Open AccessOn the Right Path: Youth Development Amidst Colombia’s Sociocultural Transition
Author(s) -
Holly E. Follmer-Reece,
Paulina Velez-Gomez,
Nadia Semenova Moratto Vásquez,
Sara Dodd
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of youth development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.191
H-Index - 3
eISSN - 2325-4017
pISSN - 2325-4009
DOI - 10.5195/jyd.2021.1023
Subject(s) - sociocultural evolution , positive youth development , context (archaeology) , focus group , perception , sociocultural perspective , public relations , political science , citizen journalism , politics , process (computing) , sociology , psychology , developmental psychology , geography , archaeology , neuroscience , anthropology , computer science , law , operating system
Colombia is amidst a sociocultural transition due to recent political movements towards ending the long-standing internal armed conflict. Development and implementation of youth programs that are responsive to the current societal context can contribute to this transition by investing in younger generations. This study features findings from the exploration phase of a community-based participatory research study to adapt a youth program from the United States for implementation in Colombia. Through focus group interviews, participants representing 4 different microsystems surrounding youth shared perceptions of youth who will be successful in this transitional context. Perceptions coalesced to reveal a process of positive development for use as a framework for responsive and culturally sensitive program adaptations. The emergent process mirrors positive youth development principles and shares similarities with other positive youth development models. The discussion explores considerations for the sociocultural context when designing youth programs for use in Colombia.