Character development among youth

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard M. Lerner
Keyword(s):  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Research Program ◽  
Character Development ◽  
Young Person ◽  
Leadership Role ◽  
Community Activities ◽  
Key Features ◽  
Skill Building ◽  
The U.S

This article embeds the study of character development within the two-decades-long research program framed by the Lerner and Lerner model of positive youth development. Character development involves attaining the feelings, thoughts, and skills needed to act coherently across time and place to serve self and others in mutually beneficial, positive ways. Research in the U.S. and other nations suggests that there are three key features of successful character development initiatives for children and adolescents: Mentors and models, skill-building opportunities, and opportunities to participate in and to take a leadership role in valued family, school, and community activities. Implications of this research include the idea that character development can be the foundation on which other key facets of a person’s thriving can be built (e.g., competence, confidence, connection, and caring), and can provide a key basis for enabling every young person to contribute positively to their own lives and to the enhancement of their families, schools, and communities.

Resilience and the Strengths Perspective in Action

Not Just Play ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 14-17
Author(s):  
Meryl Nadel
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Character Development ◽  
Positive Outcome ◽  
Youth Services ◽  
Strengths Perspective ◽  
Empowerment Practice ◽  
Skill Building

“Resilience and the Strengths Perspective in Action” connects the summer camp experience to the strengths perspective and related concepts. Major principles of the strengths perspective, identified by Dennis Saleebey, are summarized. The constructs of risk factors and protective factors are reviewed in relation to the positive outcome of resilience. The strengths and resilience perspectives link to empowerment practice in social work as associated with Simon, Solomon, and Gutierrez. Positive youth development—often found in the youth services field—focuses on skill building, character development, health, and prevention. Michael Ungar suggests that camps can bolster resilience by identifying and meeting campers’ individualized needs. The milieu offered by camps described in later chapters embody these social work approaches as do few other settings.

The Asset-Focus of Youth Social Entrepreneurship

Making Change ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 10-17
Author(s):  
Tina P. Kruse
Keyword(s):  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Culturally Relevant ◽  
Young Person ◽  
Youth Leadership ◽  
Human Flourishing ◽  
Career Trajectory ◽  
Culturally Relevant Practices ◽  
Cultural Reality

This chapter explores the “asset-based” frameworks in both positive youth development and community. This chapter also orients the reader to the link between youth social entrepreneurship’s grounding in the central theme of positive psychology: human flourishing. Instead of focusing on the incremental steps toward getting any job at all, the emphasis is on youth capacity for creating a positive career trajectory, supported by exposure to a breadth of opportunity instead of a narrow pipeline. To accomplish meaningful and authentic positivity, the cultural reality of each young person and each community must be included in the experience of development. Therefore, a review of culturally relevant pedagogies and the need for valuing cultural funds of knowledge is included. All together, the asset-focused, culturally relevant practices can foster youth leadership with social entrepreneurship that paves a road toward thriving.

Participant Perceptions of Character Concepts in a Physical Activity–Based Positive Youth Development Program

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 481-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaina Riciputi ◽  
Meghan H. McDonough ◽  
Sarah Ullrich-French
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Character Development ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Low Income Families ◽  
The Impact

Physical activity–based positive youth development (PYD) programs often aim to foster character development. This study examined youth perspectives of character development curricula and the impact these activities have on their lives within and beyond the program. This case study examined youth from low-income families in a physical activity–based summer PYD program that integrated one character concept (respect, caring, responsibility, trust) in each of 4 weeks. Participants (N = 24) included a cross section of age, gender, ethnicity, and past program experience. Semi-structured interviews were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis and constant comparative methods. Thirteen themes were grouped in four categories: building highquality reciprocal relationships; intrapersonal improvement; moral reasoning and understanding; and rejection, resistance, and compliance. The findings provide participant-centered guidance for understanding youth personal and social development through physical activity in ways that are meaningful to participants, which is particularly needed for youth in low-income communities with limited youth programming.

scholarly journals Positive Youth Development at Camps for Youth with Chronic Illness: A Systematic Review of the Literature

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 201-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mya DeBoer Sendak ◽  
Clarissa Schilstra ◽  
Eitan Tye ◽  
Samuel Brotkin ◽  
Gary Maslow
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Illness ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Outcome Measurement ◽  
Opportunity To Learn ◽  
Youth Leadership ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Skill Building

This study aimed to systematically review all the literature on camps for youth with childhood onset chronic illness (COCI) utilizing the Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework to assess camp processes and psychosocial outcomes. This paper describes a unique dataset of 425 included studies published over the last 70 years and gives a broad overview of camp demographics, processes that align with PYD’s Big 3 (sustained adult-youth relationships, skill-building, and youth leadership) and measured outcomes that align with the PYD’s 5 Cs (Competence, Confidence, Character, Social Connectedness, and Compassion). Among the included studies, 36% included diabetes camps, 15% included camps accepting multiple illnesses, 12% included cancer camps, and 11% included asthma camps. The majority of participants were under the age of 16. While no study explicitly used the PYD approach, over 90% of studies described camps that deployed both active leadership and sustained positive relationships, while only 59% of studies described camps providing the opportunity to learn life skills. Although no study utilized the PYD 5 Cs framework for outcome measurement, 47% addressed outcomes related to Competence, 44% addressed Confidence, 33% addressed Connection, 4% addressed Compassion, and 2% addressed Character. This review highlights opportunities for camp leadership to align their programming with the PYD framework, to incorporate older adolescents and young adults and, ultimately, to improve positive adult outcomes for youth with COCI. It provides a starting point for future research evaluating illness-specific camps using a PYD approach. 

scholarly journals Formative Evaluation of a Pilot Afterschool Physical Activity–Based Positive Youth Development Program

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaina Riciputi ◽  
Paige Boyer ◽  
Meghan H. McDonough ◽  
Frank J. Snyder
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Formative Evaluation ◽  
Character Development ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Implementation Fidelity ◽  
Youth Development Program ◽  
The Social

4-H PALS is an afterschool positive youth development program for pre- and early adolescents delivered within the 4-H platform and designed to use physical activity to promote character development. The conceptual framework for this program, informed by the theory of triadic influence, prioritizes the social environment created during physical activities to promote adaptive outcomes. Given the novelty of the 4-H PALS curriculum, it is important to outline program components and identify both strengths and challenges to be addressed. Thus, this study aimed to document, describe, and conduct a formative evaluation of 4-H PALS. Major themes were identified across leader and participant interviews, program observations, lesson planning notes, attendance records, and intervention team feedback using inductive analysis methods. Three key areas of evaluation were identified: curriculum implementation fidelity, participant engagement with the curriculum and context, and the social environment. The program was successful in creating an affirmative, engaging environment fostering positive self-perceptions and social outcomes for participants. Challenges with logistical and conceptual implementation of the curriculum’s character development concepts were identified. This evaluation will inform program refinements, with the goal of preparing the program for an efficacy study examining outcomes among participating youth.

scholarly journals Character Development Pilot Evaluation of Two Programs for Youth with Chronic Illness

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Maslow ◽  
Sherika Hill ◽  
Amanda Rozycki ◽  
Rebecca Sadun ◽  
Mya Sendowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Chronic Illness ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Character Development ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Future Orientation ◽  
Chronically Ill ◽  
School Students ◽  
Personal Standards

This article describes the pilot evaluation of two Positive Youth Development (PYD) programs for youth with child onset chronic illness (COCI), reporting how the programs influenced participants’ character development. College students with COCI led high school students with COCI through activities pertaining to different aspects of growing up with a chronic illness. Participants completed the Positive Youth Development Inventory-Short Form (PYDI-S), which measures seven domains of youth perceptions of the contribution to their development from the program. Participants reported that both programs helped them the most with personal standards, which corresponds well to character development on the full version of the Positive Youth Development Inventory (PYDI). They also had high scores on prosocial behavior and future orientation, both important domains for character development. We discuss the idea that interventions promoting character development for youth with COCI are critical for promoting a positive narrative for chronically-ill youth, their parents, and society.

Youth Services

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth T. Gershoff
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Youth Services ◽  
Supportive Relationships ◽  
Safe Environment ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Training Community ◽  
Skill Building

Youth services are programs, activities, and services aimed at providing a range of opportunities for school-aged children, including mentoring, recreation, education, training, community service, or supervision in a safe environment. The current thrust of youth services is an emphasis on positive youth development. Best practices in youth services include the provision of safety, appropriate supervision, supportive relationships, opportunities to belong, positive social norms, support for efficacy and skill building, and integration of community, school, and family efforts.

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