Positive Youth Development: Processes, Programs, and Problematics

Abstract

Using the tripartite conception of positive youth development (PYD) suggested by Hamilton (1999) -as a developmental process, a philosophy or approach to youth programming, and as instances of youth programs and organizations focused on fostering the healthy or positive development of youth -we review different theoretical models of the developmental process involved in PYD. In addition, we review the ideas for and the features of youth development programs aimed at promoting PYD. We discuss the need for research interrelating different, theoretically-predicated measures of PYD and, as well, the importance of clear links between models of the PYD developmental process and of the youth development programs seeking to enhance PYD among diverse youth. We discuss several conceptual and practical problematics that must be addressed in order to integrate the three facets of PYD scholarship.

Special Section Introduction: Thriving in Context: Findings from the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development

“…Through the lens of relational developmental systems theory, it is possible to assert that youth represent ''resources to be developed'' (Roth and Brooks-Gunn 2003a, b). This strength-based view of adolescents increasingly has been used to study positive youth development (PYD), or thriving, within the United States (e.g., Lerner et al 2012) and internationally (e.g., Gestsdottir and Lerner 2007;Silbereisen and Lerner 2007). The results of this research has led to the identification of the characteristics of thriving that emerge from this relational process (e.g., the Five Cs of PYD or youth Contribution; J.…”

Special Issue Introduction: Thriving Across the Adolescent Years: A View of the Issues

“…The study sought to examine the strengths of diverse youth within the multitude of settings in which they are embedded; many, but not all, youth were engaged in a variety of out-of-school-time (OST) activities, but, again, the great majority of youth were not engaged in 4-H programs. The findings from the study have been reported in several special issues of journals (Lerner et al 2005, special sections of journals , and in numerous single articles, chapters, and books (see Lerner et al 2013; in press, for reviews). The present special issue presents empirical reports from across all waves of the study.…”

“…The scholars interested in PYD as a process (e.g., Benson et al 2006;Damon 2004Damon , 2008Eccles 2004;Eccles and Gootman 2002;Hamilton and Hamilton 2009;Larson 2000;Lerner et al 2013;Masten 2001;Spencer 2006) implicitly or explicitly framed their ideas within this relational developmental systems conception ). As such, PYD was regarded as an instance of an adaptive developmental regulation involving the bidirectional relations between the attributes of youth and the features of their family, school, and community contexts.…”

“…As such, PYD was regarded as an instance of an adaptive developmental regulation involving the bidirectional relations between the attributes of youth and the features of their family, school, and community contexts. The mutually beneficial features of the relations that enabled thriving to emerge were based on the idea that PYD occurred when there was an alignment between attributes of youth that constituted strengths of the individual (as, for instance, operationalized by characteristics such as intentional self-regulation skills, hopeful future expectations, and school engagement; Lerner et al 2013) and the features of the context that were developmental assets (for instance, warmth and monitoring by engaged parents or sustained relations with a caring and competent mentor or youth program practitioner). This strengths-based approach to youth development in general and to the understanding of thriving in particular was a frame for the key approaches to the design of PYD programs and to instances of such programs that were derived from such theory-predicated approaches (e.g., Catalano et al 2002Catalano et al , 2004Flay 2002;Flay and Allred 2003;Kurtines et al 2008).…”

“…The study also sought to ascertain the possible impact of the development of these indicators of youth thriving to youth actions benefitting their context. Youth contributions to their families, schools, and communities, through active and engaged citizenship, were assessed (such youth contribution was regarded as the ''Sixth C'' of PYD; Lerner et al 2013). The links between PYD, youth contributions and indicators of risk/problem behaviors were also studied to elucidate ideas pertinent to both the promotion of thriving and the prevention of risks and problem behaviors associated with adolescent development (Schwartz et al 2007).…”