Effects of Youth First on Student and Teacher Well-Being and Education Outcomes

This quasi-experimental study examined the effects of Youth First Rwanda, a teacher-facilitated school-based well-being program, on lower secondary students and teachers. The study followed 9,649 students across 100 matched intervention and comparison schools from baseline to endline and eight-month follow-up. Difference-in-differences and cross-sectional mixed-effects models were used to estimate program effects. Youth First Rwanda improved students’ psychosocial knowledge and confidence at endline, and positive effects emerged at eight-month follow-up for emotional resilience, coping, well-being, peer relationships, gender attitudes, school belonging, teacher support, and selected education outcomes. Teachers in intervention schools reported higher psychosocial knowledge, confidence, emotional resilience, and facilitation knowledge. Findings support school-based well-being programming as a scalable strategy for adolescent mental health promotion in Rwanda.