“We’ve seen decreases in aggression + contagious joy when kids realize what they’re capable of.” – Kelli Bacher on Playing for Change 🎮 Learn more: risk-resilience.berkeley.edu/playing-for-... #playing4change #GameDesign #SocialImpact #Innovation #PositiveYouthDevelopment #SeriousGames #Research

Health Spotlight: Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention - Advocates for Children of New Jersey Copy of Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention:Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention:OverviewIn June 2024, U.S.Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declared gun violence a nat...

What if the key to ending violence is care, not cuffs? Read more: acnj.org/cbvip-for-yo...
#positiveyouthdevelopment
#Communitycare #Healingjustice #violenceIntervention #safecommunities #CBVIP #YouthDevelopment #EndGunViolence #NJVotes4Kids

New Jersey’s youth are in crisis. Early intervention through #PositiveYouthDevelopment can change lives—boosting resilience & preventing long-term mental health struggles. It’s time to invest in solutions that work.
Read more: acnj.org/invest-in-po...
#NJVotes4Kids

In 2023, 42% of NJ high schoolers—and 50% of middle schoolers—felt sad or hopeless.It’s time to ask #njgov candidates: How will you support #MentalHealth in schools?Read more: acnj.org/invest-in-po...
#YouthMentalHealth #PositiveYouthDevelopment #NJVotes4Kids #NJDecides2025

Federal cuts stalled NJ’s efforts to support youth mental health. As we elect new leaders, they must invest in #PositiveYouthDevelopment to tackle the #YouthMentalHealth crisis. Read more: acnj.org/invest-in-po...

Watch as Dr. Maurice Elias discusses Social Emotional Character Development and how it impacts youth mental health. bit.ly/45qWyGW

#sel #njforkids #positiveyouthdevelopment #wholechild

Reflections of a Father | Raising Emotionally Healthy Kids By Exploring Positive Youth Development and Mental Health Reflections of A Father Positive Youth Development I’ve spent most of my life on the sidelines, with a deep belief that sports can be something more than just competition. For over 30 years, I’ve coac...

Hey BlueSky, I’m excited to introduce Reflections of a Father reflectionsofafather.com
It’s a space where I share honest stories about coaching, fatherhood, and the power of vulnerability.
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
#Parenting #YouthSports #MentalHealth #coaching #positiveyouthdevelopment

Centering Youth Voice in the Adaptation of an mHealth Intervention for Young Adults With HIV in South Texas, United States: Human-Centered Design Approach Background: Youth and emerging adults with HIV (YWH) are less likely to engage in care and achieve viral suppression, compared with other age groups. YWH also have a high degree of self-efficacy and willingness to adopt novel care modalities, including mobile health (mHealth) interventions. Interventions to increase care engagement could aid YWH in overcoming structural and social barriers and leveraging youth assets to improve their health outcomes. Objective: We used an assets-based framework, Positive Youth Development, and human-centered design principles to adapt an existing mHealth intervention, PositiveLinks (PL) to support care engagement for 18-29-year-olds with HIV. Methods: We conducted a formative evaluation including semi-structured interviews with 14 YWH and focus groups with 26 stakeholders (providers, nurses, case managers, clinic staff). Interviews covered barriers to care, provider communication, and concerns or suggestions about mHealth interventions. The research team compiled responses into families and used thematic analysis. In the second phase, design thinking processes informed adaptation of the existing PositiveLinks platform using data from three YWH’s real time use suggestions. Throughout the formative evaluation and adaptation, a Youth Advisory Board (YAB) provided input. Results: YWH and stakeholders identified common elements of an mHealth intervention that would support care engagement including: the convenience of addressing needs through the App, virtual support groups to support interconnection, short videos or live chats with other YWH or providers, appointment and medication reminders, and medical information from a trustworthy source. Stakeholders also mentioned the need for youth empowerment. Concerns included worries about confidentiality, unintentional disclosures of status, urgent content in an unmoderated forum, and the impersonality of virtual platforms. Design suggestions from YWH included suggestions on appearance, new formatting for #usability of the virtual support group, and prioritization of local content. Based on the feedback received, iterative changes were made to transform PL into Positive Links for Youth (PL4Y). Final votes on adaptations were made by the YAB. The overall appearance of the platform was changed, including logo, color, and font. The virtual support group was divided into three channels which support hashtags and content searches. The 'Resources' and 'Frequently Asked Questions' sections were condensed and revised to prioritize South Texas-specific content. Conclusions: Our assets-based framework supported YWH and stakeholder input in the transformation an mHealth intervention to meet the needs of 18-29 yos in South Texas. The human-centered design approach allowed YWH to suggest specific changes to the intervention’s design to support #usability and acceptability. This adapted version, Positive Links for Youth (PL4Y), is now ready for pilot testing in the final phase of this implementation science project. Clinical Trial: n/a

JMIR Formative Res: Centering Youth Voice in the Adaptation of an mHealth Intervention for Young Adults With HIV in South Texas, United States: Human-Centered Design Approach #YouthVoice #mHealth #HIVAwareness #PositiveYouthDevelopment #MobileHealth

7/ So there’s a handful of ideas that would make a big difference to our #justice system in Vic. We need to focus on #childrenfirst (‘offenders’ second), child #wellbeing, #InclusiveEducation #PositiveYouthDevelopment #OurChildrenOurFuture. END (for now)