Using relational developmental systems theory to link program goals, activities, and outcomes: The sample case of the 4‐H Study of Positive Youth Development

Abstract

In contemporary developmental science, relational development systems models have been used to frame the positive youth development (PYD) perspective, which posits that youth will thrive when there is alignment between their strengths and ecological resources in their context. Evidence from the 4-H Study of PYD indicates that out-of-school-time youth development programs are key ecological resources enhancing youth thriving. This chapter discusses the particular facets of youth development programs (the "Big Three"-positive and sustained adult-youth relationships, skill-building activities, and youth leadership opportunities) involved in promoting youth thriving. The importance of using theory to design and implement programs is also discussed, and challenges of reaching the diversity of American youth with effective programs are noted.

Resilience in Urban African American Adolescents: The Protective Enhancing Effects of Neighborhood, Family, and School Cohesion Following Violence Exposure

“…Although it is not clear how best to increase family and neighborhood cohesion to have a positive effect, this work serves to facilitate the push in modern resilience science to locate the windows of opportunity that are most conducive to positive change (Masten, 2014). Clinical research and practice have begun to address these protective enhancing ecological factors through programming implementation, such as cross-age peer mentoring programs (Karcher, 2009;Lerner et al, 2014) and family-based interventions (e.g., Multisystemic Therapy; Littell, Popa, & Forsythe, 2005), but further evaluation of the efficacy of such programs is needed (Lerner, Lerner, Bowers, & Geldhof, 2015).…”

Positive youth development, thriving and social engagement: An analysis of gender differences in Spanish youth

“…Concerning mental health, Patel (2005) argued that gender should also be a core component due to differential prevalence and consequences in burden and stigma. Lerner et al (2014) showed that the results of PYD intervention programs varied as a function of socioeconomic status and gender. At high levels of involvement in PYD programs, girls from lower asset neighborhoods showed higher levels of PYD, lower depressive symptoms, and less risk behavior, while these positive outcomes were observed in boys from high asset neighborhoods.…”

“…Benson and Scales (2009) argued that thriving represents a dynamic and bidirectional interaction between a person's competences and developmental contexts over time, which involves the stability of his or her development towards an idealized personhood. The 4-H Study in the USA provided conclusions regarding how the participation in PYD programs promoted adolescent thriving across development Lerner et al, 2014). Thus, thriving is defined as a developmental and multidimensional construct (Benson & Scales, 2009) in which different outcomes may be described at different levels, that is, at an individual level (with markers such as psychological adjustment, academic adjustment, and healthy lifestyles), but also in terms of social engagement (e.g., with family, peers, and the community).…”

Toward a Pedagogy of Sociopolitical Consciousness in Outside of School Programs

“…Germinal works by Eccles and Gootman (2002), Lerner et al (2005), and others were instrumental in delineating aspects considered key to Urban Rev (2015) 47:893-913 897 PYD, including popular PYD models used in organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs and YMCAs across the nation, such as The Five C's of PYD and the 40 Developmental Assets (Lerner et al 2011). Subsequently, concepts of PYD were extended by Lerner et al's (2005) much-analyzed 4-H Study of PYD (Lerner et al 2014), which posited that PYD could be optimized when the individual assets of youth are aligned with the assets of their environments. These varying models of PYD are not without limitations, however, especially for Black youth.…”