The Waco Youth Development Project (YDP) is a nonprofit organization in McLennan County, Texas. We use outreach research to advance knowledge about how to empower young people during their transition to adulthood. The YDP includes graduate students, undergraduates, and faculty on the McLennan Community College campus.
Our mission is to share a vision of positive change. We aim to:
Our mission is to share a vision of positive change. We aim to:
- Promote positive youth development and enhance the life chances of all young people;
- Stimulate the dissemination of all articles, books, reports, and other communications related to promoting positive youth development; and
- Prepare students to contribute to the science and practice of positive youth development.
The Changing Lives Program
Each year, in partnership with local schools and college transition programs, undergraduate psychology students facilitate small mentoring groups for traditionally underserved youth. In working with these youth, our approach is supportive and collaborative, not problem-focused or didactic. We aim to promote a sense of mattering and connectedness.
Students implement the Changing Lives Program as part of a pre-clinical internship called Developmental Interventions for Youth. They receive training in helping skills, participatory co-learning, and critical problem solving while gaining real-world experience in school and community settings.
The Psychosocial Development Laboratory at McLennan Community College
Our research lab builds on our outreach efforts by connecting theoretical models of self and identity development to the practice of promoting positive youth development. In doing so, our goal to advance an applied developmental science of identity.
Students in the Psychosocial Development Lab contribute to ongoing research, initiate new projects, present at research conferences, and write research reports. They receive training in state-of-the-science statistical modeling techniques and methods for integrating quantitative and qualitative analyses.
Each year, in partnership with local schools and college transition programs, undergraduate psychology students facilitate small mentoring groups for traditionally underserved youth. In working with these youth, our approach is supportive and collaborative, not problem-focused or didactic. We aim to promote a sense of mattering and connectedness.
Students implement the Changing Lives Program as part of a pre-clinical internship called Developmental Interventions for Youth. They receive training in helping skills, participatory co-learning, and critical problem solving while gaining real-world experience in school and community settings.
The Psychosocial Development Laboratory at McLennan Community College
Our research lab builds on our outreach efforts by connecting theoretical models of self and identity development to the practice of promoting positive youth development. In doing so, our goal to advance an applied developmental science of identity.
Students in the Psychosocial Development Lab contribute to ongoing research, initiate new projects, present at research conferences, and write research reports. They receive training in state-of-the-science statistical modeling techniques and methods for integrating quantitative and qualitative analyses.