Strengthening Positive Youth Development Environments
Supporting Positive Youth Development
Research:
The National 4-H Council states that, “Positive Youth Development occurs from
an intentional process that promotes positive outcomes for young people by
providing opportunities, choices, relationships, and the support necessary for
youth to fully participate” (Smith, Allan T., 2002). So how can we, as Youth
Development Professionals, support that process?
Cathann Kress, Director of Youth Development at the National 4-H
Headquarters, CSREES, USDA, suggests that the youth development approach
focuses on youths’ needs and the target is, thus, environmental conditions and
the contexts that youth have in their lives. Nancy Leffert (1996) of the Search
Institute describes the features of settings that promote and support positive
youth development. These include physical and psychological safety,
appropriate structure, supportive relationships, opportunities to belong, positive
social norms, support for efficacy and mattering, opportunities for skill building,
and integration of family, school, and community efforts. Youth programs,
families, schools, and the community must work together to create these
environments that are “ripe” for positive youth development.
Rinehart and Kahn (2000) also suggest that risky behaviors are linked to social
and environmental factors. Risk behaviors are interrelated. Protective factors
are also interrelated. Thus, strategies that work to support youth development
need to be all encompassing as well—family, school, social relationships,
neighborhoods, and community all need to be worked with to influence and
support the efforts.
“Family connectedness” for example has been found to be a significant factor in
keeping youth away from risky behaviors such as substance abuse. No one can
deny the impact that a family has on the development of youth. The family,
however, does not exist within a vacuum—they function within a community
context. A recent study by the Youth Development Institute found that youth
development organizations can strengthen families by promoting emotional
connectedness, sharing and promoting high expectations for youth, assisting in
mediating conflicts in families, providing adult role models outside of the family,
bridging worlds, and promoting parental efficacy (Carter, 2001).
Other research completed by the Konopka Institute found clearly that youth must
have the opportunity to participate in the resolution of problems that affect their
lives. They found that youth want adults and decision-makers to help them
realize their full potential in health and healthy development through such
activities as building strong relationships, increasing the partnerships between
the two, and strengthening communities so that they are better able to support
healthy teens (Rinehart & Kahn, 2000).
Youth development professionals are in a unique position to support and
promote eight critical elements identified by Kress that support positive youth
development: positive relationships with a caring adult, an inclusive
environment, a safe environment, engagement in learning, opportunity for
mastery, opportunity to see oneself as an active participant in the future,
opportunity for self-determination, and opportunity to value and practice service
for others.
“Kids can walk around
trouble, if there is
some place to walk to
and someone to walk
with.”
-Tito, “Urban
Sanctuaries.”
McLaughlin et
al (1996).
Practical Applications:
Zeldin, Day, and Matysik (2001) in the Program and Activity and Assessment
Tool, offer a variety of best practices for individuals who work with youth. These
developmental opportunities include:
 Exploration and reflection
 Expression and creativity
 Group Membership
 Contribution and Service
 Part-Time Employment
They also offer a variety of supports that are best practices for individuals
working with youth:
 Nurturance and Friendship
 Emotional Safety
 High Expectations
 Standards and Boundaries
 Strategic support
 Access to Resources
 Organizational Support
The Program Activity and Assessment Tool provides an extensive directory for
best practices in youth development. Some examples of these best practices
that can be used to support positive youth development in your program include:
 Youth participate without fear of being excluded, harassed, or
intimidated on a 4-H Board.
 Adults model dealing with anger, frustration, and conflict effectively.
 Youth develop and practice job related skills such as interviewing,
organizing, and communication.
Refer to PAAT, available from www.uwex.edu/ces/4h/paat, for a more extensive
list of practical applications.
Resources:
For additional information on supporting positive youth development, refer to:
Carter. (January, 2001). Promoting Positive Youth Development in New York
State: Moving from Dialogue to Action. New York: Adolescent
Project Team of Partners for Children.
Kahn, J.A., LaCroix, L.A. & Snyder, P.V. (2000). Health Futures of youth/MN:
Developing Programs, Practices, and Policies that Make a Difference
for Youth. The Konopka Institute for Best Practices in Adolescent
Health, University of Minnesota, Minnepolis, MN.
Leffert, Nancy, et al. (1996). “Making the Case: Measuring the Impact of Youth
Development Programs.” Minneapolis: Search Institute.
McLaughlin, M., Irby, M. & Langman, J. (1996). Urban sanctuaries. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Oregon Commission on Children & Families. “Best Practices: Positive Youth
Development.”
Rinehart, P.M. & Kahn, J.A. (2000). Growing Absolutely Fantastic Youth: A
Guide to Best Practices in Healthy Youth Development. The Konopka
Institute for Best Practices in Adolescent Health, University of
Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
Smith, Allan T., (2002). “4-H youth development facts in brief.” Retrieved
December 23, 2004 from National 4-H Headquarters Web site:
http://4h.ifas.ufl.edu/newsandinfo/Stats/2002/4HFacts2002.pdf
Zeldin, Shepherd, Day, Trisha, & Matysik, Greg. (2001). Program Activity and
Assessment Tool. University of Wisconsin-Extension, Madison, WI.
Research Fact
Sheet written by:
Dawn Schneider,
Langlade 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.