This practitioner brief offers key organizational infrastructure recommendations that emerged from a 2-year qualitative study that draws on observations of thirteen organizations in California serving Latinx youth and the perspectives of seventeen youth development professionals and fifty-three Latinx and diverse youth. 

Organizational and program leaders understand both the challenges and strengths of their Latinx youth and families, and make a point of collaboratively working with them to make a positive difference.

Organizational infrastructure matters to sustaining Latinx youth participation over time. To yield results, successful organizational leaders develop and implement flexible policies and practices to facilitate a nimble staff response to Latinx family needs and interests.

This practitioner brief offers an overview of the findings and recommendations that emerged from a 2-year qualitative study that draws on observations of thirteen organizations in California serving Latinx youth and the perspectives of seventeen youth development professionals and fifty-three Latinx and diverse youth.

This brief offers some key guiding principles related to each of the four dimensions of youth development organizations: conceptual framework, organizational infrastructure, program elements, and program and community relationship.

This practitioner brief offers key recommendations that emerged from a 2-year qualitative study that draws on observations of thirteen organizations in California serving Latinx youth and the perspectives of seventeen youth development professionals and fifty-three Latinx and diverse youth. 

To sustain Latinx youth participation over time, program leaders listen to Latinx youth and family voices, and their experiences inform all aspects of programming. This allows leaders to determine appropriate incentives, tap Latinx community strengths, create meaningful ladders of opportunity, and, most importantly, ensure participants are safe and having fun.

This practitioner brief offers key conceptual framework recommendations that emerged from a 2-year qualitative study that draws on observations of thirteen organizations in California serving Latinx youth and the perspectives of seventeen youth development professionals and fifty-three Latinx and diverse youth.

The conceptual framework, or philosophy, of an organization constitutes the distinctive and long-lasting principles and values that guide leaders, staff members, and their work. Effective Latinx youth development organizations use a guiding philosophy that builds on mainstream positive youth development research and practice and includes an emphasis on extended understandings of Latinx youth development.