Positive Youth Development
The Thriving Conversation Project
Principle Investigator: Dr. Jim Furrow
The primary goal of the Thriving Conversation Project is to assess the potential use of thriving principles in a therapeutic setting with at-risk youth. The project is based on the Thriving Conversation(TM) tool that was adapted into a 9-session therapeutic intervention program. A multi-level evaluation procedure will provide a preliminary assessment of the program's effectiveness with youth formally involved in street prostitution. Findings from this evaluation will be used to inform similar programs using Thriving principles in interventions with at-risk youth.
Research Team: Courtney Foltz and Emily Julian
Fuller Youth Initiative for Positive Youth Development and Violence Prevention (FYI)
Investigators : Drs. Linda Wagener, Jim Furrow, Lisseth Rojas-Flores, David Foy, Sofia-Herrera, & Warren Brown
This multi-year project, funded by award #2002-JN-FX-K002 from the United States Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), was completed in the summer of 2007. The data are currently being used for multiple student master's projects and dissertations.
The FYI project was a three-community project exploring a positive youth development (PYD) approach to violence prevention among adolescents. The program followed three strategies to study PYD assumptions and youth violence: (a) a randomized phone survey of adolescents from each community, (b) an in depth interview with a smaller group of youth, nominated based on being known for their exceptional prosocial behavior and caring for others, and (c) a survey of youth programs in each community.
The FYI program surveyed over 1400 youth. Over 70 youth have participated in the in depth interview. Fourteen programs received program evaluation including specific feedback on their adherence to best practice standards and implementation of positive youth development practices. Ten were in high-resource geographical areas and four were in low resource areas.