Full Description
This open access book tells the story of eight youth service organizations in the USA, using the voices of the impacted youth and the staff who accompanied them. Drawing on a series of structured interviews with young people and staff and informed by positive youth development (PYD), ideas the author proposes nine universal principles for working with youth from under-resourced neighborhoods that can be applied to any youth organization. The principles include orienting youth towards a purposeful future, providing an opportunity to build academic and critical thinking abilities, and developing individual's identity and sense of agency. The book contributes to the emerging methodology of principles-focused evaluation and draws on range of disciplines including psychology, education and youth studies.
The ebook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by the Thrive Foundation.
Contents
Preface: Nine Principles of Highly Effective Youth Service Organizations
Introduction: Effective Youth Organizations: A Place to Thrive
1: Creating a Safe, Supportive, Values-Driven Community
2: Providing Trusted, Committed Caring Adults with Whom Youth Can Establish Relationships
3: Helping Youth Develop their Identity and Sense of Agency
4: Orienting Youth to a Purposeful Future
5: Expanding Youth's World Through Exposure to New Experiences and Connecting them to Resources
6: Providing Opportunity for Youth to Develop Academic and Critical Thinking Abilities
7: Providing Opportunity for Youth to Teach Life-Skills and Healthy Habits
8: Providing Opportunity for Youth to Advance Youths' Social, Emotional, and Relationship Skills
9: Empowering Youth to Engage in the Betterment of their Communities and the World
Conclusion: At the Intersection of Theory and Practice
References
Index
