PAL® recognizes an innate capacity for social understanding, personal wellbeing, and community participation within every student.
 
PAL® nurtures and builds capacities to help youth develop protective factors helping them to achieve school and social successes which lead to a productive life.  
 
PAL® creates environments in which youth participate in productive pursuits with peers, utilizing skills they have learned like cultural competency, effective communication, decision making, higher order thinking skills, and resiliency building.
 
PAL® students learn to change the idea of peer pressure to influence others positively and ultimately, they make a difference in the lives of others.
 
Positive peer influence is utilized in PAL® as a central strategy for addressing issues like low achievement, at-risk youth, dropout prevention, substance abuse prevention, teen pregnancy, suicide, absenteeism, behavior problems, and other community issues.