1. Best Practices in Child and Youth Programming
Sentsetsa Pilane, PhD

2. “No society can long sustain itself unless its members have learned the sensitivities, motivations, and skills involved in assisting and caring for other human beings.”
Bronfenbrenner

3. Best Practice Elements for Children and Youth
Relationships
Environment
Opportunity

4. RELATIONSHIPS FIRST Genuine/authentic Reliable Developmental
Empowering
When relating to children and youth we need to remember that relationships are developmental when they help young people to
Discover who they are;
Develop abilities to shape their own lives; and
Learn how to engage with and contribute to the world around them

5. ENVIRONMENT
Safe/welcoming
Nurturing
Enriching
Challenging

6. OPPORTUNITIES Meaningful/Purposeful Adaptive/Sustainable
Creative/Enriching
Tangible & Life-long Investments
Empowering

10. Best Practice Program Goals
Help children and youth become confident, successful and discover who they are
Help them develop abilities to shape their own lives by finding their assets and strengths and empowering them to grow these assets
Help them learn how to engage with and contribute to the world around them by building bridges, connecting and helping them broaden networks of supports
Being intentionally inclusive and dignifying of the children, youth and their families
“From a small seed a mighty trunk may grow.”
Aeschylus

13. References
Search Institute (2017), Relationship First: Creating Connections that help young people thrive. Minneapolis, MN: Search Institute.
Bronfenbrenner, U (2009). “The Ecology of Human Development”, p.53, Harvard University Press
BGCBigs Annual Report
Faster Alone, Further Together – An Out of School Time strategy for Immigrant and Refugee Children and Youth in Edmonton, Feb 2010 p
Making Out-of-School-Time Matter – Evidence for an Action Agenda, Rand Education and Rand labor and Population.
Students from Refugee Backgrounds – A Guide for Teachers and Schools, Ministry of Education BC.
Leave Them Wanting More!: Engaging Youth in Afterschool, May Harvard family Research Project.
Alberta Mentoring Partnerships Resources at albertamentors.ca.
FSG (2014), Reimagining Social Change – The Promise of Partnerships.
Conversations with other children and youth focused partners over the years.
Acumen, Building an Ecosystem of dignity.

14. CONTACT DETAILS Sentsetsa Pilane 780 822 2530