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Positive Youth Development, or PYD refers to intentional efforts of other youth, adults, communities, government agencies and schools to provide opportunities for youth to enhance their interests, skills, and abilities. PYD is used in scientific literature and by practitioners who work with youth to refer to programs designed to optimize developmental progress.

PYD differs from other approaches to youth in that it rejects an emphasis on trying to correct what is "wrong" with children's behavior or development. Programs and practitioners seek to empathize with, educate and engage children in productive activities.

Background
Positive Youth Development is a strengths based view of adolescence that finds its origins in ecological systems theory. It likewise shares some conceptual space with the relatively recent advent of positive psychology principles. Central to its philosophy, the theory of PYD suggests that “if young people have mutually beneficial relations with the people and institutions of their social world, they will be on the way to a hopeful future marked by positive contributions to self, family, community, and civil society”.

Positive Youth Development was created as a response to the negative and punitive approaches of the then current "traditional youth development" approach. The traditional approach recognizes that due to the changes during adolescent years, several important public health and social problems either begin or peak, including homicide, suicide, substance use and abuse, sexually transmitted infections and teen and unplanned pregnancies. Many professionals and mass media portray adolescents as inevitable problems that just need to be “straightened out” before they can do too much harm. Specific evidence of this “problem-centered” model can be found all over professional fields that work with young people. Many connections can also be made to the current U.S. criminal justice model that favors punishment as opposed to prevention.

The concept and practice of Positive Youth Development “grew from the dissatisfaction with a predominant view that underestimated the true capacities of young people by focusing on their deficits rather than their development potential”. Addressing the positive development of young people can decrease these problems by facilitating their adoption of healthy behaviors and helping to ensure a healthy transition into adulthood.

Goals
PYD focuses on the active promotion of optimal human development, rather than on the scientific study of age related change, distinguishing it from the study of 'child development' or 'adolescent development'. or as solely a means of avoiding risky behaviors. Rather than grounding its developmental approach in the presence of adversity, risk or challenge, a PYD approach considers the potential and capacity of each individual young person. A hallmark of these programs is that they are based on the concept that children and adolescents have strengths and abilities unique to their developmental stage and that they are not merely 'inadequate' or 'undeveloped' adults. Lerner and colleagues write: "The goal of the positive youth development perspective is to promote positive outcomes. This idea is in contrast to a perspective that focuses on punishment and the idea that adolescents are broken".

Positive Youth Development is both a vision, an ideology and a new vocabulary for engaging with youth development. Its tenets can be organized into the 5 C’s which are: competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring. When these 5 C’s are present, the 6th C of “contribution” is realized.

Key constructs
Positive youth development programs typically recognize contextual variability in youths' experience and in what is considered 'healthy' or 'optimal' development for youth in different settings or cultures. This cultural sensitivity reflects the influence of Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. The influence of ecological systems theory is also seen on the emphasis many youth development programs place on the interrelationship of different social contexts through which the development person moves (e.g. family, peers, school, work, and leisure).

The University of Minnesota's Keys to Quality Youth Development summarizes eight key elements of programs that successfully promote youth development. Such programs are physically and emotionally safe, give youth a sense of belonging and ownership and foster their self-worth, allow them to discover their 'self' (identity, interests, strengths), foster high quality and supportive relations with peers and adults, help youth recognize conflicting values and develop their own, foster the development of new skills, have fun, and have hope for the future.

In addition, programs that employ PYD principles generally have one or more of the following features:
 * promote bonding
 * foster resilience
 * promote social, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and moral competence
 * foster self-determination
 * foster spirituality
 * foster self-efficacy
 * foster clear and positive identity
 * foster belief in the future
 * provide recognition for positive behavior and opportunities for pro-social involvement
 * foster pro-social norms

Practical applications for social divisions
Gender

Positive Youth Development principles can be used to address gender inequities through the promotion of programs such as "Girls on the Run." Physical activity-based programs like "Girls on the Run" are being increasingly utilized around the world for their ability to encourage psychological, emotional, and social development for youth. "Girls on the Run" enhances this type of physical activity program by specifically targeting female youth in an effort to reduce the gendered view of a male-dominated sports arena. "Girls on the Run" is a non-profit organization begun in 1996 that distributes a 12-week training program to help girls prepare for a 5k running competition. This particular program is made available to 3rd through 5th grade female students throughout the United States and Canada to be implemented in either school or community-based settings.

Another example of Positive Youth Development principles being utilized to target youth [Gender inequality|gender inequities]] can be seen in that of a participatory diagramming approach in Kibera, Kenya. This community development effort enabled participants to feel safe discussing their concerns regarding gender inequities in the community with the dominant male group. This approach also enabled youth to voice their needs and identify potential solutions related to topics like HIV/AIDS and family violence.

Ethnic minorities in the United States

Positive Youth Development can be used to combat negative stereotypes surrounding youth of minority ethnic groups in the U.S. After-school programs have been directly geared to generate increased participation for African American and Latino youth with a focus on academic achievement and increasing high school graduation rates. Studies have found programs targeting African American youth are more effective when they work to bolster a sense of their cultural identity PYD has even been used to help develop and strengthen the cultural identities of American Indian and Alaskan Native youth. PYD methods have been used to provide a supportive setting in which to engage youth in traditional activities. Various programs have been implemented related to sports, language, and arts and crafts.

Asia
The key constructs of PYD listed above have been generally accepted throughout the world with some regional distinctions. For example, a Chinese Positive Youth Development Scale has been developed to conceptualize how these features are applicable to Chinese youth. The Chinese Positive Youth Development Scale was used as a measure in a study of Chinese youth in secondary schools in Hong Kong that indicated positive youth development has a direct impact on life satisfaction and reducing problem behavior for Chinese youth. One specific example of PYD implementation is seen in the project "P.A.T.H.S. (Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programmes) to Adulthood: A Jockey Club Youth Enhancement Scheme." This program targets junior secondary school students in Hong Kong (Grades 7 through 9 in the North American System). The program is composed of two terms, the first of which is a structured curriculum focusing on the 15 PYD constructs and designed for all students as a "universal prevention initiative." The Tier 2 Program is a more selective prevention model directly targeting students with greater psychosocial needs identified by the school social work service providers. The label "at-risk" is intentionally avoided because the term denotes a very negative stigma in Chinese culture, and therefore discourages participation in the program. It should be noted that while Chinese social work agencies commonly target students with greater psychosocial needs, these PYD programs have rarely undergone thorough systemic evaluation and documentation.

Europe
In Portugal, the utility of Positive Youth Development principles in sporting contexts is beginning to be recognized. Several athletic-based programs have been implemented in the country, but more research is necessary to determine their effectiveness at this point.

Latin America & the Caribbean
Positive Youth Development has also been seen in the form of youth volunteer service throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. From Mexico and the Caribbean to Central and South America, this form of implementation has been acknowledged for encouraging both personal and community development, while oftentimes contributing to poverty reduction. It has furthermore been seen as a way of promoting civil engagement through various service opportunities in communities.

Positive Youth Development efforts can be seen in the work of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in collaboration with various regional governments and the private sector across Latin America and the Caribbean. This work has focused on providing broader educational options, skills training, and opportunities for economically disadvantaged youth to obtain apprenticeships. The ¡Supérate! Centers across El Salvador are one example, as they are supported by USAID in combination with private companies and foundations, and offer expanded education for high-performing students from poorer economic backgrounds. As of 2011, there were 7 centers in El Salvador and USAID expressed plans to expand this model across Central America. In Brazil, the Jovem Plus program offers high-demand skills training for youth in disadvantaged communities in Rio de Janeiro and the northeastern area of the nation. Other programs include the "Youth Movement against Violence" in Guatemala and "Youth Upliftment through Employment" in Jamaica.

U.S. organizations using Positive Youth Development principles

 * Chicago Freedom School (Chicago, IL, USA)
 * Elementz (Cincinnati, OH, USA)
 * Grace Lee Boggs School (Detroit, MI, USA)
 * Michigan Youth and Community Program (Detroit Metro area, MI, USA)
 * Mikva Challenge (Chicago, IL, USA)
 * Neutral Zone (Ann Arbor, MI, USA)
 * Skill Set (Rowe, MA, USA)
 * Umoja Student Development Corporation (Chicago, IL, USA)
 * Urbano Project (Boston, MA, USA)
 * YES: Youth Empowerment Solutions (Lansing, MI, USA)
 * Youth Leadership Institute (San Francisco, CA, USA)
 * Youth On Board (Boston, MA, USA)
 * Youth Uprising (Oakland, CA, USA)
 * Youth Voice (Detroit)
 * D.I.G (Dreams Imagination & Gift Development Program)(South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina)
 * Youth-Nex The University of Virginia Center to Promote Effective Youth Development (Charlottesville, Virginia)