Can A Youth Civic Leadership, Engagement and Mindfulness Program Reduce Structural Racism, and Support Functioning and Well-being for Youth of Color?

项目摘要/摘要（30行） 本研究测试了一个青年领导和公民参与计划的有效性，该计划包含正念成分，可以改善有色人种青年的心理、情感和行为（MEB）健康状况及其公民参与和领导技能。具体来说，我们研究了领导力，参与和青年积极主义计划与正念（LEAP-M）是否是一个可行和有效的干预措施，以促进有色人种青年的公民参与和领导力，并因此可以改善青年MEB的健康和福祉。我们与位于波士顿、马萨诸塞州和伊利诺伊州芝加哥的站点合作。其中一个网站是一个学校废除种族隔离计划，让我们可以测试对有色人种青年的干预，他们就读的学校主要招收非拉丁裔白色学生（他们在数量上是少数），而另一个是在一个大型城市学区，主要招收有色人种青年（他们在数量上是多数）。我们先前的研究表明，解决结构和社会系统对改善有色人种青年的MEB健康至关重要。因此，LEAP-M的干预措施是与青年合作设计的，以促进机会，使他们了解政治机构、社会问题以及他们在社区中发挥的作用，以发展公民参与和领导能力，发展同伴关系，并改善他们的福祉。LEAP-M在整个干预过程中整合了正念培训，以支持青年的领导和公民参与工作。我们的长期目标是评估LEAP-M是否可以有效地提高公民技能和MEB健康和所有青年的福祉，特别是有色人种的青年。在UG 3第1阶段，我们将在Aim 1.1与合作伙伴发展合作伙伴关系，在目标1.2中，根据合作伙伴的意见修改设计，并共同制定招聘和保留的参与计划，在目标1.3中，进行试点研究（N=40），以测试协议并根据合作伙伴的反馈改进方法。在UH 3第2阶段，我们将在目标2.1中进行一项双中心2组随机对照试验，以测试LEAP-M作为改善青年MEB健康和公民技能的机制的可接受性和有效性（N=504）。青年将被随机分配参加LEAP-M或在同等时间的比较大学和职业准备计划。在目标2.2中，我们将测试LEAP-M对有色人种青年和白色人种青年的影响是否不同。在目标2.3中，我们将确定影响LEAP-M与青年福祉和公民技能之间联系的潜在途径。最后，在目标2.4中，我们将评估LEAP-M干预与大学和职业准备计划相比的成本效益，以估计干预的潜在增量效应。拟议的项目预计将提供研究，以减少MEB健康的不平等，使用公民参与和正念干预，如果有效，可以扩大规模。

Project Summary/Abstract (30 Lines) This study tests the effectiveness of a youth leadership and civic engagement program with a mindfulness component in improving the mental, emotional, and behavioral (MEB) health of youth of color and their civic participation and leadership skills. Specifically, we examine whether the Leadership, Engagement, and youth Activism Program with Mindfulness (LEAP-M) is a feasible and effective intervention to foster civic engagement and leadership among youth of color, and can consequently improve youth MEB health and well- being. We partner with sites located in Boston, Massachusetts and Chicago, Illinois. One of these sites is a school desegregation program, allowing us to test the intervention for youth of color who attend schools predominantly enrolling non-Latinx white students (where they are a numerical minority), while the other is in a large urban school district enrolling primarily youth of color (where they are a numerical majority). Our prior research has demonstrated that addressing structural and social systems is essential to improving MEB health for youth of color. Therefore, the LEAP-M intervention was designed in partnership with youth to facilitate opportunities for awareness of political institutions, social issues, and the role they play in their communities to develop civic participation and leadership, and peer relations, and to improve their wellbeing. LEAP-M integrates training in mindfulness throughout the intervention to support youth in their leadership and civic engagement work. Our long-term goal is to evaluate whether LEAP-M can effectively improve civic skills and the MEB health and well-being of all youth and, specifically, of youth of color. In UG3 Phase 1 we will in Aim 1.1 develop collaborative partnerships with the partner sides, in Aim 1.2 modify the design with partner input and co-create an engagement plan for recruitment and retention, and in Aim 1.3 conduct a pilot study (N=40) to test protocols and refine the methodology with partner feedback. In UH3 Phase 2 we will in Aim 2.1 conduct a two-site 2-arm randomized control trial to test the acceptability and effectiveness of LEAP-M as a mechanism for improving youth MEB health and civic skills (N=504). Youth will be randomly assigned to participate in LEAP-M or in a comparison college and career readiness program of equal duration. In Aim 2.2 we will test whether there is a differential effect of LEAP-M on youth of color, as compared to white students. In Aim 2.3 we will identify potential pathways influencing the link between LEAP-M and youth wellbeing and civic skills. Finally, in Aim 2.4 we will evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the LEAP-M intervention compared with the college and career readiness program to estimate the potential incremental effects of the intervention. The proposed project is expected to provide research to reduce inequity in MEB health using a civic engagement and mindfulness intervention that, if effective, can be brought to scale.