scholarly journals The Evolving Role of Youth Workers

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 124-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynne M. Borden ◽  
Gabriel L. Schlomer ◽  
Christine Bracamonte Wiggs
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Youth Programs ◽  
Positive Development ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Positive Health ◽  
The Past ◽  
Societal Changes ◽  
Risk Taking Behaviors

In reviewing the field of youth development, of which youth workers are a part, it is clear it has had a long and complex history that is intertwined with other disciplines. More recently youth workers have experienced a transformation of sorts, with youth programs in the past being seen exclusively as a place to play and have fun, whereas today’s expectations include a much broader focus on the overall positive development of young people. This evolution has been heavily influenced by a number of societal changes that have placed increasing demands on youth programs. Today’s youth workers are faced with the responsibility to promote a young person’s development which often includes supporting academic success and graduation from high school, reducing risk-taking behaviors, increasing positive health attitudes, and more. Youth workers have seen their role change dramatically over the past 20 years with greater demands and increased accountability.

Enhancing Learning Through Digital Technology in the Practice of Youth Work

2020 ◽  
pp. 41-61
Author(s):  
Lee Kwan Meng ◽  
Ismi Arif Ismail ◽  
Nor Aini Mohamed
Keyword(s):  
Youth Development ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Digital Tools ◽  
Learning Theories ◽  
Positive Development ◽  
Youth Work ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Theoretical Concepts

The goal of youth work is to facilitate and contribute to the positive development of young people, as well as to resolve issues that are problematic to them. In the process of this growth and development, their learning is paramount, particularly in the nonformal form of learning. While learning has to be anchored on classical learning theories and concepts, the advent of digital technology has caused a paradigm shift in the learning approaches of youth learning. How they relate to each other is what this article is about. It examines the theoretical concepts of learning, what these digital tools and platforms are, and how they relate to each other. Nevertheless, youth workers have to be equipped with a foundation of youth development before they can effectively use these digital tools to facilitate learning. Digital technology tools with their platforms are merely a medium for learning, not part of the end process of learning, and youth workers have to differentiate the specific role of these digital tools.

Relationships With Parents, Identity Styles, and Positive Youth Development During the Transition From Adolescence to Emerging Adulthood

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Goda Kaniušonytė ◽  
Rita Žukauskienė
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Adulthood ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Autonomy Support ◽  
Positive Development ◽  
Positive Relationships ◽  
Identity Styles ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Supportive Parenting

The purpose of this study was to examine the links between relationships with parents, identity styles, and positive youth development (PYD), conceptualized as “contribution” to self, family, and community, in Lithuanian youth during the transition from adolescence to emerging adulthood. In Study I, we sought to examine how positive relationships with parents predict contribution with the potential mediating role of autonomy-supportive parenting. Participants ( N = 153) filled a self-reported questionnaire in the final year of school and 1 year later. In Study II, we aimed at investigating how parental autonomy support is related to the contribution and the potential mediating role of identity processing style. Participants ( N = 254) were assessed 1 year after graduating high school. Overall, the findings indicated that positive relationships with parents play an important role in successful adjustment and that this relationship is partially mediated by identity style. To conclude, the way in which parents respond to their children’s need for autonomy and relatedness affects the adequate identity management and overall positive development during emerging adulthood.

scholarly journals Relationship Between Peer Attachment and Adolescent Positive Well-Being with Gender as the Moderating Factor in Malaysia

2022 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 61
Author(s):  
Kogilavani Rajendran ◽  
Gunasegaran Karuppannan ◽  
Rumaya Binti Juhari ◽  
Asnia Kadir ◽  
Rosnah Jamba
Keyword(s):  
Youth Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Peer Attachment ◽  
Positive Development ◽  
Parent Attachment ◽  
Kuala Lumpur ◽  
Government Schools ◽  
Positive Traits ◽  
The Relationship

Identifying protective factors that could influence the positive well-being of adolescents is important as positive development view emphasizes the possibility of adolescents developing positive traits based on their strengths, positive qualities, and supportive environments. This study examines the relationship between peer attachment with positive adolescent well-being and the role of gender as a moderator for links between peer attachment with positive adolescent well-being. A total of 400 7th Grade students from government schools in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and state of Selangor were involved in this study. Adolescent positive well-being and peer attachment were measured using the Positive Youth Development Scale and Inventory of Peer and Parent Attachment. The results show that peer attachment was predictor of adolescent positive well-being. The study also found that gender moderated the relationship between peer attachment and adolescent positive well-being. This study provides information on factors that can help the positive development of adolescents. Identifying these factors will provide insight on events or experiences that will increase the occurrence of positive outcomes and reduce the likelihood of negative outcomes.

scholarly journals Positive Youth Development: Processes, Programs, and Problematics

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 38-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard M. Lerner ◽  
Jacqueline V. Lerner ◽  
Selva Lewin-Bizan ◽  
Edmond P. Bowers ◽  
Michelle J. Boyd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Developmental Process ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Youth Programs ◽  
Positive Development ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Youth Development Programs ◽  
Development Processes ◽  
Diverse Youth

Using the tripartite conception of positive youth development (PYD) suggested by Hamilton (1999) – as a developmental process, a philosophy or approach to youth programming, and as instances of youth programs and organizations focused on fostering the healthy or positive development of youth – we review different theoretical models of the developmental process involved in PYD. In addition, we review the ideas for and the features of youth development programs aimed at promoting PYD. We discuss the need for research interrelating different, theoretically-predicated measures of PYD and, as well, the importance of clear links between models of the PYD developmental process and of the youth development programs seeking to enhance PYD among diverse youth. We discuss several conceptual and practical problematics that must be addressed in order to integrate the three facets of PYD scholarship.

scholarly journals Model Youth Programs: A Key Strategy for Developing Community-University Partnerships Using a Community Youth Development Approach

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-112
Author(s):  
Yolanda Anyon ◽  
María A. Fernández
Keyword(s):  
Youth Development ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Youth Programs ◽  
Community Context ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
University Partnerships ◽  
Social Good ◽  
Academic Field ◽  
Transformative Experiences ◽  
The Impact

Universities across the nation face the charge of enhancing their intellectual capital as a learning institution while also contributing to the greater social good. While there is great potential for university-community partnerships to generate lessons for youth workers and policy makers, create powerful new knowledge for the academic field, and provide transformative experiences for community members, partnerships often fail to produce such meaningful results. In the San Francisco Bay Area, community residents who have been involved in such unsuccessful initiatives frequently perceived that university partners spent insufficient time learning about the community context, prioritized research objectives over community needs and did not make long-term commitments. Despite these challenges, community-university partnerships can be useful strategies for advancing the field of youth development by strengthening research and practice in local contexts. This paper presents how the design and implementation of model youth programs served as an effective strategy in developing a partnership between a university-based center and two local communities over a 5-year period. It also describes essential lessons that other communities, research institutions or universities may use to launch, implement, expand and sustain their own successful partnerships to build local capacity to implement youth development practices, promote positive outcomes for young people, and generate knowledge about the impact of youth development approaches.

scholarly journals Editorial

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Kathryn Seymour
Keyword(s):  
Youth Development ◽  
Youth Programs ◽  
Positive Development ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Unique Approach ◽  
Children And Young Adults ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
Independent Practitioner

This special issue of the Queensland Review is devoted to exploring the conceptual and practical implications of bold new Queensland research on youth development programs that has genuine global relevance. The articles in this issue, from leading and emerging Australian and international scholars and practitioners, explore and unfold the different dimensions of this Queensland research for an Australian and global audience of youth researchers, practitioners, policy-makers and general readers. By bringing scholars together with paid and volunteer practitioners to contribute to this special issue, Queensland Review takes a unique approach to exploring youth programs. The independent practitioner voice — especially the volunteer practitioner voice — is largely absent from the scholarly forum, and this issue brings aspects of practitioners’ anecdotal and evidential work to the fore. The articles enable practitioners to share with us how they experience and understand their work with young people, other practitioners and communities. Overall, the scholarly and practitioner contributors to this issue of Queensland Review explore key questions and challenges inherent in the work adults do with children and young adults in youth programs designed to foster their positive development.

scholarly journals On the Right Path: Youth Development Amidst Colombia’s Sociocultural Transition

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 310-328
Author(s):  
Holly E. Follmer-Reece ◽  
Paulina Velez-Gomez ◽  
Nadia Semenova Moratto-Vásquez ◽  
Sara L. Dodd
Keyword(s):  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
The United States ◽  
Youth Programs ◽  
Positive Development ◽  
Internal Armed Conflict ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
The Right ◽  
Sociocultural Transition

Colombia is amidst a sociocultural transition due to recent political movements towards ending the long-standing internal armed conflict. Development and implementation of youth programs that are responsive to the current societal context can contribute to this transition by investing in younger generations. This study features findings from the exploration phase of a community-based participatory research study to adapt a youth program from the United States for implementation in Colombia. Through focus group interviews, participants representing 4 different microsystems surrounding youth shared perceptions of youth who will be successful in this transitional context. Perceptions coalesced to reveal a process of positive development for use as a framework for responsive and culturally sensitive program adaptations. The emergent process mirrors positive youth development principles and shares similarities with other positive youth development models. The discussion explores considerations for the sociocultural context when designing youth programs for use in Colombia.

scholarly journals Youth Workers’ Role in Engaging Youth in Health Advocacy for Community-Level Change

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 12-23
Author(s):  
Maureen Toomey ◽  
Carol Smathers ◽  
Anne M. Iaccopucci ◽  
Karen Johnston ◽  
Elaine Johannes
Keyword(s):  
Youth Development ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Positive Health ◽  
Environment Change ◽  
Level Change ◽  
Development Professionals ◽  
Youth Development Professionals ◽  
Policy Systems

Youth development professionals and volunteers, here referred to collectively as “youth workers,” need to be prepared to engage young people as health advocates. Youth workers need an understanding of public health principles; policy, systems, environment change approaches; and effective youth–adult strategies to move from viewing youth as participants to engaged leaders in community health issues. Embracing youth as partners will create effective partnerships and yield substantial positive health impacts for the youth, adults, and their communities.

scholarly journals The Youth Development Workforce: The People, the Profession, and the Possibilities

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Lynne M. Borden ◽  
Michael Conn ◽  
Casey D. Mull ◽  
Michele Wilkens
Keyword(s):  
Youth Development ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
The People ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
System Approaches

Understanding the role of youth workers and promoting an accurate representation of these professionals and their work requires a focus on current research, practice, and policies that capture the challenges and opportunities of the youth development workforce. An overview of this special issue of the Journal of Youth Development examines efforts to support individual youth workers, strategies organizations use to prepare and assist youth workers, and system approaches to building the capacity of the workforce in key areas such as quality and social emotional learning, and concludes with an encapsulation of interviews with 10 key leaders nationwide. They identified the overarching task as one of identification of the elements that can make the field cohesive across the different settings and programs, while supporting youth in their growth through experiences that are rooted in the science of learning and development. Finally, this special issue offers the opportunity to better understand the youth workers, examine different types of professional development pathways, explore the role that systems can play in support of these workers, and reflect on the challenges and opportunities raised by key leaders in the profession.

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