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) 这项研究测试了具有正念成分的青年领导力和公民参与计划在改善有色人种青年的心理、情感和行为(MEB)健康以及他们的公民参与和领导技能方面的有效性。具体地说，我们调查了领导力、参与度和具有正念的青年激进主义计划(LEAP-M)是否是一种可行和有效的干预措施，以培养有色人种青年的公民参与度和领导力，并因此能够改善青年MEB的健康和福祉。我们与位于马萨诸塞州波士顿和伊利诺伊州芝加哥的网站合作。其中一个网站是学校废除种族隔离计划，允许我们测试对在学校主要招收非拉丁裔白人学生(他们在人数上占少数)的有色人种青年的干预，而另一个网站位于一个大型城市学区，主要招收有色人种青年(在那里他们在人数上占多数)。我们先前的研究已经证明，解决结构和社会系统对于改善有色人种青年的MEB健康至关重要。因此，LEAP-M干预措施是与青年合作设计的，目的是促进对政治机构、社会问题以及他们在社区中发挥的作用的认识的机会，以发展公民参与和领导、同龄人关系，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，以支持青年的领导力和公民参与工作。我们的长期目标是评估LEAP-M是否能够有效地改善公民技能以及MEB的健康和福祉，特别是有色人种青年的健康和福祉。在UG3阶段1中，我们将在AIM 1.1与合作伙伴双方发展协作伙伴关系，在AIM 1.2中，利用合作伙伴的意见修改设计，共同制定招聘和保留的参与计划，在AIM 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UH3阶段2中，我们将在目标2.1中进行一项两点两臂随机对照试验，以测试LEAP-M作为一种改善青少年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计划或参加同等期限的比较学院和职业准备计划。在目标2.2中，我们将测试与白人学生相比，LEAP-M对有色人种青年是否有不同的影响。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干预措施与大学和职业准备计划的成本效益，以估计干预措施的潜在增量影响。预计拟议的项目将通过公民参与和正念干预提供研究，以减少MEB健康中的不平等，如果有效，可以规模化。

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.