1-021 - A Strengths-Based Vision for America’s Youth: Developing a Research Agenda for Positive Youth Development

Session Type: Federal Agency Roundtable

Integrative Statement

Representatives from the federal Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs will lead an engaging and interactive discussion about positive youth development (PYD) at the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Agriculture, and Justice, including sharing a federal research agenda developed to address gaps in existing research and increase the evidence base for PYD-based programming and discussing relevant federal resources (including funding opportunities). Developing in the early 1990s, the field of PYD introduced a vision for viewing young people as resources to be developed instead of problems to be straightened out. PYD approaches emphasize the unique talents, strengths, resources, and future potential of young people, and hold positive expectations regarding the contributions youth can make to society and to their environments. This theoretically grounded perspective does not replace the focus on preventing problems but creates a larger framework to promote positive outcomes for all young people.

Nineteen different federal departments and agencies are represented on the Working Group, established under Executive Order in 2008. The Working Group strives to incorporate a PYD framework throughout federal programming for all youth ages 10-24, emphasizing the most vulnerable, particularly those disconnected from school, work, or family. This entails collaborating to coordinate strategies across federal departments to improve youth outcomes, promote the use of evidence-based and innovative strategies at the federal, state, local, and tribal levels, and promote youth engagement and partnerships to strengthen programs and benefit youth.

Sub Unit

• Federal Agency Sessions

Moderators

• Sarah Oberlander, ASPE

• Michelle Boyd, ASPE

Panelists

• Lisa Lauxman, Division Youth & 4-H, Institute of Youth, Family & Community, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), US Department of Agriculture (USDA)

• Rebecca Zornick, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

• Jeff Slowikowski, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)