This article builds on Part 1 of this study, a state-of-the-art review that synthesizes 45 years of scholarship (1980-2025) on 4-H's efforts to equitably serve a demographically representative youth population (see Elliott-Engel & Howard, 2026). This article examines the findings that draw from the previously discussed 99 articles and provides the next directions for achieving a demographically representative 4-H program by synthesizing crosscutting themes from 45 years of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging scholarship. Despite meaningful progress, persistent gaps remain in participation, professional readiness, and systemlevel integration. Our review highlights the need for culturally responsive recruitment, familycentered engagement, and program adaptations that move beyond the traditional club model while retaining high-quality positive youth development principles. Structural barriers-including political resistance, resource inequities, and inconsistent implementation-continue to limit progress. This article outlines implications for practice, organizational change, and leadership, emphasizing that sustained, systemic transformation is essential for 4-H to truly serve all youth.
Rural youth in the United States have long demonstrated a consistent pattern of outmigration from their rural communities, often driven by aspirations for higher education and specialized careers available elsewhere. This qualitative study explores the positive youth development (PYD) experiences of youth in rural New Hampshire, focusing on how schools, community engagement, work, and experiences in nature shape their development and future orientation. Eighteen youth ages 14-19 participated in online interviews. Data were analyzed using both inductive and deductive strategies, including the application of the Developmental Systems Model of PYD. Four key themes emerged: (a) rural schools are a central hub for PYD; (b) youth recognize school-based structural and resource issues; (c) rural community and work experiences offer undervalued yet impactful PYD opportunities; and (d) there is a need for exposure to diverse postsecondary pathways. Findings suggest that expanding rural youth engagement beyond school contexts may foster broader aspirations, stronger community ties, and enhanced life skills, ultimately helping address rural youth outmigration and postsecondary planning.
Youth organizing is a practice that enables young people and adults to work together towards individual thriving and community change. In youth organizing, young people identify and address social issues that affect their lives and lead change related to those issues. The objective of this case study is to illustrate one successful model for youth organizing grounded in positive youth development theory and youth-adult partnership, developed through the organization BRIDGES USA in Memphis, Tennessee. We discuss youth-adult partnerships and elaborate components and strengths of youth organizing. We then describe the history and context of BRIDGES, the cycle of work in an academic year, and the practices that bring guiding principles into action. Finally, we call for additional exemplars to sustain and grow youth organizing as a movement toward justice and liberation.
This study explored how a multicomponent health promotion program for pre-adolescent girls could be adapted to support positive youth development across diverse cultural and community contexts. In summer 2022, trained research staff conducted six focus groups with 27 girls from urban and rural communities in the Midwestern United States. Participants reviewed the original program curriculum and provided feedback on program activities, structure, relationships, and implementation strategies. Sessions were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed thematically using qualitative software and manual review. Girls provided feedback on multiple program components, resulting in 12 themes aligned with eight established features of positive developmental settings. A novel conceptual model was developed to organize these themes into multi-level adaptation strategies that stakeholders can use to make community-informed modifications to youth development programs. Participants identified support needs across environmental, interpersonal, and individual levels, including physical and emotional safety, supportive relationships, and opportunities for skill building. Findings suggest that strengthening supports across developmental setting features and incorporating youth perspectives into program planning may reduce participation barriers and improve engagement among girls from diverse backgrounds. These findings offer practical guidance for adapting and implementing youth programs in community settings.
This study explores adolescents' attitudes and perceptions toward individuals with disabilities in out-of-school time (OST) settings. Gaining insight into these attitudes can help inform future initiatives and interventions to develop programs that foster inclusion and greater participation of people with disabilities in OST programs. This study employed quantitative methods using the Brief Questionnaire for Adolescents on Attitudes Toward Persons with a Disability (CBAD-12A), developed by & Aacute;lvarez-Delgado et al. (2020), to survey adolescents about their attitudes and perceptions toward individuals with disabilities. The results of the study revealed no statistically significant differences in attitudes toward individuals with disabilities based on whether adolescents reported knowing someone with a disability, their gender, or their age. Yet some findings were promising, such as the high proportion of adolescents who were familiar with someone who has a disability and how adolescents who knew someone with a disability expressed more positive attitudes toward acceptance of disability. The results of this study can provide best practices for supporting inclusive OST programs.
Afterschool programs can bridge opportunity gaps by providing children with venues for learning and cultivating socioemotional skills. This paper examines the relationship between attendance in afterschool programs in a Vermont school district and two academic outcomes (the Scholastic Reading Inventory/SRI and the EasyCMB math test) using cross-sectional data from Spring 2018. Using multivariate regression analysis, this study found a positive association between afterschool program attendance and academic achievement on these tests. Moreover, the findings indicate the persistence of socioeconomic academic disparities. While the study’s design does not permit causal claims, the results suggest that afterschool programs are a valuable resource for students. Further research is needed to determine the causal impact of attendance on academic outcomes.
Research has established positive relationships and trust as cornerstones for successful youth-adult partnerships (YAPs), yet limited work addresses how to sustain struggling partnerships, particularly in low-trust environments. Using an explanatory, sequential mixed-methods design, this study first quantitatively affirmed the importance of strong teacher-student relationships as precursors for the formation of classroom YAPs (known here as Student Voice Partnerships or SVPs). Subsequent qualitative data explains that youth define these relationships through the lens of trust, actively assessing adults to determine their trustworthiness—a process aligning with concepts of discernment and calculation. Drawing on organizational trust and relational resilience frameworks, this study offers an interdisciplinary model for closing the trust gap between teachers and youth in neighborhoods with high levels of racial bias. We demonstrate that adults must proactively signal trustworthiness by demonstrating two core themes: care (expressed through one-on-one connections and seeing the youth’s “whole self”) and respect (demonstrated via transparency, adaptability, and reliability).
To identify whether and how contextual (i.e., spiritual, educational, and cultural contexts) and relational (i.e., physical and psychological caregiving) resilience influence high school completion among Black young adults, the team conducted logistic regression and moderation analyses. The interaction between contextual resilience and relational resilience revealed that at higher levels of relational resilience, increased contextual resilience is associated with an increased likelihood of high school completion. Importantly, the findings also suggest that at lower levels of relational resilience, increased contextual resilience is associated with a decreased likelihood of high school completion among Black young adults. Themes emerging from this study highlight the importance of positive physical and psychological relational resilience from caregivers while underscoring the deleterious influence of poor caregiver relationships. We recommend that all stakeholders work together to take a shared responsibility in facilitating the successful completion of high school among Black young adults. Educators and clinicians should consider assessing Black students’ relationships with their caregivers and identify supplemental relational supports to bolster their relational resilience. Future directions are discussed.
Rhode Island Teen Institute (RITI) is a 5-day residential program based on the Positive Youth Development approach that exposes participants to intensive training in individual and community advocacy, decision-making, interpersonal communication, and leadership development. Results from prior iterations of RITI (2002-2009) demonstrated that the program was efficacious at improving leadership and other related skills among participants. However, unfortunately due to loss of funding, the program did not run from 2010-2023. The present study assesses the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the 2023 implementation of RITI after more than a decade-long hiatus. The program was successfully implemented with 44 youth participants, 95% of whom were satisfied with it. Significant increases in teamwork skills, communication skills, self-efficacy, psychological well-being, confidence, contribution, and creativity were observed among participants. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that RITI is still highly impactful. Residential training programs like RITI remain promising approach for health promotion among adolescents.
This state-of-the-art review synthesizes 45 years of scholarship (1980–2025) to assess how effectively the 4-H program has worked to serve a demographically representative youth population. Drawing on academic and gray literature (n=99) sources, the review traces 4-H’s evolution from its segregated land grant origins to contemporary efforts focused on access, equity, inclusion, and belonging. It documents progress in culturally responsive programming and national diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) initiatives while highlighting persistent disparities in participation and benefit distribution. The review identifies effective strategies, enduring structural barriers, and areas where research and practice remain limited, offering a comprehensive foundation for understanding 4-H’s current status and future directions. This study is presented in two parts, with the implications and discussions reported in Part 2 (see Elliott-Engel & Howard, 2026).
This study examined how campers’ experiences of belonging, counselor support, and new close friendships relate to life skill and character development in North American Jewish youth. Residential summer camps are relational settings that promote positive youth development. Although belonging and supportive relationships are theorized to drive such development, few studies have tested these camp features in current camper populations, and less is known about how friendship formation and perceptions of counselors distinctly interact with belonging to shape development. In this study, end-of-summer surveys were administered to middle- and high-school-aged campers at five Jewish residential summer camps. Measures included assessing belonging, new close friendships, perceptions of counselors, and developmental outcomes attributed to their camp experience: life skills and character strengths. Findings showed that belonging significantly predicted life skill development, and their counselors’ promotion of kindness moderated this effect. A second analysis examined how belonging and life skill development were associated with growth in specific character strengths, revealing three patterns of association. Results suggest that belonging and relationships are important mechanisms of life skill and character growth. Specifically, counselors may mitigate the negative consequences of experiences of low belonging, while new peer relationships may expand opportunities for growth. Camps may strengthen camper outcomes by training counselors to foster belonging and model kindness, while also creating environments that encourage new close friendships and proactively address issues of inclusion. Future research should connect specific camp experiences to youth outcomes and employ longitudinal designs to examine whether these outcomes persist across contexts.
This study examines the impact of Skyhawks Sports Academy camps on youth participants’ social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies using an intrinsic case study approach incorporating both quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative data were gathered through SEL competency surveys and observations of coaches and qualitative data through semi-structured interviews with past and current Skyhawks coaches. A paired samples t-test analysis of the quantitative data revealed statistically significant changes in three SEL competencies: social awareness and self-management showed growth, while relationship skills declined. However, significant changes were not discovered in all categories; therefore, the null hypothesis was accepted. The observational data (scored using an instrument aligned with SEL competencies) and themes derived from interviews provided a deeper understanding of the quantitative results. The combination of qualitative and quantitative data highlighted the nuanced impact of the camp environment on SEL development. Observations and interview themes supported the survey findings, illustrating how interactions with peers and coaches influence SEL competencies. This study indicates that participation in Skyhawks Sports Academy camps can enhance SEL skills. Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Development Theory, which emphasizes the proximal processes of youth interactions within their environment, this research offers valuable insights into SEL development in Positive Youth Development programs like Skyhawks, advocating for the incorporation of SEL-focused activities in extracurricular programs.
Although traditional classroom instruction often emphasizes passive forms of learning, growing evidence highlights the value of active play in promoting curiosity and conceptual development. Grounded in guided play theory, this study investigated how young learners experience science lessons across three instructional contexts: indoor inactive, indoor active, and outdoor active. Thirty-two first-grade students in a Title I laboratory school completed an enjoyment survey and drawing task following each lesson type. Results demonstrated that active play, particularly in outdoor contexts, was associated with higher enjoyment and more dynamic depictions of science learning. Thematic analysis of drawings indicated that students connected more deeply with concepts when lessons involved playful, exploratory activities, whereas inactive lessons were more likely to feature teacher-centered imagery and fewer representations of students actively participating in learning. These findings highlight the potential of guided play approaches to transform science instruction by positioning students as active participants in meaning-making.
This article presents the results of an applied experimental study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of a transmedia storytelling approach in increasing youth understanding and awareness of gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI) issues. The study involved 198 young people aged 17-25 years who were randomly divided into control and experimental groups, with a pre-and post-test design to measure changes in attitudes and understanding. The intervention was done to the experimental group through a series of participatory activities: transmedia storytelling modules, quizzes, participatory games, and focus group discussion. The results showed an increase in GEDSI understanding and awareness in the experimental group, accompanied by active participant engagement in discussions and critical reflections. These findings underscore the potential of transmedia storytelling as an inclusive, engaging, and relevant learning approach for young people. Furthermore, the involvement of young people not only as participants but as co-creators strengthens the participatory learning model that is oriented towards developing the capacity of young people. The implications of this study are important for youth organizations and educational institutions that seek to build youth development practices that are more responsive to social diversity. This approach can be replicated in various local and global contexts to encourage empathy, critical awareness, and active participation of young people in social justice issues. Thus, the use of transmedia storytelling contributes to the development of evidence-based educational strategies and interventions that position young people as agents of change in building more just and inclusive societies.
Developmentally nurturant relationships are fundamental to enabling children to thrive across contexts, including homes, schools, and communities. Such relationships are also a central feature of effective positive youth development (PYD) programming. As strengths-based PYD programs are increasingly being adopted in majority-world countries, a better understanding of how to foster and promote developmentally nurturant relationships is needed. As part of the Thanda Study of Character and Health, we interviewed 15 program practitioners about their understandings of and approaches to fostering developmentally nurturant relationships with children enrolled in Thanda programs in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Phenomenological analysis indicated that practitioners’ understanding of and approaches to fostering developmentally nurturant relationships align with the Big Three features of effective youth programming: providing mentorship, life-skill-building activities, and opportunities to contribute and lead. Future directions are discussed regarding exploring the broader impact of these relationships on the positive development of young people in South Africa and other majority-world countries.
The purpose of this study was to improve agent retention by documenting the positive impact that 4-H agents were making by identifying the most effective program delivery methods in Kentucky. This could help agents prioritize their time, emphasizing high-impact activities. Agents indicated that while one year of 4-H makes the greatest impact, 10 years' membership is ideal. The most impactful delivery methods were clubs and camps. The most important life skills developed in 4-H were communication, leadership, and community service. Club programming includes all highly valued core experiences identified in this study (leadership opportunities, community service, and communication).
Evidence is lacking for positive youth development programs for boys that use gender transformative approaches and promote peer leadership to prevent sexual violence and teen dating violence. This study aimed to address gaps in violence prevention research and youth development practice by evaluating implementation and outcomes of the Men of Strength (MOST) Club. Sixteen high schools were randomized to MOST Club or a control condition and 60 boys from nine of the schools completed baseline and follow-up surveys. Trained program facilitators completed logs after each session. Although the COVID-19 pandemic interfered with both program implementation and data collection, MOST Clubs were implemented with strong adherence to content and acceptability was high among facilitators and students. Students at intervention schools reported improvements in perceived peer leadership and reduced attitudes supporting violence compared to students at control schools. Effects on other outcomes were not statistically significant given the small sample size. This study illustrates the promise of implementing programs in school settings that do not require instructional time nor whole-school participation. This first randomized controlled trial of MOST Club moves the field of violence prevention toward positive youth development programs that have the potential for population-level reductions in sexual violence and co-occurring behaviors.
The transition to employment is a pivotal step for youth and young adults. A successful shift to the workforce can support financial independence and open pathways toward further learning and personal growth. Employers increasingly prioritize life skills over complex or technical skills in the current labor market. However, opportunities to develop these skills are not equitably distributed. Life skills training programs within a positive youth development framework show promise in affording historically marginalized youth populations opportunities to identify and develop these skills, yet research on youth experiences in such programs remains limited. This qualitative study draws on focus groups and interviews with youth, community-based organization leaders, and employers to examine these experiences. It also speaks to that gap by exploring perceptions of youth participating in a private-nonprofit partnership that seeks to support youth in defining and achieving professional goals as they transition to employment. We find evidence that participating youth bolstered their life skills, particularly in communication. We also find that the program afforded them opportunities to apply leadership skills and envision possible futures they had not previously considered.
LGBTQIA+ youth face high rates of identity rejection and bullying, creating an urgent need for support and affirmation within oppressive societal structures. School environments can uniquely support LGBTQIA+ youth through after-school programming designed to provide positive community experiences. Using qualitative thematic analysis of personal stories from LGBTQIA+ youth (N=94), we examined what LGBTQIA+ youth envision as ideal support within after-school programming. Our analyses, informed by humanistic psychology principles, revealed eight major themes: good vibes, compassion and empathy, non-judgment and acceptance, multidimensional human connection, safety, proxy for home/family, adults and mentors, and altruism. Results indicate the need for warmth, safety, connection, and acceptance around LGBTQIA+ identities to support development and well-being. Our analysis highlights the potential for after-school programming to provide such spaces. Communities should invest in affirming after-school programming informed by humanistic principles and education and counseling professionals should resist anti-LGBTQIA+ policies that impact students in educational spaces.
Youth urban agriculture programs connect youth with nature and support positive youth development. In this qualitative study, we use photovoice to amplify youth voices and explore 16 high school youths' perceptions of how participation in a youth gardening program supported their confidence, connection, and sense of belonging. Using qualitative thematic analysis of photos, posters, and interviews, we identify several program processes that supported confidence and belonging, including meaningful relationships with peers and adults, connections with nature, and relationships with more-than-human beings. Our analysis reveals that nature is an important context for youth development and that nature is also more than context-that youth can build meaningful relations with more-than-human beings. We connect our findings to literature on positive youth development, self-efficacy, and belonging and theorize that connections with nature, which are commonplace in gardening programs, are an important element that supports youth thriving. We encourage youth development practitioners to create opportunities for youth to connect with the more-than-human world.
