Youth-Nex

Youth-Nex The UVA Center To Promote Effective Youth Development.

We are proud to be a partner with UVA School of Education & Human Development VEST program, a pipeline initiative train...
09/19/2026

We are proud to be a partner with UVA School of Education & Human Development VEST program, a pipeline initiative training the next generation of educational researchers!

They just celebrated over 2 decades with their extensive alumni base. One of the program co-directors said, "There was such a deep sense of purpose and urgency among our alumni, our students, and our faculty. It has been an incredibly challenging time for education research with unprecedented cuts to research funding and a growing skepticism about the utility of evidence and research."

Read more about this important work: https://education.virginia.edu/news-stories/celebrating-two-decades-training-next-generation-education-researchers

ATTN. CVILLE/VA: Mark your calendar for our next in-person research talk by Dr. Justin Coles, an Associate Professor of ...
09/17/2026

ATTN. CVILLE/VA: Mark your calendar for our next in-person research talk by Dr. Justin Coles, an Associate Professor of Social Justice Education at University of Massachusetts Amherst!

This lecture is based on his book “Resisting Antiblackness in Education: A Pedagogy of Black Youth Aesthetics” and its implications for teacher education and K-12 instruction. Dr. Coles’ socially and community engaged, literacy and arts-based research engages Black urban youth creativity and activism to inform counter structures to oppressive US schooling policies, processes, and histories.

Read more & plan to join us on 9/30: https://education.virginia.edu/events/talk-black-youth-aesthetics-pedagogy-work-resisting-antiblackness

Youth mentoring programs are an increasingly popular intervention and prevention strategy to promote positive youth deve...
09/17/2026

Youth mentoring programs are an increasingly popular intervention and prevention strategy to promote positive youth development and to address a range of youth needs. But for whom does mentoring work?

New research by grad student Meg Meldrum & Dr. Mike Lyons is highlighted by The Chronicle of Evidence-Based Mentoring for examining the role of protective factors. How can we better consider mentees’ risks & protective factors, and what are the implications for mentoring programs?

Read more: https://www.evidencebasedmentoring.org/new-study-highlights-the-need-to-consider-mentees-risks-and-protective-factors-in-mentees/

Representations of scientists have been shown to be influenced by gender and racial/ethnic stereotypes.This new study by...
09/15/2026

Representations of scientists have been shown to be influenced by gender and racial/ethnic stereotypes.

This new study by our Dr. Channing Mathews & colleagues used a Draw-a-Scientist task to evaluate students’ perceptions of scientists via their development of a scientist avatar relative to their explicit STEM stereotypes and color-blind racial attitudes. Findings suggest that factors such as gender and gender stereotypes were influential for participants’ likelihood of creating a female scientist. How can we encourage more diverse and inclusive STEM environments?

Read more: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0341309

🚀 Looking to launch your career?Prospective students: Explore which of our Youth-Nex faculty are accepting Ph.D. student...
09/15/2026

🚀 Looking to launch your career?

Prospective students: Explore which of our Youth-Nex faculty are accepting Ph.D. students in their areas! Our students thrive in their research and participate in a student community within the center that furthers their training. Apply to work with one of these professors that are accepting Ph.D students this admission season and join us in Fall 2027.

Read more about which academic programs may match your interests: https://youthnexdrive.virginia.edu/opportunities/professors-accepting-students

Lora Henderson Smith Wintre Johnson Chris Chang-Bacon

Health research needs more youth voices. 🗣️In this publication, our Youth-Nex doctors & colleagues suggest ways YPAR cou...
09/12/2026

Health research needs more youth voices. 🗣️

In this publication, our Youth-Nex doctors & colleagues suggest ways YPAR could advance pediatric health research beyond traditional approaches to better engage and center youth in knowledge production, implementation, and translation. They suggest that YPAR presents an important opportunity to strengthen the validity, relevance, and positive impact of research in the lives of children and their communities.

Read more: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/157/2/e2024067403/206050/The-Necessity-of-Youth-Participatory-Action?redirectedFrom=fulltext?autologincheck=redirected

We are meeting a community need for professional development with a youth focus in our YPAR Working Group! Leah from Pie...
09/11/2026

We are meeting a community need for professional development with a youth focus in our YPAR Working Group!

Leah from Piedmont CASA said, "This group has allowed me to hear about other programs facing similar challenges and having similar questions as they navigate youth-led programs. I’ve taken away new tools that ensure youth are leading with the right amount of structure and support along the way." Interested in joining to support your work with teens this year? Email [email protected].

Read more about this informal PD opportunity & why it is working for youth-serving professional using YPAR: https://education.virginia.edu/news-stories/youth-nex-helps-meet-community-need-professional-learning-youth-focus

Parents: Your teens' lack of sleep is a problem you can help!Teen author Lia shares advice for parents about how to hel...
09/10/2026

Parents: Your teens' lack of sleep is a problem you can help!

Teen author Lia shares advice for parents about how to help their child so that more teenagers can balance academics & well-being successfully. She says, "While there are so many different factors that can influence a teenager’s sleep schedule, parents can help their teens alter microscopic habits and daily routines to build healthier sleep." What tips could you try with your teen?

Read more & listen to her podcast episode on the importance of sleep: https://youthnexdrive.virginia.edu/parents-your-teens-lack-sleep-problem-you-can-help

With September being Su***de Prevention Month, we are highlighting new work by our colleagues advancing the Black youth ...
09/09/2026

With September being Su***de Prevention Month, we are highlighting new work by our colleagues advancing the Black youth thriving framework through a systematic review.

Su***de rates among Black youth have risen dramatically over the past 2 decades, yet research that centers the experiences of Black adolescents and emerging adults remains limited. In this new publication, six domains of protection emerged from their analysis. Protective effects were strongest when support systems were culturally rooted, developmentally attuned, and identity affirming. How can we challenge deficit-based paradigms?

Read more: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2027-42684-001?doi=1

***dePreventionMonth

Gendered racism poses a significant threat to Black, Latina & Afro-Latina girls’ self-concept. In this new publication, ...
09/04/2026

Gendered racism poses a significant threat to Black, Latina & Afro-Latina girls’ self-concept.

In this new publication, Youth-Nex researchers & colleagues are exploring how girls and young women critically reflect on gendered racism in relation to their identity beliefs and sense of self. Findings suggest that the process of self-defining and developing their own valuation systems allowed them to construct an authentic sense of identity beyond societal, familial, and peer expectations. What implications for families, educators, and scholars hoping to support Black, Latina, and Afro-Latina girls’ healthy development?

Read more: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/03616843251394698

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