About The Center for Healthy Youth Development
The Center for Healthy Youth Development (CHYD) works to integrate equitable Healthy Youth Development principles into all systems of practice, program, and policy.
Redesigned in 2024, we are a "one-stop shop," a source of applied HYD tools, resources, interventions, training, and technical assistance. Many of our dynamic research products and practices result from community-partnered projects powered by CHYD's predecessors: the Healthy Youth Development - Prevention Research Center, the Konopka Institute for Best Practices in Adolescent Health, and the State Adolescent Health Resource Center.
We are excited to adapt these groundbreaking HYD resources to your community's latest challenges and locally-identified needs.
Community-partnered research
We have a strong history of conducting major community-partnered research projects. As a CDC-funded Health Youth Development - Prevention Research Center, we carried out a series of five-year Core Research Projects. Our settings continue to range from community programs and health clinics, to state agencies and middle schools. Projects have evaluated case management, peer education, and service learning programs.
Our most recent core research project, TALK: Toolkit for Adolescent Care, supports rural primary care clinics and clinicians in providing high-quality adolescent preventive care related to psychosocial and sexual health.
Community-engaged application
We also serve as technical advisors and consultants to community organizations and governmental systems:
- Evaluation – We bring deep expertise to our work with our community partners to evaluate a wide range of projects, yielding concrete evaluation data and actionable insights to improve programs.
- Training – Our skilled staff collaborate with diverse communities and systems partners to tailor a wide range of trainings for any youth-serving audience.
- Tools – We develop hands-on applications that help practitioners, public health professionals, and educators engage youth and their communities in advocating for their health.