Programs that build relatedness:

1. Build supportive relationships

Relationships with adult mentors are more effective when they are long-lasting and close. When youth have at least one caring adult in their lives, they demonstrate fewer risk-associated behaviours, greater academic achievement, and higher self-esteem. Youth-adult partnerships characterized by collaboration and power-sharing are related to increased sense of group belonging.

Build supportive relationships putting it into practice checklist [PDF]

2. Create opportunities to belong

It is important that all young people feel that they belong regardless of their gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, abilities, and socio-economic background. This feature includes providing young people with opportunities for social inclusion, engagement, and integration. Building cultural identity, promoting cultural pride, and recognizing the impacts of racism can be important for young people to have a sense of belonging and navigate transitions throughout adolescence and early adulthood.

Create opportunities to belong putting it into practice checklist [PDF]

3. Develop positive social norms

Youth benefit from regular access to positive values through peer role models, adult mentors, and group-developed rules or guidelines. Positive social norms provide a foundation for relatedness and self-determination (autonomy). When designing programs, developers need to intentionally create environments with positive values that build competence to respond to social justice and ethical issues, such as empathy. Comprehensive programs are more successful in fostering moral development than programs that solely focus on one aspect of young people’s lives. Programs with high staff/participant ratios and programs that meet often are best positioned to serve youth participants.

Develop positive social norms putting it into practice checklist [PDF]

4. Integrate family, school, and community efforts

The key to this feature is collaboration across the social settings in which youth are engaged: school, extra-curricular activities, peer groups, family, neighbourhoods, and community organizations. Social environments that work together to create meaningful experiences and decrease risk behaviour, support positive youth development. Young people benefit when their efforts and values in one context have connections to another. Pooling resources and coordinating priorities across social circles can foster programming that focuses on the needs of a particular neighbourhood.

Integrate family, school and community efforts putting it into practice checklist [PDF]