GELYDA — Global Extended Learning and Youth Development Association
Featured · Guest Editor

Create, Connect, Catalyse: An Introduction to Creative Youth Development

By Denise Montgomery · Issue 3, 2026

Extensions — Issue 3, 2026

In This Issue

Foreword from the Editors of Extensions Magazine

Foreword from the Editors

Gil Noam, Kylie Brannelly & Linda Khanyi

The editors introduce Issue 3 — the first double issue and first under a guest editor.

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Contributors to Extensions Magazine Issue 3

Contributors

21 voices · Six continents

Meet the editors, researchers, practitioners, and youth authors whose voices shape this double issue.

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An introduction to Creative Youth Development

Create, Connect, Catalyse: An Introduction to Creative Youth Development

Denise Montgomery · Guest Editor

A global cross-section of expertise — researchers, practitioners, leaders, and young people themselves.

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Young people in a creative youth development setting

Tending the Soil for Creative Youth Development

Zorana Ivcevic Pringle

The conditions that allow creativity to take root and flourish in young people.

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A teaching artist working with students

Wonder at Work: The Professional Skills of Teaching Artistry

Marit Ulvund

What it means to be a professional artist with the competence to work in and through the arts in community settings.

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Students in a STEM program

The Secret Sauce of Successful STEM Programs: Creativity

Savita Raj

Why creativity is the essential, often-overlooked ingredient in effective STEM learning for young people.

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Rangatahi in a creative Māori learning space

Thriving in Practice: Rangatahi Voice in Creative Māori Spaces

Huia O'Sullivan

Centering rangatahi (youth) voice and culture in Aotearoa New Zealand's creative spaces.

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Children engaged in nature-based creative learning

Forest of Imagination: Cultivating Creativity Through Hands-on Arts and Nature

Penny Hay

How children and young people cultivate creativity through hands-on arts and nature-based learning.

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Young people imagining new possibilities

The World Is Not Finished: CYD & A Culture of Possibility

Vlad Glăveanu

CYD as preparation for citizens capable of imagining alternatives — and realising them.

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Haja Center youth program in Seoul

Haja Center and the Role of CYD in Supporting Connection and Future Pathways

Chunghan Lee

Coming closer to the reference points that shape young people's lives in the age of AI transformation.

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DreamYard International Poetry Exchange participants

Building Global Community with DreamYard's International Poetry Exchange

Ellen Hagan

How a poetry exchange connects young writers across borders to know one another and build alongside each other.

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Visual artwork accompanying 'The Bronx' by Dulce Soriano, courtesy of DreamYard

The Bronx

Dulce Soriano · Youth Author

A poem from a young writer in the DreamYard International Poetry Exchange Program.

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Young people in an arts-based program

Arts-Based Strategies for Youth Mental Health: The Role of CYD

Tasha Golden, PhD

Cultural assets are mental health assets — and youth-serving organizations are uniquely positioned to activate them.

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Adam Yockey and a student, Co & So, Florence, Italy

Four High-Impact Moves to Support Youth Mental Health

Tasha Golden, PhD · Infographic

Practical, evidence-aligned moves for youth-serving organizations.

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A community-based youth program

Social Drivers of Health & Creative Youth Development

Denise Montgomery

Connecting the social drivers of health to the work of creative youth development.

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Street Project Foundation artistic activism program in Nigeria

Artistic Activism: A Conversation with Ezenwa Okoro, Street Project Foundation

Interview

Using creative arts to reach a million youths by 2030 — particularly those facing challenges.

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3C Data Alliance retreat group photo

3C Data Alliance: Building Data Equity in the Field of Creative Youth Development

Evelyn Francis

The future of CYD depends on our ability to generate evidence that reflects our values and honors youth expertise.

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Youth leaders across the Americas

Youth Don't Wait: Building Sustainable Futures Across the Americas

Juan Felipe Pinto Castelblanco

Every space where youth are absent is a space where decisions are made without them.

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Girl Scouts Japan leadership program

Growing Together: Building Creative Confidence and Leadership with Girl Scouts Japan

Kaho Takayama · Youth Author

A young leader reflects on her journey within a creativity-focused program.

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Young people in a policy partnership program

Beyond Youth Voice: Rethinking Partnership in Policy

Pia Saunders Campbell

CYD as upstream civic infrastructure that prepares young people to engage institutions.

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Creative youth development across extended education

A Rationale for Advancing CYD and Prioritising Creativity Throughout Extended Education

Brannelly, Khanyi, Montgomery & Noam · Editors' Summary

The editors' closing case for creative youth development across extended education.

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