Youth policy in the Baltic Sea Region – a case study of Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian, and Polish youth participation in the BSSSC Working Group on Youth Policy

Youth policy, understood as youth activity and policy for youth,has been developing in the Baltic Sea region for many years. It takes placeon many levels of Baltic cooperation; therefore, this article uses the theory ofmulti-level governance for the analysis. There are some differences in youthpolicy between the communities of the Baltic Sea Region countries. This articleaims to analyse the participation of young people from the regions ofLithuania, Latvia, Poland, and Estonia in the BSR youth policy, based on theexample of the Youth Working Group of the “Baltic Sea States SubregionalCo-operation”. The main part of the article is an analysis of interviews withyouth coordinators of “Baltic Sea States Subregional Co-operation” from selectedcountries. During the study, 5 interviews were conducted, and, thanksto these interviews, the author has made interesting observations on the differencesin involvement of young people from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, andPoland. They indicated, inter alia, disproportional access to participation in thework of the Youth Working Group “Baltic Sea States Subregional Co-operation”between Estonia and Poland, and Lithuania and Latvia. The results clearlyshow that young people from Polish regions have the greatest opportunitiesto shape youth policy in the Baltic Sea Region.

Book Review: Reid, S. and Valasik, M., Alt-Right Gangs: A Hazy Shade of White.

In the book, Alt-Right Gangs: A Hazy Shade of White, authors Shannon E. Reid and Matthew Valasik begin by advocating for alternative rights gangs to be included in research about street gang activity. Reid and Valasik explain the extent of youth activity in the White Power Movement (WPM). For years, white youth participating in white power movement activities have been excluded from research (Reid and Valasik, 2020). This book aims to provide researchers, scholars, and criminal justice practitioners a great insight into the structure of these alt-right gangs to push for their inclusion in future research (Reid and Valasik, 2020). According to our authors, these youth have been excluded from research because no precise definition defines this group (Reid and Valasik, 2020). These youth have been misclassified when being compared to traditional street gangs. Several definitions have been provided that do not adequately describe these youth.

Designing for Youth-Centered Moderation and Community Governance in Minecraft

Online settings have been suggested as viable sites for youth to develop social, emotional, and technical skills that can positively shape their behavior online. However, little work has been done to understand how online governance structures might support (or hinder) such learning. Using mixed-methods research, we report findings from a 2-year, in-the-wild study of 8–13 year olds on a custom multiplayer Minecraft server. The two-part study focuses on the design of youth-centered models of community governance drawn from evidence-based offline practices in the prevention and learning sciences. Preliminary results point to a set of socio-technical design approaches shaping player behavior while also supporting youth interest in Minecraft-like online environments. More broadly, the findings suggest an alternative vision of youth’s capacity for ownership and control of mechanisms shaping the culture and climate of their online communities: managing player behavior while challenging current norms around adult control and surveillance of youth activity.

THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIAL WORK WITH YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE STATE POLICY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

The article is devoted to the importance of the state youth policy in the modern social policy of the state. The paper shows that the state youth policy is an imperative in the current situation in the country. The authors also determine the relevance of the study by the expansion of the geography of state youth policy and the increasing number of its main subjects. The main purpose of the work is to reveal the content of the state youth policy and determine the directions of social work for its implementation. The subject of the research is the directions of social work with young people as a special social group for the implementation of the state youth policy. The paper shows the tools for implementing the state youth policy, reveals the directions for involving young people in active social and political practice, and in what forms it is carried out and it is advisable to conduct it. Focusing on the emerging trend of young people`s orientation towards achieving personal success and personal growth allows us to use psychological means of regulating youth activity in involving this important social stratum in solving the problems facing the country.

Calibration of the Online Youth Activity Profile Assessment for School-Based Applications

A balance between the feasibility and validity of measures is an important consideration for physical activity (PA) research—particularly in school-based research with youth. The present study extends previously tested calibration methods to develop and test new equations for an online version of the youth activity profile (YAP) tool, a self-report tool designed for school applications. Data were collected across different regions and seasons to develop more robust, generalizable equations. The study involved a total of 717 youth from 33 schools (374 elementary [ages 9–11 years], 224 middle [ages 11–14 years], and 119 high school [ages 14–18 years]) in two different states in the United States. Participants wore a Sensewear monitor for a full week and then completed the online YAP at school to report PA and sedentary behaviors in school and at home. Accelerometer data were processed using an R-based segmentation program to compute PA and sedentary behavior levels. Quantile regression models were used with half of the sample to develop item-specific YAP calibration equations, and these were cross validated with the remaining half of the sample. Computed values of mean absolute percentage error ranged from 15 to 25% with slightly lower error observed for the middle school sample. The new equations had improved precision compared with the previous versions when tested on the same sample. The online version of the YAP provides an efficient and effective way to capture school level estimates of PA and sedentary behaviors in youth.

Civil Identity of Youth in the Conditions of Regional Social and Political Tension

The article discusses the process of building the civil identity of young people in conditions of social and political tension, from a regional perspective. The formation of civic identity is a real problem of modern Russian society. The process is complicated by changes in the socio-political of the various regions. The media stimulates public discourse around the protest activity of young people. In the context of this scientific interest, the research presented in this article is carried out. Its empirical material is obtained during a grant study by the authors at the end of 2019. The research methodology is based on conflict resolution technology. As an empirical basis, materials from three focus group surveys, fifteen in-depth interviews and regional-minded internet resource content analysis on the topics of socio-political youth activity were interpreted. It is concluded that the republic of Tartaristan, as one of the regions of the Russian federation that has specifics in its economic, ethnic, and religious life, has become a platform for gathering empirical information.

Increase of students' motor activity in volleyball lessons

In the article, the motor activity of students of higher educational institutions. The importance of physical education of student youth in a pandemic has been determined. The necessity of increasing motivation for physical education classes by means of volleyball has been substantiated. It was revealed that volleyball is the most popular sport among today's youth. Physical activity is of less importance in the life of the people, and even in the process of the evolution of the world, the biological needs of the people have been formulated with the needs of people, water, self-preservation, meager. Physical activity is positively infused into the psyche and into the physical health and is an important, fundamental official who formulates, protects and changes. Seemingly, it’s an hour to take physical rights in the body of people singing mechanisms, as a result of which the functions of not only the muscular system, but the mental, heart-vascular, nervous system and herbal systems are accepted. Besides. Physical activity is injected into the social function of the people, the spawn, on the preoccupation of the society with the kidnapped person, so the possibility is more active in the suspension. Do not bother with those of the current year, to actively develop the promotion of a healthy way of living, seemingly infusing regular people with physical rights, different kinds of sports, about those who need food to feed students from the middle of youth activity.

Parent/Caregiver Perceptions of Youth Health Outcomes After Participating in the WeCook: Fun With Food and Fitness Program

Many youth programs focused on improving health outcomes have not examined parent/caregiver perceptions postparticipation even though they may significantly influence youth behaviors. The primary purpose of this study was to examine changes in adult perceptions of youth- and family-related behavior after youth participated in a 12-week out-of-school time food preparation, nutrition, and physical activity program with a treatment only design. A secondary objective was to assess differences in survey responses by demographic characteristics. The program targeted fourth- and fifth-grade youth at two Title I elementary schools while also engaging families. Pre- and postprogram surveys were administered to parent/caregivers ( n = 60) across four cohorts spanning the spring 2016 school semester to fall 2017 school semester. Adult demographic characteristics and perceptions of youth- and family-related outcomes were collected. Results demonstrated a significant increase ( p value <.05) in adults’ perceptions of their youth’s ability to choose healthy snacks and decrease screen time. Additionally, lower income adults reported increased youth sedentary habits, adults using food assistance reported decreased family breakfast frequency, and adults with smaller household sizes reported decreased youth activity before school. Further research is needed on adult and family outcomes from youth cooking programs to better understand the adult and youth health relationship and encourage obesity prevention programs to increase their focus on the family component and associated assessments.