Examining Community-Engaged Approaches to Positive Youth Development That Promote Healthy Development and Wellbeing

Over recent decades, the public education system has experienced drastic funding reductions in many states and communities. Nowhere is this disinvestment in education more harmful than in urban neighborhoods and high need communities, spaces often occupied by families and children who are living in poverty, many of whom are persons of color. Young people living in high need communities with underfunded schools are much more likely to experience negative outcomes such as; becoming a victim of violent crime, dropping out of school, not going to college, becoming incarcerated, and even death. These challenges relate to two of social work's grand challenges; ensure health development for all youth and achieve equal opportunity and justice. Despite the challenges that many schools and high need communities face, promising approaches for promoting positive youth development in these neighborhoods exist. Through increasing community-school partnerships, the capacity of anchor institutions such as; libraries, community centers, places of worship, and other entities serving the educational and enrichment needs of youth is improved upon through collaboration. Through collaboration community based institutions serving the needs of young people are better able to work more effectively, creatively, and efficiently to meet the needs of young people, while also creating spaces for youth voice, advocacy, innovation, and creativity in schools, neighborhoods, and communities. This roundtable session will explore topics and cases related to building, sustaining, and evaluating community-school partnerships that invoke a positive youth development and participation approach to serving the needs of youth and communities. Facilitators of this roundtable each have experience working to develop and sustain positive youth and community partnerships through various strategies including; coalition building, community building, the arts, and community-based participatory and action oriented research.