Positive Youth Development
Based on the literature, the Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs, a collaboration of twelve federal departments and agencies that support youth, has created a definition of positive youth development:
Positive youth development is an intentional, pro-social approach that engages youth within their communities, schools, organizations, peer groups, and families in a manner that is productive and constructive; recognizes, utilizes, and enhances youths' strengths; and promotes positive outcomes for young people by providing opportunities, fostering positive relationships, and furnishing the support needed to build on their leadership strengths.
Learn more about positive youth development.
Positive Youth Development Resources
Cross-Cultural Perspectives
Risk reduction and increased resiliency can be fostered by utilizing positive youth development principles and practices with youth and communities of different ethnicities, races, and cultures. It's been shown that common risk factors surface among all youth regardless of their race or ethnicity.
Youth-Adult Partnerships
Youth involvement can benefit organizations and their programs as well as the youth themselves. Programs that are developed in partnership with youth are more likely to be effective at engaging the population and to have a greater impact.
Evidence of Effectiveness
There have been many evaluations of programs that target specific outcomes (e.g., substance abuse prevention) that may use a positive youth development approach, but to date there has not been a comprehensive review to capture the available evidence from these sorts of evaluations. However, the evidence available suggests that positive youth development programs can prevent a variety of risk behaviors among young people, and improve social and emotional outcomes.
Assess Your Efforts: Involvement and Engagement Assessment Tool (PDF - 6 pages)
This scale can serve as an online assessment tool to assist organizations and community partnerships in determining how they involve youth in programs, whether youth are becoming more engaged in the community, and if certain strategies are helping retain youth.
External Links
Runaway and Homeless Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center
This is a centralized national resource for Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) grantees funded by the Family and Youth Services Bureau at HHS. Training and Technical Assistance Services are directed at assisting RHY grantees to engage in continuous quality improvement of their services and to build their capacity to effectively serve runaway and homeless youth.
Mentoring Children of Prisoners Support Center
The Mentoring Children of Prisoners (MCP) Support Center assists grantees of the HHS/Family and Youth Service Bureau’s MCP Program. The MCP Support Center helps grantees develop the skills and knowledge needed to achieve their desired MCP program outcomes and deliver effective, culturally competent services based on the principles of positive youth development.
Family and Youth Services Bureau Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The mission of the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) is to provide national leadership on youth and family issues. FYSB promotes positive outcomes for children, youth, and families by supporting a wide range of comprehensive services and collaborations at the local, Tribal, state, and national levels. Grant programs supported by FYSB include the Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program, Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs, and Family Violence Prevention and Services.
National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth
The National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth (NCFY) is a free information service for communities, organizations, and individuals interested in developing new and effective strategies for supporting young people and their families. NCFY was established by the Family and Youth Services Bureau (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) to link those interested in youth issues with the resources they need to better serve young people, families, and communities. Their searchable publications database contains a wealth of information about positive youth development.
Building Partnerships for Youth
Building Partnerships for Youth is a partnership between the National 4-H Council and the University of Arizona designed to build the capacity of youth serving organizations in the fields of education, health, faith, and youth development to facilitate the intentional integration of youth development concepts and approaches into policies and programs.
Building Partnerships for Youth Program Assessment Tool
The Building Partnerships for Youth Program Assessment Tool was created to help administrators and program personnel assess their program's current capacity to address each of the 21 elements of youth development and thus make informed decisions regarding future program directions. This brief self-assessment provides an immediate feedback report which indicates how well a program is currently addressing each of the elements of youth development.
Improving the Health of Adolescents and Young Adults: A Guide for States and Communities
This guidance document, developed in collaboration with the National Initiative to Improve Adolescent Health, is designed to help guide state and local agencies and organizations through public health processes that address important adolescent health and safety issues.
School Connectedness: Strategies for Increasing Protective Factors Among Youth
This publication identifies six strategies that teachers, administrators, other school staff, and parents can implement to increase the extent to which students feel connected to school.
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