Positive youth development is an approach, not a program, that guides communities in developing and implementing services, opportunities and supports so that young people can be engaged and reach their full potential. It is a conceptual and practical lens that can enhance prevention, intervention and treatment models. What makes this approach unique is that it emphasizes the many positive attributes of young people and focuses on working to develop inherent strengths and assets in youth to promote healthy behavioral development. Positive youth development depicts youth and young adults as resources to cultivate, not problems to fix, by incorporating the following guiding principles into programs.
