Reducing Risk Behaviors By Promoting Positive Youth Development

CYFC became aware of a National Institutes of Health request for proposals to study effective positive youth development programs and the mechanisms responsible for positive health and developmental outcomes. We alerted about a dozen University faculty and staff who do youth development research with communities. We convened a series of meetings of interested individuals and research groups to explore ideas that might be responsive to this request for proposals. Realizing the potential to enrich their work and collaborate across disciplines over the long term, this group decided develop a network convened by CYFC. Three research teams chose to submit separate, but conceptually linked proposals. Other members of the team contributed frameworks and methodological advice. CYFC provided language to be used in each proposal articulating the conceptual linkages between proposals and describing the benefits of these research teams belonging to this network. Ultimately, the network hopes to move toward a larger, collaborative proposal grounded in the findings of these initial projects.