Who We Are

Konopka Institute for Best Practices in Adolescent Health
The Konopka Institute's goal is to get reliable information into the hands of everyone who is in a position to help adolescents.
Our program is rooted in Dr. Gisela Konopka's fundamental requirements for healthy adolescent development:
The Konopka Institute's goal is to get reliable information into the hands of everyone who is in a position to help adolescents.
Our program is rooted in Dr. Gisela Konopka's fundamental requirements for healthy adolescent development:
- Participate as citizens, as members of a household, as workers, as responsible members of society
- Gain experience in decision making
- Interact with peers, and acquire a sense of belonging
- Reflect on self, in relation to others and discover self by looking outward as well as inward
- Discuss conflicting values and formulate one's own value system
- Experiment with one's own identity, with relationships to other people, with ideas; try out various roles without having to commit oneself irrevocably
- Develop a feeling of accountability in the context of a relationship among equals
- Cultivate a capacity to enjoy life
Healthy Youth Development - Prevention Research Center
The Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health is home to the University of Minnesota's Healthy Youth Development*Prevention Research Center (HYD*PRC), one of the premier sites in the country for adolescent health research. At the HYD*PRC researchers are learning about the best practices for providing adolescents with the necessary skills and opportunities to live healthy and meaningful lives. The HYD*PRC is also dedicated to learning and implementing ways to reduce health disparities that exist among Minnesota's young people. |