There is strong evidence that youth-adult partnership promotes positive youth development in the United States and in western Europe. This recently published study in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence is the first to show that Y-AP is also an essential component of youth programs in southeast Asia.

The authors looked at the effects of “youth participation in decision making” and “supportive adult relationships” on young people.  They found that when youth experienced these opportunities that the participants had higher scores on youth empowerment, agency, and community connectedness.  Malaysian policy makers and practitioners are using this research to enhance youth programs, particularly in terms of building Y-AP into program design and implementation.