African American OST Providers, Parents, and Youth Experiences in Summer Programs: Engaging High School Youth

Out-of-school time (OST) programs supplement formal education. However, documentation of the perspectives of minoritized youth experiencing intersectional oppressions from multiple stakeholders is missing from the literature. Therefore, the current study was guided by Critical Race Theory (CRT), and the purpose was to explore high school-aged African American youth, parents, and OST employees' perspectives on the influence of race and income on high school-aged low-income African American youth participation in summer programs. A mixed methods approach was taken with a focus on counterstorytelling and a classism and discrimination questionnaire. A total of 44 participant surveys and interviews were analyzed using descriptive statistics, constant comparative method, and narrative thematic analysis. A total of eight individual and collective subthemes per group emerged for an overall total of ten themes. The total themes were aligned with the guiding theoretical perspective and existing literature. Results indicate that race and income are relevant aspects of youth participation in summer programs. However, while parents and OST employees acknowledged race as a factor influencing program access and inclusivity, youth participants did not explicitly report negative racial impacts. Income, though, was consistently identified by all groups as a significant barrier, affecting participation through affordability and access to resources. This study broadens OST research by incorporating multiple perspectives and applying CRT as both a framework and methodology, including the use of counterstorytelling. The findings highlight ongoing systemic barriers that limit access to quality programming for these youth, rooted in historical and societal exclusion.