Promoting Positive Youth Development in Schools

This article discusses three focal areas in promoting positive youth development (PYD) in schools: positive people, positive places, and positive opportunities. Given school personnel workload and federal policies that emphasize academic achievement, it remains a goal to focus on holistic adolescent outcomes and school outcomes that increase both adolescent psychosocial well-being and societal well-being. Schools need to recognize, engage, and sustain existing and potential resources in their own school environment and surrounding communities, in developing adolescents' competence, confidence, connections, character, caring, and the ability to contribute to society. Key in making PYD successful in schools is to view efforts and outcomes through a system-wide approach and to enter into strategic partnerships with important stakeholders in the community that share a common vision of promoting PYD.