Leadership, Engagement, and Youth Action Program With Mindfulness (LEAP)

Purpose

The current study tests the feasibility and effectiveness of a youth intervention designed to provide meaningful leadership opportunities through the acquisition of leadership skills as well as mindfulness practice, LEAP: Leadership, Engagement, and youth Action Program with Mindfulness. The goal of our proposal is to determine whether the Leadership, Engagement, and youth Action Program with Mindfulness (LEAP) curriculum, which was developed with youth, is a feasible and effective intervention for fostering leadership and well-being. We seek to understand whether LEAP can support well-being for youth as a strategy to increase youth mental, emotional, and behavioral (MEB) health.

Conditions

  • Adolescent Behavior
  • Mental Health Wellness 1

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 14 Years and 18 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Inclusion Criteria

• Adolescents ages 14-18 in grades 9-12 enrolled in collaborating sites, either in Massachusetts or Illinois.

Exclusion Criteria

  • Adolescents who are not available to commit to the intervention schedule. - Adolescents who are not in grades 9-12. - Parents/guardians with preferred language other than English or Spanish.

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Intervention Model Description
Randomized Controlled Trial
Primary Purpose
Prevention
Masking
Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Masking Description
Outcomes assessors will be masked to study condition.

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Leadership, Engagement, and youth Action Program with Mindfulness 		The Leadership, Engagement, and youth Action Program with Mindfulness intervention (LEAP) consists of 14 sessions focused on youth leadership and mindfulness.
  • Behavioral: Leadership, Engagement, and youth Action Program with Mindfulness
    The Leadership, Engagement, and youth Action Program with Mindfulness intervention (LEAP) was designed and co-created with youth to improve youth well-being by enhancing leadership opportunities and by developing mindfulness in day-to-day life. LEAP seeks to foster these improvements in youth as a strategy to increase mental, emotional, and behavioral health. Youth voice is incorporated into the intervention, with facilitators leading the first 7 sessions, and youth leading the remainder.
Active Comparator
EnvisionIT 		EnvisionIT is a college and career-readiness program designed for students in grades 6-12. The EnvisionIT program will be delivered over 14 sessions, and focus on skills and career/college readiness.
  • Behavioral: EnvisionIT
    Participants in this arm will receive 14 sessions of EnvisionIT training, focused on preparing students with essential skills including digital literacy through competency in information technology, financial literacy, English language arts skills, and college and career readiness. All sessions will be delivered by facilitators trained in EnvisionIT.

More Details

Status
Completed
Sponsor
Boston University Charles River Campus

Study Contact

Detailed Description

The LEAP study will determine whether a 14-session program designed to provide leadership and mindfulness skills to youth is an effective and feasible intervention. The curriculum consists of 14 two-hour sessions delivered after school. The comparison group will take part in EnvisionIT, a college and career readiness program designed for students in grades 6 through 12. EnvisionIT aims to prepare students with essential skills including digital literacy, and college and career readiness. The comparison group will also have 14 two-hour group sessions. Both LEAP and EnvisionIT will be delivered by trained facilitators. All participants in LEAP and EnvisionIT will be assessed at two time points assessing program outcomes; facilitators will also complete interviews post-intervention and provide feedback on data fidelity and acceptability following each session. This record reports on the UG3 pilot phase and will be amended for a UH3 phase.