YES! Sí Se Puede: Preliminary Results from an Urban Latinx Youth Development Program

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Youth Development
• Community Partnerships

Background:

• Latinx individuals are the largest and fastest-growing ethnic minority in the U.S.
• At-risk youth face significant academic and health disparities.
• Urbanization challenges necessitate collaborative community partnerships.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate a partnership-driven positive youth development program.
• To address academic and health disparities among at-risk Latinx youth.
• To share preliminary results of the YES! Sí Se Puede project.

Main Methods:

• A 1-year intervention for 134 middle school students in southern California (2010-2013).
• A university-middle school-community organization alliance was formed.
• Data collected at baseline, post-program, and 6-month follow-up.

Main Results:

• Significant increases observed in computer knowledge (P = 0.006).
• Academic self-esteem showed a significant increase (P = 0.010).
• Friend social support for physical activity significantly improved (P = 0.002).

Conclusions:

• The program demonstrated partial success in improving key outcomes for Latinx youth.
• Long-term investment in quality programming is crucial for underserved youth and families.
• Sustained efforts are expected to yield long-term benefits.