Leadership, Engagement, and Youth Activism Program With Mindfulness (LEAP)
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
- Adolescent Behavior
- Mental Health Wellness 1
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
| Arm | Description | Assigned 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. |
|
|
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. |
|
Recruiting Locations
More Details
- Status
- Recruiting
- Sponsor
- Boston University Charles River Campus
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.