Youth Can! Grow Healthy: A Formative Evaluation of a Positive Youth Development Program

Urban Farm DB summary

This paper presents a formative evaluation of an afterschool program, "Youth Can! Grow Healthy," which combined positive youth development and school garden curricula for elementary school children. The program used novel approaches to teach gardening and nutrition, and engaged children in advocacy for healthy community environments, including sessions on team building, healthy eating, and physical activity. Evaluation themes included successful youth engagement methods, social environment issues, and implications for program management, with results discussed to provide recommendations for future programs.