Session: From Evidence to Impact: Applying Positive Youth Development Frameworks to Strengthen Youth Programming in Ghana, Burundi, and the United States (Society for Social Work and Research 30th Annual Conference Anniversary)

Introduction. The Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework has emerged as a transformative approach to advancing the well-being of young people by shifting the focus from risk and deficit-based models toward the promotion of strengths, opportunities, and enabling environments. Rooted in developmental science, PYD emphasizes the importance of building youth assets (such as skills, confidence, and resilience), fostering supportive relationships and contexts, and ensuring meaningful engagement in decision-making processes and community life. These principles are increasingly recognized as vital in addressing the complex and intersecting challenges faced by marginalized and underserved youth populations.

The studies in this symposium apply the PYD framework across diverse contexts, adolescent and young girls, rural microentrepreneurs, and LGBTQ+ youth, to explore how tailored interventions grounded in this model can foster holistic well-being.

Methods. Across the studies, a mixed-methods approach was employed to capture both the measurable outcomes and the nuanced, lived experiences of youth participants. These studies provided a comprehensive understanding of how Positive Youth Development (PYD) interventions affect well-being across different populations. Quantitative data enabled the measurement of key indicators such as changes in income, mental health status, and self-efficacy, while qualitative findings enriched the analysis by exploring shifts in identity, social relationships, and community perception. The use of mixed methods was particularly important in contexts involving marginalized groups such as adolescent girls, rural microentrepreneurs, and LGBTQ+ youth where psychosocial outcomes and systemic barriers are deeply contextual. This methodological triangulation not only strengthened the validity of findings but also allowed researchers to capture the complexity and depth of youth transformation in diverse cultural and socioeconomic environments.

Findings. For adolescent girls, particularly in low-resource and high-stigma settings, PYD provides a structured pathway to promote agency, education, and emotional health while confronting systemic barriers such as gender inequality, social norms, early marriage, and limited access to mental health services. For rural youth and microentrepreneurs, PYD offers a framework to unlock economic potential through skill-building, mentorship, and community-based opportunities that enhance both livelihoods and self-efficacy. Among LGBTQ+ youths who often face exclusion, discrimination, and violence PYD supports inclusive programming that cultivates identity affirmation, safe spaces, and resilience, all of which are critical for their psychological and social well-being.

Discussion. Collectively, these studies demonstrate the adaptability and efficacy of the PYD framework in creating enabling environments that nurture youth capabilities and promote positive outcomes. By centering youth voices and fostering conditions for growth, PYD provides a powerful model for advancing practice that is couched in a multi-layered, holistic approach to promote the well-being in diverse youth populations.