Exploring How Urban Male Youth Athletes Understand and Value Their Own Identities

The purpose of the present study was to: 1) understand how youth from urban areas in the United States define their social identity through masculinity, race, faith, and athletics in the context of a sport-based PYD program; 2) explore the perceived importance of these identities; and 3) identify the influences associated with youth identity formation. Utilizing a thematic analysis and social identity theory, data were collected via semi-structured interviews of 14 youth between the ages of 14 and 18 years old participating in a sport-based PYD program, most of whom identified as Black. This sport-based PYD program, which focuses on these identity domains, was found to be a positive environment for aiding youth in the development of each of these identities. Keywords: sports-based positive youth development; masculinity; race; faith; athletics
Positive youth development (PYD) programs utilize a strength-based approach to youth development, which focuses on developing internal and external assets to promote positive developmental change (Holt et al., 2017). PYD [...]