Social media serves as a virtual platform for young people to foster community and amplify marginalized voices, allowing them to actively engage with societal issues and take on roles as activists, advocates, and allies. A 2021 study (McDaniel, 2022) on teens revealed diverse literacy practices employed to address social justice, civil unrest,…

This study aims to show how digital youth leadership and activism on climate change has developed, what type of online discourse the movement has managed to channel in the fight against climate change and, above all, why the recently emerged #FridaysForFuture movement has succeeded, and not the classic adult environmental movement. The goals of…

The benefits of youth voice and meaningful and informed youth participation in social and systemic change initiatives are well-documented (Gonzalez et al., 2020; Gonzalez & Kokozos, 2019; Ginwright & Cammarota, 2007), and storytelling has shown promise as an effective pedagogical tool for nurturing and amplifying youth voices. Inspired by…

Involving youth in developing and implementing prevention programs to reduce sexual violence (SV) has the potential to improve prevention outcomes. However, there has been little focus on youth-led SV prevention programs, and limited evaluation research to help guide efforts. The current study examined the effectiveness of Youth Voices in…

Purpose: This study aims to examine the impact of knowledge and skills acquisition from youth leadership programs on the extent of training transfer. Additionally, it explores the role of self-esteem as a potential intervening mechanism in linking the acquired knowledge and skills to the transfer of training. Design/methodology/approach: Using a…

Youth workers in community-based educational spaces often take on multiple roles in supporting young people such as mentors, cultural brokers, and educators. Youth workers' knowledge and expertise, however, are still undervalued in education. This article draws on a community-based ethnography with DACAmented Latinx youth workers to highlight how…

While many studies investigate student leadership development in educational contexts or curriculum-based programs, little is known about the efficacy of leadership development programs that emerge in municipalities. This mixed methods case study explored the leadership development of participants in three nine-month youth leadership programs at a…

As social and emotional learning (SEL) initiatives gain traction in primary and secondary schools worldwide, research is needed to understand how schools can implement SEL in culturally responsive, strengths-based ways with children experiencing poverty. This study emerged from a university-non-profit partnership between the University of…

The use of peer-to-peer approaches in health promotion interventions targeting youth seems to be a strategy with great potential. The aim of this study was to synthesize and assess the elements and conditions that contribute to the effectiveness of youth-led physical activity interventions. This was done using a scoping review addressing the…

Leadership is crucial for success and should be nurtured from an early age. As society rapidly evolves, traditional notions of leadership must adapt to remain relevant. This study aims to identify and prioritize leadership characteristics and skills that parents and teachers consider most in need of development and to investigate approaches for…

Background: Acceptance and adjustment to lifelong noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) pose a great challenge for individuals living with these conditions. Diabetes is one of the most prevalent NCDs, with type 1 diabetes usually diagnosed during childhood. Self-leadership is linked to internal and external factors that may motivate individuals with…

The place of out-of-school time programming in supporting young people's learning and growth is well established. Yet little is known about the staff and volunteers who support young people in school- and community-based afterschool programs, summer camps, national and local youth-serving organizations, and more. The Youth Fields Workforce Study…

This qualitative study explored the experience of youth serving on the state 4-H council of Missouri, which provides opportunities to serve as ambassadors of the 4-H organization and influence the experiences of younger members. While many 4-H programs have a statewide youth council, there is little research regarding these groups or the impacts…

This article examines the social media activity (Twitter) of the youth-led 'Fridays for Future' climate movement during the transition from in-person to online strikes early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Our aim was to identify possibilities and challenges for human rights education in youth digital activism. The research question of the study was to…

Although research illustrates that community-based organizations (CBOs) offer critical support to the education of historically marginalized youth, less is known about CBOs' role in developing youth's critical civic praxis toward social justice. In this case study, we analyzed semi-structured interviews with youth who participated in a college…