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An Evaluation of Hope Following a Summer Camp for Inner-City Youth

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Abstract

This study reports changes in the positive psychology construct of hope resulting from adolescents’ participation in a 6 week summer camp devoted to developing dance and psychosocial competence skills. Over 5 years, the inner-city camp participants were selected from substantial at-risk situations. Significant positive changes in overall hope were observed pre and post camp with no further changes observed in a 4 month follow-up. Possible contributions to the increase and maintenance of higher hopeful thinking, specific to an inner-city population, are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey for their support and extend appreciation to the children and their families served by the Aileycamps in Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Dayton, 300 College Park, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA

    Keri J. Brown Kirschman & Terri J. Pelley

  2. Clinical Child Psychology Program, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA

    Michael C. Roberts

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, USA

    Joanna O. Shadlow

Authors
  1. Keri J. Brown Kirschman
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  2. Michael C. Roberts
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  3. Joanna O. Shadlow
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  4. Terri J. Pelley
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Correspondence to Keri J. Brown Kirschman.

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Kirschman, K.J.B., Roberts, M.C., Shadlow, J.O. et al. An Evaluation of Hope Following a Summer Camp for Inner-City Youth. Child Youth Care Forum 39, 385–396 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-010-9119-1

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