Healthy People 2020 identifies positive youth development (PYD) as a major new approach for interventions, describing it as “the intentional process of providing all youth with the support, relationships, experiences, resources, and opportunities needed to become successful and competent adults.” A growing number of evaluations suggest that PYD can improve youth outcomes , and that incorporating it into existing interventions can enhance their effectiveness. For example, youth are more likely to join, attend, and be engaged in all types of programs that employ a positive youth development approach.
Positive youth development has been defined by eight key elements :
- Physical and psychological safety;
- Supportive relationships;
- Opportunities to belong;
- Support for efficacy and mattering;
- Positive social norms;
- Opportunities for skill-building;
- Appropriate structure; and
- Integration of family, school, and community efforts.
If these approaches are successful for youth, why wouldn’t they be effective for young adults and for adults more generally?
[See more at: http://www.childtrends.org/how-about-implementing-positive-youth-development-with-emerging-adults-and-adults/#sthash.cS5qf0vm.dpuf]
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