After our discussion in last night's class I felt that it would be interesting for some of you to learn a little bit more about Positive Youth Development (PYD) and PYD programs. PYD refers to intentional efforts put forth by other youth, adults and communities for youth to enhance their interests, skills and abilities in throughout life and into adulthood. There are many programs that could be considered PYD's: Girl and Boy Scouts of America, Young Life Programs, NFL Play 60 and many more. "Positive youth development is a philosophy of child and adolescent development that holds that all people have strengths and the potential for positive change (Benson, Scales, Hamilton, 2006). PYD programs are structured to build assets such as self-esteem, competence, and prosocial behavior rather than focusing on reducing deficits such as antisocial behavior (McDonough, 2013). PYD programs have potential to promote positive change in the lives of many youth, but evidence has shown that they may have a particular potential to promote positive outcomes in low-income populations. This is possibly due to the fact that these individuals have limited access to material and social resources, physical activity, lower academic achievement, and greater incidence of health problems such as being overweight, obese, or depression (McDonough,2013). There is growing evidence suggesting that a positive relationship between youth and program staff and having a caring climate in physical-activity based PYD programs predict emotional regulation, empathetic self-efficacy, and prosocial behavior (Catalano et al.,2004).
Purdue University has it's very own PYD called PALS- Purdue Athletes Life Success Program. PALS is offered to those youth and adolescents aged 8-14 that reside in Tippecanoe County that are at or below federal poverty guidelines. We access these individuals through the surrounding school corporation's list of those who receive free or reduced lunches. PALS is provided free of charge to the camper, and breakfast, lunch, and a snack is served throughout the day. The staff is comprised of Purdue Students and Purdue Student Athletes. The mission of PALS is to provide positive growth and character development experiences and empower youth and adolescents to stay in school, set life goals, and learn successful life skills. The program runs during the summer and is a month in duration. The curriculum includes activities such as sports, health and nutrition, American Sign Language, Judo, financial literacy (taught by PEFCU), careers, and gang avoidance. Currently in Tippecanoe county there are 43 documented gangs. One of the very interesting findings that our research on the program has found is that many children are unaware of the fact that they are able to make friends without joining a gang. PALS works to provide a safe and caring environment where youth and adolescents can make friendships. This past summer our program enrolled 565 youth and adolescents. 38% Hispanic, 29% White, 18% Multiracial, 12% African American, 3% Asian. The average age was 10 years old with a pretty even split of males and females.
I believe that programs such as PALS would be incredibly beneficial not just in other locations in America, but worldwide. As we have discussed and learned in class, education is one of the surest ways to prevent many of the current issues that the world is facing. By having youth and adolescents spend their summer days on a college campus we are showing them what they are able to attain if they work hard and stay in school As Nelson Mandela quoted "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Through PYD programs we are educating today's youth and adolescents about the fundamental lessons that it takes to become a successful and productive member of today's society.
If PALS sounds interesting to you and sounds like something you would like to get involved with, please email me for more information: GQuattro@Purdue.edu!
Sources:
(1) McDonough M, Ullrich-French S. Social Responsibility among Low- Income Youth in Physical Activity- Based Positive Youth Development Programs: Scale Development and Associations with Social Relationships. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. 2013
(2) Catalano R. Positive Youth Development in the United States. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 591, 98-124. 2004
I definitely agree. I think a lot of times children do not have the best home lives and this leads them to believe that certain behaviors are normal and therefore carry them into the next generation. Education is very important and although it doesn’t solve all problems and is only part of the solution I think it’s a very crucial. I addition I think these programs provide an environment where children feel safe and feel part of something bigger than themselves. These programs combined both of these elements and others that you mentioned creating an opportunity to change the views participants may have and inspiring them to be something greater than what they are used to seeing.
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