Primal Youth: a case study of positive youth development in practice

Abstract

During the past several decades, the concept of positive youth development has increasingly been recognised by policy-makers, researchers and practitioners as the best approach to working with youth to achieve good outcomes for young people. Community level youth development programmes have been identified as one of the most effective ways to actualise positive youth development. While a diverse range of programmes to serve youth exist, the most successful are those that operate according to the principles of positive youth development. This research aimed to explore whether Primal Youth, a national faith-based youth initiative, is a programme that promotes the principles of positive youth development among its participants in accordance with those articulated in the Youth Development Strategy Aotearoa, 2002 (YDSA). The research involved five focus group interviews with 26 young participants from five different Primals around the country. The interview schedule utilised the six principles of the YDSA as a framework for exploring participants' perceptions of positive youth development in the context of Primal. Thematic analysis was used to identify and categorise the perceptions, opinions and experiences of participants relating to each of the six principles. A comparison of the results with the international literature suggests that, in the main, Primal Youth is a programme that promotes the principles of positive youth development among its participants. Further analysis suggests that the faith base of Primal is an important factor contributing to its effectiveness in implementing several of the principles. Recommendations arising from this research suggest several areas where Primal Youth could further improve its effectiveness in promoting positive youth development among its participants. Recommendations for areas of further research are also made.