Youth-Nex is dedicated to using our platform to amplify the voices and lived experiences of adolescents who have been marginalized, to providing a venue for scholars and practitioners whose work is furthering the goal of racial justice, and to support a developmental science that is not only anti-racist, but is in the service of dismantling white supremacy.
The Remaking Middle School initiative releases the Design Team products that are actionable ideas to transform teaching, learning, and access to developmentally supportive experiences in the middle grades.
The Translating Research to Practice Design Team developed the first in a set of quick and informative assessment tools to help educators gauge what they know and how they apply their knowledge of adolescent development in four key domains: (1) Supporting Autonomy, (2) Fostering Belonging, (3) Advancing Competence, and (4) Promoting Identity.
Read a Youth-Nex blog by Design Team Co-Leads, Aleta Meyer and Katie Powell, introducing the tool.
The Teacher Learning and Professional Development Design Team developed an open-access resource bank organized by four student-focused outcomes: Autonomy, Belonging, Competence, and Identity. Each section of the resource includes a research-based rationale explaining why the outcome is critical, and provides a minimum of ten multimedia resources that illustrate how to teach toward that outcome.
Read a Youth-Nex blog by Design Team Co-Leads, Penny Bishop and Christine Thielen, introducing the resource.
The School Climate and Culture Design Team developed a toolkit to help educators: (1) more deeply understand the importance of youth voice in the middle grades; (2) identify ways to integrate youth voice in building and sustaining a positive school culture and climate; and (3) leverage resources and adopt practices that center youth voice in schools. The toolkit includes a rationale statement, collection of inspirational stories, and list of “getting started” prompts and resources.
Read a Youth-Nex blog by Design Team Co-Lead, Dimelza Gonzales-Flores, introducing the toolkit.
School‐Based Mentoring: Heather McDaniel & colleagues publish new research on school‐based mentoring for middle school students with elevated disruptive behavior.
Teaching Scared: Valerie Adams-Bass & colleagues publish new research on pre‑service teacher appraisals of racial stress, socialization and classroom management self-efficacy.
Talking about Alcohol and Hazing: Susie Bruce writes Youth-Nex blog on keeping students safe with tips for parents & educators from the Gordie Center.
Parenting Just Children: Valerie Adams-Bass joins a panel on how-to have conversations about race, social justice activism, and the media.
Youth-Nex was founded in 2009 to expand and apply the science of positive youth development to address fundamental challenges facing societies around the world. Through science and community partnerships, Youth-Nex enhances the strengths of children and adolescents and prevents developmental risk. Our vision is that our nation’s youth - a rich, often untapped resource - may flourish.
