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Hope Index Administration and Collection Instructions

General
Dr. Chan Hellman from the University of Oklahoma described our first year in this study as a
Pilot Program Evaluation. Now in our second year, we have made changes and
improvements and the study may become a Publishable Research Study providing all goes
well. The Publishable Research Study requires additional qualifications and paperwork; the
researchers believe we are on track to accomplish that task.
Either way, it will help give our program more validity and assist local and national efforts in
raising money because of measurable results.
All forms to the researchers will be recognized with numbers, no names! This helps keep the
research unbiased.

The Big Picture
There are two main objectives in administering and collecting the Hope Indexes.
First: keep each set of campers pre- and post- indexes together.
Second: keep the assigned Counselor Evaluation together with each campers indexes.

For example, Counselor Linda has camper Jane and camper Sue. Camper Janes pre- and post-
indexes must be kept together with Counselor Lindas evaluation of Jane. Camper Sues pre-
and post- indexes must be kept together with Counselor Lindas evaluation of Sue. All
paperwork regarding Counselor Linda and her two campers must be kept together and placed
in the same manila envelope. Do not put the names of the Campers or the Counselors on the
forms that go into the envelopes.
Remember, data collection is always voluntary. Never put pressure on the children or adults to
complete the forms. You can certainly explain how it will help the over-all organization, but do
not pressure people. They may skip answers or not respond to any answer.
Consent Forms
As part of the program, Dr. Chan has informed us that the Internal Review Board (IRB), did not
required us to use the Child or Guardian Consent Forms. However, these forms are available for
voluntary use if you or your Social Worker(s) are concerned about consent. These Consent
forms have no signature line because they are already told that we dont want their names;
everything is to be anonymous. Simply hand them the Consent Form; their participation is their
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acknowledgement that they are consenting. Again, this is optional; you do not need to give out
Consent Forms.

A.

Hope Index Packet Assembly

The packet will consist of:

Manila Envelope (each Camp / Club to provide these on their own)

Hope Index Packet Sheet
Camper Pre- and Post- Index sheets
Counselor Evaluation

For each prospective Counselor with two campers, assemble the packet as follows:
1. Tape a Hope Index Packet Sheet to the front of each manila envelope.
2. Next, assign a number to each manila envelope on the line beside Packet Number (1, 2, 3,
4up to the number of campers you will have at your camp). The number goes on the
manila envelope and on the Hope Index Packet Sheet. The sheet will be removed later,
but we still need the number on the envelope. Next to the assigned envelope number,
you need to place a dash and your camp number to differentiate your # 10 for the other
camps #10. Example, if your camp is camp #93, your envelopes would be numbered 1-
93, 2-93, 3-93, 4-93, etc. If your camp is camp #15, your envelopes would be numbered,
1-15, 2-15, 3-15, 4-15, etc.
3. There are 3 different forms the researchers will use to measure Hope.
The Pre-Camp Hope Index, the Post-Camp Hope Index and the Counselor Evaluation.


All three have this box in the upper right-hand corner.
Camp # XYZ
You will need to insert your camp number, replacing the
sample XYZ. Then all your copies will automatically
differentiate your camp forms from the other camps.

Participant #

Copy all forms back-to-back.

No staples, no paperclips.
Do not fold any of the forms
Do not seal the envelopes! Just close them.

The camper and Counselor Pre- and Post-Index will also need to be numbered. Each Index
number should correspond to the packet number. For example, you should have camper pre-
index 22a & 22b, camper post-index 22a & 22b and Counselor Evaluation 22, in packet /
envelope number 22. The a & b designation is because each Counselor will have 2 campers,
and this distinguishes each of them.

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4. We would like each camp to complete as many indexes as they can, but we are shooting for a
minimum of 20 packets from each location.
B.

Camper Pre-Index Instructions

Have the campers complete the indexes on Monday morning just after they register and before
they get on the bus. If absolutely necessary, at the very latest, have them do it right after lunch
during 30/30 time. By then, some of their answers may already be likely to change.
If you are utilizing the Consent Forms, you would have to hand these out at the Monday
morning Registration.
1. As camper pre-indexes are received, write the name of the camper on the Hope
Index Packet Sheet that corresponds with the campers pre-index number. For example,
if the pre-index is number 5a, write the campers name on the Hope Index Packet Sheet
which has been numbered Packet Number 5.
2. Once a Counselor is assigned to a camper, also write the Counselors name on the
Hope Index Packet Sheet under the corresponding campers name. If we perform the
indexes early before camp and then the Counselor changes, simply renumber the
Counselors index to match that of their camper.
3. For ease of administering the indexes, you may then find the camper post-index and
Counselor evaluations which share the same number as the packet number and place
them inside the manila envelope. For example, Packet 12 should have Camper Pre-
Index 12a & 12b, Post-Index 12a & 12b and Counselor Evaluation 12a &12b.
C.

Camper Post-Index Instructions

Distribute and collect on Friday before campers get on the bus. Please make sure each post-
index is placed in the correct packet assigned to that Camper and Counselor. Place # and letter
a or b in the box. If necessary, you may do this as early as Thursday night, but that can be a
very emotional time as well.
D.

Counselor Evaluation Instructions

Distribute and collect on Friday before campers get on the bus. Once the evaluations are
administered to the Counselors, place the Counselors evaluations in the assigned packet.
Counselors will do an evaluation for each camper; make sure they are marked with the number
and letter designating the different campers (i.e. 22a & 22b). If necessary, you may do this as
early as Thursday night, but that can be a very emotional time as well.
E.

Instructions for Completed Indexes

(Please do not fold any of the forms and they should be copied back-to-back)

1. Verify all Indexes and Evaluations are in the correct manila envelopes; there should be
6 pages in each envelope unless someone has declined to participate.

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2. Remove the Hope Index Packet Sheet from the front of the manila envelope and keep
for your own records. You will need these again if you are participating in the Club
evaluation as well.
3. DO NOT send the Hope Index Packet Sheets to the University of Oklahoma. The
University of Oklahoma DOES NOT want any information that would allow for
identification of any individual by name.
4. Place all the manila envelopes in a larger envelope / box and mail in one bundle to:
Chan M. Hellman, PhD
University of Oklahoma
4502 East 41st Street
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74135

F.
What do I do if a CAMPER does not want to take or has not completed the indexes,
but the counselor does?
If one camper does not want to take or has not completed both indexes, complete the rest of
the packet for the other camper and Counselor. If both campers do not complete both of the
indexes, then remove the packet and do not send.
G.
What do I do if a COUNSELOR does not complete the evaluation, but the campers do
complete their Indexes?
If a counselor does not want to take or has not completed the evaluations, follow the rest of
the instructions and send with the remaining packets.
H.

Cost.

The only expenses we anticipate is the cost for photo copies, manila envelopes and shipping the
envelopes to Oklahoma. We are asking that each Camp / Club absorb these costs into their
budget. Costs from last year averaged about $50.00.

Thank you for participating in this valuable endeavor.
May God bless your efforts on behalf of the children you serve.

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Hope Index Quick Guide

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9.

Purchase manila envelopes

Put Camp # on forms and make copies double-sided
Copy Hope Index Packet Sheets and place on manila envelopes
Write packet #s on packet sheets and envelopes
Distribute and collect pre-indexes before camp
Distribute and collect post-indexes on Friday
Distribute and collect Counselor Evaluations on Friday
Verify all are in correct envelope by number
Mail to University of Oklahoma

Visual Guide
Monday morning




Friday before
bus ride



Friday before
bus ride

Camp 093
01A
Pre Index
camper

Camp 093
01A
Post Index
camper

Camp 093
01B
Pre Index
camper

Camp 093
01B
Post Index
camper

Camp 093
02A
Pre Index
camper

Camp 093
02A
Post Index
camper

Camp 093
02B
Pre Index
camper

Camp 093
02B
Post Index
camper

Camp 093
01A
Counselor
Evaluation

Camp 093
01B
Counselor
Evaluation

Camp 093
02A
Counselor
Evaluation

Camp 093
02B
Counselor
Evaluation

Mail all envelopes
to U of O.

RFK Hope Index Project 2015

01-93

02-93

Envelope

Envelope

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