Abstract
Rhode Island Teen Institute (RITI) is a 5-day residential program based on the Positive Youth Development approach that exposes participants to intensive training in individual and community advocacy, decision-making, interpersonal communication, and leadership development. Results from prior iterations of RITI (2002-2009) demonstrated that the program was efficacious at improving leadership and other related skills among participants. However, unfortunately due to loss of funding, the program did not run from 2010-2023. The present study assesses the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the 2023 implementation of RITI after more than a decade-long hiatus. The program was successfully implemented with 44 youth participants, 95% of whom were satisfied with it. Significant increases in teamwork skills, communication skills, self-efficacy, psychological well-being, confidence, contribution, and creativity were observed among participants. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that RITI is still highly impactful. Residential training programs like RITI remain promising approach for health promotion among adolescents.
Recommended Citation
von Ash, Tayla; Gupta, Anusha; Thompson, Michael J.; Stevens, Jennifer; Gregg, Terese; and Del Sesto, Sandra
(2026)
"Rhode Island Teen Institute Remains Impactful After More Than a Decade Hiatus,"
Journal of Youth Development: Vol. 21:
Iss.
2, Article 15.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.34068/jyd.21.02.15
Available at:
https://open.clemson.edu/jyd/vol21/iss2/15
Included in
Child Psychology Commons, Civic and Community Engagement Commons, Community-Based Learning Commons, Developmental Psychology Commons, Leadership Studies Commons
