MSW 576 Wk4 Youthrex

Evidence Brief Strategies for Youth Empowerment

How Did We Compile This Evidence?

  • Search Methodology:
    • Utilized YouthREX’s Library focused on Youth Work.
    • Searched online databases with various key terms:
    • "youth"
    • "young people"
    • "teenagers"
    • "teens"
    • "adolescents"
    • "empowerment"
    • "empower"
    • Additional keywords explored included:
    • "learn"
    • "responsibility"
    • Aim of search: To identify promising practices that support youth with intersecting identities and experiences.

Key Terms

  • Empowerment Definition:

    • Empowerment is the process that:
    • Increases opportunities for individuals to
      • Decide and act on matters affecting their lives.
      • Participate in decision-making.
      • Intervene in a shared and responsible manner within their community.
    • Essential elements of empowerment:
    • The ability to decide: Encompassing knowledge, values, and skills.
    • The ability to act: Influenced by political, economic, legal, and material conditions.
    • Figure Reference: Maso et al. (2017) provide a visual representation of empowerment concepts.

  • Responsibility Definition:

    • Defined as the character trait involved in fulfilling and completing obligations (Salusky et al., 2014).
    • Development of Responsibility:
    • Achieved through completing tasks and obligations.

Settings for Youth Empowerment

  • Importance of Youth Empowerment Settings:
    • They aid youth in developing responsibilities, skills, and confidence essential for becoming healthy adults.
    • Purpose of structuring programming: To foster empowerment, enabling youth to learn about responsibility (Roberts, Wood & Smith, 2005, as cited in Salusky et al., 2014).

Summary of Evidence

a) Empowerment

  • Models/Approaches:

    • Multiple models exist for youth empowerment; this document focuses on commonalities across different approaches.
    • Strategies for fostering youth empowerment:

    1. Recognize Youth Strengths and Accomplishments:

      • Confidence is critical; it helps youth understand they can impact change.
      • Strategies include:
        • Setting and celebrating goals.
        • Normalizing mistakes as part of learning.
        • Acknowledging strengths and accomplishments (Anderson & Sandmann, 2009; Crooks, Chiodo & Thomas, 2010).

    2. Include a Knowledge/Educational Component:

      • Knowledge is essential for meaningful participation in decision-making and social justice initiatives (Russell et al., 2009).
      • This knowledge spans understanding community dynamics and developing life skills (British Columbia Ministry of Children and Family Development, 2013; Maso et al., 2017; Mohajer & Earnest, 2009; Zimmerman et al., 2011).
      • Educational contexts are not restricted to formal education but include environmental and life settings.

    3. Provide a Welcoming, Supportive, and Safe Environment:

      • Essential for full engagement in empowerment processes.
      • Creates a space for youth to face challenges, express creativity, and explore new skills and roles in a fun way (Jennings et al., 2006; Pearrow, 2008; Zimmerman et al., 2011).
      • Youth must feel ownership of this environment.

    4. Build Connections to Larger Networks and the Community:

      • Connections motivate continuous social change efforts (Russell et al., 2009).
      • Opportunities to liaise with other youth, adults, organizations, and businesses are vital (Mohajer & Earnest, 2009).
      • Initiatives should promote teamwork in social actions (Jennings et al., 2006; Pearrow, 2008).

    5. Create Opportunities for Youth to be Leaders:

      • Critical for empowering youth to gain influence (Maso et al., 2017).
      • Leadership opportunities should allow for idea development, learning through mistakes, and collaborative leadership training (Crooks, Chiodo & Thomas, 2010; Maso et al., 2017).

    6. Provide Positive Adult Role Models, Intergenerational Partnerships, and/or Mentorship:

      • Adult support is necessary for youth empowerment (Crooks, Chiodo & Thomas, 2010).
      • Relationships should establish mutual trust and empower youth to collaborate equally with adults (Zimmerman et al., 2011).
      • Mentorship should follow a strength-based approach to facilitate social change (Albright, Hurd & Hussain, 2017).
      • Training is necessary for adult mentors to understand systemic issues impacting youth.

    7. Share Power and Decision-Making and Create a Sense of Ownership:

      • Critical for youth to feel participation is meaningful and their voices valued (Jennings et al., 2006; Pearrow, 2008).
      • This shared power enables youth to appreciate their influence on work processes (Bulanda & Byro Johnson, 2016).
      • Strategies include empowering youth to identify and prioritize issues (Jennings et al., 2006; Pearrow, 2008).

    8. Create Opportunities to Take Action that Can Lead to Change:

      • Learning by doing is vital for fostering attitudes and skills leading to empowerment (Maso et al., 2017).
      • Ideally, offer structured opportunities along with unstructured ones to enable youth to make decisions (Anderson & Sandmann, 2009; King Ledford et al., 2013; Maso et al., 2017; Zimmerman et al., 2011).
      • These actions should empower youth to enact change at individual, organizational, and community levels (Crooks, Chiodo & Thomas, 2010; Jennings et al., 2006; Maso et al., 2017; Zimmerman et al., 2011).

    9. Foster Critical Reflection:

      • Critical awareness enables youth to analyze issues in their lives and strategize for change (King Ledford et al., 2013).
      • Particularly significant in critical youth empowerment models emphasizing discussions around power and societal values, policies, resources, and behaviors (Crooks et al., 2010).
      • Discussions should encourage problematization (Mohajer & Earnest, 2009).
b) Learning Responsibility

  • Research Gaps in Responsibility Development:

    • Limited research exists on adult support in youth responsibility development through structured programs.
    • Organized youth programming with leadership components provides a valuable context for responsibility development (Salusky et al., 2014).

  • Supporting Responsibility Development:

    • Adult leaders need skills to balance challenge and agency in youth roles and maintain high expectations in a supportive environment (Salusky et al., 2014).

  • Salusky et al. (2014) Four-step Cycle for Youth Responsibility Development:

    1. Youth assume obligations in structured roles, often voluntarily or semi-voluntarily.
    2. Youth face challenges and strains as part of their experiences.
    3. Youth are motivated to fulfill obligations due to their intrinsic disposition, leadership expectations, and peer solidarity.
    4. Fulfilling obligations enhances responsibility and encourages responsible actions in other life contexts.

References

  • Albright, J.N., Hurd, N.M., & Hussain, S.B. (2017). Applying a social justice lens to youth mentoring: A review of the literature and recommendations for practice. American Journal of Community Psychology, 59, 363-381. Research Summary: https://exchange.youthrex.com/research-summary/applying-social-justice-lens-youth-mentoring-review-literature-and-recommendations
  • Anderson, K., & Sandmann, L. (2009). Toward a Model of Empowering Practices in Youth Adult Partnerships. Journal of Extension, 49(2). Available at https://www.joe.org/joe/2009april/a5.php
  • British Columbia Ministry of Children and Family Development. (2013). Youth engagement toolkit resource guide. Retrieved from https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/family-social-supports/data-monitoring-quality-assurance/information-for-service-providers/youth-engagement-toolkit
  • Bulanda, J., & Byro Johnson, T. (2016). A trauma-informed model for empowerment programs targeting vulnerable youth. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 33(4), 303-312.
  • Crooks, C.V., Chiodo, D., & Thomas, D. (2010). Engaging and empowering Aboriginal youth: a toolkit for service providers (2nd Ed.). Retrieved from https://youthrelationships.org/engaging-aboriginal-youth-toolkit
  • Jennings, L.B., Parra-Medina, D.M., Messias, D.K.H., & McLoughlin, K. (2006). Toward a critical social theory of youth empowerment. Journal of Community Practice, 14, 31–55.
  • King Ledford, M., Lucas, B., Dairaghi, J., & Ravelli, P. (2013). Youth empowerment: The theory and its implementation. Yes, Youth Empowered Solutions. Retrieved from http://www.youthempoweredsolutions.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/YouthEmpowermentTheTheoryandItsImplementation_Summary-11-13-13.pdf
  • Maso, P.S., Bernet, J.T., Jiménez-Morales, M., & Martínez, X.Ú. (2017). The construction of a pedagogical model of youth empowerment: Spaces, moments and processes. Pedagogia Social, 30, 19-32.
  • Mohajer, N., & Earnest, J. (2009). Youth empowerment for the most vulnerable. Health Education, 109(5), 424-438.
  • Pearrow, M.M. (2008). A critical examination of an urban-based youth empowerment strategy: The teen empowerment program. Journal of Community Practice, 16(4), 509-525.
  • Russell, S.T., Muraco, A., Subramaniam, A., & Laub, C. (2009). Youth empowerment and high school gay-straight alliances. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38(7), 891-903.
  • Salusky, I., Larson, R.W., Griffith, A., Wu, J., Raffaelli, M., Sugimura, N., & Guzman, M. (2014). How adolescents develop responsibility: What can be learned from youth programs. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 24(3), 417-430.
  • Zimmerman, M. A., Stewart, S. E., Morrel-Samuels, S., Franzen, S., & Reischl, T. M. (2011). Youth empowerment solutions for peaceful communities: Combining theory and practice in a community-level violence prevention curriculum. Health Promotion Practice, 12(3), 425-439.