Youth Project Research Articles

Levels of Satisfaction and Regret With Gender-Affirming Medical Care in Adolescence

There is a need to improve the evidence base for gender-affirming medical care provided to adolescents, including the experiences of those who have received this care. To examine rates of satisfaction, regret, and continuity of care in adolescents who received puberty blockers and/or gender-affirming hormones as part of gender-affirming medical care. This survey study used the 2023 online survey wave of an ongoing longitudinal study, the Trans Youth Project, among a community-based sample of transgender youth and their parents initially recruited throughout the US and Canada between 2013 and 2017. The satisfaction and regret data include responses from a youth or their parent representing 87% of the youth aged 12 years or older in the cohort who have received gender-affirming medical care (235 of 269 youths). Of these, 220 completed the 2023 survey (main sample); information about continuity of care was available for all youth. Data analysis was performed from April to August 2024. Satisfaction, regret, and continuity of care following puberty blockers or suppression and/or gender-affirming hormones. Self- or parent-reported satisfaction or regret with gender-affirming care and continuation of care. Among the 220 youths in the main sample (mean [SD] age, 16.07 [2.40] years; 30 [14%] multiracial, non-Hispanic; 18 [8%] White, Hispanic; 155 [70%] White, non-Hispanic; 17 [8%] other race and ethnicity, including Asian, Black [Hispanic and non-Hispanic], Hispanic with unknown race, multiracial Hispanic, or Native American; gender at last interaction: 68 [31%] boys, 132 [60%] girls, 20 [9%] gender diverse, eg, nonbinary) and their parents, very high levels of satisfaction and low levels of regret with puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormones as well as high levels of continuation of care were reported. Of these 220 respondents in the main sample, 9 were regretful of having received blockers (n = 8) and/or hormones (n = 3; 2 of these individuals reported regret with both), of whom 4 have stopped all gender-affirming medical care and 1 has continued to receive blockers but plans to stop. The 4 others have continued care, suggesting that regret is not synonymous with stopping care. The findings suggest that youth accessing puberty blockers and hormones as part of gender-affirming care tend to be satisfied with and not regretful of that care several years later. While regret was rare, these experiences need to be better understood.

Improving the efficiency of the state youth policy by a project management method (on the example of the Irkutsk Oblast)

This study addresses the feasibility of adopting the Strategy of Youth Entrepreneurship Development in the Irkutsk Oblast for the period of up to 2030 in the context of digital economy. According to relevant data, specific features of youth entrepreneurship are outlined, and the necessity of its systemic support by regional executive and legislative authorities is noted. In the context of academic discourse on youth policy, an analysis of possible directions for launching various initiatives is conducted. Areas to be considered include civic initiatives, strengthening security measures, protecting, overcoming social exclusion, information enrichment, integration of modern technologies, and support in professional selfdetermination. Such multidimensional interventions seek to expand the horizons for young people and to promote their active social, economic, and cultural integration into public life. Particular attention is paid to the importance of supporting social and entrepreneurial youth projects, which form the basis for the development of digital economy and the small-business sector in the Russian state. The research methodology included comparative-legal and historical approaches, the method of deduction and induction, and a formal-legal approach with the application of other scientific cognition methods. Additionally, the conclusion is made that the improvement of youth policy in the context of youth entrepreneurship is possible only based on a comprehensive approach. The latter implies supporting measures of the current legislation, as well as the formation of a positive public opinion on the entrepreneur image through a specialized youth community, such as a Club of young entrepreneurs.

Organizational Performance of Selected Government-Funded Youth Projects in Isiolo County, Kenya: The Role of Strategic Leadership

Organizational Performance of Selected Government-Funded Youth Projects in Isiolo County, Kenya: The Role of Strategic Leadership

Family environment and self-esteem development in adolescence: A replication and extension

A study by Krauss et al. (2020) suggested that the family environment (e.g., parental warmth, economic conditions of family) plays an important role for self-esteem development in adolescence. The present research sought to closely replicate and extend the study, using 4-wave longitudinal data from the Iowa Youth and Families Project, including 451 families. To replicate the prior study, we conducted the same set of analyses with similar measures and multi-informant assessments of mothers, fathers, and children from the same families. To extend the previous study, we tested novel aspects (i.e., controlling for prior exposure and testing the effect of the quality of sibling relationships). Overall, the findings provide no evidence for prospective effects between family environment and self-esteem in adolescence.

Youth empowerment in tobacco control: community-based participatory research in rural Indonesia

PurposeThis paper describes the planning and implementation program of Remaja Berdaya Sehat Tanpa Rokok (JayaStar) or Empower Youth Healthy without Smoking (EYHWS). This is a pilot tobacco control program for smoking behavior with a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach in a rural area of Indonesia.Design/methodology/approachThis research used the participatory rural appraisal (PRA) method. The paper would describe three stages of the JayaStar program that started from diagnosis, planning action and taking action. Participants in this research were all youths aged 17–25 years including as many as 33 people. The key informants were the village head, the hamlet head, the hamlet head’s wife, the youth leader, health promotion officers at the Pleret Health Center and the Health Promotion Section of the Bantul Health Office.FindingsThe determinants of the youth empowerment process are divided into (1) predisposing factors, (2) group structure and (3) group climate. It has an important role in the success of the youth empowerment process in smoking behavior control. The implementation of the JayaStar program consisted of (1) outbound, and training with the theme of increasing self-potential; (2) training on the impact of cigarettes/vapors on the health of youths; (3) discussion and practice of making health campaign videos; (4) parenting program with the theme of the important role of parents in creating a healthy and superior young generation; (5) declaration and inauguration of JayaStar volunteers.Originality/valueThis research is an example of a successful community-based youth project that resulted in a demonstrable positive outcome. It demonstrates the importance of good relations between stakeholders. The JayaStar movement could be a potential model for youth empowerment projects to control smoking behavior among future generations in Indonesia.

Competencies of Youth Council on Strategic Planning and Management for Rebuilding Youth Productive Community Services

The study focuses on assessing the competencies of the youth council on planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of youth projects. The objectives of the study were to identify the demographic profile, assess the youth council on strategic management with regards to planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation, and determine the significant relationship between the profile and the youth council on strategic management. The total population was 95 youths, including 38 females and 57 males, who voluntarily participated in the study with the aid of the descriptive method. The study reveals the common problem of youth was the instrument needed for monitoring and evaluation, and how to sustain youth projects. The LGU and DILG, with the assistance of HEI, must have a memorandum of agreement or understanding to enhance the development plan of the Sangguniang Kabataan on strategic planning and management through the implementation of an extension project on good governance and accountability towards the youth productive community.

Developing a National Longitudinal Tobacco Cohort of Youth and Young Adults: The Tobacco Epidemic Evaluation Network (TEEN+) Study.

Timely and relevant data are critical to monitoring the rapidly changing youth vaping epidemic and for understanding the prevalence, patterns of use, knowledge, and perceptions of tobacco products. While e-cigarettes have been the most used tobacco product among youth for nearly a decade, new nicotine delivery products continue to be introduced to the US market. Flavored tobacco products, including flavored e-cigarettes, menthol cigarettes, and flavored cigars, drive disparities in use by young people. To examine tobacco use among youth and young adults, the Monitoring E-Cigarette Use among Youth project established a longitudinal cohort of youth and young adults (13-24)-the Tobacco Epidemic Evaluation Network (TEEN+) study. TEEN+ focuses on e-cigarette and other tobacco products use and also includes questions about other substance use (eg, marijuana, alcohol), physical health, mental health, and social determinants of health (eg, discrimination, poverty, sexual and gender identity). Geocoding of responses allows for the evaluation of local tobacco control policies. The cohort includes an oversample of California residents to generate reliable and representative state-level estimates. This manuscript provides an overview of methods and baseline demographics from Wave 1. The initial Wave 1 TEEN+ cohort included 10 255 in the national sample and 2761 in the California sample. TEEN+ study data complement nationally-representative cross-sectional studies and allow for rapid evaluation of local and state policies. This manuscript describes the study's probability-based sample recruitment. Furthermore, we identify this initiative as a resource for evaluating the impact of flavored tobacco restriction policies and informing policy implementation efforts. This manuscript provides an overview of the methodology and baseline characteristics for a new longitudinal cohort of youth and young adults, the Tobacco Epidemic Evaluation Network (TEEN+) study. The TEEN+ study data can be used to evaluate the impact of flavored tobacco product restriction policies and informing policy implementation efforts.

Graffiti in Irkutsk and the region

Regional projects “Open Air Museum” and “Area of Achievements” are youth projects in the Irkutsk region focused on painting facades of residential buildings with large-scale images.

YOUTH ENGAGEMENT IN CIVIL SOCIETY DEVELOPMENT IN UKRAINE: PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

The article outlines the ways of engaging young people in the development of civil society in Ukraine. Socially and politically active young people are one of the necessary conditions for forming a democratic society and establishing sustainable and functioning civil society institutions. Therefore, in this paper, the scholars aim to identify the ways of youth interaction with public authorities in Ukraine and general levels of youth civic engagement, as well as to characterize the culture of citizenship as a factor in involving young people in civil society development. The research reveals the relevant issue regarding the prominent role of civil society in various spheres of activity of state authorities and local self-government bodies, a qualitatively new level of interaction between civil society, especially youth as an active part of it, and state and local self-government bodies in order to establish effective dialogue and partnership relations of state bodies authorities, local self-government bodies with civil society organizations.
 The research combined interdisciplinary approaches of several related scientific fields (political science, public administration and education), which allowed to set broader goals and find new ways for improving youth engagement in the development of civil society in Ukraine. The authors developed and conducted an expert survey on youth engagement in the development of civil society and identified possible ways to improve youth participation in public and political life. Authors interviewed 24 experts aged from 18 to 60 years from various fields who are interested in building a democratic state governed by the rule of law: leaders and members of public organizations, teachers of higher education institutions, scholars, deputies of regional and local councils, civil society activists and businessmen.
 It was determined that the effective participation of youth in decision-making processes consists in creating opportunities to involve youth in influencing, shaping, developing and promoting policy and development of services and programs. These opportunities are created by developing a range of formal and informal mechanisms for youth participation, from youth advisory groups to focus groups, from ongoing consultation work to supporting youth projects. As a result of the study, the authors developed a set of conclusions and recommendations addressed to educational institutions, public authorities, local governments and civil society organizations.

Primary-school-aged children inspire their peers and families to eat more vegetables in the KiiDSAY project: a qualitative descriptive study

BackgroundWhile vegetable intakes in Australia remain sub-optimal across all age groups, children are rarely consulted about their ideas on how to increase consumption. Qualitative research involving children provides an opportunity to consider their views. The aim of the Kids initiative inspires Dietary Success in Adults and Youth (KiiDSAY) project was to explore the views of school-aged children, who had participated in a school-based nutrition education program, about inspiring their peers and families to eat more vegetables.MethodsA total of 26 children (15 boys) aged 10–12 years from four primary schools in New South Wales, Australia, participated in seven focus group interviews. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit participants. The study involved open-ended semi-structured questions conducted via Zoom that were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis with deductive and inductive coding in NVivo.ResultsFour major themes emerged: (i) taste; (ii) family environment; (iii) healthy eating; and (iv) change makers; with subthemes that were embedded within Social Cognitive Theory and Ecological Model of Health Behaviour theoretical frameworks.ConclusionsChildren’s inputs hold great potential for informing future interventions, particularly when designing or refining school-based nutrition programs. Children offered suggestions on how to inspire increased vegetable consumption among their peers and families that could be taken into consideration for future research and practice. These included: cooking activities in the home and school settings using recipes that creatively hide/mask/enhance the flavour of vegetables, involving positive role models and supportive school environments. Additionally, children recommended a sequential approach to the delivery of recipes starting from fruit-based and transitioning to vegetable-based recipes. Given the challenges faced in increasing children’s vegetable consumption, particular focus on future research in this area is warranted.Trial registrationFEAST Trial registered 14th December 2020 with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12620001347954).

Tensions and dilemmas in participatory youth projects working within institutional frameworks

ABSTRACT The aim of the article is to explore the tensions and dilemmas that arise when bottom-up projects involving young people are placed within policy- and administratively driven institutions. The tensions and dilemmas are illustrated through three cases. The first case illustrates the colliding interests that can arise when institutions seem unable to create space for ideas from youth projects, while the second shows how bottom-up work is subordinated to policy priorities and high-level management anxieties. The third case illustrates the difficulties that arise when youth projects aiming at doing transformative and educative work collide with formal mechanisms of the legal system. The tensions and dilemmas at play are analysed through the concepts of disciplinary and project logic. The article concludes with a discussion of power relations, ownership, and control connected to youth projects and participation.

Adverse childhood experience and persistent insomnia during emerging adulthood: do positive childhood experiences matter?

BackgroundAdverse childhood experiences (ACE) have been documented to have long-term impacts on sleep disturbances. However, less is known about how ACE co-occurs with positive childhood experiences (PCE) and modulate their effects on adult sleep disturbances, particularly in the context of persistent insomnia. Building on resilience theory, this study aims to examine the interplay between ACE and PCE and their effects on persistent insomnia during emerging adulthood.MethodsA total of 2,841 emerging adults were recruited from the Taiwan Youth Project. Persistent insomnia during emerging adulthood was assessed using two adult surveys (mean age = 19.8 and 21.9). The ACE (10 items) and PCE (7 items) were obtained from the baseline survey (mean age = 13.8). A series of logistic regression analyses were conducted.ResultsAmong the emerging adults, 29.22% had persistent insomnia. Consistent with the compensatory model, ACE and PCE exerted opposing effects on persistent insomnia during emerging adulthood. In line with the protective model, the negative effect of ACE is mitigated when individuals have high PCE. However, consistent with the challenge model, the protective effect of PCE on persistent insomnia was inhibited in individuals with four or more ACE.ConclusionsPCE serves as a protective factor, shielding emerging adults from the adverse effects of ACE on persistent insomnia. It is essential to prioritize positive experiences during early life to promote lifelong sleep health.

Study of Resilience in Female College Adolescents and Young Adults: Tough Times Don’t Last, Tough People Do

This study is part of a multicentric youth project conducted by Association of Adolescent and Child Care in India (AACCI).We examined resilience and its association with demographic variables like age, sibling status, academic course, engagementin extracurricular activities, perceived internet/social media usage and dependence, substance use and perception of controlover one’s life. We used a cross-sectional design with a sample of 17- to 21-year-old female college students from Delhi. Wefound that students who perceived control over their lives had high total scores on resilience measures. Students who usedsocial media had higher total and relational resilience than those who did not use social media. Students who did notuse social media had higher individual resilience. Those who did not see themselves as dependent on social media hadhigher total resilience and relational resilience. Those who did not see themselves as dependent on the internet had higherrelational resilience. There were no significant relationships between resilience and the other demographic variables. Resultsfrom the current study shed light on factors contributing to resilience among adolescents. We can use these findings todevelop training programs that promote adolescent well-being

Adverse childhood experience and young adult's problematic Internet use: The role of hostility and loneliness

BackgroundFew studies have explored the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and problematic Internet use (PIU) during young adulthood. Moreover, even fewer studies have explored the roles of loneliness (social and emotional) and hostility in this relationship. MethodsThis study used data from the Taiwan Youth Project (2011–2017). The analytical sample included 1885 participants (mean age = 31.3 years). PIU was measured using the short form of Chen's Internet Addiction Scale (2017). ACEs were assessed at the baseline of the adolescent phase (mean age = 14.3 years); this indicator has undergone recent revision. Hostility (three items from the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised) and loneliness (six items from the De Jong Gierveld scale) were measured in 2011 and 2014, respectively. ResultsACEs were associated with hostility and loneliness (emotional and social). Additionally, hostility (β = 0.62, p < .01) and emotional loneliness (β = 0.44, p < .01) were significantly associated with PIU. Most mediating paths (e.g., ACE → hostility → PIU) were significant, based on the bootstrapping results. ConclusionsThis study suggests that ACEs have a long-term shadow effect on PIU in young adults. ACEs show an indirect association with PIU through both hostility and loneliness, as well as involving the relationship between them.

PREVENTION OF OFFENSES AMONG UNORGANIZED YOUTH

In the last decade, the organization of work with young people has been implemented through a project-based approach. The eventfulness in the field of youth policy is mainly represented by youth projects and programs at the regional level, often without conceptual foundations. This does not ensure the consistency of work, the coherence of various directions is lost, which, of course, negatively affects not only the final result, but also the quality of current activities.

Assessment of Well-Being of Youth Project Results’ of State Employment and Expenditure in Delta State, Nigeria

This study assessed the effects of the State Employment and Expenditure for Results (SEEFOR) project on the well-being of youth in Delta State. The study Identified beneficiaries ‘attitude towards the SEEFOR project, assessed beneficiaries’ levels of constraints in their involvement with SEEFOR project, found out the effects of the project on beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 274 respondents (137 beneficiaries and 137 non-beneficiaries) for the study. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire on beneficiaries’ attitudes towards the SEEFOR project, beneficiaries’ constraints to involvement in the SEEFOR project and the level of well-being of beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries in the study area. Data obtained were analysed using percentages, mean and the Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC). The findings revealed that the SEEFOR beneficiaries (93.4%) had a favourable attitude towards the project, while the delay in payment of salaries (1.98) was the main constraint faced by beneficiaries in the study area. Also, 77.5% of beneficiaries had better well-being while 68.4% of non-beneficiaries had worse-off well-being. A significant difference exists (F=11.300, p=0.001) in the well-being status of beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries in the study area. This study concluded that SEEFOR project had positive effects on the well-being of its beneficiaries. Therefore, policy makers should endeavour to put in consideration the well-being (both objective and subjective) of its beneficiaries as one of the objectives when formulating programme intervention.

Summer coworking as an element of a comfortable urban environment

The paper deals with the problems of improvement and the creation of a comfortable urban environment. An initiative youth project is an idea of creating a summer coworking on the territory of the Ural Federal University in Ekaterinburg. Here, the University can take responsibility for designing the urban environment and involving urban communities in the development of the city. The article presents the concept of creating a creative open space for work and leisure that will unite citizens, as well as raise the issue of using collaborative design in creating a comfortable urban environment. The author’s developments in creating a unique social object-a summer coworking – are presented. Based on real urban practices and the role of the University as a driver of regional development, the authors of the project plan to create a place for open and trusting inter-social communication between representatives of government, business, public associations, and active citizens. The possibilities of points of growth and development of the formed space were also considered. The implementation of the presented project will improve and improve the territory of the city of Ekaterinburg.

Дайджест опитувань U-Report: IV квартал 2023 р. (насильство у стосунках, культура благодійності та ставлення до одностатевих партнерств)

The results of surveys of the innovative youth project U-Report for October are shown – December 2023: gender stereotypes and violence against women, culture of charity, attitude to same-sex partnership.

‘I am enough!’ study of social self-efficacy in female AYA college students

The Association of Adolescents and Child Care in India (AACCI; www.aacci.in) conducts multicentric studies on youth behavior in India using openly accessible psychometric tools. This study is part of a multi-centric youth project “Building Resilience in Youth;” we used Connolly’s (1989) Social Self-Efficacy Scale (SSES) to explore the relationship between social self-efficacy (SSE), an important soft skill for adolescents and young adults (AYAs), and several sociodemographic variables, including age, sibling status, academic course, engagement in extracurricular activities, perceived Internet/social media usage and dependence, substance use, and perception of control over one’s life. The study design was a cross-sectional study conducted in 2018 with 354 female AYAs aged 17 to 21 years from an all-women, multi-stream college in Delhi. The results showed that participants in the 17-19 age group had higher total SSES scores along with the Friendship/Intimacy, group, and Giving/Receiving Help subscales. Participants engaging in extracurricular competitions had a higher total SSES score including Assertiveness, Group, Public Performance, and Giving/Receiving Help subscales. Participants who had no siblings scored higher on the Friendship/Intimacy subscale. Participants competing in sports competitions score higher on the public performance subscale. All other demographic variables did not have a statistically significant relationship with the total and subscale SSES scores. The results allowed the management to conduct parent and student workshops. In addition, more studies are needed to qualitatively understand the role of age, extracurricular competitions, and sibling status on SSE with a more diverse sample

I was only sixteen.

This short piece describes a new project developed by the adolescent patients with cancer involved in the Youth Project at the Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori in Milan, Italy. This is a scheme dedicated to young cancer patients with the dual aim of optimizing medical aspects of their care and promoting a holistic approach to their needs. "I was only sixteen" is a ballad, written in English by the patients, that became a song with the help of professional musicians (and among them international star Tony Hadley, former frontman of Spandau Ballet). This song sounds like hymn to life for teenagers with cancer in the world. It emphasizes again the value of giving young patients novel creative ways to express themselves.