and a common goal, communication, getting to know people, accomplishment, being treated well, having fun, positive spirit, and setting. Themes are extrapolated to suggest personal foundations for participating in youth-to-youth activity and how to support them. Evaluation results are also extrapolated to make recommendations for future conferences and other initiatives supporting youth-to-youth initiatives.