Dr. Christy Olenik, our Vice President of Technical Services, was recently published in the Journal of Adolescent Health. Her article, Positive Youth Development Programs in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Conceptual Framework and Systematic Review of Efficacy, is based on research that found that sixty percent of the Positive Youth Development (PYD) programs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) “demonstrate positive effects on behaviors.”
PYD has been implemented mainly in high-income countries for almost 30 years. Programs applying the PYD framework bring about youth skill building, enable youth agency, build healthy relationships, and transform systems to prepare youth for successful adulthood. Christy’s research looks at the impact and efficacy of applying this framework to youth programs in the context of LMICs.