Strengthening Positive Youth Development Environments
Communities Supporting Youth
Research:
Young people often do not feel like full members of their community according to
Search Institute, an independent nonprofit organization who provides leadership,
knowledge, and resources to promote healthy children, youth, and communities.
Search Surveys are based on the 40 Developmental Assets which are positive
experiences and personal qualities that young people need to grow to be healthy,
caring, and responsible. In a 2000 national sample of Search Institute’s youth
developmental assets, only 25% of youth perceive their communities value youth
and 28% believe that youth are given useful roles in the community (Youth
Voices in Community Action and Governance Situation Statement, 2004).
According to the article “Forum Focus – Youth Act: Community Impact” (FYI,
2004), young people want to be a catalyst for change in their lives, their families,
and their communities. Change happens fastest when youth and community
development works in tandem. Change is expedited when young people are
given the tools, training, and trust to apply their creativity and energy in
meaningful activities in their own lives and in the future of their neighborhoods
and communities. It is when youth contribute to their communities and
communities support youth that youth and adults work together to create the
necessary conditions for the successful development of themselves, their peers,
families and communities.
Further research supports that integration of family, school, and community is
critical for youth to be successful. Adolescent development is supported when
there is meaningful communication and interconnectedness among the various
settings in the adolescent’s life and the adults in these settings (Bronfenbrenner
& Morris, 1998). Youth who are supported by their parents are more likely to
believe that their effort in school will pay off. Youth whose parents are active in
the community showed higher academic and peer success. School programs
integrating one or more community programs have proven to have longer-lasting
and larger effects on drug and smoking use than school programs alone. The
integration between these three critical areas provides the opportunity for various
community members to develop a shared understanding of needs for youth and
a framework in which to address those needs (Eccles & Gootman, 2002).
Attitudes have changed over the past decade in favor of the holistic view of
communities helping build and support youth. In 1995, most Americans blamed
parents for the problems children were experiencing. However, in 2004, most
Americans (72%) say that raising children is the responsibility of parents with the
support of others in the community (Ad Council: Commitment to Children
Report).
When the whole community is involved in developing youth, the results can be
amazing. Since 1994, Vermont has had a statewide coordinated effort to
improve the well-being of children and families. Impressive results include a
strong commitment to youth in decision-making roles, including youth
membership on the state and local boards of education, and the leadership roles
on the 12 regional youth councils in the administration of the state Safe and
Drug-Free Schools funding (Forum Focus – What Gets Measured, Gets Done).
But one Vermont community example truly shows the commitment of
communities supporting youth. Students in one community pointed out the
discrepancy between the high proportion of youth reporting volunteerism
compared to the low number of youth reporting feeling valued by their
community. The outcome of the youth-led discussion was more local press
coverage of youth making a difference in their community.
“It takes a
village to raise a
child.”
--African Proverb
Practical Application:
One way for communities to support youth is through community building. There
are many resources and tools available for community building which may be
done in a school, collaborative youth program, or in city, village or town.
Building Community: A Tool Kit for Youth & Adults in Charting Assets and
Creating Change is a practical guide of resources and ideas for community
building. The tool-kit has resources for each phase of the process of youth and
community development: building readiness, vision and planning, taking action,
and change and sustainability. It is built on three core-principles:
 Youth-adult partnerships: equal partnerships between young people and
adults
 An asset-based approach: focus on resources and assets, not needs and
deficiencies
 Learning and reflection: being intentional about where we have been and
where we are going
For larger communities such as a school district, city, or county, two of the most
widely used professional services include:
Search Institute - http://www.search-institute.org/
The Search Institute Survey Services unit provides numerous surveys to help
communities better understand the needs of their youth and to develop assetbuilding strategies to meet those needs. One of the most commonly used
surveys is Search Institute Profiles of Student Life: Attitudes and Behaviors
(A&B). It was developed in 1989, with major revisions in 1996. The 156-item
survey provides an aggregate portrait of the 40 Developmental Assets as
experienced by your 6th-12th grade youth.
Communities that Care® - http://www.channing-bete.com/
Developed by J. Hawkins, and Richard F. Catalano, it is a framework for helping
communities build a positive, healthy future for their youth. It is designed to help
communities develop an integrated approach to the positive development of
children and youth and the prevention of problem behaviors, including substance
abuse, delinquency, teen pregnancy, school dropout, and violence.
Resources:
Advertising Council (2004). Commitment to children report. Retrieved February
10, 2005, from http://www.adcouncil.org/research/commitment_children/.
Bronfenbrenner, U. & Morris, P. (1998). The ecology of developmental
processes,” in W. Damon and R. Lerner, eds., Handbook of Child Psychology:
Vol. 1 Theoretical Models of Human Development, New York: Wiley and Sons.
Capriccioso, R. (2004, November 29). Cool kids, cool cities. Retrieved February
10, 2005, from http://www.connectforkids.org/articles/cool_kids_cool_cities.
Eccles, J. & Gootman, J. (Eds). (2002). Community programs to promote youth
development. Washington D.C.: National Academy Press.
Forum for Youth Investment. (2004, November). “What gets measured, gets
done.” Forum focus, 2(5). Washington, DC: The Forum for Youth Investment,
Impact Strategies, Inc. Retrieved March 7, 2005 from
www.forumforyouthinvestment.org.
Forum for Youth Investment. (2004, May). “Youth action.” Forum focus, 2(2).
Washington, DC: The Forum for Youth Investment, Impact Strategies, Inc.
Retrieved March 7, 2005 from www.forumforyouthinvestment.org.
Youth voices in community action and governance. Retrieved December 14,
2004 from
http://www.uwex.edu/ces/4h/planning/documents/OverviewYVCAG.pdf
Research Fact
Sheet written by:
René Mehlberg,
Winnebago County
4-H Youth
Development
Educator.
An EEO/AA employer, University of Wisconsin-Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IX and American with
Disabilities (ADA) requirements. © 2004 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. Developed by the Wisconsin 4-H Office, 431 Lowell
Hall, 610 Langdon St., Madison, WI 53703. The 4-H name and emblem are federally protected under Title 18 US Code 707.