A model for a positive youth development intervention

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Intervention Science

Background:

• Modern life demands effective interventions for positive youth development.
• Existing Positive Youth Development (PYD) paradigms lack integration of theory and application and clear developmental processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a theoretical model for facilitating positive youth development in early adolescence.
• To address identified lacunae in the current PYD paradigm.

Main Methods:

• Literature review integrating PYD with strength-based psychology.
• Building upon the Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory and the Selection Optimization and Compensation (SOC) model.

Main Results:

• Development of the Positive Youth Development Intervention (PYDI) model.
• The PYDI model outlines meta-theoretical assumptions, hypotheses, and empirical constructs.
• The model is designed for operationalization into testable interventions.

Conclusions:

• The PYDI model offers a framework to bridge the gap between theory and practice in youth development.
• This model can guide the creation and evaluation of interventions for early adolescents.