Professionalism in the context of public sector professions is a changing concept, which is subject to different interpretations. The sociologist Julia Evetts has developed two models, occupational and organisational professionalism, which are useful conceptual tools which help us to understand from a wider theoretical perspective the changing…

Background: Internationally, the number of young people who experience significant mental health issues is increasing. It is argued that flexible, community-based initiatives can help support mental health services to address the mental health needs of young people. Youth mentoring is a community-based model, which has been found to act as a…

This study investigated the goals adolescents and parents have for the adolescent's participation in an organized youth program. Open-ended interviews were conducted with 52 adolescents from 13 project-based youth programs and one of their caregivers. Adolescents (aged 13-18; 56% female) were ethnically diverse (46% Latinx, 29% European American,…

Purpose: To describe nine youth soccer coaches' pedagogical responses to the implementation of the new guidelines on heading introduced by the United States Soccer Federation. The specific research questions we attempted to answer were: (a) What were the coaches' perspectives and practices regarding the coaching of heading? and (b) What factors…

Demographic data from Ghana suggest aging population among cocoa farmers. Based on this evidence, youth participation in the cocoa sector has become a subject of interest to stakeholders including Solidaridad. This study employed both qualitative analysis and parametric regression models that addresses observed and unobserved errors, to estimate…

4-H Summer of STEM is a workforce readiness program for high school youth. The goals of the program are to increase students' interest in STEM careers, improve college and workforce readiness, and connect youth to businesses and industries in the local community. Selected youth receive hands-on development of workforce readiness skills, are paired…

Youth in sport programs are not only gaining skills in sport techniques but also observing and learning ethical attitudes such as how to treat others in competition or whether to play in accordance with sport rules. Youth sport coaches influence youth directly through the provision of guidance and feedback and indirectly through the behaviors they…

Involving youth in developing and implementing prevention programs to reduce sexual violence (SV) has the potential to improve prevention outcomes. However, there has been little focus on youth-led SV prevention programs, and limited evaluation research to help guide efforts. The current study examined the effectiveness of Youth Voices in…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and describe the perceptions of participants of PeaceJam towards personal and collective power, service learning, social justice and democratic education as examined through participant observations, interviews, focus groups, artifacts, and documents of individuals engaging with the non-profit…

Out-of-school time (OST) initiatives, defined as programs that operate in and out of school settings, serve young people, their families, and the communities around them. These initiatives are often created to close opportunity gaps that can exist for at-risk students and to meet the needs of previously assessed concerns for communities. For the…

As communities grapple with the harmful, inequitable effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which have been particularly hard on low-income and marginalized youth, renewed attention has been directed toward how out-of-school time (OST) programs can help youth reconnect and re-engage. In this article, the results of a systematic literature review on the…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how young adult participants, who completed the Inspire-High School Program offered through a parochial school, describe the influences that their internal and external environments had on their ability to complete the program in the southern United States. This study used…

The benefit of participating in Out-of-School Time (OST) arts programs has been widely documented in studies that often reflect impact over short timeframes. Youth arts organisations often bear extraordinary claims about the impact of programs, and the value they hold especially in the lives of those who face difficult social circumstances. This…

4-H academics responded to the COVID pandemic by rapidly adapting CDC and other resources for virtual delivery. A statewide epidemiology project was taught to 48 youth with the goal of minimizing fears and confusion, increasing prevention measures, leveraging current topics for education, and bolstering the social-emotional health of youth…

The Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) developed the "Strengthening Families Approach and Protective Factors Framework" (SF) and the "Youth Thrive Protective and Promotive Factors Framework" (YT) in response to an urgent need in the fields of child maltreatment prevention and youth services to shift from a primary…