Examples of Positive Youth Development Program Activities

Aligned with PYD Features, Mapped to a Socio-Ecological Model

Positive youth development (PYD) refers to a broad approach that aims to build the competencies, skills and abilities of youth that they need to
grow and flourish throughout life. PYD is both a philosophy and an approach to adolescent development. As a philosophy, PYD views youth as
precious assets to be nurtured and developed rather than as problems to be solved. The approach that flows from this philosophy works on
building mutually beneficial relationships between youth and their family, peer groups, school, workplace, community, other government
institutions, society, and culture to provide opportunities for youth to enhance their knowledge, interests, skills, and abilities.

Youth transition through a critical developmental phase, rapidly evolving socially, emotionally and physically within a complex world. Multiple
factors influence how they develop and thrive or struggle. Recognizing youth development as a function of and interaction between complex
environments and systems can help us better respond to youth and to program effectively.

This handout provides illustrative activities PYD programs could implement. The example activities transcend
sectors and could be applied in a variety of settings to achieve sectoral outcomes of interest. These examples
are organized by seven features of PYD that are recognized as essential for strong youth-focused
programming. These features are grounded in the literature, particularly the work of the National Research
Council and Institute of Medicine, and are tailored for the context of low- and middle-income countries. The
PYD features are linked to the PYD framework that can be used for measuring PYD outcomes. Furthermore,
recognizing the importance of the environment in which young people live, activity examples are mapped to
the socio-ecological model to inspire ideas on how to engage key people and structures in a young person’s
life. The illustrative activities are intended to provide ideas on ways to incorporate a strong PYD approach in
development programming.

Bottom line: The goal of this handout is to help implementers and funders design PYD programs that are effective in achieving multi-sector
outcomes and impact on the lives of young people.

Developed as a collaborative effort between YouthPower Learning (by Cassandra Jessee, International Center for Research on Women/Making Cents International; and Chisina
Kapungu, International Center for Research on Women) and YouthPower Action (by Kristin Brady, FHI360).

This handout is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under contract number AID-OAA-
I-15-00034/AID-OAA-TO-15-00011, YouthPower Learning. and AID-OAA-TO-15-00003/AID-OAA-I-15-00009, YouthPower Action. The contents of this publication are the sole
responsibility of Making Cents International and FHI 360 and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the USG.
 Feature Youth Interpersonal (Peer, Family) Community Systems
Include soft skills in
curricula (e.g., vocational;
Create extra-curricular education)
opportunities at school and
Peers: in community (vocational Revise laws, policies,
Structure peer engagement to training, sports, arts, structures and funding to
support modelling and practice of debate, theatre) encourage extra-
Train youth in soft and life soft skills curricular activities (with
Assets and Agency

skills Integrate soft skills into schools, youth centers

Family: educational, vocational and
Skill Building Support youth Create ways for family members to extra-curricular and
etc.), internships,
connect to youth skill building apprenticeships and
participation in technical recreational programs
Develop soft and life skills activities career exposure
and academic skill building
through skill building Create opportunities
activities within individual, Educate parents on soft skills for Work with government
Provide youth within the community for
family, peer and community youth and provide parental support ministries (e.g., ministry
opportunities that enable youth to participate in
settings. to build these skills. of youth, ministry of
them to experience internships and education) to advocate
mastery or competence apprenticeships with local
Encourage parental modeling of soft for policies, structures
skills employers and funding that
Create community service encourage extra-
opportunities to foster skill curricular activities,
building internships,
apprenticeships and
career exposure
 Feature Youth Interpersonal (Peer, Family) Community Systems
Peers: Link youth to positive role
Structure activities that foster models (mentors, coaches,
positive peer interaction Engage support programs
teachers, community
for youth lacking family
Healthy Create codes of conduct in leaders, religious leaders)
structures
Relationships collaboration with youth to facilitate Train those who work
Enabling Environment

positive interaction among peers Launch media programs

and Bonding with, teach, mentor and
on parenting
Family: coach youth on adolescent
Identify and link youth to Provide youth with Provide parent education on development and positive Create anti-bullying
positive adult role models, youth development campaigns
mentors, coaches, teachers,
opportunities for positive adolescent development and healthy
health care providers and adult and peer and effective parenting Create codes of conduct Create/Fund adolescent
community leaders. Ideally, relationships for adults working with development educational
Establish parenting support groups to
youth have at least one youth programs at national level
enhance parenting skills and exchange
caring and consistent adult in for youth workers
their lives. Healthy peer strategies for positive parenting of Recruit staff of youth
adolescents (including: teachers,
relationships are also serving organizations and
particularly important to police, health workers,
Encourage positive parent and youth adult mentors who have
youth. social workers, legal
interaction at school and in the experience with and are
advisors)
community through inter- enthusiastic about working
generational activities with youth
 Feature Youth Interpersonal (Peer, Family) Community Systems
Develop curriculum that
promote cross-cultural
Peers: awareness and addresses
Provide opportunities for social stigma and discrimination
interaction and create structures that
Identify youth that feel foster positive peer interaction Create opportunities for
isolated or marginalized dialog and collaboration
Belonging and and help them link to Provide activities that build a sense of among youth of diverse Launch media campaigns
Enabling Environment

Membership opportunities for social community among the peer group backgrounds (particularly that foster and support
interaction (e.g., sports, games, shared goals for important for conflict positive family dynamics
Foster activities where youth an activity) situations)
Help youth build skills in Address stigma and
feel included regardless of
social inclusion (e.g. Family: Provide programs for discrimination issues
one’s gender, ethnicity,
tolerance, respect for Raise parental awareness around discriminated groups through media campaigns
sexual orientation or
disabilities. Identify activities diversity, communication equitable gender and LGBTI norms (e.g., anti-bullying)
and cross-cultural skills) and modeling inclusion and respect Design activities that foster
that provide positive sense of diversity and are inclusive
belonging (schools, sports, for diversity Promote legislation
Train youth on how to of gender, ethnicity, sexual prohibiting discrimination
community service, faith-
based youth group, etc.) positively express their Encourage conversations among identity, disability, religion, against youth sub-groups
opinions families that discuss how each and and family and health status
every person is valued
Create a wide range of
clubs and activities to
address diverse interests of
youth
 Feature Youth Interpersonal (Peer, Family) Community Systems
Create opportunities for
community service and
other volunteer activities
Create opportunities for
Youth Offer opportunities for
youth civic engagement and
Encourage national youth
Engagement and youth to participate in Peers: councils or other forums
advocacy
independent or shared Create opportunities for peer for youth leadership
Contribution decision making mentoring, peer education, tutoring Stimulate opportunities for
of younger youth and children, and Create mechanisms for
youth leadership and
Allow youth engagement to Support youth to monitoring accountability
Contribution

peer-to-peer collaboration innovation within the

take different shapes. This volunteer and contribute (e.g., Youth Scorecards,
can include youth community
at home, school and Family: Youth Protection
expression, youth community Encourage gradual youth voice and Committees)
Establish student
involvement in community decision making at home
service, and creating
government bodies at
Foster youth-led initiatives Encourage policies for
opportunities for youth schools
and other opportunities Encourage parents to give youth youth volunteering and
decision-making at various for youth leadership increasing levels of responsibility and engagement programs
Establish school-based
levels of government. This contribution
can also include programs
youth clubs (debates, mock
Consult youth on design Support youth
that provide structure for trials, model UN) that are
and implementation of participation in political
youth contribution. youth-led
programs parties and processes
Provide youth decision
making opportunities
within community or
school programs
 Feature Youth Interpersonal (Peer, Family) Community Systems
Set standards for youth
workers (e.g. teachers,
youth serving
organizations, coaches,
youth club leaders)
Define and prohibit sexual
Peers: harassment and abuse
Develop ground rules with youth that (code of conduct)
foster respectful peer dynamics Develop and promote
Help youth access Ensure youth spaces are policies that protect
within schools, clubs, teams, etc.
physical, emotional, and protective, accessible and youth
Safe Spaces virtual safe spaces free from things that can
Train youth to communicate with
others (anti-bullying, cross-cultural cause harm Establish and support
Create safe spaces that are Ensure youth of all centers to support youth
Enabling Environment

tailored to the needs of communication skills, empathy)

genders, class and sexual Train youth workers on who have been exposed
youth – including physical orientation feel mental health, diversity,
infrastructure as well as
Define and prohibit bullying and to violence, abuse (legal,
comfortable to express sarcasm gender inclusivity, and how psycho-social, child
emotional safety. Space can
themselves in safe spaces to model and foster social- welfare, housing,
be defined in a variety of Define and model respectful and
ways, including virtual. Many emotional skills
Involve youth in defining caring language and behavior Set standards and provide
communities lack any space and maintaining safe Establish confidential means
for youth to convene. Thus support for juvenile
spaces to establish youth Promote strategies for youth to to share sensitive offenders
communities must be provide support and comfort peers
committed to providing ownership and information
accountability and others Encourage internet cafés
youth with safe spaces to Train police and judicial
practice, engage, and learn and social media
Educate youth about Family: system official on companies to establish
creatively and collaboratively. Teach parents about appropriate
An emotionally safe space is online safety and appropriate treatment of and implement standards
responsible use of social communication with youth, positive adolescent offenders for virtual safety
critical to learning.
media discipline strategies and model
respectful interactions Sensitize community
leaders on importance of
Educate parents on online safety providing structured and
safe activities for youth
Ensure communities
provide safe spaces for
youth and engage youth in
making communities
accountable
 Feature Youth Interpersonal (Peer, Family) Community Systems
Teachers, youth
workers, coaches, and
Help youth understand other youth-serving Raise awareness of the
pro-social norms, rules of adults: impact of negative images
behavior, and Set clear and reasonable and portrayal of youth,
consequences rules and consequences of gender and sexual
behavior orientation
Engage youth to define
pro-social norms Encourage youth workers Support social media, TV,
to set high expectations radio programming and
Involve youth to set clear
and demonstrate that by campaigns to include
Positive Norms, and reasonable rules and
providing opportunities for positive messaging about
consequences of behavior Peers:
Expectations and
Enabling Environment

youth to make decisions youth

at home, school and in Promote and model inclusive social
Perceptions community norms and behavior and be involved in
Use media for behavior
challenging activities
change and change in
Have clear and consistent Provide youth Family:
Recognize and reward perceptions of youth,
norms and expectations opportunities to set Help parents establish clear and
about health, relationships, youth contributions parents, youth workers,
expectations for reasonable rules and consequences of
and forms of engagement employers and other
themselves behavior Local law enforcement
that provide youth an adults. Involve youth in
increasing amount of Provide opportunities for Help parents understand importance and social service these efforts.
responsibility and youth to reflect on their of setting high expectations for their officials:
independence and allow Train on strategies to Promote laws and
strengths and children
youth to grow and take on support young people; policies that are clear,
contributions
new roles. sensitize and raise reasonable, equitable,
Create opportunities for awareness of stigma and transparent and
youth storytelling and discrimination against youth consistent with
demonstration of their developmental stages of
skills and potential to Community leaders: youth
enhance adult perceptions Raise awareness in order
to promote positive Monitor and advocate for
of youth
portrayals and perceptions consistent application of
of youth those laws and policies
 Feature Youth Interpersonal (Peer, Family) Community Systems
Establish policies on
Train youth service youth friendly services
Access to Age providers on how to
provide youth friendly and Support awareness and
Appropriate and Family: gender responsive services implementation of youth
Youth Friendly Inform family and caregivers about friendly services (training,
Enabling Environment

Services; what, how and where to access Support youth service standard setting,
Inform youth on where youth friendly services organizations and providers monitoring systems)
Integration and how to access youth to establish mechanisms to
among Youth, friendly services Educate parents and caregivers about integrate family members Promote awareness
Family and the importance of involvement in into programs campaigns of youth
Provide youth the youth’s education, health and other friendly services and
Service Providers opportunity to provide activities (e.g. participation in school Support mechanisms that rights for access
input and monitor quality parent meetings) allow service providers to
Make information available to of youth friendly services coordinate assistance Establish mechanisms for
youth and families, Link family and caregivers to youth coordination across
connecting and integrating serving organizations (school, Train youth service youth-focused services
health and social services so community) providers to identify youth
there is a continuum of care with special needs and Establish information and
and support at a community refer them for additional mapping systems to
level. support enhance accessibility
across services

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