Valuing Youth Across Different Cultures

Felix Montes, Ph.D.

The IDRA Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program is a cross-age tutoring program designed to reduce the number of students who drop out of school. The innovative program was developed by IDRA in 1984 in San Antonio. The Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program places secondary students who are considered at risk of dropping out of school as tutors of elementary students, enabling the older students to make a difference in the younger students' lives. With a growing sense of responsibility and pride, the tutors stay and do better in school. The program supports them with positive recognition and instruction.

The program has primarily operated in schools in the United States. Through special circumstances, IDRA is implementing it in England and, most recently, in Brazil.

A few years ago a number of leaders from public and private institutions did not come together to launch a new product or to create a new alliance to improve the standing of their respective organizations. Instead, they came together to improve, in a very tangible way, the educational opportunities of youth in at-risk situations in Brazil by implementing the IDRA Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program.

Adapting to the Brazilian School Context

A guiding principle of the program is that it be carried out in a socio-cultural and educational context that integrates seamlessly into each specific educational system and that, at the same time, it retains its intrinsic philosophical base of valuing. Given the vastly difference in educational systems in the United States and Brazil, this position required the implementation process in Brazil to proceed with the greatest care at all levels. As in all program schools, an implementation team guides the program. Team members include school principals, counselors, teachers, and IDRA staff and/or consultants. Following are some of the considerations the team in Brazil faced in order to operate the program appropriately there.

First, the implementation team embraced a fresh approach to the adaptation of program materials to local conditions. This required a thorough revision of existing materials (student materials and implementation guides) to ensure that the language usage was appropriate to present-day Brazilian Portuguese. Also, a concerted effort was made to ensure that the words, terms and phrases used actually captured the meaning and intention of the program, as applicable to Brazilian culture and the educational system. This required both a deep understanding of the program and knowledge of Brazilian Portuguese and the Brazilian educational system.

Second, the team weighed unique considerations for selecting which schools would participate. Team members visited several interested schools and interviewed personnel. The schools that made it to the program were those in which the administrators and teachers were: (a) very strong, active leaders; (b) committed to the program philosophy – all students are valuable, none is expendable; and (c) strongly connected to the school neighborhood and community. This provided an appropriate environment for the program to operate. The team selected two schools, one in Rio de Janeiro and another in São Paulo.

Third, traditionally, the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program is a between-schools program, with students from a middle or high school tutoring students at a nearby elementary school. In Brazil, the program was adapted to local conditions by developing a within-school model as the most appropriate type. Primary schools in Brazil typically have students from first to eighth grade. Therefore, students of the higher-grade levels (six through eight) tutored lower grade level students within the same school. The highest number of school desertions (or dropouts) in Brazil are found in the sixth through eighth grades.

Finally, because of various socio-economic issues, including late school entrance, irregular school attendance and high incidence of retention, general over-agedness is a common occurrence in Brazil. Students in the first and second grades may well be 10 or 11 years old. Students in the seventh and eighth grades may be 18, 19 or 20 years old. Given the advanced age of both groups, special care was given to the pairing of tutors and tutees. The Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program in the United States includes adult supervision as one of its core components. In the Brazilian environment, this was emphasized even more, and the presence of the teacher coordinators, other teachers and parents during program activities was always very important.

Operating the Program

The Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program is a comprehensive approach that deeply transforms the relationships of all the participants within their own group, among the groups, and of each participant with himself or herself.

The Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program is made up of five instructional strategies that are intimately related to the tutors' activities: classes for student tutors, tutoring sessions, field trips, role modeling and student recognition. The program also has five support strategies that are related to the adult activities to support program implementation and evaluation processes: curriculum, coordination, staff enrichment, parent involvement and program evaluation.

To facilitate implementation, there is a checklist for each of these 10 strategies that includes five to 20 steps or elements. Some elements are critical to the program's success regardless of the location. Others are considered important or desirable based on the school setting.

IDRA conducts an evaluation each year for each participating site that measures the program's impact as well as its implementation. During the first year that the program was in Brazil, the pilot phase, the elements for the instructional and support strategies were carried out successfully. The implementation team clearly placed appropriate emphasis on the critical elements.

Some aspects of the program were not implemented fully for two reasons: program adaptation and limited resources. Materials, curriculum and some activities were adapted or developed at the same time the program was being implemented. This is understandable and was expected. The most important limiting factor was the lack of resources for less critical activities, which, nonetheless, form part of the program.

For example, the schools in Brazil did not have resources for a number of recommendations the program has for an optimal family involvement component. These recommendations include having a family liaison and outreach workers, providing transportation for parents to meetings and special events, providing child care for parents attending school functions, and giving stipends to parents attending training sessions. It is important to underscore, however, that the core elements of the family involvement strategy were implemented at a 100 percent level for the program as a whole and for each school.

This extremely successful implementation also was demonstrated by the commitment shown by all stakeholders involved as seen by the following highlights.

• Students sometimes tutored more than the required four hours per week and spent a significant amount of time in other program activities and interacting with program staff. Tutors developed a strong connection with their teacher coordinators, whom they came to see as mentoring adults who they could consult for anything, including personal matters.
• The implementation team set up an important innovation of having a student leader for the whole tutor group. This tutor leader assisted the teacher coordinator with coordinating tutoring activities and sometimes served as a conduit between the tutors and the teacher coordinators in difficult matters.
• Teachers recognized tutor participation and took these activities into account for their final assessment. The review of the program's key elements and their strong relationship with the recommended Brazilian curricular guidelines provided a rationale for these teachers to perform this operation within a theoretical framework.
• Tutors received more than 50 tutoring classes during the program pilot phase. This was a combination of the regular program weekly classes for tutors and additional informal classes provided by the teacher coordinators to ensure tutor preparation. This is a significant number considering that the program only requires 30 classes.
• Participation by all parties was exemplary. The principals, teacher coordinators, other teachers, tutors and tutees joined for the field trips, attended the guest speaker conversations, and actively participated in project meetings and evaluation focus groups.
• Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program schools hold a recognition event at the end of each year to celebrate the tutors' contributions and achievements. The end-of-year event in Brazil was a whole community affair, with participation from the school neighborhoods, Coca-Cola Brazil, PANAMCO/Spal, the Secretary of Education, the entire school, and families of the tutors, tutees and other students.

Successful Results

The evaluation of the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program at each participating school is an integral component of the program. It allows implementation teams to find deviations from the expected results and to plan appropriate adjustments.

Focus group interviews and personal interviews of participants in Brazil were extremely positive. School personnel, parents and tutors gave the program much praise. School staff were surprised at the extraordinary effects the program had on the tutors, especially improved discipline, self-concept, dedication to their education goals, and renewing their views about life and its possibilities for the future. (These are the same adults who just a few months ago had serious doubts about the future possibilities of these students.)

Parents attributed the program with saving their children from the perils of the streets and instilling in them a renewed commitment to their education, families and society. The program was instrumental in creating a more constructive relationship between schools and parents.

One principal stated:

Before the program, parents would come to my office to complain about problems with the school. Now many of these same parents come to the school to thank us for the opportunity offered to their children in the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program.

IDRA completed four case studies of tutors who were selected because they overcame difficult challenges and excelled in their roles as tutors, in their academic performance and in their private lives. In several hours of candid conversations, these tutors explained the changes in their lives in the context of family, school and friendships. They showed a deep sense of humanity as they gained new perspectives for what is really important to them in life.

One tutor said that before participating in the program he was never concerned with the children living on the streets, now he has decided that one of his goals in life is to create an organization to help these children.

Another tutor expressed her hopes for her tutees, “I hope that the tutees will grow up and one day we will all meet, and I will be very happy to know that they grew up with my help.”

In addition to the qualitative measures, IDRA examines quantitative measures collected on a pre-test and post-test basis. These measures include tutor self-concept, attitudes toward school, desire to graduate and final year grades. The box below shows a profile of the students participating in the program.

Fifty tutors and 150 tutees in two schools participated in the first year in Brazil. The program completion rate among tutors was 94 percent. The dropout rate for the tutors was only 2 percent. These results were similar to those in the United States.

There were slightly more girls (57.4 percent) than boys (42.6 percent) who participated in the program. Most tutors were enrolled in the sixth grade (61.7 percent), with 27.7 percent in the seventh grade and 10.6 percent in the eighth grade. The tutor average age was 15 and ranged from 13 to 20 years old.

The pre-test and post-test analysis showed that the qualitative perceptions held by school staff, parents and tutors were completely justified. The tutors made significant gains in most aspects of their personal and academic lives. The teacher coordinators and the tutors teachers were asked to evaluate the tutors at the beginning and the end of the school year. They evaluated the tutors in three general areas: behavior, relationships and academics. They also evaluated the tutors through 15 concepts, from self-concept to desire to graduate.

Pre-test and post-test ratings increased significantly (p < .05) in all the three general areas and in 14 out of the 15 concepts. Statistically significant improvements were registered in tutors' self-concept, future goals, discipline, hygiene and dress, and attendance. Statistically significant improvements also were registered in tutors' ability to socialize into their school environment and with schoolmates; and their relationships with teachers, parents, administrators and counselors. Finally, statistically significant improvements were registered in tutors' academic achievement, interest in school and interest in class.

The tutees teachers were asked to evaluate the tutees at the beginning and end of the school year using a similar but more simplified instrument. They evaluated the tutees in the same three general areas of behavior, relationship and academics. The tutees were evaluated through nine discrete concepts, from self-concept to interest in class.

Statistically significant gains were determined in eight out of nine survey concepts: self-concept, attendance, hygiene and dress, ability to socialize into the school environment and with schoolmates, academic achievement, interest in school and interest in class.

The analysis shows that all the students – tutors and tutees – experienced a profound and positive change in their lives as a result of their participation in the program.

In addition, impressive gains were obtained in tutors' academic performance. In the São Paulo school, tutors' passing rate after participating in the program improved from 64 percent to 91 percent. In the Rio de Janeiro school, the improvement was from 60 percent to 96 percent.

Reflection

Clearly, the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program in Brazil represented a turning point for these tutors, their families and the schools. The program also affected the implementation team deeply. As a result, the program has expanded from two schools during the pilot phase, to five schools during its second year and to seven schools for its third year (2001 school year). By the year 2002, the program will have 11 schools in at least four cities in Brazil. By all accounts, the program has been a great success.

Following are reflections and discussions resulting from my experience as a member of the implementation team. They further elaborate the reasons behind such an extraordinary success in intercultural, international collaboration for the educational improvement of students who once were considered at risk of dropping out of school.

One crucial aspect was the commitment to respecting both the local culture and the program's basic valuing philosophy. From the very beginning, it was clear that the people involved would have to learn from each other. The IDRA team members learned about the Brazilian socio-cultural and educational environment, specifically the conditions of the schools where the program would be implemented. It was important to be patient, be flexible, allow people to learn at their own pace, and be ready to move to the next level when the situation demanded it.

The Brazilian team members learned about the program, about the valuing philosophy (a rather counter-intuitive approach to education), and about the need to review these concepts again and again. Often one understands these concepts at an intellectual level but continues to apply the traditional deficit model in practice. Through frank discussions and a real commitment to make the program work for the students, all team members learned to better communicate with each other and to understand each other at a deeper level.

It was critical to select the right schools for the pilot phase. In Brazil, as in the United States, the schools are a reflection of their society. Therefore, there is great disparity among them. The selection team was able to pinpoint schools that were very poor, serving students coming from nearby favelas – extremely poor neighborhoods – that at the same time were led by flexible, pro-active and very engaged leaders. The principals and teacher coordinators made the program their own. In fact, they were the principal force behind the program adaptation and the development of new materials. They saw the program as a raw jewel – very precious in its intrinsic value but needing to be molded and polished, and they did just that. The result was a sparkling jewel. And the work is not finished. The program continues to be adapted and materials continue to be developed as the program expands to new schools.

Providing the appropriate support was extremely important. The IDRA team traveled to Brazil often, at least four times a year, to provide staff training, help with the school selection, participate in implementation team meetings with the school staff, and hold general strategic planning meetings with the partners. Members of the Brazilian team traveled to the United States for a variety of purposes, including observing tutoring and visiting with school staff where the program is operating. Between the visits, support happened continuously through electronic means, including e-mail, telephone and video conferences, and through electronic group (e-group) communications. Thus, the team used modern technology to further the program goals.

The Brazilian team members are meticulous record keepers. Although most educational programs in their schools did not have the rigorous evaluation of the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program, they embraced it and appreciated its value. This perspective made it easy for the team to conduct implementation and evaluation simultaneously, which is the intention of the program. In this way, the team was able to pinpoint deviations early and correct them and, as shown in this article, collect important data about the program's effectiveness. The evaluation instruments and procedures were also refined over time. Thus, the program has a strong evaluation component both in theory and, more importantly, in practice.

Of paramount importance was the commitment at all levels and the strong support from philanthropic institutions, non-profit organizations and the private sector. The Coca-Cola Foundation in the United States, Coca-Cola Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, and PANAMCO/Spal in São Paulo provided extraordinary support to the program financially, by paying for all aspects of program implementation and activities. They also provided staff from these companies who spent a significant amount of their own time as integral parts of the implementation team, an unparalleled commitment we had not often seen before.

One aspect of the program, often sited by Brazilian teachers as extremely novel, is its strong and comprehensive interconnected strategies. The Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program has more than 50 small and large elements that are assembled in a seamlessly interconnected network. Although some elements are more important than others, each plays an important function. The more the team members learned about the program, the more they marveled at its wonderful structure and delicate interconnections.

On August 19, 1998, during the ceremony to sign the contract between the Coca-Cola Company and the Brazilian Ministry of Education, the Minister, Dr. Paulo Renato Souza, recalled a question a youngster once asked him during his participation in a television program. “Minister,” the child asked, “why are there good schools and bad schools?” He responded that the difference is that the good schools have support from all the community – the parents, the local and national governments, the private sector and the non-profit sector. The Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program in Brazil is an excellent example of how a community, including international partners, have gotten together to create good schools, schools that value all children.

Resources

Montes, F. Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program Pilot Phase Report: Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil (San Antonio, Texas: Intercultural Development Research Association, 2000).

Robledo Montecel, M. “IDRA Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program – Model Dropout Prevention Program,” IDRA Newsletter (San Antonio, Texas: Intercultural Development Research Association, October 2000).Felix Montes, Ph.D., is the IDRA technology coordinator and a research associate in the IDRA Division of Evaluation Research. Comments and questions may be directed to him via e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

[©2001, IDRA. This article originally appeared in the IDRA Newsletter by the Intercultural Development Research Association. Every effort has been made to maintain the content in its original form. However, accompanying charts and graphs may not be provided here. To receive a copy of the original article by mail or fax, please fill out our information request and feedback form. Permission to reproduce this article is granted provided the article is reprinted in its entirety and proper credit is given to IDRA and the author.] IDRA Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program in Brazil, 1999 School Year