Supporting young people with vulnerabilities through the provision of quality youth center environments

Youth centers provide young people with critical support and opportunities to address and move beyond experienced vulnerabilities and engage in meaningful activities, and physical environments play a key role. This chapter draws on research conducted across nine youth centers that gained invaluable insights from young people experiencing vulnerabilities about the importance and adequacy of center physical-design attributes in meeting their needs. Youth center physical environments are typically given little attention in service provision, often due to limited funding investment. This discussion advocates for the benefits of and the need for creating purposeful quality youth center environments co-constructed with young people.