Positive Youth Development Program Research Articles

Breathing life into social emotional learning programs: A Bio-Psycho-Social approach to risk reduction and positive youth development.

Over one-third of USadolescents engage in health risk and problem behaviors. Additionally, significant percentages of problem-free youth aren't flourishing. Left unaddressed, the lifetime mental/physical health and financial burdens may be substantial. Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and Positive Youth Development (PYD) programs have proliferated to address the drivers of adaptive versus risk behaviors. Research suggests SEL/PYD program outcomes can be improved by adding techniques that physiologically induce calmness, yet few studies exist. This randomized controlled trial of 79 urban eighth-graders examined a standardized bio-psycho-social program, SKY Schools, which incorporates a physiologically calming component: controlled yogic breathing. Repeated-measures ANOVAs demonstrated that compared to controls, SKY graduates exhibited significant improvements in emotion regulation, planning and concentration, and distractibility. After 3 months, significant improvements were evidenced in emotion regulation, planning and concentration, identity formation, and aggressive normative beliefs. SEL/PYD programs may benefit by incorporating biologically-calming techniques to enhance well-being and prevent risk/problem behaviors.

4-H Afterschool Resource Guide: Starting 4-H Clubs in After-School Programs

This resource guide is designed to be used by Extension/4-H professionals and after-school providers to deliver well-formed, positive youth development programs in after-school sites. It includes information on initiating the development of 4-H clubs at after-school sites, volunteer training resources and exercises, how to sustain the clubs, and connections to the community and beyond. The original educational material was edited and revised for this edition by the National Association of 4-H Youth Development Professionals Afterschool Working Group, led by Vanessa Spero. Published by the 4-H Youth Development Department, UF/IFAS Extension, March 2024.

Spirituality as a key asset in promoting positive youth development: Advances in research and practice

Spirituality is a universal human experience. Within the process of development, the role of spirituality as a developmental asset is understudied in general and especially within majority world contexts. In this article, we frame advances in spirituality research and practice with youth around three pillars: (a) theory, (b) measurement, and (c) research about and evaluations of positive youth development (PYD) programs in low- and middle-income countries. We place PYD programs as associated with dynamic, relational developmental systems (RDS)-based models of human development, describe spirituality and the “Big Three” features of effective PYD programs as aligning to promote thriving, and discuss spirituality as a strength, as a key asset, in the lives of youth. We discuss advances in developmental methods and measures for describing, explaining, and promoting spirituality and PYD and offer a case study that responds to a United States Agency for International Development call for action and evaluations of spirituality within the context of a PYD program in the majority world. Considerations for future research about spirituality and youth development are discussed.

74. Positive Youth Development Program Among Indigenous Youth in Guangaje Ecuador

74. Positive Youth Development Program Among Indigenous Youth in Guangaje Ecuador

Running Toward Equity: Socioeconomic Diversity and Parental Perception of a Physical Activity-Based Positive Youth Development Program for Girls

The Girls on the Run (GOTR) is a national positive youth development program to promote self-confidence, resilience, and self-esteem for girls through physical activity. It also includes an opportunity for parent involvement in a 5K event at the end of the program. Given the evidence on the importance of family support and parent role modeling for children’s physical activity, the purpose of this study was to explore how parents from different socioeconomic backgrounds view their daughters’ participation in GOTR and their own attitudes toward physical activity. Parents were recruited from high and low resource sites for participation in online focus group discussions. Questions included perspective on their daughter’s participation in GOTR, their own physical activity, and participation in the GOTR 5K event. Discussions were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed from two focus groups with parents from low resource sites (N=10) and two with parents from high resource sites (N= 15). A common theme across resource groups was that GOTR enhances self-confidence, communication skills, and physical activity. More parents from the high resource sites reported being physically active and having supportive environments than low resource site parents. While some parents noted intention to participate in the 5K with their daughter, more parents in the low resource group reported barriers to physical activity and participating in the 5K event. There is an opportunity to encourage and facilitate parental 5K participation to create a ripple effect for benefits of the GOTR program.

Addressing Access and Equity for Latine Youth through Sport-Based Positive Youth Development

Abstract Organized out-of-school time (OST) activities are critical assets that help youth develop life and social skills. Latine youth have some of the lowest rates of participation in OST activities out of all racial and ethnic subgroups due to structural and interpersonal barriers that perpetuate and reproduce patterns of inequality. The purpose of the current study was to describe a youth-led, community-driven, sport-based positive youth development program, the Los Angeles Football Club Youth Leadership Program, and examine associations with participation across three levels: (1) alumni’s enrollment and employment outcomes; (2) youth leaders’ outcomes (e.g., pre- and postprogram surveys); and (3) outputs of the program’s community outreach efforts (e.g., demographics and outputs associated with youth-led community-based activities). Drawing on the study’s findings, authors argue that this program describes an emergent “ladder to leadership” model that can guide community engagement through the delivery of culturally responsive programming and the use of sport to support social–emotional learning during OST. These findings contribute to an important discussion of how to leverage sport to address issues of access and equity during OST for Latine youth.

“Time to be free”: Playful agency in LOVE's in‐school programme for at‐risk youth

AbstractResearch increasingly suggests that positive youth development programmes play an important part in preventing youth violence and promoting positive developmental trajectories. We conducted a focussed ethnography of LOVE, a social development programme aimed at supporting youth who have been exposed to violence. Building on a previous study's exploration of this programme's afterschool setting, we examined the programme's social functioning in school settings. Findings underline the role of playfulness—alongside an egalitarian/friendly approach, gentle authority/structure, strengths‐based support and a safe space to express vulnerability—to foster in youth the ability to feel free, confident/empowered, connected/empathic and positive feelings about school and life.

Supporting military-connected teens to thrive: a qualitative evaluation of a leadership program from the perspective of teens and adult advisors

For teens growing up in military-connected families, challenges relating to relocation, parental deployment, and reintegration add layers of stress to an already complex time of life. Out-of-school time programs provide military-connected teens opportunities to utilize existing strengths, develop new skills, and build support networks, as exemplified in the Military Teen Ambassador (MTA) program – a positive youth development program developed by the Boys and Girls Clubs of America in collaboration with the US Armed Forces. This study investigates the developmental benefits experienced by the teens serving on the MTA Steering Committee – a youth-adult collaboration designed to plan and deliver the MTA program. Interviews with teen and adult participants were analyzed through the lenses of relational developmental systems theory and a structured evaluation framework. Findings contribute insights into developmental processes and outcomes for programs targeting military-connected youth and provide applied implications that extend to broader youth and adult populations.

Deepening Resilience in Youth: Learning from an Impact Evaluation of a South African Youth Development Programme

Positive youth development programmes seek to actively develop positive qualities in young people through life skills training, leadership training, recreational or wilderness activities, community service, mentoring, counselling and job placement training. We evaluated a positive youth development programme implemented in the Western Cape, South Africa, by following up with graduates who had completed the programme between one and five years prior. Using an ex-post facto, quasi-experimental design, propensity scores were used to identify a sample of successful graduates who has completed the programme (N Treatment = 32) and a sample of people who had applied to the programme but were not selected into the programme (N Control = 33). Quantitative data from the impact evaluation were combined with qualitative interviews with past beneficiaries. The evaluation found no significant difference between past participants and non-participants in terms of resilience, education attainment, employment, self-reported drug use, gang involvement, community integration, family relationships, and involvement in community service. The qualitative findings suggest that while such programmes may be capable of producing short-term benefits for participants, the sustainability of the short-term benefits and their translation into long-term positive outcomes was not evidenced by this evaluation. We make recommendations for improving programme design aspects, such as an emphasis on post-programme services and contextual factors such as socioeconomic climate, and emphasise how these factors need to be addressed in order to strengthen the plausibility of the causal mechanism of these programmes.

A scoping review of positive youth development programming for vulnerable and marginalized youth in low- and middle-income countries

This scoping review aims to describe the state of Positive Youth Development (PYD) programming for vulnerable and marginalized youth in LMICs and to assess the quality of available evidence on process evaluation and program effectiveness. We systematically searched academic and grey literature to appraise existing literature on PYD as applied to research studies and programming with vulnerable and marginalized youth in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Our scoping review followed the four general phases of a systematic search: preparation, retrieval, screening and appraisal, and synthesis. Our search yielded 42 publications that met the inclusion criteria. We identified 38 programs across 27 countries. Most programs included in this review did not explicitly identify PYD as their underlying behavioral change approach and did not differentiate programming based on youth's levels of vulnerability and marginalization. Youth-focused programs were comparably distributed across three development sectors—health, democracy, governance, economic development, and education. Poverty, stigma, discrimination, and cultural and social norms, including gender inequities create barriers to accessing youth-focused programs. Our review also found enabling factors, such as youth-friendly policies, community involvement, congruence with cultural and social norms, and creative media use, that support vulnerable and marginalized youth’s access to programs. We conclude that there remain gaps in using PYD as a conceptual framework to inform programming and as a methodological tool to standardize evaluation and impact assessment of PYD or PYD-informed programming for vulnerable and marginalized youth in LMICs.

Effectiveness of the Positive Youth Development (PYD) Program on reducing aggression among high school female students

BackgroundThe positive youth development program highlights the abilities of adolescents and young people. This concept emphasizes that teenagers are capable of making positive changes (such as: flexibility, Responsibility, Identify abilities). This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the Positive Youth Development (PYD) program on reducing aggression among high school female students in Yazd city. Iran.MethodsThis was a quasi-experimental study, using pretest-posttest design with a control group. In the 2019–2020 academic year, the statistical population comprised all female students in high school first and second years in the city of Yazd, Iran. Using purposive sampling and based on include and exclude criteria (high risk of aggression due to their scores on a screening test and Parental consent to participate in the class) 30 female students were selected. Randomly, they were assigned to an experimental(n = 15) and control groups(n-15). The Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire was conducted on students. The experimental group had 8 intervention sessions, whereas the control group received no intervention. The data were subsequently examined using Analysis of Covariance(ANCOVA).ResultsThe dependent t-test revealed a significant difference between the pretest-posttest aggression scores in the experimental group, but there was no significant difference in the control group. There was no significant difference in the mean scores of physical aggression, anger, and hostility in the experimental and control groups, but a significant difference was found between the experimental and control groups in the mean verbal aggression scores.Conclusiontraining of positive youth development did not affect on aggression and its three dimensions (physical aggression, anger, and hostility) and only affected adolescent verbal aggression.

4-H Youth Development Programming in Underrepresented Communities

This is part of a series of guides that have been updated with permission from 4-H National Council. This resource guide is designed to be used by Extension professionals and after-school providers to deliver positive youth development programs in underrepresented areas or with underrepresented populations. It includes information on identifying underserved or underrepresented audiences and potential challenges to their participation in 4-H programming. Written by Vanessa Starr Spero, and published by the 4-H Youth Development Department, UF/IFAS Extension, May 2023.

Inspiring IDEA: Girls on the Run's developmental approach to and assessment of inclusion, diversity, equity, and access programming.

Evaluation studies of positive youth development (PYD) programs show promising impact on children's psychosocial and behavioral outcomes, but less is known about how programming affects youth of varying racial, ethnic, and cultural identities. Girls on the Run, a physical activity-based PYD program, has developed curricula and coach training with a lens toward inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA). The purpose of this study was to assess the program's effectiveness in achieving IDEA programming goals. Surveys were completed by youth (n = 342), caregivers (n = 2,375), and coaches (n = 1,406), and focus groups/interviews were conducted with 12 youth, 20 caregivers, and 9 coaches, diverse in race, ethnicity, ability, and other identities. Survey and focus group/interview questions addressed participants' thoughts and experiences regarding inclusion, diversity, equity, andaccess in Girls on the Run. Quantitative analyses of survey responses revealed favorable responses by all groups that the program: (a) provides a safe, inclusive, and supportive climate for all youth; (b) consists of teams with racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds; and, (c) successfully engages in strategies to reduce barriers to participation. Qualitative analyses of focus group/interview data resulted in 5 higher-order themes: (a) positive sentiments by girls, caregivers, and coaches; (b) social justice in the curriculum; (c) access to programming; (d) considerations regarding racial diversity; and, (e) serving gender-diverse participants. Collective findings characterized Girls on the Run as successful in meeting its pledge toward inclusion, diversity, equity, and access to participation. All groups recognized the program's positive impact on girls' social and emotional learning and fostering an atmosphere of community connectedness. Curricular lessons and coach training align with evidence based strategies for inclusive and equitable programming, which can serve as an exemplar for other out-of-school-time programs.

Life Skills Oriented Natural Schools

A key characteristic of positive youth development (PYD) programs is the opportunity to develop life skills, such as social, behavioral, and moral competencies, which can be generalized to domains beyond hands-on activities. The purpose of our study was to examine whether life skills-oriented nature schools have been integrated into their students. Population and sample of 29 students of Qurani Al-Hikmah Nature School. Method: quantitative descriptive with survey approach. The life skills instrument used the Life Skills Transfer Survey (LSTS), a measure of perceived life skills transfer. The results revealed that Qurani Al-Hikmah natural school oriented life skills have been integrated into the school curriculum and given daily to students bringing changes in attitudes, thoughts and behaviors by providing a pleasant school environment .

A Proof-of-Concept Evaluation of the 1616 Story-Based Positive Youth Development Program.

The 1616 Program is a newly developed and evidence-informed story-based positive youth development (PYD) program for young ice hockey players (10-12 years of age) in North America. The program uses elite ice hockey players as role models-through story-telling-to serve as inspirational figures to engage youth athletes and important social agents (i.e., parents, coaches) with evidence-informed PYD concepts. The objective of this study was to use a Proof-of-Concept evaluation to assess whether the 1616 Program 'worked' in enhancing PYD outcomes and to determine if the concepts were engaging and enjoyable for youth, their parents, and coaches. The 5 week Proof-of-Concept evaluation was conducted with 11 ice hockey teams (n = 160 youths, 93 parents, and 11 coaches), encompassing both qualitative (e.g., focus groups) and quantitative (e.g., retrospective pretest-posttest questionnaires) processes and outcome assessments. Results showed that the program was well received by participants and positively impacted the intended outcomes. Overall, the data presented in this Proof-of-Concept evaluation was deemed to support the development and implementation of the full-scale 1616 Program for a more comprehensive evaluation.

Power distance: Moderating effect on positive youth development in Malaysian co-curricular programs

Few studies have explored the effects of sociocultural factors on program quality in the context of positive youth development (PYD) programs. This is of relevance to countries known for high power distance between youth and adults. The current study explored the moderating effect of perceived power distance orientation on the relationship between youth program quality and the six C's of PYD. A partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was tested among 436 first-year undergraduate co-curricular program participants from public universities in Malaysia (M = 21.192 years, SD = 1.191 years; 65.6% female). Youth voice, supportive adult relationships, and program engagement positively predicted PYD, while feelings of safety did not. Power distance had no moderating effect on PYD. The findings extend support for the importance of program quality on PYD in non-WEIRD youth program settings and point to the need for further inquiry on PYD program practices in diverse sociocultural settings.

Promoting Positive Youth Development Through Outdoor Physical Activity As An Alternative To Growing Life Skills; Narrative Literature Reviewer

Outdoors is one of the educational and recreational media that is expected to be able to bring out creativity and stimulate someone to be able to control their emotions about uncertainty over achieving goals in life. The method in this research is descriptive qualitative and narrative literature review. Data collection techniques using library research. Types of data using textual or conceptual. Aspects of analysis include definitions, concepts, views, thoughts and arguments. The source of data in this research is secondary data and refers to life skills or the term '5C' (Competence, Confidence, Character, Connections, Compassion/ Caring) in the development of strength-based youth as contained in the positive youth development program. (Lerner et al., 2005; Lerner et al., 2015) Research result; relation to outdoor physical activity as an alternative to fostering life skills through positive youth development programs that structured and unstructured outdoor recreational experiences can foster self-concept and enhance the development of motor skills and academic achievement as well as bring about competence and increased self-efficacy. In conclusion, outdoor experiences during adolescence can develop life skills that last a lifetime.

Real-world trial of positive youth development program “LifeMatters” with South African adolescents in a low-resource setting

Positive youth development (PYD) programs have significant health and well-being benefits, but these are rarely examined in low- or middle-income countries such as South Africa. LifeMatters is a 10-session PYD program combining elements of sport psychology and cognitive behavioural theory. We conducted a pragmatic trial of LifeMatters, implemented by trained university student facilitators with three groups of South African adolescents (n = 28; aged 13–19 years) in a low-resource setting. Paired t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests indicated improvements (pre- to post- program) in adolescent personal growth, self-efficacy, self-esteem, and PYD outcomes. Evaluation forms (qualitative data) revealed participants enjoyed the program content, connected with facilitators, learned psychological skills and prosocial values, had intentions to share learned content, and would repeat the program. Focus groups were performed with program facilitators and field notes documented implementation. Thematic analysis identified three themes relating to program content, -implementation, and -impact. Study feasibility was influenced by several overlapping challenges/barriers. LifeMatters was considered culturally relevant and effective; implementation outcomes, implications for practice, and suggested improvements are discussed. This pragmatic trial provides insight into the utility of using trained student facilitators to implement a PYD program teaching psychological skills to adolescents in a low-resource setting.

The Development and Pilot Evaluation of a Family-Based Education to Strengthen Latinx Adolescent Mental Health in the United States: The Familias Activas Experience.

Adolescent years are a time of joy and can represent a challenge for parents and youth, especially for immigrants to the US who are adjusting to their host country. Programs focusing on family skills and positive youth development (PYD) can contribute to youth wellbeing especially, however, few exist for low-income immigrant families. (1) Background: The major goals of this project are to strengthen both PYD and healthy parenting practices by implementing an evidence-informed program, Familias Activas. A theory of change guided the development of Familias Activas in which three factors: parent training, positive youth development, and youth physical activity sessions (soccer) aimed to improve Latinx youth mental health. Youth participated in weekly soccer practices led by trained soccer coaches while parents/caregivers attended parent education. Both sessions lasted eight weeks. (2) Method: We describe the formative stage of the research project as well as the pilot implementation of the Familias Activas program, which provides critical insights for the development of a PYD program. (3) Results: Evaluation surveys were administered to youth and their parents. Thirty youths and sixteen parents completed the survey. The Kidscreen scale had a mean for most items ranging from 3.6 to 4.2. Participating youth were 11 years old and most affirmed they were Latinx. The feasibility program quality mean was 4.2 indicating an overall positive result for the pilot program.. Implications of PYD programs for Latinx youth are discussed. (4) Conclusions: The current paper presents a model for positively influencing the physical and mental wellbeing of Latinx youth and their parents. The model is culturally responsive in its involvement of both parents and youth in programming.

Measuring Youth Perceptions of Being Known and Loved and Positive Youth Development: Cross-National Findings from Rwanda and El Salvador.

Dynamic, relational developmental systems-based models of development emphasize that developmentally-nurturant youth-adult relationships elicit in youth perceptions of being known and loved. Although such perceptions are foundations of positive youth development (PYD), such measures do not exist. We sought to create a theoretically-predicated measure of youth perceptions of being known and loved by capitalizing on data sets in two countries (Rwanda and El Salvador) wherein a multi-national study of PYD was being conducted by Compassion International (CI). With Rwanda data (n = 1,204, M age = 11.84, 50% CI-supported), exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses enabled refining the measure for robustness and parsimony. Measures of intentional self-regulation, hopeful future expectations, transcendence, and contribution were used for validation of the known and loved measure within the nomological net of constructs proposed in the Lerner and Lerner PYD model. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the use of the model within the El Salvador data set (n = 1,205, M age = 13.03, 51% CI-supported). Robust psychometric properties were established in both national settings. Measurement invariance was found across age, gender, urban-rural location, CI-enrollment status, and nations, and involved both mean differences and correlations among latent factors. The results provide evidence for a theory-predicated measure of youth perceptions of being known and loved and that scores for this construct covary within a nomological net specified in the Lerner and Lerner model of PYD. These findings serve international development organizations seeking theory-predicated measures for use in evaluating PYD programs in low- and middle-income countries. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10566-022-09725-6.