Through a collaboration with a public school in a poor, urban, largely Latino neighborhood, a multisystemic program was designed to foster positive youth development and promote school success. Aspects of the program highlighted include (a) the rationale; (b) interventions developed with and for youth, their parents, and their teachers; (c) the process of incorporating cultural issues into the program; and (d) evaluation strategies. Recommendations for future program development are provided along with general ideas for program evaluation.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Battin-Pearson, S., Newcomb, M.D., Abbott, R.D., Hill, K.G., Catalano, R.F., & Hawkins, J.D. (2000). Predictors of early high school dropout: A test of five theories. Journal of Educational Psychology, 92, 568-582.
2.
Boisjoly, J., Harris, K., & Duncan, G. (1998). Initial welfare spells: Trends, events, and duration . Social Service Review, 72, 466-492.
3.
Bowman, P. (1988). Post-industrial displacement and family role strains: Challenges to the Black family. In P. Voydanoff & L. C. Majka (Eds.), Families and economic distress (pp. 75-99). Newbury Park, CA : Sage.
4.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1986). Ecology of the family as a context for human development . Developmental Psychology, 22, 723-742.
5.
Brown, L.M., & Gilligan, C. (1992). Meeting at the crossroads: Women's psychology and girls' development. New York: Ballantine.
6.
Caspi, A., Wright, B.E., Moffit, T.E., & Silva, P.A. (1998). Childhood predictors of unemployment in early adulthood. American Sociological Review, 63, 424-451.
7.
Catalano, R.F., Bergland, M.L., Ryan, J.A., Lonczak, H.C., & Hawkins, J.D. (1999). Positive youth development in the United States: Research findings on evaluations of positive youth development programs. Washington, DC: Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute for Child Health and Human Development.
8.
Conyne, R. (2004). Preventive counseling. Hove , UK: Brunner-Routledge.
9.
Durlak, J. (1997). Successful prevention programs for children and adolescents. New York: Plenum.
10.
Erikson, E. (1968). Identity, youth, and crisis. New York: Norton.
11.
Fry, R. ( 2003). Hispanic youth dropping out of U.S. schools: Measuring the challenge. Retrieved March 30, 2005, from http://www.pewhispanic.org/site/docs/pdf/high%20school%20dropout%20report-final.pdf
12.
Garbarino, J. (2001). An ecological perspective on the effects of violence on children. Journal of Community Psychology, 29, 361-378.
13.
Garcia Coll, C., Crnic, K., Lamberty, G., Wasik, B.H., Jenkins, R., Vazquez Garcia, H., et al. (1996). An integrative model for the study of developmental competencies in minority children. Child Development, 67, 1891-1914.
14.
Gilligan, C. (1982). In a different voice: Psychological theory and women's development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
15.
Guerra, N.G., Moore, A., & Slaby, R.G. (1995). Viewpoints: A guide to conflict resolution and decision making for adolescents. Champaign, IL: Research Press.
16.
Guilamo-Ramos, V., Litardo, H.A., & Jaccard, J. (2005). Prevention programs for reducing adolescent problem behaviors: Implications for the co-occurrence of problem behaviors in adolescents . Journal of Adolescent Health, 36, 82-86.
17.
Human Relations Foundation/Jane Addams Policy Initiative. (2003, November). Minding the gap: As assessment of racial disparity in metropolitan Chicago. Retrieved March 30, 2005 , from http://www.hullhouse.org/gap/pdfs/mindingthegap.education.pdf
18.
Jessor, R. (1993). Successful adolescent development among youth in high-risk settings. American Psychologist, 48, 117-126.
19.
Kaufman, P., Alt, M.N., & Chapman, C.D. (2001). Dropout rates in the United States: 2000. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved March 30, 2005 , fromhttp://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/droppub_2001/
20.
Larson, R. (2000). Toward a psychology of positive youth development . American Psychologist, 55, 170-183.
21.
Lerner, R. (1995). America's youth in crisis: Challenges and options for programs and policies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
22.
Marsella, A.J. (1998). Urbanization, mental health, and social deviancy: A review of issues and research. American Psychologist, 53, 624-634.
23.
National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention. (2004). Meeting the needs of Latino youth: Part 1. Risk. Retrieved April 1, 2005, from http://www.promoteprevent.org/documents/prevention_brief_latino_youth.pdf
24.
Phinney, J. (1992). The multigroup ethnic identity measure: A new scale for use with diverse groups. Journal of Adolescent Research , 7, 156-176.
25.
Quintana, S.M., & Vera, E.M. (1999). Mexican American children's ethnic identity, understanding of ethnic prejudice, and parental ethnic socialization. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 21, 387-404.
Reese, L.E., & Vera, E.M. (2007). Culturally relevant prevention: The scientific and practical considerations of community-based programs. The Counseling Psychologist, 35, 763-778.
28.
Reiss, D., & Price, R.H. (1996). National research agenda for prevention research: The National Institute of Mental Health report. American Psychologist , 51, 1109-1115.
29.
Resnicow, K., Solar, R., Braithwaite, R., Ahluwalia, J., & Butler, J. (2000). Cultural sensitivity in substance abuse prevention . Journal of Community Psychology, 28, 271-290.
30.
Romano, J.L., & Hage, S.M. (2000). Prevention and counseling psychology: Revitalizing commitments for the 21st century. The Counseling Psychologist , 28, 733-763.
31.
Triandis, H. (2001). Individualism-collectivism and personality. Journal of Personality, 69, 907-924.
32.
Steele, C.M. (1997). A threat in the air: How stereotypes shape intellectual identity and performance. American Psychologist, 52, 613-629.
33.
Villarruel, A.M., Jemmott, J.B., Jemmott, L.S., & Ronis, D.L. (2004). Predictors of sexual intercourse and condom use intentions among Spanish-dominant Latino youth: A test of the planned behavior theory. Nursing Research, 53(3), 172-181.
34.
Yung, B.R., & Hammond, W.R. (1995). Positive Adolescents Choices Training: A model for violence prevention groups with African American youth. Champaign, IL: Research Press.
