scholarly journals Youth and Families with Promise: A Multi-Component Youth Development Program

2007 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 80-88
Author(s):  
Brian J. Higginbotham

Integrating mentoring into existing youth programs has been suggested as a promising approach to youth development. This article discusses a theoretical rationale underlying the integration of one-on-one mentoring into established youth development programs. From an ecological perspective, the addition of mentoring into traditional programs should theoretically enhance the youth development experience. Mentoring, in addition to programs like 4-H, enriches the context in which developing youth are supported and encouraged by non-parental adults to develop competencies, to take on leadership responsibilities, and to integrate into positive peer groups (i.e., 4-H clubs). A multi-component program that involves at-risk youth in both mentoring and 4-H activities is highlighted. Results from at-risk youth and their parents indicate that Utah’s 4-H/ Mentoring: Youth and Families with Promise program strengthens the protective factors of academic achievement, social competence, and family bonds.

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 388-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel T.L. Shek ◽  
Britta M. Lee

The Project P.A.T.H.S. (Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programs) is a positive youth development program that attempts to promote holistic development in adolescents in Hong Kong. In the Tier 2 Program of this project, social workers are expected to develop positive youth development programs for adolescents having greater psychosocial needs. They are required to submit proposals that will be evaluated in terms of whether the proposals are evidence based, and appropriate evaluation mechanisms are included. With reference to the literature on parental control processes that Chinese parents may be loose in their behavioral control and they tend to overemphasize academic excellence, it is argued that improvement of the parenting skills of parents of Chinese adolescents is an important area to be addressed. To facilitate social workers to prepare the related proposals, a sample proposal on how to improve the parenting skills of Chinese parents is described, including its conceptual framework, proposed program, and evaluation plan. It is argued that this supportive approach (i.e., preparation of a sample proposal) can help social workers to develop quality proposals on positive youth development programs in Hong Kong.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen Burke Blackburn ◽  
Imaani Greene ◽  
Shintele Malloy ◽  
Rima Himelstein ◽  
Alexandra Hanlon ◽  
...  

Evaluation in the field of youth development continues to evolve.  Youth development programs vary significantly in their focus, setting and outcomes.  Community-based programs seeking to create or strengthen their evaluation methods and tools may have difficulty identifying what to measure and how to capture anticipated outcomes.  This article focuses on a youth development program combining service learning and peer education, serving urban adolescents ages 14 to 19.  The purposes of this study are: 1) to illustrate a strategy used to clarify and align core activities, anticipated outcomes and evaluation tools, and 2) to provide an overview of the updated data collection instruments created by the program. 


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 808-819 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia M. S. Ma ◽  
Daniel T. L. Shek ◽  
Hildie Leung

Objectives:In this study, we used the one-group pretest–posttest design to examine changes in students after joining a positive youth development program (Project PATHS) in Hong Kong, with 9,226 successfully matched junior high school students joining the Tier 1 and/or Tier 2 program(s).Method:Program participants completed the validated outcome measures on positive youth development, life satisfaction, and thriving before and after joining the program(s).Results:Students showed positive changes after joining the Tier 1 and/or Tier 2 program(s). The present findings replicated and converged with the findings of the previous two studies.Conclusion:The present study illustrates the role of positive youth development programs in promoting adolescent development and highlights the importance of replication in intervention research in positive youth development programs in youth services. The contributions and limitations of this series of studies are discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Serdar Samur

In our age, businesses are accepted as living organisms. Businesses that are aware of this change have begun to transition from a result-oriented work system to process management, closely following customer expectations in order to exist in the future as well. The largest expense that sports clubs incur involves transfer spending, because the most talented footballer, who would influence team success, is recruited from outside the club. Today, many sports clubs are incorporated and need to create their own economic resources that would not only ensure their survival but also their success and continuity. This resource can be achieved by means of the footballers who participate in the youth development programs conducted by the club’ football academy. The standards of football are on the rise, and so are the expectations of all those involved, with qualified footballers demanding astronomical wages. Sport clubs need to increase their profits by using the resources that are being developed in their respective football academies. If a given footballer attains a high standard by performing well during training and making it to the first string team, the club has to save on the transfer budget. The aim of this study is to determine how club football schools and academies manage in accordance with process management within the system approach. This study incorporated the qualitative research method and case study technique. Data was collected with the help of the interview technique and examined using content analysis. In this research, it was found that youth development programs should be managed by employing three main processes: covering education in sports schools, practicing with competitor teams, and transitioning to professionalism. If these processes are applied across football academies, it would lead to the emergence of economically qualified footballers. Youth Development Programs, as a part of the system of process management within the framework of organizational structures of sports clubs, will prove to be an ideal form of structuring.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
MA Hemphill ◽  
Barrie Gordon ◽  
PM Wright

© 2019, © 2019 Association for Physical Education. Background: Sport-based youth development (SBYD) programs aim to teach life skills to youth within a physical activity context. An explicit objective of most SBYD programs is that youth learn to apply, or transfer, life skills beyond the sports program. Limited research has been conducted on the cognitive processes that help youth understand how life skills apply within and beyond sports. Purpose: This study uses a conceptual framework on transfer of life skills to examine the role of life skills in an SBYD program. Research questions include: (1) how does the SBYD program integrate the teaching of life skills, (2) how do youth participants experience the life skills in the boxing program, and (3) how do youth participants perceive the life skills impact them beyond the program. Methodology: This research took place at three community boxing academies in New Zealand. The three academies were selected because they are affiliated with a boxing program that is committed to implementing a life skills framework called the Passport to Success. Forty-one youth (31 boys, 10 girls) across the three sites participated in focus groups interviews about their experience in the program. Additionally, observations of program implementation documented the daily routines of each boxing academy. Using a qualitative case study design, inductive analysis and constant comparative methods were used to identify emergent themes. Findings: Youth participants perceived life skills to be a foundational component of the boxing program. The life skills were presented to youth through the ‘Passport to Success’, a document featuring eight key life skills. The coaches focused on the Passport to Success in several ways, including setting an expectation that youth memorize the life skills to demonstrate their commitment. Several youth participants discussed learning valuable lessons around the life skills. Finally, youth were able to describe scenarios which demonstrated how the life skills connected with other areas of their lives. Conclusion: Life skills implementation was guided by the Passport to Success and an expectation that youth develop positive relationships in the gym. A routine strategy for memorizing the Passport to Success provided a clear example of youth learning the meaning of life skills in the context of sports. The youth participants demonstrated cognitive connections in their explanation of the value of life skills beyond the boxing program. Using the conceptual framework on transfer [Jacobs and Wright 2018. “Transfer of Life Skills in Sport-Based Youth Development Programs: A Conceptual Framework Bridging Learning to Application.” Quest 70 (1): 81–99] helps to explain the cognitive connections youth participants make between life skills in a sports program and their application beyond sports.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
MA Hemphill ◽  
Barrie Gordon ◽  
PM Wright

© 2019, © 2019 Association for Physical Education. Background: Sport-based youth development (SBYD) programs aim to teach life skills to youth within a physical activity context. An explicit objective of most SBYD programs is that youth learn to apply, or transfer, life skills beyond the sports program. Limited research has been conducted on the cognitive processes that help youth understand how life skills apply within and beyond sports. Purpose: This study uses a conceptual framework on transfer of life skills to examine the role of life skills in an SBYD program. Research questions include: (1) how does the SBYD program integrate the teaching of life skills, (2) how do youth participants experience the life skills in the boxing program, and (3) how do youth participants perceive the life skills impact them beyond the program. Methodology: This research took place at three community boxing academies in New Zealand. The three academies were selected because they are affiliated with a boxing program that is committed to implementing a life skills framework called the Passport to Success. Forty-one youth (31 boys, 10 girls) across the three sites participated in focus groups interviews about their experience in the program. Additionally, observations of program implementation documented the daily routines of each boxing academy. Using a qualitative case study design, inductive analysis and constant comparative methods were used to identify emergent themes. Findings: Youth participants perceived life skills to be a foundational component of the boxing program. The life skills were presented to youth through the ‘Passport to Success’, a document featuring eight key life skills. The coaches focused on the Passport to Success in several ways, including setting an expectation that youth memorize the life skills to demonstrate their commitment. Several youth participants discussed learning valuable lessons around the life skills. Finally, youth were able to describe scenarios which demonstrated how the life skills connected with other areas of their lives. Conclusion: Life skills implementation was guided by the Passport to Success and an expectation that youth develop positive relationships in the gym. A routine strategy for memorizing the Passport to Success provided a clear example of youth learning the meaning of life skills in the context of sports. The youth participants demonstrated cognitive connections in their explanation of the value of life skills beyond the boxing program. Using the conceptual framework on transfer [Jacobs and Wright 2018. “Transfer of Life Skills in Sport-Based Youth Development Programs: A Conceptual Framework Bridging Learning to Application.” Quest 70 (1): 81–99] helps to explain the cognitive connections youth participants make between life skills in a sports program and their application beyond sports.


2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-199
Author(s):  
Florence K.Y. Wu ◽  
Daniel T.L. Shek

Abstract Although training plays an important role in the successful implementation of positive youth development programs, research on training and trainers in this field is grossly neglected. In this paper, a trainer of a positive youth development program in Hong Kong (Project P.A.T.H.S.; Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programmes) reflected about her transition from the role of a teacher (and program implementer) to the role of a trainer. Based on the reflection, the transformations involved, including self-perception, teaching role and teaching strategies, were highlighted. The issue of how previous experience influenced training in the context of positive youth development was also discussed. It is suggested that involvement of front-line practitioners in the training of positive youth development programs is workable, although systematic training for the novice trainers may be needed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 350-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Cohen ◽  
Khalid Ballouli

Although sport can serve as a valuable mechanism for social change, this does not imply it can single-handedly solve large-scale problems; rather, sport should be utilized with passionate leadership, efficient and innovative program design, and ancillary cultural enrichment activities to achieve optimal results. This research was motivated by developments in some marginalized and at-risk communities where several sport-for-development programs have started to incorporate music to enhance the appeal and impact of sport interventions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of hip-hop and sport by one sport-for-development program to educate and improve the lives of inner-city youth in Harlem. Data were collected by interviewing key stakeholders of the program, including participants, workshop leaders, staff, and upper-level executives along with onsite observations. Results of our investigation highlighted the cultural influence of music and sport within a local demographic and a sport-for-development initiative aimed to appeal to both local at-risk youth and key community stakeholders.


2011 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 2207-2218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel T. L. Shek ◽  
Hing Keung Ma ◽  
Rachel C. F. Sun

The design of a new curriculum in a positive youth development program (Project P.A.T.H.S.) in Hong Kong is outlined. The Tier 1 Program of the original phase of the Project P.A.T.H.S. is a universal positive youth development program for students in Secondary 1 to Secondary 3 with the curricula developed by a research team comprising scholars in different disciplines (e.g., social work, psychology, and education). The 120 teaching units are designed with reference to 15 positive youth development constructs identified in the successful positive youth development programs. In the extension phase of the project, a new curriculum with 60 teaching units is developed in accordance with these 15 constructs with specific reference to five major adolescent developmental issues. These issues include substance abuse, sexuality issue, Internet addiction, bullying, and money and success issues. The principles underlying the program development and implementation strategies are outlined.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-154
Author(s):  
Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty ◽  
Steven M. Worker ◽  
Martin H. Smith

Educator professional development in the 4-H Youth Development Program needs improvement. Lesson study, an iterative and educator-centered approach to professional development, has proven to be effective in school-based settings; however, research on the model in youth development programs is limited. The present study investigated the use of lesson study with professional Cooperative Extension staff, adult 4-H volunteers, and teenage 4-H volunteers in different 4-H contexts in three state programs. Findings revealed improvements in educators’ data-driven decision-making, content knowledge, lesson planning and implementation, and social connections across all contexts. To work effectively within the 4-H context, however, some adaptations to the model were necessary.


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