Defining Youth Well-being

SRS’ grant-making focuses on the holistic well-being of young people. There are many approaches to thinking about well-being. Well-being is commonly defined as both feeling good and doing good. In other words, the state of well-being is not simply the absence of mental and physical illness, but the presence of a feeling of fulfillment and being valued as an important contributor to community and society (World Health Organization, 2021).

We aim to be inclusive of as many factors as possible that influence youth well-being, including access to education, personal enrichment through spirituality, arts, sports & culture, leadership development, and mental health.

There is constant interplay between these contributors to well-being that we support; Improving well-being in one area can positively influence another, resulting in flourishing — a term which encompasses personal aspects like life satisfaction and happiness, as well as external factors such as physical health, social connections, and financial stability.(Human Flourishing Program, Harvard University).

Although measurement of well-being and flourishing is not the Foundation’s current focus, we aim to work with grantees and partners committed to using evidence-based approaches and holistic models/interventions wherever possible.