Assessment of the Youth Empowerment Program on Mental Health Outcomes for Newcomer Youth in Aurora, CO – Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountain

ABSTRACT Background Mental health challenges among U.S. youth have become a leading cause of disability and poor life outcomes. Refugee and migrant youth face additional risks due to trauma experienced before, during, and after migration, compounded by discrimination and acculturation challenges. This project aims to assess the impact of the Youth Empowerment Program (YEP) as a mental health promotion plan for newcomer (US arrival within the past five years) youth in Aurora. Method This study utilized a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design. 66 newcomer students participated in 20 weekly sessions focused on social-emotional skills and positive goal setting. Mental health outcomes were assessed using five validated self-report questionnaires measuring anxiety, depression, quality of life, resilience, and self-esteem at baseline and post-intervention. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression by SAS 9.4. Results After the 20-week YEP intervention, 66 newcomer youth (Mean = 15) significantly improved mental health outcomes. Anxiety and depression decreased significantly (p <.0001), with females, Black students, and middle schoolers showing greater change. Quality of life improved (p =.0002), especially among Afghan students. Self-esteem increased, with Black students reporting the largest improvements. Resilience also improved significantly (p <.0001), with middle school students showing slightly better outcomes. The high effect sizes (R 2 > 0.5) indicate a strong program impact. Conclusion The YEP effectively enhanced mental health outcomes for newcomer youth in Aurora, CO. Despite promising results, limitations such as no control group, convenience sampling, uneven subgroup sizes, and short-term follow-up suggest the need for future randomized studies with longer-term and qualitative evaluation.