
9 Keys to a Successful Youth Leadership Development Program
- 1. Make Sure Your Pastor is On Board ...
- 2. Set Clear and Achievable Goals ...
- 3. Trust Youth ...
- 4. Have an Awesome Place to Hold Youth Leadership Meetings ...
- 5. Offer Unique Challenges ...
- 6. Don’t Ignore Fundraising ...
- 7. Leverage a Proven Leadership Training System ...
- 8. Pay Close Attention to Parent Feedback ...
Full Answer
What makes a youth program successful?
Competence in academic, social, and vocational areas. Confidence or a positive self-identity. Connections to community, family, and peers. Character or positive values, integrity, and moral commitment.
What should the components of a successful youth program be?
In fact, Lerner et al. (2005) found that participation in high-quality youth development programs such as 4-H leads to positive outcomes for youth. These outcomes are known as the five “C's”: competence, confidence, connection, character and caring. A sixth “C”, contribution, is the culmination of these five outcomes.
What are the 5 characteristics of Positive Youth Development?
The Five Cs of Positive Youth Development, comprising competence, confidence, connection, caring and character, leading to a sixth C of contribution, is a well-known and well-researched PYD model (Heck & Subramaniam, 2009) and much of this work has been undertaken in the United States with quantitative methodologies.
What are some key factors that promote healthy youth development and how can you implement those features in working with teens?
How to Promote Positive Youth DevelopmentPhysical 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.
How can I improve my youth program?
Here are five tips for continuous improvement and making collecting feedback from young people meaningful:Communicate program/activity goals to youth consistently. ... More small-group work. ... Regular check-ins and wrap-ups. ... Put youth in charge. ... Mutual accountability.
What are key elements of a positive youth development PYD framework?
Opportunities to develop positive social values and norms. Opportunities for skill building and mastery. Opportunities to develop confidence in their abilities to master their environment. Opportunities to make a contribution to their community and to develop a sense of mattering.
What is the vision of positive youth development?
Positive youth development is an intentional, pro-social approach that engages youth within their communities, schools, organizations, peer groups, and families in a manner that is productive and constructive; recognizes, utilizes, and enhances youths' strengths; and promotes positive outcomes for young people by ...
What are the 5 stages of youth development?
The five stages of child development include the newborn, infant, toddler, preschool, and school-age stages. Children undergo various changes in terms of physical, speech, intellectual and cognitive development gradually until adolescence. Specific changes occur at specific ages of life.
What are the core principles of the youth development approach?
Youth development needs good information sense of contributing something of value to society. feeling of connectedness to others and to society. belief that they have choices about their future.
What are the 6 C's of positive youth development?
Research done by Richard Lerner helps show the need for youth development organizations and support systems to influence the five Cs: competence, confidence, connection, character, caring and a sixth C added by K.J. Pittman, contribution (Perkins,Borden, Keith, Hoppe-Rooney, &Villaruel,2003, p.
What are the positive effects of youth community engagement?
Enhanced individual development as it provides youth with opportunities to generate real community change; Increased status and stature in the community; Increased self-discipline and time management; Insight into the multiple roles of adults and broader career choices (Advocates for Youth n.d.); and.
What is the purpose of the empowerment of youth?
When youth are empowered, they feel confident and capable. They become active contributors and collaborators, excited to explore their impact on the world around them. Boys & Girls Clubs' caring mentors and life-enhancing programs empower millions of young people each year.
What are examples of youth programs?
Character development and ethical enrichment activities;Mentoring activities, including one-to-one relationship building and tutoring;Community youth centers and clubs;Nonschool hours, weekend, and summer programs and camps;Sports, recreation, and other activities promoting physical fitness and teamwork;More items...
What is the youth development model?
The 'Youth Physical Development Model' was developed by Dr Rhodri Lloyd and Dr Jon Oliver of Cardiff Metropolitan University, recognised as two world leading experts in the field, and is based on evidence that shows that participants of both genders are responsive to training throughout childhood and adolescence.
How to connect youth to positive experiences?
When connecting youth to positive experiences, programs should include the following principles: 1 PYD is an intentional process. It is about being proactive to promote protective factors in young people. 2 PYD complements efforts to prevent risky behaviors and attitudes in youth and supports efforts that work to address negative behaviors. 3 PYD acknowledges and further develops (or strengthens) youth assets. All youth have the capacity for positive growth and development. 4 PYD enables youth to thrive and flourish and prepares them for a healthy, happy, and safe adulthood. 5 PYD involves youth as active agents. Youth are valued and encouraged to participate in design, delivery, and evaluation of the services. Adults and youth work in partnership. 6 PYD instills leadership qualities in youth, but youth are not required to lead. Youth can attend, actively participate, contribute, and/or lead through PYD activities. 7 PYD involves civic involvement and civic engagement; youth contribute to their schools and broader communities through service. 8 PYD involves and engages every element of the community — schools, homes, community members, and others. Young people, family members, and community partners are valued through this process. PYD is an investment that the community makes in young people. Youth and adults work together to frame the solutions. Learn more about engaging youth as active participants and partners.
How does leadership help youth?
Research links early leadership with increased self-efficacy and suggests that leadership can help youth to develop decision making and interpersonal skills that support successes in the workforce and adulthood. In addition, young leaders tend to be more involved in their communities, and have lower dropout rates than their peers. Youth leaders also show considerable benefits for their communities, providing valuable insight into the needs and interests of young people
What is context in PYD?
The contexts are all a part of an ecological framework that PYD programs incorporate into their programming and that adolescents continually interact with. When connecting youth to positive experiences, programs should include the following principles: PYD is an intentional process.
What is PYD in youth?
PYD acknowledges and further develops (or strengthens) youth assets. All youth have the capacity for positive growth and development.
What is a PYD?
PYD is an intentional process. It is about being proactive to promote protective factors in young people. PYD complements efforts to prevent risky behaviors and attitudes in youth and supports efforts that work to address negative behaviors. PYD acknowledges and further develops (or strengthens) youth assets.
What is the National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth?
The National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth (NCFY) is a free information service for communities, organizations, and individuals interested in developing new and effective strategies for supporting young people and their families.
How does civic engagement help young people?
Civic engagement has the potential to empower young adults, increase their self-determination, and give them the skills and self-confidence they need to enter the workforce. Read about one youth’s experience in AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC).
What is positive youth development?
Positive youth development programs strengthen young people’s sense of identity, belief in the future, self-regulation, and self-efficacy as well as their social, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral competence. Positive youth development (PYD) programs provide youth with networks of supportive adults.
What is a PYD program?
Positive youth development (PYD) programs provide youth with networks of supportive adults. Unlike many prevention programs that focus solely on risk behaviors, PYD programs aim to develop and enhance positive characteristics of individuals and their surrounding context.
What is Act for Youth?
Act for Youth. Service-Learning and Adolescent Sexual Health external icon . This resource provides an overview of service learning and its association with adolescent sexual health.
How does PYD work?
By increasing protective factors rather than focusing on risk behaviors related to a single adverse outcome, PYD programs have benefits across a range of health and academic outcomes. Positive youth development programs have been found to be effective in reducing sexual risk behaviors, HIV, other STDs, and unintended pregnancy.
What is positive approach to youth development?
Programs that incorporate this positive approach to development view young people as resources to be developed rather than as problems to be corrected. Their goals are to promote the positive in young people, including competency-building skills, social skills, life skills, academic improvement, motivation, community involvement, etc. These kinds of programs have evolved by applying the research in positive youth development to youth programming.
What is a Youth Development Program?
Youth development programs hold the philosophy that developing abilities like resilience, self-awareness, resourcefulness, and other attributes of The Compass Advantage framework, help young people navigate adolescence in healthy ways. There is an important difference between youth development programs and a variety of other organized programs that may offer youth activities or strategies to prevent high risk behaviors.
What age did Bryon work with JROTC?
Young people often talk about the importance of working side by side with friends. Bryon, age 18 , who participated in JROTC during high school, talked about a friend who influenced him to try new activities. “And when he became the Key Club president, I worked a lot with him and we did a lot of joint projects together. We did more projects because of how much we liked working together.”
Why is it important to develop relationships with older students?
Developing these relationships is important to their self-esteem and self-worth. Finding youth programs that have been referred by friends or where friends are already involved can be a good way to evaluate the quality of the program. It can also help your teen stretch his or her comfort zone to try something new.
How do youth respond to programs?
Research shows that older youth respond best to youth programs that are guided by an intentional process of mutual learning and respect. That is, they like structure that encourages interaction between them and youth program staff where staff take the time to get to know them in depth, learn about their interests, and appreciate them as individuals. These nurturing relationships help young people believe in themselves and foster the development of identity.
Why is youth development important for older kids?
One of the most important aspects of youth programs for older kids is whether they offer young people the opportunity to learn leadership skills. Research suggests that adolescents should be provided with meaningful ways to assist in leading activities, contribute to program decision-making, and play an active role in making the program a success. When this occurs, young people learn to overcome challenges in the real world, like how to communicate and collaborate with others outside of their families and close circle of friends.
What are the 5 Promises?
Research through the nonprofit America’s Promise suggests that 5 Promises change kid’s lives: 1) Caring adults, 2) Safe places, 3) A healthy start, 4) Effective education, and 5) Opportunities to help others. Youth programs play an important role in keeping these promises to our kids.
What is it ?
Positive Youth Development is an approach that has been specifically designed to suit youth’s needs and psychology. It is applied by several youth programs and organizations such as Pure Freedom to serve youth and promote healthy youth development.
Pure Freedom and Positive Youth Development
As a Sexual Risk Avoidance program, Pure Freedom applies the Positive Youth Development Framework daily and effectively. We:
Why has the digital divide continued to grow?
A. As a result of the accessibility of new technologies, the digital divide has continued to grow.
Do less adolescents have after school jobs?
A. Fewer adolescents have after-school jobs today than in recent history.

Why Are Youth Programs Important?
What Is A Youth Development Program?
- Youth development programs hold the philosophy that developing abilities like resilience, self-awareness, resourcefulness, and other attributes of The Compass Advantageframework, help young people navigate adolescence in healthy ways. There is an important difference between youth development programs and a variety of other organized programs that may offer youth ac…
Three Characteristics of Effective Youth Programs
- Research studies that evaluate youth development programs consistently highlight three things that attract teens and keep them engaged over time. When young people have opportunities for leadership, understanding, and friendship, it can help them navigate adolescence in ways that advance their skills and feel good about themselves. Not surprisingly, these program qualities w…