A Youth-Directed Science Café: Impacts on Teen Participants

Science Cafes are a popular venue for engaging adults in dialogue on issues at the nexus of science and society. A few Cafe programs have been designed specifically for teens. One such program, with a focus on youth leadership and promoting life skills in youth, Cafe Scientifique New Mexico, was the subject of a summative evaluation in the Spring 2010. The summative evaluation used a quasi-experimental design with matched control-treatment groups (N=383) to study the impact of the program on 1) attitudes towards science, scientists, and science careers and 2) Positive Youth Development (PYD). The PYD field (e.g. Lerner et al, 2005) posits that supportive environments help youth gain social skills, build confidence, and contribute to their community. The evaluation data demonstrated the program positively impacted participants' science-related attitudes; however, the degree to which the program's PYD outcomes were achieved is less conclusive. This analysis suggests PYD may be a difficult set of outcomes to achieve and to measure given the complexity of youth's lives and influences.