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Project K is a positive youth development programme targeting 13-15 year old students with low self-efficacy. It involves three components: wilderness adventure, community challenge and individual mentoring. This longitudinal study aimed to investigate changes in self-efficacy, resilience, connectedness and wellbeing in students participating in Project K. Eighty students (59% male) were recruited from five secondary schools across the North Island of New Zealand for a quasi-experimental study. Participants displaying delinquent behaviour, self-harm, suicidal ideation, or an eating disorder were excluded. Over 14 months, six waves of measurement were completed by Project K participants (n = 49), while four waves of measurement were completed by a control group (n = 31). Analyses using multilevel models showed that completion of Project K had substantial positive effects on selfefficacy, resilience, and wellbeing, although the effect on connectedness was not significant. We conclude that Project K appears to be an effective positive youth development programme for adolescents with low self-efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of health inequities on transgender (or trans) and gender diverse populations have been well documented internationally. Studies that compared the mental health of trans and gender diverse populations to cisgender populations found significant inequities for mental health problems. There has been very little research on this topic, however, from Aotearoa/New Zealand. We conducted database search in the PsycINFO, as well as manual searches for published grey literature in Aotearoa/New Zealand to identify theoretical and empirical literature on social determinants of health and related frameworks to explain the effects of social environments on health inequities experienced by trans and gender diverse people. We also complement international studies by considering Māori and Pacific trans and gender diverse identities and the ramifications of colonisation on the mental health and wellbeing of these populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]