Youth Development Principles and Practices in Out-of-School Time Settings
Abstract
Out-of-school time (OST) settings are powerful contexts for youth development when programs and services are intentionally designed. Youth Development Principles and Practices in Out-of-School Time Settings was written to increase the capacity of students and professionals to facilitate youths’ optimal transition to adulthood through maximizing the developmental benefits accrued by participating in OST programs and experiences.
Peter A. Witt and Linda L. Caldwell, two well-respected researchers in the youth development field, have brought together a group of outstanding authors who provide an exceptional blend of theory- and practice-based information critical to anyone seeking to conceptualize, design, and evaluate OST programs. All chapters are based on tenets of positive youth development necessary to enable youth to thrive.
The book is divided into five sections: (1) youth development principles and foundational information (e.g., youth today as well as an historical perspective on youth work); (2) developing youths’ potential (including specific chapters on leisure and recreation, youth sport, nature-based activities and the arts); (3) systematic program planning and evaluation of youth programs; (4) the role of adults and families in the lives of youth; and (5) issues of diversity in youth development (e.g., race and ethnicity, immigrant, LGBT, and ability level). A final chapter discusses the knowledge, skills, and behaviors necessary to become a skilled youth professional. Each chapter ends with thought-provoking discussion questions and assignments that encourage application and further exploration of the chapter’s content. The book is a must read for students and practitioners seeking to understand youth today and support their development through out-of-school time programs.
See table of contents in attachment.
Supplementary resource (1)
... This is because it is through learning that an individual acquires knowledge, skills, values, and worldview to effect change (Merriam et al., 2007). Youth development is an approach to a commitment that enables all young people to thrive through those learning acquisitions (Hamilton & Pittman, 2004, in Witt & Caldwell, 2018. This thriving as pointed out by Witt and Caldwell (2018) is to be based on asset-based (strengths-based) model to support youth development. ...
... Youth development is an approach to a commitment that enables all young people to thrive through those learning acquisitions (Hamilton & Pittman, 2004, in Witt & Caldwell, 2018. This thriving as pointed out by Witt and Caldwell (2018) is to be based on asset-based (strengths-based) model to support youth development. It will then require them to acquire knowledge, skills, and behaviours through opportunities for informal learning where there are elements of skill building, exploration, reflection, creativity, test ideas and experiment with different roles from leisure and play. ...
... Community development within a community of practice can be a vehicle where youth learning and development can take place. The community of practice has the means to provide the youths with elements that are critically needed for youths to engage with their community for their successful development (Witt and Caldwell, 2018). Such a setting allows the youth to focus on their need to thrive and become partners in both theirs and the community's development. ...
... This is because it is through learning that an individual acquires knowledge, skills, values, and worldview to effect change (Merriam et al., 2007). Youth development is an approach to a commitment that enables all young people to thrive through those learning acquisitions (Hamilton & Pittman, 2004, in Witt & Caldwell, 2018. This thriving as pointed out by Witt and Caldwell (2018) is to be based on asset-based (strengths-based) model to support youth development. ...
... Youth development is an approach to a commitment that enables all young people to thrive through those learning acquisitions (Hamilton & Pittman, 2004, in Witt & Caldwell, 2018. This thriving as pointed out by Witt and Caldwell (2018) is to be based on asset-based (strengths-based) model to support youth development. It will then require them to acquire knowledge, skills, and behaviours through opportunities for informal learning where there are elements of skill building, exploration, reflection, creativity, test ideas and experiment with different roles from leisure and play. ...
... Community development within a community of practice can be a vehicle where youth learning and development can take place. The community of practice has the means to provide the youths with elements that are critically needed for youths to engage with their community for their successful development (Witt and Caldwell, 2018). Such a setting allows the youth to focus on their need to thrive and become partners in both theirs and the community's development. ...
... Preadolescence is therefore a critical period when individuals are more vulnerable to contextual, environmental, and family risk factors to which they are exposed, because they lack the active resources to confront issues associated with social situations (Brocki & Bohlin, 2004;Hill, 2004;Hollenstein & Lougheed, 2013). On the other hand, individuals in this period are also very receptive to situations and skills (e.g., initiative, motivation, concentration, involvement) that promote positive development (Larson, 2006;Witt & Caldwell, 2018). ...
... Given the critical nature of this period, it is important to introduce into the subjects' context activities that promote development of protective factors that enhance positive youth development-activities that are directed toward their adjustment and incorporation into society (Larson, 2006;Witt & Caldwell, 2018). In the same way, interventions should reduce or mitigate the effects of family and interpersonal risk factors that might aggravate the adaptation difficulties of adolescence. ...
... The fact that improvements are maintained over time could have several implications. On one hand, this long-term effect would support the idea that intervention in preadolescence encourages the participants' development and adaptation, as well as their adaptation and development in adolescence, avoiding future problems (Dietz et al., 2015;Lochman & Wells, 2004): The skills where they had difficulties, after application of the training, seem to act as protective factors, promoting positive youth development (Larson, 2006;Witt & Caldwell, 2018). ...
Growing up in a high family risk (HFR) environment is accompanied by difficulties in executive functions (EFs) and interpersonal skills (IS) that may persist into adulthood. Because preadolescence is a critical period, this study will assess a multicomponent mediational intervention program, to determine the possibility of improving these skills. There were 61 preadolescent participants, between the ages of 8 and 12; 34 were associated with HFR and 27 were associated with low family risk (LFR). All the participants were tested with EF and IS measures. Results showed that, prior to treatment, the HFR preadolescents had poorer performance on EF and IS than did the LFR preadolescents. In the posttreatment measures, to assess the utility of the multicomponent program, the HFR preadolescents group was able to match the scores of those in the LFR group. In addition, intervention effects in the HFR group were maintained in the follow-up assessment.
... These results may provide useful evidence to leverage financial and political supporters to increase access and inclusion, as we expand the reach of structured recreation programming to broader and more diverse swaths of youth. The results also offer insight into the potentially high-yield (Witt & Caldwell, 2018) summertime leisure and recreation settings that could contribute to a summer characterized by rich developmental experiences. All recreation and leisure professionals can consider how they might best create summertime experience for youth that involve opportunities for experiential learning, reflection, and meaningful relationships with both peers and adults. ...
... This study builds on the growing literature that demonstrates the important characteristics of out-of-school-time settings, such as camp, in youth development (e.g., Arnold & Gagnon, 2020;Durlak et al., 2010;Eccles & Gootman, 2002;Witt & Caldwell, 2018). The results also add to the literature focused on how summertime experiences can impact development by providing a comparison of developmental experiences and developmental relationships in common summertime settings. ...
Summer camp can be a developmental setting; however, little is known about camp’s developmental characteristics compared to other summertime settings. In this explanatory-sequential study, we used survey data (N = 279) and narrative data (N = 37) to compare the developmental characteristics of camp to other summertime settings. In phase 1, we compared youth-reported engagement, belonging, experiential learning, and positive adult-youth relationships at camp to another impactful summertime setting. In phase 2, we collected narrative data to understand how developmental characteristics manifested across settings. Summertime settings had different developmental strengths. For example, camp was more engaging than home and school, and sports and arts programs offered more opportunities for reflection than camp. Family vacation shared some characteristics with camp (e.g., they were both engaging). The narrative data illustrated how these developmental characteristics occurred across settings. These results better situate camp’s potential as a developmental setting among other common summertime settings.
... Prevention research places an emphasis on promotion of healthy development and well-being, as well as on prevention of environmental risk factors. Hence, they naturally Table 1 Protective factors and outcomes from participating in a leisure activity (adapted from Caldwell, 2008;Caldwell, 2017;Caldwell & Witt, 2018a;Caldwell & Witt, 2018b;European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 2019;Hansen et al., 2003;Irby & Toman, 2002;Little et al., 2008;McDowell Group, 2018;WHO, 2020 • lower rates of behavioural problems • lower substance abuse rates • lower rates of sexual risktaking behaviour • lower rates of violent behaviour • lower delinquency rates provide a framework within which we can deal with the paradox of leisure time that can present both risk and protection at the same time. lrby and Tolman (2002) state that leisure time is a key context for education, learning, human development and participation in citizenry and society. ...
... When leisure time is used for meaningful leisure, it is more probable that positive development will occur. Conversely, positive development is less likely when leisure time is spent without meaningful activities (i.e., when one is just filling the time) (Caldwell & Witt, 2018b). Youth who regularly do self-determined activities have better health-related outcomes (abstinence from smoking, better quality of life, etc.), while externally imposed activities and unmotivated behaviours are related to negative outcomes (e.g., higher level of depression and anxiety) (Motamedi et al., 2019). ...
Svrha ovoga rada jest kritički se osvrnuti na kontekst slobodnoga vremena, od definiranja do analize doprinosa slobodnoga vremena razvojnim ishodima djece i mladih te donijeti zaključak na temelju cjelokupne analize. Slobodno se vrijeme može promatrati kao značajni kontekst koji promovira izgradnju pozitivne, zdrave i normativne razvojne putanje adolescenata. S druge strane, slobodno vrijeme može predstavljati i kontekst koji pogoduje uključivanju mladih u rizična ponašanja i/ili razvoju problema u ponašanju. LACE Model, odnosno model slobodnih aktivnosti-konteksta-iskustva (eng. model Leisure Activity-Context-Experience), predstavlja model usmjeren na razumijevanja adolescentskoga razvoja kroz slobodno vrijeme (Caldwell, 2005; Caldwell, 2011) te je detaljnije predstavljen u radu. Isto tako, dan je pregled istraživanja koja povezuju kvalitetu slobodnoga vremena s razvojnim ishodima mladih. Evaluacijska istraživanja intervencija koje se temelje na slobodnom vremenu nisu dala jednoznačne odgovore o njihovoj učinkovitosti te ostaje potreba da se znanstvenim istraživanjima odgovori na pitanje pod kojim uvjetima strukturirano slobodno vrijeme, odnosno intervencije u kontekstu slobodnoga vremena djece i mladih, doprinose njihovim pozitivnim razvojnim ishodima.
... Prevention research places an emphasis on promotion of healthy development and well-being, as well as on prevention of environmental risk factors. Hence, they naturally Table 1 Protective factors and outcomes from participating in a leisure activity (adapted from Caldwell, 2008;Caldwell, 2017;Caldwell & Witt, 2018a;Caldwell & Witt, 2018b;European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 2019;Hansen et al., 2003;Irby & Toman, 2002;Little et al., 2008;McDowell Group, 2018;WHO, 2020 • lower rates of behavioural problems • lower substance abuse rates • lower rates of sexual risktaking behaviour • lower rates of violent behaviour • lower delinquency rates provide a framework within which we can deal with the paradox of leisure time that can present both risk and protection at the same time. lrby and Tolman (2002) state that leisure time is a key context for education, learning, human development and participation in citizenry and society. ...
... When leisure time is used for meaningful leisure, it is more probable that positive development will occur. Conversely, positive development is less likely when leisure time is spent without meaningful activities (i.e., when one is just filling the time) (Caldwell & Witt, 2018b). Youth who regularly do self-determined activities have better health-related outcomes (abstinence from smoking, better quality of life, etc.), while externally imposed activities and unmotivated behaviours are related to negative outcomes (e.g., higher level of depression and anxiety) (Motamedi et al., 2019). ...
The aim of this paper is to give a critic overview on the context of leisure, from defining to analysing contribution of leisure to developmental outcomes of children and youth, and to reach a conclusion based on comprehensive analysis. Leisure can be viewed as an important context that promotes the positive, healthy and normative developmental pathway of adolescents. On the other hand, leisure can represent a context that carries with it risk factors for youth involvement risk behaviours. LACE Model (Leisure Activity-Context-Experience Model) is a model focused on understanding adolescent development through leisure (Caldwell, 2005; Caldwell, 2011) and is presented in this paper in greater detail. Furthermore, this paper gives an overview of research studies linking quality of leisure with youth developmental outcomes. Evaluation research of interventions based on leisure did not provide unambiguous answers regarding their efficiency, therefore a need still exists for scientific studies to find answers on the conditions in which structured leisure time, i.e., interventions in the context of children's and youth's leisure, can lead to positive developmental outcomes.
... As a result, these youth become subjects of increased surveillance and control measures. However, research has shown that providing vulnerable youth opportunities for voice and to exercise their own agency greatly contributes to positive developmental pathways toward adulthood (Caldwell, 2018;Outley et al., 2018). This article will discuss the role of power and social control in the lives of youth during the COVID-19 pandemic and present strategies leisure researchers and practitioners can adopt to address the loss of critical support structures and mitigate exponential effects of COVID-19 on our most vulnerable youth. ...
... Leisure activities are important for youth because they support healthy growth and development, improve mental health, assist in building social skills, and reduce disease later in life. However, during times of stress, youth with the most access to support, opportunities, programs, and services (SOPS) in leisure settings are more likely to succeed in maintaining a healthy future (Caldwell, 2018). In contrast, vulnerable youth do not have the same opportunities for leisure as youth who have greater access to SOPS. ...
While people across the globe adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic, young people have been the center of many news stories. Millions of young people are required to stay home due to school closures, and adults are forced to consider alternative structures to support youths’ needs. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed multiple injustices and forms of oppression experienced by the most vulnerable in our country, which includes young people experiencing poverty, incarceration, foster care, homelessness, and those with marginalized identities. This article will discuss the role of power and social control in the lives of youth during the COVID-19 pandemic and present strategies leisure researchers and practitioners can adopt to overcome the loss of critical support structures and mitigate exponential effects of COVID-19 on our most vulnerable youth.
... Zulfikarova, Jabbarova (2020) analyze the reforms in the area of education, and information on the development of young people as mature individuals. Witt, Caldwell (2018) review the creation of a distinct period between childhood and adult status that was labeled "adolescence," and the subsequent development of youth serving organizations to serve the developmental needs of a group of young people. Sirenko, Lunkina, Burkovska, Mikulyak, Gannichenko (2020) consider the integration of young people living in rural areas into society. ...
... Once the track season was over, Kendra told her father, "I don't want to run no more." It appears that Kendra started the track team with a "spark" or passion, something key for positive youth development (Caldwell & Witt, 2018). However, that spark was blown out by the coach's favoritism. ...
Background
Black adolescents commonly experience unfair treatment from teachers and other school staff that can undermine Black adolescents’ engagement in school and their perceptions of adults as trustworthy.Objective
This study aimed to address the overarching research question: “How do unfair experiences with school staff manifest and impact Black adolescents?”.Method
This study used a mixed methods approach guided by two sub-questions. Our qualitative strand of inquiry used interview data from 25 Black adolescents, their parents, and another familial adult (75 total interviews) to explore the sub-question: “How do unfair experiences with school staff unfold?” Our quantitative strand analyzed survey data from 216 Black adolescents to address the sub-question: “Is a specific type of unfair experience, teacher racial discrimination, associated with Black adolescents having fewer natural mentors (supportive non-parental adults from adolescents’ everyday lives) via lower trust toward adults?”.ResultsAnalyses of interview data suggested experiencing specific types of unfair treatment— (a) being singled out, (b) observing favoritism, (c) feeling belittled, and (d) unwarranted or overly harsh punishment—was followed by students disengaging from class, schoolwork, or teachers. Analyses of survey data indicated unfair treatment in the form of teacher racial discrimination was negatively associated with the quantity of natural mentors via lower perceptions of adults as trustworthy.Conclusions
Collectively, our findings suggest unfair treatment by school staff may set in motion a domino effect that negatively influences Black students’ engagement with school and undermines their connection with supportive adults.
... Youth in all three of the PYD leadership programs reported developing important skills and knowledge associated with leadership. Our results align with and lend support to youth leadership programming based on PYD principles (Eccles & Gootman, 2002;Hamilton et al., 2004;Witt & Caldwell, 2018). There were several common design components that appeared to facilitate positive leadership outcomes for youth. ...
A growing interest in how adolescents can prepare for the workforce has contributed to the development of positive youth development (PYD) programs focused on youth leadership. This study explored what mechanisms and design components support leadership skill development among youth participating in 3 different PYD leadership programs. All of these programs involve high school students, have a focus on leadership, and emphasize college and workforce readiness. The aims of the study were to (a) examine what commonalities and differences in program design components contribute to skill development, (b) identify what leadership skills youth develop by participating in PYD leadership programs, and (c) explore what underlying mechanisms youth perceive contribute to their skill development over time. A total of 3 focus groups were conducted, each lasting 90 minutes, with a total of 18 youth (i.e., 6 youth per program). Nvivo, a qualitative software, and thematic analysis were used to distill common and differential themes related to the program design components the participants recognized as integral parts of the programs that contributed to their leadership skill development. Common skills developed across all 3 programs included working in groups, public speaking, and problem solving, yet differences in skills were also reported and linked to differences in program design. Additional findings showed several underlying mechanisms supported leadership skill development among youth participants. Findings can inform the development of effective youth leadership PYD programs, thereby further supporting youth in achieving their goals; avoiding harmful behaviors; and developing the competencies, confidence, and values youth need to successfully transition to adulthood.
... Another resource for youth development students and practitioners is the second edition of the textbook Youth Development Principles and Practices in Out-of-School Time Settings (Witt & Caldwell, 2018). The addition of a chapter on CYD in this edition (Montgomery, 2018a) shows that CYD is growing in prominence in the field of youth development. ...
Throughout the United States, thousands of creativity-based youth development programs combine principles of positive youth development with immersion in the creative process. Many of these programs refer to their work as creative youth development or CYD.
CYD is a diverse field, and programs include a constellation of creative disciplines and genres. A sample of programs from this varied field includes film making; sound engineering; many styles of dance from hip hop to modern to ballet folklórico; an array of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional visual arts from cartooning to photography to sculpture; graphic design; game design; playwrighting; theatrical production; music performance and composition; journalism; and creative writing.
CYD programs share characteristics common among programs embracing positive youth development, including: setting high expectations for young people, encouraging positive risk taking, embracing youth leadership, and engaging young people in contributing to their communities and working for social justice.
The basic formula of CYD is the combination of a holistic approach to positive youth development with hands-on creative inquiry. The creative process at the heart of CYD programs contributes to tremendous and often transformative personal growth for youth participants (Heath, Soep, and Roach 1998; Hughes and Wilson 2004). Collective Action for Youth: An Agenda for Progress Through Creative Youth Development created during the 2014 The National Summit on Creative Youth Development, proclaims, “As young people create their own work in the arts, humanities, and sciences, they build the personal, social, and intellectual capacities they need to succeed in school, career, and life. And as they experience the creative process over an extended period, they learn that they can use it to express their own identities, understand and change the world around them, and connect to the greater human experience.”
These creativity-based programs take place in a variety of settings and contexts, including the following:
• Nonprofit organizations with a primary focus on CYD
• Programs occurring within larger arts organizations, for example within a museum
• Programs that are embedded within youth development organizations
• School-based programs, primarily via out-of-school time (OST) programs
• Community parks and recreation programs
• Other community contexts (e.g., programs for court-involved or incarcerated young people)
In recent years the heterogeneous field of practice of creative youth development programs has codified characteristics of high quality CYD through a series of frameworks. Primary examples include the frameworks featured in the Boston Youth Arts Handbook and Workbook, Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Seen & Heard CYD blog, The Mosaic Model for Youth Development Through the Arts, and Something to Say: Success Principles for Afterschool Arts Programs From Urban Youth and Other Experts. These frameworks support shared understanding of the work and can be tools to help programs strengthen practice and advance along a spectrum of quality, thereby increasing engagement and supporting more positive outcomes for youth.
At the same time, CYD practitioners are committed to reflection and ongoing refinement, to programs being actively shaped by young people, and being connected to and a reflection of their communities. Therefore, CYD program practices are continuously in development.
Drawing on the youth development literature, literature specific to creative youth development, and exchanges with CYD practitioners, in this landscape analysis I discuss five current trends in CYD program development. These five trends include: Holistic Approaches Growing as Needs Grow, Collaboration Across Sectors, New Generation of Program Staff with New Approaches, Scaling by Depth, and Establishing Creative Career Pathways. This is preceded by an overview of the historical foundation of CYD program development and summary of underpinning research. Following discussion of the trends I make recommendations for further exploration.
Afterschool Matters Journal, Spring 2020
... At the individual level sport participation is associated with a number of positive youth development (PYD) outcomes including physical benefits (Lee, Pope, & Gao, 2018), an increase in developmental assets (Fraser-Thomas, Côté, & Deakin, 2005), and development of character, caring, competence, confidence, and connection (Lerner, 2007). Consistent with a community sport development (CSD) approach that promotes the extension of positive benefits of sport participation into local communities (Boton, Fleming, & Elias, 2008;Hylton & Totten, 2011), PYD focus on the facilitation of thriving for all (Caldwell & Witt, 2018). However, as Coakley (2011) noted, this romanticized view may not always correspond with reality, and sport participation may actually lead to negative outcomes, such as higher levels of aggressive behavior (Kreager, 2007). ...
Research question: How do stakeholders in a school community sport program view the purpose of sport?
Research methods: Participants (n=61) in a community school sport program included administrators, coaches, student-athletes, students who do not participate in sports, and parents of athletes. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted, and data were analyzed using a modified thematic analysis approach.
Results and Findings: Results indicate that stakeholders believe that the purpose of sport includes character building, life management skills, learning to compete, skill development, and social goals. Character building can be further divided into self-discipline and grit, and social goals were further divided into friendships, bonding, and teamwork.
Implications: Finding suggests overlap with Lerner’s (2007. The good teen: Rescuing adolescence from the myths and storm and stress years. The Stenesong Press) 5 Cs of PYD and life skills assessments. Organizations may wish to consider approaching evaluations through both stakeholder-identified outcomes and theory identified outcomes.
... Identity formation is also a primary developmental task during adolescence. Comparing oneself to and seeking feedback from those with whom adolescents have contact (e.g., peers) is part of the identity development process, and occurs both in person and online (Caldwell, 2018). Social media and its use likely enhance the process of peer group comparisons through access to knowing how others look and what they are doing (Konijn et al., 2015). ...
The widespread adoption and integration of smartphones into daily life has meant that adolescence is a period of development influenced by smartphones. Given that leisure is an important developmental context for adolescents, the purpose of this study was to explore adolescents’ experiences with having and using smartphones and how those experiences influenced their leisure. Hermeneutic phenomenology guided this research. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with nine participants (five males and four females), between the ages of 14 and 17, to develop an understanding of the nature and meaning of their lived experiences with their smartphone. Findings highlighted that smartphones were central in the adolescents’ lives. The device was used to alleviate boredom during unstructured leisure time and served both as a draw and distraction when youth were engaged in leisure activities. Smartphones were also described as offering low commitment leisure opportunities for youth to relax and interact with their friends.
... Arts, social, and community leisure kept children occupied and safe and promoted development of life skills. One could consider these early initiatives as informal prevention programs due to their goal of keeping youth "off the streets" and out of trouble (Witt, 2018). ...
Leisure opportunities and experiences make powerful contributions to individual and community health by promoting positive and reducing negative health outcomes at individual, community, state, and national levels. Leisure researchers have long promoted the health benefits of parks and recreation, reflecting leisure’s role in public health. However, the idea that leisure can make a contribution to prevention has received less attention. Thus, we advocate incorporating a prevention science perspective to help researchers hone an agenda focused on leisure, health, and well-being across the lifespan. We review the evolution of leisure and prevention science as separate fields, identify where they intersect, and offer considerations for moving forward. We conclude by providing three main considerations for adopting prevention science approaches and promoting the context and experience of leisure, followed by six actionable recommendation steps to more effectively understand and promote health.
... Theory and research demonstrate the important role youth professionals play in developing youth through the delivery of high quality out-of-school time (OST) programs so youth can thrive (Larson, Walker, Rusk, & Diaz, 2015;Witt & Caldwell, 2018). But many youth workers do not receive adequate training and do not collaboratively develop their professional skills, leading to limited opportunities to reflect, read research, or learn from other practitioners (Larson et al., 2015). ...
Youth Development Principles and Practices in Out-of-school Time Settings (Witt & Caldwell, 2018) is a comprehensive resource for students and professionals who work with youth in out-of-school time programs. The book weaves youth development theory and practice together so current and future practitioners can understand how to plan for, design, and evaluate youth programs that enable young people to thrive. Practitioners who work with adolescents will find the topics discussed relevant and the examples practical.
Because adolescent leisure is important to development, we consider its role in Portuguese adolescent wellbeing. Data for this study came from 303 adolescents in grades 10, 11, and 12 living in a large urban area in northern Portugal. Self-report data were collected in classrooms using a cross-sectional design in two urban high schools. Hypothesis testing used seven hierarchical linear regression models. Except for subjective happiness, experiencing boredom in leisure and/or the ability to make a boring situation more interesting were strong predictors of each wellbeing experience in the predicted direction. Perceptions of healthy leisure were associated with higher levels of life satisfaction, subjective happiness, self-esteem, and positive affect. Active leisure was important to adolescent self efficacy and positive affect. Those who could restructure a boring situation into something more interesting exhibited higher levels of wellbeing experience. Adolescents who perceived parental autonomy control were more likely to experience boredom in leisure.
Physical activity programs in school and community settings have the potential to foster positive youth development related to social and emotional learning. However, research findings and best practices that promote these outcomes are often not implemented in practice. The field of implementation science can help researchers understand and navigate the barriers to implementing what we know from research into policy and practice (i.e., to bridge the know-do gap). In this paper, after describing positive youth development, social emotional learning, and their application in physical activity settings, I share reflections from my engaged scholarship with the teaching personal and social responsibility model to illustrate ways my collaborators and I have tried to address the know-do gap. Lessons learned about ways that kinesiology researchers can actively support the implementation of our research in society are discussed.
BACKGROUND: Leisure can be a context that can promote positive adolescent development, but it can also be a context that contributes to adolescents engaging in risk behaviours. AIMS: The aim of this study is to determine the extent to which sociodemographic characteristics, the frequency of adolescent participation in structured leisure activities (SLA), and the type of SLA contribute to adolescent alcohol use and to examine the moderating effects of gender, age, and type of SLA on the relationship between the frequency of adolescent participation in SLA and adolescent alcohol use. METHODS: The study was conducted from April to June 2021 as part of a research project examining leisure and risk behaviours in Croatia. The sample consisted of students who reported having participated in SLA (N = 1431). The participants were between 14 and 21 years old (44.8% female). The Questionnaire of Youth Leisure Time and the CTC Youth Survey were used. Multinomial logistic regression analysis and Poisson regression were used to achieve the aim of this article. RESULTS: The results indicate that gender, age, and the type of SLA have an influence on adolescent alcohol use. Males and older adolescents who participated in SLA used more alcohol. The type of SLA in which adolescents participate influences the pathway of alcohol use. In addition, the results confirmed the moderating effect of the type of SLA on the relationship between the frequency of adolescent participation resulting from the constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic and adolescent alcohol use. Accordingly, more frequent participation in group sports, performance/fine arts, and educational activities acts as a protective factor and reduces the likelihood of risky alcohol use, whereas more frequent participation in community-oriented activities acts as a risk factor and increases the likelihood of risky alcohol use. CONCLUSIONS: When planning and implementing preventive interventions within the leisure context, it is important to consider that gender, age, and the type of SLA may influence the risk of adolescent alcohol use, and interventions need to take these findings into account to be effective.
One of the viable ways that reflection can take place is through reflective journal writing. Journal writing allows for greater introspection of a student leaders’ growth and development and an understanding of the various dynamics of a leadership experience. This article describes how effective journaling can be fostered in physical education leadership programs. By providing leadership experiences to their students, physical education teachers have the potential to foster the necessary qualities that enable them to be successful in school and in the broader community.
We examined effects of preflection, action, and reflection sessions on youth experiences during a 4‑H travel camp. The travel camp was one component of GLOBE, a 2-year Texas 4-H program with intentional goals of advancing understanding of agriculture, poverty, and world cultures. In morning preflection sessions, the 28 youth participants were instructed to take photographs during their day according to themes aligned with 1 of 2 of the program’s goals: building global citizenship and understanding poverty. Each day ended with a reflection session. Youth viewed a slideshow of their themed photographs. After the slideshows, youth completed questionnaires measuring elements of the quality of their subjective experiences during the slideshow: meaningfulness, perceived value of time spent, engagement, absorption, self-affirmation, and provocation. The affirmation preflection, action, and reflection sequence yielded significantly greater meaningfulness and perceived value of time spent. Effects were mediated by immediate subjective experiences of provocation, self-affirmation, absorption, and engagement.
Positive developmental experiences of youth from socially vulnerable backgrounds in sport and recreation programmes have a capacity to contribute to youth’s resilience and serve as protective factors. Nevertheless, this area is under-researched and poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to address this gap by investigating the effects of sport and recreation programmes on lives and positive development of youth from socially vulnerable backgrounds. Drawing upon constructivist grounded theory, the data collection involved 13 interviews with practitioners and volunteers working with this population. The data were analysed inductively using initial, focused, and theoretical coding, whereas the latter involved the Social-Ecological Model and Positive Youth Development approach to conceptualise the multidimensional and dynamic interrelationships between individuals and the social ecology of positive development. The findings reveal the programmes’ impacts on personal (social-emotional skills), interpersonal (prosocial relationships), school (support systems), community/neighbourhood (sense of citizenship), and societal levels (norms and policies) that can facilitate healthy developmental outcomes of those who face developmental challenges. This study contributes to the understanding of the multi-level capacity of sport and recreation programmes to promote positive development among youth from socially vulnerable backgrounds and offers valuable insights for the programmatic design and delivery.
The study explored leisure among second-generation Mexican-American youth residing in low-income communities in Southern California with a particular focus on how neighborhood features influenced their leisure participation; the strategies parents adopted to keep their children safe during leisure, and the effects of parental negotiation strategies on youth’s leisure. The study was framed by the Family Systems Theory and the socio-ecological model. Data were collected using individual semi-structured interviews with six families, including four fathers, six mothers, and six children of middle-school age. The findings revealed that two main neighborhood-level factors influenced youth’s participation in leisure: safety and space limitations. These features led to parents’ imposing restrictions on children’s leisure and adopting coping and negotiation strategies, which led to youth engaging mostly in passive, home-based activities, clustering of friends, and spending time with the family.
In this article, Deborah Moroney and Jill Young from the American Institutes for Research interview Rebecca Goldberg and Alex Hooker, senior program officers from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation. Rebecca and Alex describe their experience as members of the youth development workforce and how that experience inspired them to support the youth development workforce on the grantmaking side, focusing on adult practice and youth character development. As the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation sunsets in 2020, Rebecca and Alex also share their hopes for the youth development workforce going forward.
Recent national events have increased attention towards immigrant youth. Youth placed in juvenile justice facilities go through processes overseen by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, and the Unaccompanied Children’s Program. While in placement youth are exposed to risk factors and face cultural barriers being in a new country. As publicity of the incarceration of immigrant youth increases, there is an emphatic need for researchers to examine the quality of care youth experience in placement facilities. One of the areas that has not been critically investigated is recreation programming in juvenile justice facilities. Recreation programs grounded in Positive Youth Development have proven to promote healthy development and offer immigrant youth opportunities to adapt to their new environment. Providing youth in juvenile justice facilities access to high quality recreation programming strengthens protective factors in youth to prepare them for adulthood, and reduces the likelihood of their committing an offense, thereby increasing public safety and saving taxpayer dollars. This paper is a first step to establish a clear understanding of the treatment of immigrant youth in detention. In this paper I discuss the results of a comprehensive examination of the minimum requirements for recreation programming in juvenile justice facilities. The results provide clear implications for immigrant youth as well as suggestions for further critical inquiry.
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