Evaluation of Resiliency in Community Youth Empowerment Programs

Youths experience increased vulnerability to mental health challenges associated with their development and living contexts. Effective mental health promotion must consider the multidimensional determinants of resilience. To address these needs, Dr. Jenny Liu (Elevate applicant) has developed and validated an innovative model, Multi-System Model of Resilience (MSMR), which measures resilience capacities and needs at the individual, community, and structural levels. In collaboration with Hong Fook Mental Health Association (HFMHA) and with mentorship from Dr. Josephine Wong (academic supervisor), Dr. Liu will apply the MSMR model to evaluate and strengthen existing youth programs at HFMHA, as well as implementing new programs with the following objectives: 1. Conduct baseline assessment of existing programs as they are mapped onto resilience and mental health objectives; 2. Pilot the integration of resilience and evaluate program effectiveness in promoting resilience and mental wellbeing;3. Support the integration of resilience concepts and evaluation framework into youth programming; 4. Apply novel knowledge towards model development of MSMR in relation to real-world community settings.Dr. Liu will gain invaluable knowledge and skills in project management, research collaboration and application of the MSMR in real-world contexts. She will contribute to quality improvement, programming innovation, and research capacity building at HFMHA.

Faculty Supervisor:

Josephine PH Wong

Student:

Jing Wen Jenny Liu

Partner:

Hong Fook Mental Health Association

Discipline:

Nursing

Sector:

Health care and social assistance

University:

Ryerson University