Purpose

The current study tests the feasibility and effectiveness of a youth intervention designed to provide meaningful leadership opportunities and to address barriers to equity, through the acquisition of civic leadership and development skills as well as mindfulness practice, LEAP-M: Leadership, Engagement, and youth Activism Program with Mindfulness. The goal of our proposal is to determine whether the Leadership, Engagement, and youth Activism Program with Mindfulness.(LEAP-M) curriculum, which was developed with youth of color, is a feasible and effective intervention for fostering civic leadership, civic development, and wellbeing. We seek to understand whether LEAP-M can support wellbeing for youth of color as a strategy to combat structural racism at the school- and neighborhood-levels, increase youth mental, emotional, and behavioral (MEB) health and decrease health disparities in youth of color.

Conditions

Eligibility

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

Inclusion Criteria

• Adolescents ages 14-18 in grades 9-12 enrolled in collaborating sites, either at Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) in Boston, MA, or University of Illinois/Chicago Public School.

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 Control 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 Activism Program with Mindfulness
The Leadership, Engagement, and youth Activism Program with Mindfulness intervention (LEAP-M) consists of 14 sessions focused on youth civic engagement, leadership, and mindfulness.
  • Behavioral: Leadership, Engagement, and youth Activism Program with Mindfulness
    The Leadership, Engagement, and youth Activism Program with Mindfulness intervention (LEAP-M) was designed and co-created with youth to improve youth wellbeing by enhancing civic engagement and leadership opportunities and by developing mindfulness in day-to-day life. LEAP-M seeks to foster these improvements in youth of color as a strategy to combat structural racism encountered at school- and neighborhood-levels and to increase youth 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 transition skills and 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-M study will determine whether a 14-session program designed to provide leadership and mindfulness skills to youth of color 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 transition skills, digital literacy, and college and career readiness. The comparison group will also have 14 two-hour group sessions. Both LEAP-M and EnvisionIT will be delivered by trained facilitators. All participants in LEAP-M 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.

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.