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1.1 Program Concept

One of seven programs under the Youth Employment Strategy, Youth Service Canada (YSC) is the official name given to the youth service corps announced in the Speech from the Throne in January 1994. The governing concept behind the program is to provide unemployed and out-of-school youths an opportunity — within a project that typically lasts 6 to 9 months — to gain relevant work-related experience, to develop their personal skills and to strengthen their sense of accomplishment through team participation in community service projects. Unlike other major programs under the Youth Employment Strategy (YES), such as Youth Internship Canada (YIC), this program is delivered only by Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC).

Key elements of YSC are the following:

• Projects are run by not-for-profit organizations (“sponsors”) that have successfully developed project proposals that are funded by HRDC. Projects typically have about 15 participants.
• In determining the amount of project funding, the direct cost of a project is calculated at $10,000 per participant, of which from 20 to 30 per cent is for administrative costs and overhead and the balance is income support for participating youth.
• Youth participants, at first normally between 18 and 24 years of age but now normally ranging from 15 to 30, are paid a weekly stipend that is at or around the minimum wage (depending on the region) and a completion bonus upon successfully meeting program criteria for post-project outcomes.
• The program extends beyond job creation in a teamwork setting, as project sponsors are expected to assist youth with planning career choices, improving employability, making a successful transition into the labour market and contributing to their communities.

Achievement of overall program objectives is indicated by the extent to which participants either find or create a job, or continue their education once their project has ended.

1.2 Thrust of the Evaluation

The principal objectives of this evaluation are to determine the success of the program and the impacts of participation on youth. In addition, since there has not been a formative evaluation of the regular program, this evaluation report also addresses some design and delivery issues. A number of design-related issues were addressed in earlier evaluations of the YSC lead sites.

Because a number of significant changes were made in April 1997 in the terms and conditions of YSC projects, reports on the opinions of key informants also include views on how the current program is being administered. This provides the basis for determining how YSC administrators have responded to previously identified weaknesses.

The central focus is the effects of YSC on youth participants and, in order to apply rigorous tests whenever they are available, outcomes for participants are compared to those who did not participate in YSC. Fortunately, this evaluation has benefited from a very important data source — a baseline survey of applicants to YSC projects between start-up in the summer of 1995 and the end of March 1997.

Applicants in this period were asked by project sponsors to complete a questionnaire about their recent employment experience, their skill levels and their attitudes about themselves. This data base, with its contact information, has permitted this summative evaluation to include a follow-up telephone survey with both participants and non-participants, thus creating a number of significant analysis opportunities:

• We measured the extent to which participation in a YSC project enhanced the labour market prospects of participants. This approach uses data on a comparison group to model what would have happened to participants in the absence of YSC. It employs multiple linear regression models to control measurable differences between participants and non-participants, based on information from the baseline data. Then we employed published econometric techniques to adjust for selection bias that can arise from unmeasured differences between the groups.
• We applied the same method to the pre-post-project responses of both participants and non-participants to see what change, if any, may be attributed to participation in YSC. We measured this change with respect to a variety of non-economic variables, such as work orientation, self-esteem and motivation, as well as perceptions of a range of work-related skills.
• We also determined factors associated with project discontinuation.

The sample for this evaluation consists of project sponsors and coordinators, as well as youth applicants to projects funded to the end of fiscal year 1996-97. This represents a period prior to YSC’s shift in targeted participation to place greater emphasis on recruiting “disadvantaged groups” or “high-risk youth” — defined by different regions across the country.

In addition to the baseline and follow-up surveys,¹ the evaluation employs seven different data sources:

• Key informant interviews: personal interviews with 8 HRDC staff in headquarters, and a combination of telephone and personal interviews with staff in regional offices (12) and in HRCCs (11).
• Fax survey of sponsors and coordinators². Interviews were completed with 47 sponsors and 49 coordinators. The survey instrument obtained information on, among other things, the strengths and weaknesses of YSC, objectives achieved and suggestions for change.
• Program documentation, including literature describing the program, in addition to cost data and data on the location and start date of projects.
• Results of a follow-up survey of participants in lead sites projects. A telephone survey obtained useful information on participants’ experience during and after the project and their overall level of satisfaction with the lead site projects.
• Results of a survey of coordinators from the lead sites evaluation. This survey was similar in design to that used for this evaluation and covered most of the same evaluation issues.
• Statistics Canada data on the youth labour force.
• Focus groups with representatives of sponsoring and non-participating organizations. Discussions were held with sponsors and coordinators from participating organizations in Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal and the Moncton area of New Brunswick. A group was held with representatives of non-participating youth organizations in Metropolitan Toronto.

1.3 Structure of this Report

This report is organized around several key evaluation issues and questions. Chapter 2 starts with the issue of relevance, and covers rationale, program design, implementation and delivery issues. Chapter 3 then examines program success, including an assessment of the anticipated economic and non-economic outcomes of the program.

Chapter 4 presents program costs, including both budgetary costs and estimated in-kind and other costs. This chapter concludes with a number of suggestions from youth participants, key informants, sponsors and non-participating organizations for changes to improve YSC.

Footnotes

1	See Appendix A for a brief description of the methodology for the follow-up survey of applicants. Analysis of non-response is included.
2	See Appendix B for a brief description of the methodology for the survey of sponsors and coordinators.