1. Dr. Lawrence R. Allen Dean YOUTH DEVELOPMENT – Why All the Fuss? HEHD 800 Presentation

2. Leave you with some ideas for a collaborative system to foster positive youth development!!! My Goal Today!

3. Let’s Start the Discussion!  What are the five greatest factors contributing to a youth’s success?

4. Let’s Start the Discussion!  What are the five greatest factors contributing to a youth’s failure?

5. “All adolescents, in all economic and social circumstances, need generous amounts of help, instruction, discipline, support, and caring as they make their way from childhood through adolescence and into adulthood” National Research Council, 2003, p. 19 Let’s Set The Stage!

6. The World is Different Now!  Informal community support system is gone  High rates of family mobility  Greater anonymity in neighborhoods  More parents working outside home  Schools are larger & more heterogeneous  Extensive media exposure to violence, drugs, sexual innuendo, etc.  Pathways to adulthood have become less clear

7. The social forces and pressures today are unbelievable!!!! The World is Different Now!

8. The Good… The Bad… The Ugly

9. The Good  Most youth ages 0-17 are doing fine  More youth than ever graduated from high school  Sexual activity is down  Use of illicit drugs is down

10. The Bad  Too many children still live below the poverty level  Too many are abused or neglected  15% of school age children are overweight  Too many teens commit violent crimes annually

11.  Sexual activity is still very high  Still a high level of elementary students cannot read at a basic level  Still a very high High School dropout rate-25-35% The Bad

12. The Ugly  Too many disjointed and disconnected Federal programs addressing youth  Local numbers are no better  Most agencies don’t know why they do what they do! No conceptual framework.

13. The Ugly  No idea how to implement what works!  1 in 28 youth-serving programs rated effective by the Federal government.  Turfism overshadows effectiveness

14. The Way We Were! 20 th Century, professionals believed that: “youth were problems to be managed.”

15.  They have a problem, lets eradicate it!  Problems of youth were atypical at best!  Since it only involved the misfits, why put so much energy into them!  Youth could be segmented-no coordination The Deficit Model The Way We Were!

16. CONSEQUENCES of THE DEFICIT MODEL  Being problem free did not make them productive adults  Many youth who needed the most help were pushed aside  Programs had limited success because of no systemic effort

17. Where We Are Today!  All youth need support, opportunities and encouragement  All youth have assets and skills that can and need to be developed  Focus is on strengths rather than deficits Youth Development Model

18.  Every young person has the potential for successful, healthy development  Youth development is more than academic achievement

19. It is: “a process which prepares young people to meet the challenges of adolescence and adulthood through a coordinated, progressive series of activities and experiences which help them to become socially, morally, emotionally, physically, and cognitively competent ” National Collaboration for Youth, 1998 Youth Development Model

20. This definition means a youth is “problem free, fully prepared, and fully engaged” Youth Development Model

21. Youth Development Model: Ultimate Goals  Self-sufficiency  Positive and responsible family and social relationships  Good citizenship

22. So, who is responsible for youth development?  The entire community with all of its resources and services. –Schools –Other human service agencies –Faith based organizations –Businesses and corporations –The citizenry

23. It Takes a Community to Raise a Child!

24. Thus, collaboration is essential.

25. Keys to Collaboration Buy in by all Partners Mutual Benefits Ownership by All Recognition of Each Contributor TRUST!!!!!

26. Youth development is most effective where there is a coordinated effort that directly ties community capacity building with youth programs. Youth Development

27. Youth Building External Assets (Community Focus) Supports and opportunities Internal Assets (Individual Focus) Strengths and assets Youth Development

28. What Is Community Capacity Building?  It recognizes that the community must change possibly more than the youth.  It recognizes the need for a collaborative effort among all the stakeholders-families, schools, agencies, businesses, etc.  It links assets and conditions of a community to lead and direct the process of change

29. What is Community Capacity Building?  Building community assets (external assets) –Support systems & opportunities –Empowerment –Boundaries and expectations –Constructive use of time

30. Building Youth Programs: the other half of the equation  Building youth assets (internal assets)- involves building competencies, skills and self-perceptions –Commitment to learning –Positive values –Social competencies –Positive identity

31. Characteristics of Positive Youth Programs  Meaningful and supportive relationships with peers and adults -mentoring is a key  Opportunities to develop hard skills (academic, task-specific)  Opportunities to develop soft skills (relationship building, social skills)  Must address development from the self, family, school and community context

32. Characteristics of Positive Youth Programs  A physically and psychologically safe setting  Clear rules and expectations  Opportunities to belong  Opportunities that matter  Adults, Adults, Adults

33. After-school/ Out of School Programs Excellent example of collaboration for youth development Potential to bring schools, universities, several human services agencies, parents and other groups together in a positive non-threatening environment

34. “ Research suggests that students are most likely to be engaged cognitively and emotionally in learning environments outside the school” Irby, Pittman, Tolman, 2003, p. 18 These non-school opportunities are referred to as “free-choice learning” opportunities.

35. After-school/ Out of School Programs (One element of Full –service Community Schools) Primary focus:  Extended Learning-complement formal education  Enriched Learning-building supportive skills & attitudes (problem-solving, self efficacy, etc)  Social Enrichment-building relationships, expanding understanding of world, etc.

36. Community based organizations are powerful settings for teaching skills and knowledge that complement academic competence and directly affect the goals of youth development.

37. Youth are there because they want to be there. They are intrinsically motivated to learn and participate. That is the POWER of these groups and organizations.

38. Final Points  Establish a conceptual framework  Build collaborative systems  Build communities with programs  Focus on outcomes  Use what we know works  Document our effectiveness

39. There you have it!

40. Can we do this?

41. Absolutely!

42. Questions or Comments!

43. Thank You!