ABSTRACT
Interests in the strengths of youth, the relative plasticity of human development, and the concept of resilience coalesced in the 1990s to foster new ideas about positive youth development (PYD; Lerner, Lerner, Bowers, & Geldhof, 2015). 1 As discussed by Hamilton, Hamilton, and Pittman (2004), the concept of PYD has been understood by developmental scientists, educators, practitioners, parents, and others in at least three interrelated ways: 1) as a developmental process; 2) as a philosophy emphasizing the strengths of youth, as opposed to the traditional deficit model of adolescence; and 3) as the set of practices of youth programs and organizations focused on fostering the healthy or positive development of youth.
