There is a dearth of effective, evidence-based programming to support youth experiencing homelessness, particularly in low-and middle-income countries where the majority of these young people live. Programs focused on youth engagement and leadership appear to be promising means to effectively engage and promote positive outcomes in this population. By Youth for Youth (BYFY) is a peer-led youth leadership framework developed to promote youth engagement, empowerment, and skill development. To date, BYFY has been successfully implemented with promising process and outcome indicators for youth experiencing homelessness, both in Toronto and with Indigenous youth in Thunder Bay. In this article, we present the application of BYFY with 30 street-involved youth in Managua, Nicaragua. We highlight the key implementation factors leading to BYFY's success in Nicaragua as perceived by facilitators from the implementing organization, Covenant House International, and youth leaders. Using a General Inductive analysis of interview data, field notes, and artistic output generated by the project (rap video, graffiti art, street theater), we identify the processes that appeared to underlie positive outcomes observed in participants, including creating a sense of safety and providing opportunities to challenge negative self-perceptions. This article provides evidence for a scaleable model for youth engagement and empowerment that (a) is practical to implement in low-resource settings and (b) is effective at engaging street-involved youth across diverse cultures and contexts. We summarize practical implications and actionable measures that can be taken by stakeholders to capitalize on these findings. Public Policy Relevance StatementLimited programming options are available to meet the wide-ranging needs of youth experiencing homelessness, particularly in low-and middle-income countries with the majority of this population lives. The present study describes the implementation of a novel, youth-led program in Nicaragua with a group of youth experiencing homelessness in this context, with suggestions for successful implementation and adaptation of this framework in other diverse settings with this population.
The objective of the current research was to investigate the relationship between parenting style, culture, and infant development in a sample of Latin American mother-infant dyads in Toronto, Canada. We examined associations between mothers' self-reported parenting style and infant cognitive and socioemotional development, which we compared to results from mothers belonging to two other Canadian immigrant populations. We further examined whether specific cultural correlates, including affiliation with traditional Latinx cultural beliefs familism and fatalism and acculturation, were associated with positive parenting behaviors in the Latin American sample. Across all three cultural groups, authoritative parenting predicted adaptive socio-emotional development, an effect which differed in magnitude across groups, providing support for the hypothesis that the effect of parenting behaviors on infant development are moderated by culture. Within the Latin American sample, affiliation with the value of familism was associated with higher scores of authoritative parenting, but familism decreased as acculturation to the host culture increased. This research adds to our understanding of factors that contribute to the well-being of Latin American families in Canada. Findings carry implications for provision of infant mental health services to Latin American immigrant families by identifying cultural variables which should be considered when providing parenting interventions to make such interventions more culturally relevant. K E Y W O R D Sculture, immigration, infant development, Latin American, parenting Latin Americans, commonly referred to as Latinxs, make up the fourth largest group of immigrants and the largest group of refugees in Canada (Citizenship and Immigration, 2016). Latin Americans hail from territories in the This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
There are tens of millions of children and youth in street situations (CYSS) worldwide, the majority of whom are males living in low‐ and middle‐income countries. Many of these children demonstrate impressive adaptability and resilience. The focus of the current research was on the resilience of male CYSS in León, Nicaragua. Qualitative data were collected through individual interviews and focus groups with CYSS, their family members, community members, and staff of a local nonprofit, with the objective of exploring and consolidating local understandings of resilience. Grounded theory analysis of qualitative data yielded a context‐specific conceptual model of resilience as it pertains to CYSS in León. Six qualities were identified to represent the experience of resilience in this group: agency, belonging, flexibility, protection, self‐regulation, and self‐worth. The knowledge generated from this research can serve as a foundation to develop and implement resilience‐promoting interventions for CYSS.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.