Cultivating True Leaders: A Social Justice Curriculum for Youth Development Programs

In recent years, there have been increasing calls to intentionally center diversity, equity, and inclusion within positive youth development programs. True Leaders: Culture, Power and Justice is a 4-H curriculum designed to engage young people in understanding and applying social justice concepts with the ultimate aim of nurturing their sense of self-efficacy as they work to find solutions to pressing social issues. The True Leaders curriculum is shaped by the Five Cs of positive youth development—confidence, competence, connection, caring, and character—and a social justice youth development framework. Each lesson is grounded in the critical experiential learning model, which seeks to move participants through a process of hands-on learning about social justice concepts, critical reflection, and, ultimately, collective action. The True Leaders curriculum is intended for use with middle and high school-aged youth.

The Complexities of Student Engagement for Historically Marginalized Youth in an After-School Program

As researchers continue to address issues of equity within educational settings, it is important to also consider the role of equity in high-quality after-school programs. Evidence suggests that families from communities with fewer resources, along with families that identify as Black or Hispanic, report less access to quality after-school programming for their youth (Afterschool Alliance, 2020). This is especially problematic, as after-school programming has been associated with a number of positive outcomes for youth. In this study, researchers highlight youth perspectives to illuminate the challenges related to engaging historically marginalized youth in a school-based after-school program. Findings suggest that youth from marginalized backgrounds typically discuss engagement in terms of behavioral and affective experiences. Further, youth identified a few barriers to engagement, including repetition of program content and disruptive behavior. As a result of these findings, researchers suggest that practitioners integrate youth perspectives, work collaboratively to develop curriculum that fosters growth, and adopt policies and training that support staff in implementing culturally appropriate discipline approaches in after-school programs.

Tobacco Prevention Using Social Skills Education and Puppet Scripts in an After-School Program

The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility of implementing a tobacco use prevention intervention using social skills education and puppet scripts in an afterschool program. A total of 75 K-2 students attending an afterschool program in a rural Midwest area participated in a 4-lesson youth development tobacco prevention curriculum and completed a pre-post tobacco knowledge quiz. Additionally, 10 program mentors completed a pre-post program strengths and difficulties (SDQ) questionnaire on their assigned students. A series of t-tests were computed to examine differences in the pre and post scores of participants on the SDQ subscales, and total scales and descriptive statistics were computed on the tobacco knowledge quiz. Statistically significant differences were noted on 4 pre–post subscales scores of the SDQ and the total SDQ. Use of youth development curriculum using interactive puppet-based strategies implemented in afterschool settings may be a feasible health education strategy.

Youth Perspectives on Virtual After-School Programming During the COVID-19 Pandemic

After-school programs provide a range of support for students. During school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many after-school programs were also forced to close or to find new ways to provide services to youth, such as through virtual after-school programming. We surveyed 244 youth who participated in virtual after-school programs about their access to virtual programming as well as their experiences. We considered their pre-closure experiences as well. We also surveyed 8 program directors of after-school programs who were providing virtual programming. We found that Internet access hindered the ability of more than 1 in 4 students to access the programs. Pre-closure program experiences, including ongoing relationships with program staff and positive peer relationships contributed to more positive experiences with virtual programming. Whenever students were able to access the programs, they generally reported positive experiences. This work has implications for after-school program providers, parents, and policymakers.

Examining the Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions of 4-H Professionals Related to LGBTQ+ Youth

Despite its status as the largest youth-serving organization in the United States, there is a dearth of empirical scholarship about LGBTQ+ youth within 4-H; research examining 4-H professionals’ competencies to effectively support LGBTQ+ youth is even more scarce. To address this gap in the literature, this quantitative study explored the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of 4-H professionals in North Carolina as they relate to working with LGBTQ+ youth. Seventy-five professionals responded to an online survey. Professionals displayed higher levels of knowledge than skills or dispositions, were more knowledgeable about how to support LGB youth compared to transgender and gender expansive youth, and expressed the need for and substantial interest in professional development. Rural professionals tended to report lower knowledge, skills, and dispositions compared to professionals working in urban/suburban settings. This article presents the study’s findings and explores implications for future research and practice.

Is Disruptive Innovation Impacting You?

The intersection of leadership and innovation has led to disruptions in our lives from technology to social media and beyond. To a leader, the disruptions occur from new technology, situations like the pandemic, and how society puts things in motion. Innovations occur because of the ideas and questions that are shared. How you as a leader, a youth worker, or a community member, respond to the disruptions and innovations often impacts how you manage changes that occur in your work.

Journal of Youth Development’s Stance on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access

The Journal of Youth Development is committed to ‎furthering diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in scholarly publishing. This Editor’s Note provides an overview of our ongoing resolve and collaborative process to review and shape policies and procedures to enhance our contributions to recognizing, valuing, and promoting racial equity, inclusion, and social justice.

Cultivating Youth Affinity for College Within the Context of Campus-Based Summer Camps

College and university-based (CUB) summer camps are a prominent pre-collegiate experience targeting middle and high school adolescents, which research suggests may enhance college aspirations and preparedness, develop academic knowledge and skills, and influence future career choices. This study examines factors that predict the relation between affinity for college, program engagement and support, college major selection, and social–emotional outcomes stemming from youth involvement in a CUB camp based on data collected from 641 middle and high school-aged youth who completed an online questionnaire on the last day of the CUB camp. The findings validated a 4-factor model comprised of college brand awareness, college relational expectations, college academic interest–science, and college academic interest–technology. Further, the structural equation model (SEM) results suggested a relation between affinity for college, program engagement and support, and social–emotional outcomes. In addition, a CUB camp student’s lack of a college major had a significant negative direct effect on some dimensions of affinity for college including college brand awareness, college relational expectations, and college academic interest–science. CUB camp providers can use the results of this study to better articulate how their programs might impact adolescent decision making related to college, as well as inform how CUB camp providers may intentionally create affinity spaces that maximize student awareness of college brands as well as their future expectations for the college experience.

Increasing Latinx Youth Engagement Across Different Types of After-School Organizations

This article explores how Latinx youth engagement practices vary across different types of out-of-school organizations that successfully sustain Latinx youth participation. Data are drawn from a qualitative study of 13 California organizations that each emphasize one of 3 missions: social justice youth development, “one-stop” wrap-around services, or academic enrichment. While all organizations are found to adhere to a core set of Latinx youth development guiding principles, there are nuanced differences in how they are operationalized in practice across varied organization types, reflecting variation in terms of discourse, scale, and scope. These findings highlight the need for youth development practitioners and collaborating researchers to understand the context of youth-serving organizations when identifying and implementing promising practices and extension programs.

Book Review: Changemakers! Practitioners Advance Equity and Access in Out-of-School Time Programs

Changemakers! Practitioners Advance Equity and Access in Out-of-School Time Programs, edited by Sara Hill and Femi Vance (Information Age) provides a thorough (and long overdue) examination of youth development policy and practice in the context of White supremacy, systemic oppression, and other forms of inequity. It offers a valuable introduction for those new to the field and for veterans just now starting to consider more equitable approaches to their work.