Dr. Pall Rikhardsson is the Chief Executive Officer of Planet Youth and responsible for the strategic and tactical development of the organization. He was born in 1966 in Reykjavik, Iceland, is married to Dr. Jennifer Kricker and together they have 4 children. Pall holds a bachelor degree from the University of Iceland and a masters and a PhD degree from the Aarhus School of Business, Denmark. In his career he has worked as professor and dean at Reykjavik University, a senior manager with PwC in Denmark, and business advisor at the SAS Institute in Denmark. Pall holds a visiting professorship at Copenhagen Business School in Denmark, where he teaches and supervises masters and PhD students.
Abstract
Planet Youth across the world. An evidence-based prevention model being adapted to different cultures
Planet Youth was developed from the Icelandic Prevention Model - a theory-based approach with demonstrated effectiveness in reducing substance use among children and adolescents in Iceland for the last 20 years.
The Planet Youth model focuses on building a community environment that delays the onset of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. It has a track record of being an effective approach to reducing the long-term health problems related to youth substance use.
The Planet Youth Guidance Program aims to strengthen protective factors, mitigate risk factors, and build healthy community environments for positive youth development by focusing on four key domains: Family, peer group, leisure time, and school. This is based on implementing evidence-based and data driven practice; community-based changes and a dialogue between researchers, practitioners, and policy makers.
The Guidance Program enables communities to learn, grow, and develop solutions that will work locally. This work relies on community leadership and expertise and is not a “one size fits all” approach
In our presentation we will address what we have learn in implementing this model in hundreds of communities around the world.