Positive Youth Development Program Research Articles

The Reach and Impact of a Positive Youth Development Program (Project P.A.T.H.S.) in China and Beyond: Review and Reflection

AbstractThere are few validated positive youth development (PYD) programs in different regions of China. Utilizing 15 PYD constructs extracted from effective programs in the United States and with the support of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, colleagues from five universities in Hong Kong developed the P.A.T.H.S. Program in Hong Kong. In the past two decades, the research team trained 9,415 potential program implementers, supported the implementation in 300 + high schools in Hong Kong (357,839 participants) and evaluated the impact of the project. Because of its overall success, the P.A.T.H.S. Program was transplanted to mainland China with the support of the Tin Ka Ping Foundation, with adaptation of the curriculum materials. Before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic, the research team also trained 1,589 teachers and related professionals, provided guidance on the implementation in 30 + schools (84,000 + participants), and evaluated the impact of the program. This paper reviews the achievements, effects, and impact of the P.A.T.H.S. Program in China and beyond. It also highlights several observations and reflections regarding the future development of positive youth development programs in China as well as around the globe.

Enhancement of Psychosocial Competence and Well-Being of Chinese High School Students under the COVID-19 Pandemic: Tin Ka Ping P.A.T.H.S. Project in Mainland China

Mental health problem is a growing problem in mainland China and the situation has worsened under the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides focusing on tertiary and secondary prevention strategies, there is an urgent need to enhance the well-being of adolescents through primary prevention programs. During the pandemic, a positive youth development program entitled “Tin Ka Ping P.A.T.H.S. Program” was implemented in schools in mainland China. In 2022/23 academic year, students were invited to write a weekly diary on their experience about the program after completion of the program (N = 2,337). Qualitative evaluation showed that 98.2% of the students perceived the program was beneficial to their well-being in different domains. Specifically, students perceived the program enhanced their sense of community, school and academic adjustment, interpersonal relations (family relations and peer relations), and intrapersonal competence (including optimism, resilience, positive coping with stress, spirituality, life meaning and cherishing one’s life). In conjunction with other quantitative and qualitative evaluation findings, the triangulated findings strongly suggest Tin Ka Ping P.A.T.H.S. Program is a promising program that enhances the psychosocial competence and quality of life of adolescents.

Bidirectional pathways between relationships and sense of belonging in a program for youth living in low-income households

High-quality youth development programs can serve as relationship-rich spaces where youth develop a sense of belonging and meaningful connections with caring adults and peers. The pathways between strong relationships and youth’s sense of belonging within these settings remains unexplored, particularly among PYD programs who serve youth from low-income communities. Therefore, this study examined the bidirectional pathways between developmental relationships with program peers and program staff and youth’s sense of belonging. The study included 194 youth (ages 8–17; 75% youth of color; 46% female) who participated in a program designed to provide youth living in low-income households with trusting relationships and greater access to year-round enrichment opportunities. Utilizing survey data across three time points, findings show how youth’s sense of belonging and developmental relationships with program peers led to stronger developmental relationships with program staff over time. Findings highlight important implications for the role of program peers within positive youth development programs.

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.

“We are Protected”: Examining youth perceptions of safety within“We are Protected”: Examining youth perceptions of safety within a faith-based positive youth development program in El Salvadora faith-based positive youth development program in El Salvador

“We are Protected”: Examining youth perceptions of safety within“We are Protected”: Examining youth perceptions of safety within a faith-based positive youth development program in El Salvadora faith-based positive youth development program in El Salvador

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.