positive youth development 9-20-12

7/30/2019 Positive Youth Development 9-20-12

1/28

Positive YouthDevelopment

Jeanette Nadonley, DC BA

September 20, 2012


2/28

Success

How do you define success?

What Characteristics, skill attributes would

you like to see in a youth?

How do we get the desired outcomes?

Listchallenges, risks, difficult situations ayouth encounters


3/28

Small Group Activity

Pretend you are a teenager, 13-17 years old.

What does your life look like?

What influences are shaping your life?

What challenges are you facing?What is helping you through a difficult time?


4/28

What Do Young People Need to Thrive

t

Engagement

Connectedness

Preparedness

Safety and Basic Needs

What do young peopleneed to thrive?


5/28


Safety and Basic NeedsYoung people needtheir needs met (shelter, food, etc.) and feel safebefore they can grow and learn. Youth in survivalmode do not thrive.

PreparednessYoung people need to developcompetencies and skills to ready themselves for

work and adult life. Competencies include:academic, social, emotional, vocational andcultural.


6/28


ConnectednessYoung people need to belong,to be connected to family and community to thrive.

A growing body of brain research indicates thatwe are hardwired to connect. It is a core requisite

to learn, develop and interact with the world.

EngagementYoung people need opportunitiesto engage in meaningful activities, have a voice,

take responsibility for their actions, and actively

participate in civic discourse.


7/28


8/28

What are Strengths? Talents Skills

Knowledge Interests Dreams/Hopes/Goals Creativity

Culture Passion Connections


9/28

What is Strengths Based Approach?

Emerging from the field of social work, it is a

set of ideas, assumptions, and techniques:

People are active participants in the helping

process (empowerment)

All people have strengths, often untapped or

unrecognized

Strengths foster motivation for growth

Strengths are internal and environmental


10/28

Outcomes

How are young people reaching these

outcomes? We as mentors and community

members need to provide opportunities foryoung people to have a range of experiences,

to learn and engage in meaningful activities

throughout their journey to adulthood. Many of

you are doing this already in different settings.


11/28

Learning can and needs to happen in all

environments. Its not just the responsibility of

schools or parents.

It happens 24 hours a day, seven days a

week. Its a long term commitment. Young people

need opportunities throughout childhood

and adolescence.

Learning opportunities and experiences needto be developmentally appropriate. A 12 year

old has different abilities and needs than a 16

year old.


12/28

5 Cs

CompetenceConfidence

Character

ConnectionContribution


13/28

CompetenceThe ability and motivation for

Civic and social engagement

Cultural engagement Physical health

Emotional health

Intellectual achievement

Employability


14/28

Civic and social: Develop social and cooperative skills

activities can highlight team projects, community serviceprojects, cooperative games, teambuilding. Cultural: Develop cultural competence and awareness activities can inform about different cultural backgrounds,include research on historic struggles, multiculturalexperiences (food, art/dances, celebrations); agency usespictures/posters highlighting different cultural groups incommunity. Physical health: Promote healthy choices and healthy lifestyles activities include physical activities, healthy nutrition,peer education on health issues.


15/28

Emotional health: Develop and practice ability to recognizeand express emotions appropriately activities include a

reflection process to recognize and express emotionalreactions, include exercises on handling anger and frustration;provide support for stressful circumstances; caring adultrelationships . Intellectual: Promote basic academic skills as well as criticalthinking and problem solving skills tutoring and homeworksupport, community projects that include research andproblem solving components; promote independent or smallgroup projects; recognition. Employability: Develop basic work skills and provideinformation on career paths activities foster communicationand socialization skills, field trips, speakers (communitymembers and mentors) discussing career paths.


16/28

ConfidenceHaving a sense of mastery and future

Having a sense of self-efficacy

opportunities to demonstrate skills, recognition andfeedback.


17/28

CharacterHaving a sense of responsibility and

autonomy

Having a sense of spirituality and self-awareness

Having an awareness of ones own

personality or individuality

Having a sense of responsibility, ones ownpersonality, pro-social valuesprogram provides

positive role models, adult relationships, recognition

of responsible behavior


18/28

ConnectionMembership and belonging

Having a sense of safety and structure

Having a sense of membership and belonging andsafetyprovide a psychological and physical safespace; clear behavior expectations andconsequences; branding (logo or product identifyingmembership), caring relationships, connection with

mentor and other community groups


19/28

ContributionBeing involved as active participant and

decision maker in services, organizations and

community

Being an active participant, having an impactprovide

opportunities for leadership, youth voice; community

service; civic engagement.


20/28

Long-Term Commitment

Young people need to be nurtured andsupported 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

First 20 years of their lives

In accordance with their developmental

needs

Through a variety of supportive

relationships and programs


21/28

Adult Allies

Allies are adults who advocate

and support young people. Theyassist young people in theirlives, support them when theystruggle, and let them know how

important they are and thatchange is possible.


22/28

Adult Allies

Skills and opportunities that might help usbecome adult allies - self-reflection

- active listening

- teambuilding, cooperative learning

- knowledge of adolescent development - cultural sensitivity


23/28

Features of Effective YouthDevelopment Settings


24/28

SharingInformation

ChangingServices

CrossTraining

Networking Coordinating Cooperating Collaborating Integrating

SharingResources

MergingStructure

Trust

Turf

Collaboration Continuum


25/28

Collaboration Continuum

Networking- Exchanging information formutual benefit. This is easy to do; requires

low initial level of trust; limited time availability

and no sharing of turf.Coordinating- Exchanging information and

altering program activities for mutual benefit

and to achieve a common purpose. Requires

more organizational involvement thannetworking, higher level of trust and some

access to ones turf.


26/28

Cooperating - Exchanging information, altering activitiesand sharing resources for mutual benefit and to achieve acommon purpose. Increased organizational commitment,

may involve written agreements, shared resources can

involve human, financial and technical contributions.

Requires a substantial amount of time, high level of trust

and significant sharing of turf.Collaborating - Exchanging information, altering activities,sharing resources and enhancing each others capacity for

mutual benefit and to achieve a common goal. The

qualitative difference to cooperating is that organizations

and individuals are willing to learn from each other tobecome better at what they do. Collaborating means that

organizations share risks, responsibilities and rewards. It

requires a substantial time commitment, very high level of

trust, and sharing turf.


27/28

Integrating - Completely merging two organizationsin regards to client operations as well asadministrative structure.

Collaborative efforts are only successful in

facilitating change if they are supported from the topdown and he bottom up. Administrative support is

needed to allow front line staff to make decisions

about agency resources shared in a collaborative

effort. Both, front line and administrative staff must

be open and willing to go beyond business asusual.


28/28

To Reach The

Top RequiresTeamwork

Mentees are not expectedto do it alonethey need

your help!!

positive youth development 9-20-12

Documents