Youth Don’t Need to Be Fixed: 

Strategic Framing for Messaging on 

Positive Youth Development

Wednesday, September 26, 2018
HOSTED BY
PRESENTERS

Xan Young, MPH

Senior TA Consultant

American Institutes for Research

Michelle Stergio

Digital & Social Media Specialist

American Institutes for Research

Michael Baran, PhD

Principal Researcher

American Institutes for Research
• Positive youth development: various perspectives

• Social media landscape on PYD

• Understanding culture’s role in strategic message framing

• Cultural barriers to communicating about PYD

• Framing strategies to increase understanding of PYD

AGENDA
POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT: 

DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES 
WHAT IS POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT?

From youth.gov:

PYD is an intentional, prosocial approach that: 

• Engages youth within their communities, 

schools, organizations, peer groups, and 

families in a manner that is productive and 

constructive; 

• Recognizes, utilizes, and enhances young 

people’s strengths; and 

• Promotes positive outcomes for young people 

by providing opportunities, fostering positive 

relationships, and furnishing the support 

needed to build on their leadership strengths.
WHAT IS POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT?

According to experienced PYD practitioners, PYD programs and policies...

• Provide positive experiences/opportunities, supportive environments, and 

empowering relationships

• Are designed to be safe, supportive, and culturally responsive

• Recognize and respect the strengths youth already possess

• Recognize youth and their capacity to contribute

• Build the skills, assets, and competencies of youth

• Support the development of positive identities among youth

• Promote positive outcomes and empower youth to reach their full potential

“Youth are 

precious 

assets to be 

nurtured not 

problems to 

be solved.”

-Interviewee
WHY IS POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT IMPORTANT? 

• We need to foster youth assets. 

When youth are recognized, appreciated, 

and engaged for their strengths, they 

develop more assets. When youth have 

more assets, they engage in healthier 

behaviors, demonstrate more resilience in 

the face of challenges, and thrive.

• PYD programs don’t just benefit the 

youth involved. 

They also improve outcomes for 

communities as a whole.

“Young people can 

contribute to 

decisions and 

actions in a 

meaningful, 

productive way.”

-Interviewee
HOW WOULD THINGS BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE 

UNDERSTOOD POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT?

PYD interviewees explained that...

• “More programs would employ PYD approaches and practices.”

• “Policymakers would invest in PYD.”

• “We would see a shift in the types of supports and services provided to young 

people.”

• “We would develop different measures to determine program successes as well as 

individual successes.”

• “We would achieve the kind of change we want to see in the world... If you really 

want to have behavioral change happen and communities be healthy, then PYD’s 

the approach.”
WHAT ARE BARRIERS TO

POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT?

• Ignoring or trivializing youth voice 

• Lack of cultural competence and 

responsiveness

• Excessive focus on negative risk-taking 

• Expectation that we need to “fix” youth

• Well-intentioned efforts still falling short, 

as in “youth are the leaders of tomorrow” 

(not today)

“I think we live in a 

society that 

doesn’t value 

teens. You can tell 

by the way we talk 

about them.”

-Interviewee
WHAT ARE SOME WAYS YOU TALK ABOUT 

POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT WITH OTHERS?

• Explain that youth are not simply 

recipients of services.

• Talk about youth as partners.

• Create opportunities for youth to 

speak for themselves and be heard. 

• Tell stories and provide examples to 

help people understand what PYD is 

and why it’s effective.

“Give concrete 

examples like...

A positive 

relationship is one 

that makes you feel 

valued, respected, 

and listened to.”

-Interviewee
• What are some challenges you’ve encountered when 

communicating about PYD?

(Write your answer in the “Submit Questions Here” box.)

QUESTION 1
• What are some strategies you’ve used that have been successful for 

communicating about PYD?

(Write your answer in the “Submit Questions Here” box.)

QUESTION 2
SOCIAL MEDIA LANDSCAPE
UNDERSTANDING PYD CONVERSATIONS ACROSS 

SOCIAL MEDIA

• How has the PYD conversation trended over time?

• What has driven the spikes in the PYD conversation?

• Who is influencing the PYD conversation?

• How has the conversation shifted?

• How can the conversation be amplified?
Filter: (United States)

Date Range: January 1, 2014 – August 30, 2018

HOW HAS THE POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT 

CONVERSATION TRENDED OVER TIME?

• Youth Leadership total post 

volume: 119,292

• Youth Engagement total post 

volume: 26,474

• Positive Youth Develop total 

post volume: 6,627
Youth Engagement

March 2018

Positive Youth Development

March 2017

Youth Leadership

February 2014

WHAT DROVE THE POSITIVE YOUTH 

DEVELOPMENT CONVERSATION?
2014 2018

HOW HAS THE POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT 

CONVERSATION CHANGED OVER TIME?
WHO IS INFLUENCING THE POSITIVE YOUTH 

DEVELOPMENT CONVERSATION?

• Social influencers have dedicated and 

engaged followers.

• Today, content creators with a niche 

audience have replaced celebrity 

endorsements. 

• There are four general types of influencers:

• Celebrities

• Industry experts

• Bloggers and content creators

• Micro-influencers
HOW IS THE PYD CONVERSATION 

BEING AMPLIFIED?

2014-2015 2016-2017 2018
HOW IS THE PYD CONVERSATION BEING AMPLIFIED?
CULTURE’S ROLE IN STRATEGIC MESSAGE FRAMING
MISSED MESSAGE EXAMPLE 1

• Expert Message: 

“Prison only makes a youth offender more likely to commit future crime. 

Prison doesn’t do any good for youth who engaged in minor crimes.”

• General response: 

“Yes, prison is too cushy, like a holiday camp! We need to take away 

prisoner activities and make prison more harsh so that they never want 

to come back.”

Source: Baran, M., et al. (2015). “Like a Holiday Camp” Mapping the Gaps on Criminal Justice Reform in England and Wales. 

Washington, DC: The FrameWorks Institute. 
MISSED MESSAGE EXAMPLE 2

• Expert Message: 

“Stress is harmful for young children’s cognitive development.”

• General response: 

“I experienced stress and it made me stronger.”

Source: Bales, S. (2005). Talking Early Child Development and Exploring the Consequences of Frame Choices: A FrameWorks

Message Memo. Washington, DC: The FrameWorks Institute. 
EXPLANATIONS FOR MISSED MESSAGES

• Message was too complicated.

• Message was poorly distributed.

• Message was not memorable or attention grabbing.

• Message did not trigger strong emotion.

• Message did not contain facts (or contrasted facts with myths).

• People misunderstood the message.

Another possibility...

• Culture gets in the way!
CULTURAL MODELS IN MIND

Source: Shore, B. (1996). Culture in Mind: Cognition, Culture, and the Problem of Meaning. London: Oxford University Press. 

• From 0-3, the brain develops 700 synaptic connections per second.

• Cultural models are implicit patterns of thinking widely shared in a given 

population. 

• They help us organize the vast, complicated stimuli of life into a shared 

common sense.
HOW DO CULTURAL MODELS AFFECT 

COMMUNICATION?

• The way that messages are framed (values, metaphors, key words, 

messenger, tone, etc.) cues cultural models.

• Those cultural models then determine how a person understands the 

message. 

• Unlike what a “code” model would predict, miscommunication is the norm.

Source: Shonkoff, J., & Bales, S. (2011). Science does not speak for itself: Translating child development research for the 

public and its policymakers. Child Development, 82(1), 17–32.
HOW DO WE GATHER EVIDENCE FOR A 

COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY?

• Conducting in-depth 

interviews that ask the most 

basic questions

• Analyzing implicit “common 

sense” understandings 

• Mapping the cultural models 

in the space

Phase 1: Formative Research Phase 2: Message Testing

• Developing messages to 

target productive 

understandings and avoid 

problematic ones

• Testing hypotheses with a 

mix of qualitative and 

quantitative methods
REFRAMED MESSAGE EXAMPLE 1

• Expert Message: 

“Prison only makes a youth offender more likely to commit future crime. Prison 

doesn’t do any good for youth who engaged in minor crimes.”

• General response: 

“Yes, prison is too cushy, like a holiday camp! We need to take away prisoner 

activities and make prison more harsh so that they never want to come back.”

Source: Baran, M., et al. (2015). “Like a Holiday Camp” Mapping the Gaps on Criminal Justice Reform in England and Wales. 

Washington, DC: The FrameWorks Institute. .
REFRAMED MESSAGE EXAMPLE 1

• Cultural models: 

retribution, rational actor

• Reframe with: 

“Prisons sweep young people into a powerful stream of crime from which it is 

difficult to escape.”

Source: O’Neil., et al. (2016). New Narratives: Changing the Frame on Crime and Justice. Washington, DC: The FrameWorks Institute. 

• Expert Message: 

“Prison only makes a youth offender more likely to commit future crime. Prison 

doesn’t do any good for youth who engaged in minor crimes.”

• General response: 

“Yes, prison is too cushy, like a holiday camp! We need to take away prisoner 

activities and make prison more harsh so that they never want to come back.”
REFRAMED MESSAGE EXAMPLE 2

• Expert Message: 

“Stress is harmful for young children’s cognitive development.”

• General response: 

“I experienced stress and it made me stronger.”

Source: Bales, S. (2005). Talking Early Child Development and exploring the Consequences of Frame Choices: A FrameWorks

Message Memo. Washington, DC: The FrameWorks Institute. 
MISSED MESSAGES EXAMPLE 2

• Cultural models: 

individualism, resilience = willpower

• Reframe with:

A taxonomy of normal stress, tolerable stress, and toxic stress.

Source: Bales, S. (2005). Talking Early Child Development and exploring the Consequences of Frame Choices: A FrameWorks

Message Memo. Washington, DC: The FrameWorks Institute. 

• Expert Message: 

“Stress is harmful for young children’s cognitive development.”

• General response: 

“I experienced stress and it made me stronger.”
BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATING ABOUT 

POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
CULTURAL MODEL: PUBLIC THINKING THAT 

ADOLESCENCE IS INHERENTLY RISKY

• Youth are highly susceptible to influences.

• They will do foolish things and make bad decisions.

• More worry than ever because of current environment.

• Therefore they must be protected with strict boundaries.

Source: Volmert, A., et al. (2016). “It’s a Rite of Passage” Mapping the Gaps Between Experts, Practitioners, and Public 

Understandings of Adolescent Substance Abuse. Washington, DC: The FrameWorks Institute. 
CULTURAL MODEL: PUBLIC THINKING OBJECTIFIES 

TEENAGERS

• Youth are little understood – not children but essentially different from adults.

• No developmental understanding (parental responsibility until 18, and then 

considered adult). 

• People use a rational actor model to think that youth have bad judgment, have no 

willpower, and make bad decisions.

• Negative stereotypes about youth attitudes – wild and rebellious, disrespectful, 

stubborn, selfish.

Source: Aubrun, A., et al. (2004). How Two Cognitive Biases Work Against Support for Youth Development Programs. 

Washington, DC: The FrameWorks Institute. 
CULTURAL MODEL: PUBLIC BELIEFS ABOUT 

“KIDS THESE DAYS”

• Not only are youth considered essentially different, but the youth of today

are considered especially irresponsible, spoiled, lazy, disrespectful, morally 

defective, and entitled.

• Millennial is used as an insult.

• People ignore data to the contrary (increased volunteerism, more 

alignment with adult values, etc.).

Sources:. Volmert, A., et al. (2016). “It’s a Rite of Passage” Mapping the Gaps Between Experts, Practitioners, and Public 

Understandings of Adolescent Substance Abuse. Washington, DC: The FrameWorks Institute. 

Aubrun, A., et al. (2000). How Americans Understand Teens. Washington, DC: The FrameWorks Institute
CULTURAL MODEL: PUBLIC BELIEFS THAT DIGITAL 

MEDIA IS DISTRACTING AND DANGEROUS

• Digital media, especially smart phones and social media, are considered 

trivial and a luxury.

• They are an escape from real life that takes people away from responsibilities 

in the real world.

• Digital media are inherently passive and therefore lazy.

Source: Kendall-Taylor, N., et al. (2010). “It’s Just a Fancier Book:” Mapping the Gaps between Expert and Public Understanding of 

Digital Media and Learning. Washington, DC: The FrameWorks Institute. 
CULTURAL MODEL: FATALISM IN PUBLIC THINKING

• It’s too confusing to figure out.

• Youth attitudes are inherently bad.

• Once they are not the parents’ responsibility, there’s nothing anyone can do.

Source: Volmert, A., et al. (2016). “It’s a Rite of Passage” Mapping the Gaps Between Experts, Practitioners, and Public 

Understandings of Adolescent Substance Abuse. Washington, DC: The FrameWorks Institute. 
FRAMING STRATEGIES TO REORIENT TO 

POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
REFRAMING THE CONVERSATION

1. Avoid triggering problematic dominant cultural models.

Don’t use a fear or crisis frame.

Source: Volmert, A., et al. (2016). “It’s a Rite of Passage” Mapping the Gaps Between Experts, Practitioners, and Public 

Understandings of Adolescent Substance Abuse. Washington, DC: The FrameWorks Institute. 

Take care with how you 

talk about smartphones 

and social media.

Don’t use a protection 

frame.

Don’t get a laugh by 

insinuating that teens 

are crazy or amusing.

Don’t judge teen 

style or looks.
REFRAMING THE CONVERSATION

2. Activate existing but recessive cultural models to increase understanding.

Youth develop by interacting with 

others, experiencing new things, and making 

their own decisions. And adolescence is a 

special period to do that kind of learning.

Source: Volmert, A., et al. (2016). “It’s a Rite of Passage” Mapping the Gaps Between Experts, Practitioners, and Public 

Understandings of Adolescent Substance Abuse. Washington, DC: The FrameWorks Institute. 

Adults can’t control youth, 

but they can support them.

Youth are working 

hard to be their best 

selves, and they are 

changing fast.

Hands-on learning is 

critical for youth to gain 

new experiences.
REFRAMING THE CONVERSATION

3. Focus on explaining developmental benefits of youth programs in the community. 

Youth development programs are not about 

just filling time or learning new information. 

They are about the experiences that 

adolescents need to shape who they will be in 

adulthood. 

Source: Bostrom, M. (2004). A Developmental Perspective: An Analysis of Qualitative Research Exploring Views of Youth Programs. 

Washington, DC: The FrameWorks Institute. 
REFRAMING THE CONVERSATION

4. Use the Brain Architecture explanatory metaphor to emphasize the 

developmental process.

Our brains get built like the structure of a house —

what comes first in childhood lays down the foundation. 

As children grow, the basic structures get built. 

The experiences and environments that adolescents 

have available to them become the building materials 

that allow them to adjust to new demands, to support 

new skills, and to develop as unique people.

Source: Bales, S., et al. (2015). Talking Juvenile Justice Reform: A FrameWorks Message Memo. Washington, DC: The FrameWorks

Institute. 
REFRAMING THE CONVERSATION

5. Use the Air Traffic Control explanatory metaphor to further explain what is 

developing during adolescence.

Source: Bales, S., et al. (2015). Talking Juvenile Justice Reform: A FrameWorks MessageMemo. Washington, DC: The FrameWorks

Institute. 

Air traffic control at a busy airport coordinates many things 

to keep planes moving and keep everyone safe. Similarly, 

the human brain controls its mental airspace through what’s 

called executive function. It lets us create priorities, focus, and 

make good decisions. The air traffic control of an adolescent 

brain is still developing into its mid-20s and we need to make 

sure that youth get support and practice as they develop these 

skills.
QUESTIONS?

“

”
Xan Young, MPH

Senior TA Consultant

American Institutes for Research

202-403-5290

xyoung@air.org

Michael Baran, PhD

Principal Researcher

American Institutes for Research

301-592-3354

mbaran@air.org

CONTACTS

Michelle Stergio

Digital & Social Media Specialist

American Institutes for Research

202-403-5944

mstergio@air.org