YES: Innovative Discussion for Engagement, Achievement, and Service

NCT05337410 | Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: HUM00190523R01MD015024
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 512
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of YES-IDEAS (YES: Innovative Discussion for Engagement, Achievement, and Service)compared to regular after school programming in increasing youth empowerment, promoting positive behaviors, and decreasing youth violence. Through the evidence-based YES (Youth Empowerment Solutions) program, youth design and implement projects to help improve their communities. In the current study, investigators adapted the existing YES curriculum to empower youth from diverse backgrounds to reduce violent behavior. The adapted curriculum, YES-IDEAS, focus on middle school students. The investigators test the effects of YES-IDEAS curriculum on youths' sense of empowerment, attitudes, and violent behavior. They designed the study to be a group-randomized trial in after-school programs across multiple middle schools in south-east Michigan, but issues that arose due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other practical issues with the schools we modified the design to be a matched control group design at the school level. Matching variables included size, geographic locations, race/ethnicity, free/reduced lunch status. Dose-response and sustainability of YES-IDEAS effects are also examined.

Conditions

Violence Prevention

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (9)

• Change in Violence Perpetration

  6 items on a 4 point Likert scale ranging from 1 (never) to 4 (3 or more times) assess the frequency of physical violence perpetration in the past 30 days. A sample item is "In the past 30 days, how often have you hit someone with your fists or beat up someone?" A higher score indicates more instances of violence perpetration in the past 30 days. Items were adapted for the current study from Hurd et al. (2011).

  Baseline (0 months), End of Program (3 months), 6 months, 9 months, 12 months

• Change in Targeted Aggression

  5 items on a 6-point Likert Scale ranging from 1 (never) to 6 (5 or more times) measure frequency of aggression targeted toward specific group in the past 30 days. A sample item includes "In the past 30 days, how often have you told lies or spread false rumors about someone because of their race?" Higher scores indicate more instances of targeted aggression perpetration. Items were adapted for the current study from the Multisite Violence Prevention Project (2004) and Brondolo et al. (2005).

  Baseline (0 months), End of Program (3 months), 6 months, 9 months, 12 months

• Change in Prosocial behaviors

  3 items on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) measure students' prosocial behavior. A sample item is "I am kind to other people." Higher scores indicate more prosocial behavior. Items were adapted for the current study from Nielsen et al., 2015.

  Baseline (0 months), End of Program (3 months), 6 months, 9 months, 12 months

• Change in Bystander behaviors

  6 items on a 2-point scale from 0 (no) to 1 (yes) assess youths' bystander behaviors. A sample item is "Have you called out someone who says something bad about another race or makes a racial joke?" Higher scores indicate youth engage in more positive bystander behaviors. Items were adapted for the current study from Salmivalli et al., 1996.

  Baseline (0 months), End of Program (3 months), 6 months, 9 months, 12 months

• Change in Social action for promoting equity

  3 items on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) assess students' behaviors related to social action for promoting equity. A sample item is "I ask questions if people aren't being treated fairly." Higher scores mean more social action. Items were developed for the current study.

  Baseline (0 months), End of Program (3 months), 6 months, 9 months, 12 months

• Change in Self Efficacy for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Acceptance, Solidarity

  5 items on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) measure youths' beliefs about their abilities to promote inclusion, diversity, equity, acceptance, and solidarity. A sample item is "I can accept all different types of people." Higher scores indicate more self-efficacy. Items were developed for the current study.

  Baseline (0 months), End of Program (3 months), 6 months, 9 months, 12 months

• Change in Privilege awareness

  4 items on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) measure youths' privilege awareness. A sample item is "Not all racial or ethnic groups have the same chance to get ahead in life." Higher scores indicate greater privilege awareness. Items were developed for the current study.

  Baseline (0 months), End of Program (3 months), 6 months, 9 months, 12 months

• Change in Recognizing strengths in people

  3 items on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) assess youths' recognition of strengths in people. A sample item is "Everyone has something to offer." Higher scores indicate more recognition of strengths in people. Items were developed for the current study.

  Baseline (0 months), End of Program (3 months), 6 months, 9 months, 12 months

• Change in Social connections across diverse groups

  8 items on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) assess youths' social connections across diverse groups of people. A sample item is: "I can be friends with someone from a different racial group." Higher scores indicate more social connections across diverse groups. Items were developed for the current study.

  Baseline (0 months), End of Program (3 months), 6 months, 9 months, 12 months

Study Arms (2)

YES IDEAS

EXPERIMENTAL

Students participate in the YES IDEAS program.

Behavioral: YES IDEAS

Control

NO INTERVENTION

Students participate in the regular after-school programming.

Interventions

YES IDEAS BEHAVIORAL

YES IDEAS is an adapted version of the evidence based YES (Youth Empowerment Solutions) program. Through the YES program, youth design and implement their own projects to help improve their own communities. The adapted YES IDEAS curriculum empowers youth from various backgrounds to address bullying and promote positive behaviors as a way to reduce violent behavior. Over the course of the program, youth carry out a community change project aimed at promoting non-violence in their community.

Also known as: YES: Innovative Discussion for Engagement, Achievement, and Service (YES-IDEAS)

YES IDEAS

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 10 Years - 15 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Students enrolled in afterschool programs at multiple middle schools in Counties across south-east Michigan
• Students in 6th through 8th grade
• Students who assent

You may not qualify if:

• Non-students
• Students who do not assent or whose parents notify us of their refusal

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Michigan: lead
• National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, United States

RECRUITING

Related Publications (4)

• Miao TA, Umemoto K, Gonda D, Hishinuma ES. Essential elements for community engagement in evidence-based youth violence prevention. Am J Community Psychol. 2011 Sep;48(1-2):120-32. doi: 10.1007/s10464-010-9418-6.

  PMID: 21203825 BACKGROUND

• Zimmerman MA. Psychological empowerment: issues and illustrations. Am J Community Psychol. 1995 Oct;23(5):581-99. doi: 10.1007/BF02506983.

  PMID: 8851341 BACKGROUND

• Zimmerman MA, Stewart SE, Morrel-Samuels S, Franzen S, Reischl TM. Youth Empowerment Solutions for Peaceful Communities: combining theory and practice in a community-level violence prevention curriculum. Health Promot Pract. 2011 May;12(3):425-39. doi: 10.1177/1524839909357316. Epub 2010 Nov 8.

  PMID: 21059871 BACKGROUND

• Kellett M. Small shoes, big steps! Empowering children as active researchers. Am J Community Psychol. 2010 Sep;46(1-2):195-203. doi: 10.1007/s10464-010-9324-y.

  PMID: 20524150 BACKGROUND

Central Study Contacts

Marc A Zimmerman, PhD

CONTACT

734-647-0224; marcz@umich.edu

Katherine T Taelman, MAT, MPH

CONTACT

269-267-5281; katherta@umich.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Marshall H Becker Collegiate Professor of Public Health, Center Director, Institute of Firearm Research, Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health and Professor of Psychology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

Model Details: Students enrolled in the YES IDEAS program comprise the treatment group. Students enrolled in other after-school programs (not YES IDEAS) comprise the control group.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 21, 2022
• First Posted: April 20, 2022
• Study Start: April 1, 2022
• Primary Completion (Estimated): November 29, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): November 30, 2026
• Last Updated: February 17, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)