Program in Education, Afterschool & Resiliency

The Program in Education, Afterschool & Resiliency (PEAR) is dedicated to making meaningful theoretical and practical contributions to youth development, school reform, and prevention. Dr. Gil Noam founded the program in 1999 as a collaboration between Harvard Medical School/McLean Hospital and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, with a number of strong community partners. The program was established in response to the growing recognition that high-quality afterschool programs hold the promise of building resiliency and preventing high-risk behavior in youth, as well as contributing to school success. PEAR takes a developmental approach to the study of new models of effective afterschool programming, and incorporates educational, health, public policy, and psychological perspectives. PEAR is now located at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Its programs and projects are a part of a number of Boston schools. In addition, PEAR established a university-wide advisory committee to highlight the inter-disciplinary and inter-faculty work that is necessary to address the issues facing youth in schools and out-of-school. As a result, PEAR has established dynamic collaborations with other Harvard University departments, projects, and programs, and acts as a managing partner for local, city, and state afterschool and mental health initiatives.

http://www.pearweb.org/