College of Education and Human Development

School of Social Work

Ross VeLure Roholt

  • Pronouns: he, him, his

  • Associate Professor and Director, Youth Development Leadership Program

  • Office Hours

    Tuesday and Thursday 10:30-11:30

Ross VeLure Roholt

Areas of interest

Deepening and enriching understanding about youth work practice and practice education, Evaluation studies, Participatory models of youth work and youth development, Youth Work in Contested Spaces

Degrees

PhD, University of Minnesota
MSW, University of Minnesota

Biography

Ross VeLure Roholt is Associate Professor, School of Social Work (Youth Studies), University of Minnesota, where he teaches courses on youth development, youth work, and civic youth work. He is an active community-based participatory researcher and evaluator. His research and evaluation work focuses on youth engagement, youth work, civic youth work, and youth involvement in democratic and social development, especially with young people from historically marginalized and contested communities. Currently, his research focus is on youth leadership transitions, exploring the pathways, opportunities, and youth work practices that invite and sustain young people's leadership in organizations and communities.

He is active internationally, with long-term work in Croatia, Northern Ireland, Laos, and Japan, and with shorter-term work in Morocco, Korea, The Netherlands, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, and Ireland. He has written widely on civic youth work, completing a special edition for Child and Youth Services (2008), a philosophical training curriculum for Public Achievement Northern Ireland (funded by the Peace Institute), a handbook for civic youth workers, a training for trainers with the Institute for Rights and Democracy Canada, a edited volume, Civic Youth Work: Cocreating Democratic Youth Spaces (Lyceum Press), describing examples of civic youth work around the globe, a primer, Civic Youth Work (Peter Lang), and Evaluating Civic Youth Work: Illustrative Evaluation Designs and Methodologies for Complex Youth Program Evaluations (Oxford Press). He continues to work with young people to respond to public issues both locally and globally.

Publications

Fink, A. & VeLure Roholt, R. (2022).  Emerging Tensions in Data Work: Staff and Youth Perspectives in Youth-Serving Organizations.  Social Service Review, 96(4), pgs. 617-654.

VeLure Roholt, R. & Baizerman, M. (2019).  Amplifying youth voice through public engaged research.  In I. Berson (Ed.) Participatory methodologies to elevate youth voice and agency.  Charlotte, N.C.: Information Age Publishing.

VeLure Roholt, R. & Baizerman, M. (2018).  Evaluating Civic Youth Work: Illustrative Evaluation Designs and Methodologies for Complex Youth Program Evaluations.  Oxford University Press.

VeLure Roholt, R. (Ed.).  (2015).Youth work in marginalized communities.  Special Edition for Child and Youth Services.

VeLure Roholt, R., Hildreth, R.W., Baizerman, M. (Eds.) (2013) Civic youth work: Co-creating democratic youth spaces.  Chicago: Lyceum Press.

VeLure Roholt, R. & Baizerman, M. (2012). Evaluation advisory committees. New Directions for Evaluation, 136.

Baizerman, M. L., Fink, A. and VeLure Roholt, R. (2012), From consilium to advice: A review of the evaluation and related literature on advisory structures and processes. New Directions for Evaluation, 2012: 5–29. doi:10.1002/ev.20031

VeLure Roholt, R. & Baizerman, M. (2012). Towards the evaluation advice practice: Ethos, professional craft knowledge, practices, and skills. New Directions for Evaluation, 136.

VeLure Roholt, R. & Fisher, C. (2013). Expect the unexpected: International short-term study course pedagogies and practices. Journal of Social Work Education, 49(1), 48-65

Baizerman, M., VeLure Roholt, R., & Fink, A. (2014). Evaluation advisory groups. Research on Social Work Practice, 24(2), 186-187.

VeLure Roholt, R. & Mueller, M. (2013). Youth advisory structures: Listening to young people to create quality youth services. New Direction for Youth Development, 139, 79-100.

VeLure Roholt, R. & Fisher, C. (2013). Expect the unexpected: International Short-Term Study Course Pedagogies and Practices. Journal of Social Work Education, 49(1), 48-65.

VeLure Roholt, R., Rana, S., Baizerman, M., & Korum, K. (Eds.) (2013). Transforming youth organizations to support healthy youth development. New Directions for Youth Development, 139.

Johnston-Goodstar, K. & VeLure Roholt, R. (2013). Unintended consequences of professionalizing youth work in the U.S.: Lessons from teaching and social work.  Child and Youth Services, 34(2), 139-155.

VeLure Roholt, R. & Baizerman, M. (2013). Civic youth work primer. New York: Peter Lang.

VeLure Roholt, R., Hildreth, R.W., Baizerman, M. (Eds.) (2013) Civic youth work: Co-creating democratic youth spaces. Chicago: Lyceum Press.

VeLure Roholt, R., Baizerman, M., Rana, S., & Korum, K. (2013). Missing in the youth development literature: The organization as host, cage, and promise. New Directions for Youth Development, 139, 13-26.

VeLure Roholt, R. (2012). Advice giving in contested space. New Directions for Evaluation, 136.

VeLure Roholt, R. & Baizerman, M. (2012). Being Practical, Being Safe: Doing Evaluations in Contested Spaces. Evaluation and Program Planning, 35(1), 206-218.

VeLure Roholt, R. (2012). Co-creating inquiry: Democratizing youth research and evaluation, Croatia Youth Studies Journal, 4, 94-103.

VeLure Roholt, R. & Baizerman, M. (Eds.) (2012). Special Section for Evaluation and Program Planning, entitled: Evaluation in Contested Spaces, 35(1), 139-218.

VeLure Roholt, R. & Baizerman, M. (2011). Preparing the next generation of professoriate in youth studies: Mapping the contested spaces. In D. Fusco, Advancing youth work: Current trends, critical questions, 127-140. New York: Routledge.

VeLure Roholt, R. & Cutler, J. (2011). Youth work as engagement. In D. Fusco, Advancing youth work: Current trends, critical questions, 173-180. New York: Routledge.

VeLure Roholt, R. & Sheetal, R. (2011) Improving community-based youth work: Evaluation of an action research approach. Child and Youth Services.

VeLure Roholt, R. (2010). Youth civic engagement: Developing a political self.  n J. Cheon & &Y. Lee (Eds.) Youth development and civic engagement, 145-160. HWB Publishing: Seoul, Korea.

Comption, D., Baizerman, M., & VeLure Roholt, R. (2010). Managing evaluation: Responding to common problems with a 10-step process. Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, 25 (2), 103-123.

VeLure Roholt, R. (2009). Developing Civic Youth Work in Morocco: A Training for Trainers. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Human Rights and Democracy Institute.

VeLure Roholt, R., VeLure Roholt, C., Pettis, S. & Smyth, P. (2008). Citizens Now: A guidebook for building more democratic communities with young people. Belfast, Northern Ireland: Public Achievement Northern Ireland. http://www.publicachievement.com

VeLure Roholt, R. & Smyth, P. (2007). Democratic civic youthwork and implications for service-learning: Lessons from Northern Ireland. Book Chapter in L. McIlrath & I. MacLabhrainn(Eds.) Higher education and civic engagement: International perspectives. London: Open University Press.

VeLure Roholt, R.; Hildreth, R.; Baizerman, M. (2007). Becoming citizen: Deepening the craft of youth civic engagement. Child and Youth Services, 29(3/4), 1-182.

Mattessich, P., Hendricks, S., VeLure Roholt, R. (2007) Using evaluation for results: The executive's guide to using evaluation data for fundraising, staffing, marketing, advocacy, impact, and more. St. Paul, MN: Fieldstone Alliance Publishing. http://www.fieldstonealliance.org/

VeLure Roholt, R. & Baizerman, M. (2005). Youth programs in museums: Theoretical frameworks. Museum Ireland, 15. 76-85.

VeLure Roholt, R. & Steiner, M.A. (2005). "Not your typical job"--Youth science center, Science Museum of Minnesota. Museum Curator, 48(2), pg. 141-157.

VeLure Roholt, R. & Steiner, M.A. (2005). “Not your average workplace”—The youth science center, Science Museum of Minnesota. Museum Curator, 48(2), 141-157.

VeLure Roholt, R. (2005). Democratic Civic Practice: A training curriculum for teachers and youthworkers. Belfast, Northern Ireland: Public Achievement (funded by United States Institute of Peace). http://www.publicachievement.com

VeLure Roholt, R., Baizerman, M., Steiner, M.A. (2002). Museum development, youth development: Examples from a flourishing site. Museum Ireland, 12, 48-56.

Presentations

VeLure Roholt, R. & Fink, A. Adaptive leadership in evaluation use.  American Evaluation Association Annual Meeting, November 2019, Minneapolis, MN.  Skill Building Workshop.*

Velure Roholt, R. & Baizerman, M.  Amplifying student and community voice through public engaged scholarship.  Engagement Scholarship Consortium.  October 2018.  Roundtable Presentation.*

VeLure Roholt, R. & Fink, A. Involving young people in social development: A comparison between youth philanthropy and youth entrepreneurship.  International Consortium for Social Development, June 2017, Zagreb, Croatia.  Paper Presentation.*

Johnston-Goodstar, K., VeLure Roholt, R., & Fink, A. School climate and Native American Youth Well-being.  American Education Research Association Conference, April 2016, Washington DC.  Roundtable Presentation.*

VeLure Roholt, R. Designing youth civic engagement and civic youth work evaluations.  American Evaluation Association Conference, November 2015, Chicago, IL.  Paper Presentation.*

Carrier, C. VeLure Roholt, R., & Furco, A.  The youth economic participation initiative: Early learnings.  Comparative International Education Society, March 2015, Washington DC, Panel Presentation.*

VeLure Roholt, R. The Public Engaged Researcher: Ethics, Values, and Practice.  Social Innovation Mela.  Lahore University of Management and Sciences.  March 2015.  Lahore, Pakistan.

VeLure Roholt, R. Civic youth work: Practice, craft orientation, and ethos.  Croatian Youth Studies Association, May 16-19, 2013.  Zagreb, Croatia. Workshop.

VeLure Roholt, R. “Good Citizens:” Young people’s stories of civic engagement. 2nd International Youth Studies Conference, June 2012, Maynooth, Ireland. Paper presentation.

VeLure Roholt, R. Evaluating a contested national museum exhibit in a contested space: How evaluation can teach. International Conference on Evaluation Practice, June 2012. Pori, Finland. Paper Presentation.

Baizerman, M. & VeLure Roholt, R. Evaluation advisory groups: A missing literature and practice.  American Evaluation Association Conference, November 2011, Anaheim, CA. Roundtable Discussion.

VeLure Roholt, R. Youth work professional development.  National Association of Afterschool Conference, April 2011. Orlando, FL.  Panel Presentation.

Johnston-Goodstar, K. & VeLure Roholt, R. Citizens of what? Civic engagement among young people of color.  White Privilege Conference, April 2011.  Minneapolis, MN. Panel Presentation.

VeLure Roholt, R. Building an informed youth studies curriculum.  American Educational Research Association Conference, April 2011. New Orleans, LA.  Paper Presentation.

Baizerman, M. & VeLure Roholt, R. Creating a youth development strategic plan.  Lao Youth Union, Vientiane, Laos.  July 2010.  Invited Consultation and Training.

VeLure Roholt, R. & Whitt, J. Young people and healthy relationship development: Philosophies and strategies.  Minnesota Social Service Association Conference, Minneapolis, MN.  March 2010.  Training.

VeLure Roholt, R. Conducting Evaluation in Contested Spaces: Describing and Understanding Evaluation Under These Conditions.  American Evaluation Association Conference,Orlando, FL. November 2009. Panel Chair.

VeLure Roholt, R. Youth Civic Engagement: Effects, Benefits, Outcomes.  Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea.  June 2009.  Invited Keynote Presentation for the 1st International Seminar at Chung-Ang University.

VeLure Roholt, R. Youth Civic Engagement: The Making of the Political Self.  2nd Biennial World Conference, Lawrence, KS.  July 2008, Paper Presentation.