2026-03-06
Myles Lynch et al.
In 2018, the Vietnam Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) made experiential learning a mandatory component of general education in an effort to enhance student skills pertaining to career and professional success. Community service, as a form of experiential learning, can enable individuals to apply knowledge and skills to address societal challenges beyond classroom settings. The availability and effectiveness of structured community service-learning programs vary across Vietnamese universities. Using Basic Needs Theory (autonomy, competence, relatedness), a sub-theory of Self-Determination Theory, this study examined differences in Vietnamese student need satisfaction based on availability of community service courses, providing insights into program effectiveness. A structured survey was conducted with 331 students from 30 universities and responses to a Likert-scale questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and t-tests to evaluate differences between the “Yes” (structured and available), “No” (no availability), and “Unknown” (no knowledge or availability) groups. The Yes group reported stronger basic need satisfaction connected to social connection, project relevance, and social support systems. The Yes group reported higher outcomes in skill application, social development, and clarity of social issues compared to the No and Unknown groups. This study highlights the value of structured programs focused on community service and provides insights for institutionalizing them to support education initiatives and student development in Vietnam. This study can provide valuable insight for higher education administrators, instructors, and institutions who aim to implement or refine community or experiential programs to understand basic need fulfillment for students within emerging adulthood.
2026-03-06
Caroline Homan et al.
Rural youth often encounter persistent barriers in career and workforce readiness, including limited access to career exploration resources, mentorship, and post-secondary exposure, challenges that are compounded by geographic isolation and higher rates of rural poverty. To address these gaps, this manuscript describes the development and implementation of Launch Skills, a virtual career camp designed to broaden rural youths’ awareness of career pathways within food, agriculture, natural resources management, and human sciences (FANH). Grounded in Positive Youth Development principles, Launch Skills was collaboratively developed by North Dakota State University Extension and South Dakota State University Extension to provide flexible, accessible, and developmentally appropriate career exploration experiences for rural students. Qualitative data were gathered from 77 ninth-grade students across seven rural schools using open-ended reflections and feedback surveys to examine students’ perceptions of career awareness, relevance, and engagement. Findings suggest that participation in Launch Skills increased students’ awareness of diverse FANH careers and supported more informed perceptions of job responsibilities and earning potential associated with these pathways. Students identified exposure to novel information, opportunities for active engagement, and video-based content as particularly valuable components of the program. These findings position Launch Skills as both a practical tool for educators seeking to enhance rural career readiness and a scalable model for virtual outreach programming that can reduce structural barriers and support equitable workforce development in rural communities.
2026-03-06
Sanlyn Buxner et al.
Through Growing Mathletes, we developed and field-tested informal education activities designed to teach math within the context of baseball in a way that supports youth in developing a growth mindset. We present our development strategy and discuss our implementation with third through eighth graders at five informal learning sites across the United States. Assessment of program success included pre- and post-program surveys and post-program interviews with youth from all five informal education settings. Our findings revealed our strategy to integrate growth mindset concepts with math and baseball lessons led to positive outcomes related to youth mindset and confidence. We present our overall curriculum design strategy, examples from our curriculum, and discuss our evaluation and outcomes. We also explain how we integrated educational topics/concepts with growth mindset principles along with recommendations for others engaging in similar work.”
2026-03-06
Brittany Hite et al.
Conducting applied research or program evaluations in youth settings requires a unique combination of expertise. Although evaluation approaches provide general guidance on how to conduct high-quality evaluations, they rarely provide specific guidance on how to engage in evaluation with organizations serving youth. Fortunately, the field of youth development provides extensive information about how youth develop, facilitators of and influences on youth development, and important considerations for collecting data from this population. This paper provides an approach to evaluation that integrates youth development research. By integrating this literature into their evaluation practice, the authors identified two underlying principles (contextual sensitivity and collaboration) and three key tenets for high-quality youth program evaluation: (a) youth-centered, (b) process-oriented, and (c) use-focused. This paper provides suggestions, examples, and reflective questions to support the incorporation of each tenet into evaluation practice. Through the institutionalization of these practices, youth development evaluators and practitioners can bolster the quality of research, evaluation, and practice for the ultimate benefit of youth.
2026-03-06
Spencer Dudley et al.
The transition to employment is a pivotal step for youth and young adults. A successful shift to the workforce can support financial independence and open pathways toward further learning and personal growth. Employers increasingly prioritize life skills over complex or technical skills in the current labor market. However, opportunities to develop these skills are not equitably distributed. Life skills training programs within a positive youth development framework show promise in affording historically marginalized youth populations opportunities to identify and develop these skills, yet research on youth experiences in such programs remains limited. This qualitative study draws on focus groups and interviews with youth, community-based organization leaders, and employers to examine these experiences. It also speaks to that gap by exploring perceptions of youth participating in a private-nonprofit partnership that seeks to support youth in defining and achieving professional goals as they transition to employment. We find evidence that participating youth bolstered their life skills, particularly in communication. We also find that the program afforded them opportunities to apply leadership skills and envision possible futures they had not previously considered.
2026-03-06
Ma. Glenda Wui et al.
This study examined the civic engagement of Filipino youth (N=14) volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Anchored in the asset-based framework of Positive Youth Development, the study discussed the critical role of civic engagement in enhancing the well-being of youth during the pandemic. It also analyzed the role of Social Networking Sites (SNS) in building social capital for civic engagement. Through in-depth interviews, the study examined the impact of the participants’ engagement on their lives, and how they confronted challenges related to civic work. Thematic analysis of the interview data yielded four themes: personal challenges during the pandemic, coping with the pandemic, attending to work challenges, and future civic engagement. The participants’ civic engagement helped them cope with isolation and loneliness during the pandemic. They also learned to efficiently use SNS for their civic work and expressed to continue their engagement post-pandemic. The implications of the study findings on research and practice were discussed.
2025-12-03
Amanda Moreno et al.
While the benefits of cross-age programming within youth have been understood for decades, such programs are rarely employed with curricula specific to social and emotional learning (SEL) or with a wide age range between the two groups of youth. This article describes the findings of a pilot implementation and feasibility study of the Emotion Coaches program, which sought to explore whether the conceptual and pragmatic challenges involved in bringing early childhood students (i.e., preschool to second grade) together with adolescent teachers delivering an SEL curriculum could be overcome. Findings from the pilot evaluation suggested that middle-school-age students are likely too young to beneficially assume the role of an Emotion Coach. In contrast, through 22 interviews with youth, experts in cross-age programming, and school leadership, the feasibility study exploring high school students in this role suggested that the incorporation of long-term training, additional supports such as mental health services, incentives for the teens such as pay or credit for civic engagement requirements, and continued partnerships with universities and extension schools could help insure sustainability of the program as well as positive outcomes for both the younger and older youth involved.
2025-12-03
Meggan Franks et al.
Volunteers are critical to 4-H program delivery; however, volunteer retention remains a persistent challenge within youth development organizations. To address this concern, a coalition of 4-H volunteer specialists from the Southern region designed and delivered a five-part webinar series titled Ignite the Spark: Strategies for Engaging and Retaining 4-H Volunteers . This series provided professional development on volunteer engagement and retention for 4-H youth development professionals across the United States. Topics included personal and program readiness, recruitment, engagement, and retention strategies. More than 450 extension professionals from 12 states participated in the live sessions, with an additional 228 completing asynchronous, self-paced modules. Evaluation data indicated significant knowledge gains among participants in key areas such as Personal Readiness (4.7/5), and volunteer engagement (4.5/5). The initiative’s success demonstrates the effectiveness of regional collaboration in developing comprehensive, research-based professional development resources. This program practice offers a promising blueprint for future endeavors to integrate resources and knowledge to empower volunteer-led programs and address the critical issue of volunteer retention in youth development organizations.