ABSTRACT
Across the globe, millions of youth participate in individual, partner, and team sports activities. When appropriately structured and delivered, youth sport can be an environment that is supportive of positive youth development (PYD). The PYD framework is a strengths-based, relationally centered approach to youth development, with a focus on viewing youth as people to be developed rather than problems to be managed. This chapter provides an overview of how the PYD in sport literature has advanced over the past decade will be reviewed, including the creation of models and frameworks designed to guide the intentional development and transfer of life skills. It outlines best practices and practical implications that can guide sport practitioners in supporting youth’s development and transfer of life skills. The chapter proposes areas for future exploration including how the teaching of life skills can be approached from a more critical lens.
