Resilience:
Building the
Social Capacity
of Children and
Youth to Thrive
September 2010
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Defining Resilience
Resilience can be understood as:
• The capacity of individuals to navigate to resources that
sustain well-being;
• The capacity of individuals’ environment to provide
resources;
• and
• The capacity of individuals, their families and communities to
negotiate culturally meaningful ways for resources to be
shared.
• Source: Dr. Michael Ungar (2008) Discussion Paper for The Learning Partnership
Resiliency Initiatives © 2010
Wholistic Approach
• Focus on what is strong in children and youth and not what is
wrong with them
• Focus on children and youth as resources and less on them
as absorbing resources
• Focus on youth as at potential – help them explore their
preferences, hopes, and intentions, not what we think they
need
• Focus on what is important and less on what we think is
urgent
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Unicef Report - 2007
1. Canada is considered second in the
world for academic performance by
students
2. But is ranked in the bottom third of
industrialized countries for social
development
(health and safety, family/peer
support, subjective well-being)
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Fundamental Shift
To see all individuals as “at promise” rather
than “at risk” is a fundamental shift that
means facilitating rather than fixing,
pointing to health rather than dysfunction,
turning away from limiting labels and
diagnosis to wholeness and well-being.
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Evidence for a
Strength-Based Approach
• Research suggests that fifty (50) to seventy (70) percent of
children growing up in families with mentally ill, drug/alcohol
addicted, abusive, or criminally involved parents or in
poverty-stricken families do overcome these risk factors to
live functional, socially contributing lives (Benard, 1995)
• Evidence that many children who might have received a
diagnostic label do, in fact, ‘grow out’ of their problems
without professional help. (Cohen, 1993)
• There is also evidence that a predominant focus on deficits
and highlighting problems can actually lead to poor
outcomes (Miller et al., 1997)
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Youth Resiliency Model
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Degree of Resilience
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The Relationship Between Resilience
and Core Competencies: A Model
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Core Competencies
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
A Strength-Based Aptitude
Emotional Competence
Social Connectedness
Moral Directedness
Adaptability
Managing Ambiguity
Agency and Responsibility
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“Stacking the Deck”
Against Risk
The idea is to collaboratively work to create an
“ecology” around children and youth that makes it
increasingly difficult for certain high risk problems to
survive.
W. Hammond
Resiliency Initiatives © 2010
I am, I have, I can…
• I Am
(Internal Characteristics/Strengths)
Transacting
•+
• I Have
Transacting
(External Strengths/Relationships & Connections)
•=
I Can
(Core Competencies, Resiliency, Capacity for Success)
Adapted from Edith Grotberg, International Resilience Research Project (IRR)
Resiliency Initiatives © 2010
Criteria For
Academic Success
Skills
Knowledge
Transformational
Relationships
Healthy Core
Competencies
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The Challenge for School
Systems
HELP CHILDREN AND YOUTH SURVIVE?
OUTCOME FOCUSED
Continue to concentrate our energy on changing the behavior
and academic performance of the child or youth only – knowledge and skills focused
OR
HELP BUILD THE SOCIAL CAPACITY TO THRIVE?
PROCESS FOCUSED
Nurturing their ability to navigate challenging situations and respond to
capacity building and strength-based school cultures - resourcing in ways
for children and youth to experience success – nurturing a template for life
Resiliency Initiatives © 2010