scholarly journals Reflections on a Century of Youth Development Research and Practice

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 17-May ◽  
Author(s):  
Joyce A. Walker ◽  
Michelle Alberti Gambone ◽  
Kathrin C. Walker
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Youth Work ◽  
Development Research ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Retrospective Account ◽  
Development Practice

This introduction to the special issue highlights the youth development research and practice base that influenced the field in the 20th century and presents some historical context for the practice and study of youth work. Next, it provides an overview of the articles which offer a retrospective account of youth development from how youth development has been studied, understood and measured to how youth development practice has evolved to support, engage and address the needs of young people. The introduction concludes with reflections stimulated by the process of reviewing the manuscripts and working with the authors on their contributions. Three themes emerged as good grist for the 21st century conversations moving forward: 1) the divergent perspectives on definition, dimensions of practice and accountability, 2) the value of translational scholarship bridging science and complex practice, and 3) the importance of leveraging systems support for field building.

scholarly journals Volunteerism in Youth Development Programs: Editors' Note

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
JoLynn C. Miller ◽  
Kali Trzesniewski
Keyword(s):  
Youth Development ◽  
Skill Development ◽  
Development Research ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Youth Development Programs ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Development Organizations ◽  
Development Support

Youth development programs are varied and diverse. Some rely on paid staff to deliver programming, but many rely on volunteers. While there is quite a bit of research on volunteers and volunteerism in general, there is little that goes in depth covering the nuances of volunteers in youth development organizations. The editors of this special issue introduce the articles, which cover themes of understanding the impacts of volunteers, volunteer competencies and skill development, support and motivation of volunteers, and evaluation of programs. In addition, a book review and a closing reflection are included. Finally, the editors close with their thoughts about exciting directions for the future of volunteer development research and practice.

scholarly journals The Role of Youth Voice in This Special Issue

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-208
Author(s):  
Aishia A. Brown ◽  
M. Gayle Gabriel
Keyword(s):  
Peer Review ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Development Research ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Youth Voice ◽  
Critical Dialogue ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Development Framework

Youth voice has become a very popular term in youth development research and practice. However, there is a lack of critical dialogue surrounding the role of youth in the peer-review research process. This article explores the intersections of youth voice, marginalization in the peer-review research process, and the importance of utilizing a social justice youth development framework when reading the youth essays selected for this special issue. 

scholarly journals Positive Youth Development in the 21st Century: Exploring Online Environments

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-26
Author(s):  
Mark Light ◽  
Jessica Falkenthal
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Target Audience ◽  
Youth Organizations ◽  
Mobile Media ◽  
Target Populations ◽  
Online Environments ◽  
New Strategies

The manner that young people and adults are communicating with each other is rapidly changing in society that is, in part, driven by the latest technology. As a youth-driven program, we must engage in new strategies and methods by which we communicate with youth members, volunteers, families, and the community at large. Social and mobile media are a growing and popular venue for much of our target audience and youth development practitioners must learn how to leverage these networks to create positive youth development in online environments. If we ignore and don’t engage in the opportunity to be connected to youth online, then youth are left to make their own paths online and set the online norms. As youth organizations, we also must seize the opportunity to be online mentors and use the resources that are available and being used by our target populations.

scholarly journals Editorial

2013 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Rachael Sanders
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Young People ◽  
Family Law ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Court System ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Quality Research ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Festive Season

Welcome to the first issue of Children Australia for 2013. We trust you had an enjoyable festive season and are now firmly back into your work/life routines for the New Year. This year Jennifer and I are continuing with our commitment to bring quality research and practice-based commentaries about issues important to children, young people, families and the professionals who work with them. Later in the year we will see a special issue guest edited by Dr Nicola Taylor from the Centre for Research on Children and Families, Otago University, New Zealand. The special issue will focus on matters related to family law, the court system and separation/divorce. In addition to our regular invitation to submit your papers to Children Australia, we invite experts in the field to make contributions to the special issue.

scholarly journals A Roadmap for Youth Thriving: A Commentary on the Arnold and Gagnon Vision for Positive Youth Development

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 147-161
Author(s):  
Richard M. Lerner
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Positive Development ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Developmental Science ◽  
Science Theory ◽  
The Common ◽  
Theory Research ◽  
Development Practice

Youth development researchers and practitioners have the common goal of understanding and enhancing the positive development of all young people. The work of Professors Mary Arnold and Ryan Gagnon on the 4-H Thriving Model provides a creative and richly theoretically and empirically informed vision for promoting positive youth development (PYD) through integrating youth development research and practice. Their vision is an exemplar of how theoretically predicated and cutting-edge developmental science and the enactment of youth programs can be mutually informative. Drawing on the theory, research, and ideas for program design encompassed within the Science of Learning and Development (SoLD) Alliance, which applies developmental scholarship that integrates research from multiple disciplines and underscores the malleability, agency, and specificity of mutually influential coactions between youth and their contexts, Professors Arnold and Gagnon illustrate the features of researchópractice integration that must be enacted for innovative progress in programs aimed at enhancing youth thriving. The compelling roadmap for promoting PYD through the integrations framed by the 4-H Thriving Model will advance youth development practice, developmental science theory and research and, most important, the lives of the diverse young people of our nation.

scholarly journals Practitioner Inquiry Matters: Questions by and for Youth Workers

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Lindsay Walz ◽  
Hayley Tompkins
Keyword(s):  
Practitioner Inquiry ◽  
Youth Work ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Bridging Research And Practice

The Journal of Youth Development’s subtitle is “Bridging Research and Practice,” yet too often our publications reflect a one-way bridge— studies that, at best, have implications for practice. Less represented are practitioner inquiries that rely on practitioner experience and expertise. This special issue aims to bridge the research-practice divide with scholarship produced by youth work practitioners. This article provides a rationale for practitioner inquiry, describes a fellowship effort to support it, and then offers an overview of the ten practitioner inquiries featured in this special issue.

Dilemmas in Youth Work and Youth Development Practice

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie Ross ◽  
Shane Capra ◽  
Lindsay Carpenter ◽  
Julia Hubbell ◽  
Kathrin Walker
Keyword(s):  
Youth Development ◽  
Youth Work ◽  
Development Practice

Navigational Capacities for Southern Youth in Adverse Contexts

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharlene Swartz
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Global South ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
Youth Work ◽  
Hard Skills ◽  
Constant Feature ◽  
Adaptive Resilience ◽  
Theoretical Foundations ◽  
Rules Of The Game

This essay identifies six navigational capacities or contextual formative abilities that young people in Southern contexts, and those who care about them, may find helpful to debate and nurture. These navigational capacities are the capacity (1) to act alone as an individual in a community; (2) to aspire beyond culturally bounded horizons without resorting to exit, apathy, or violent struggles; (3) to acquire a range of capitals that include money, networks, dignity, and a knowledge of the rules of the game; (4) to recognize and analyze the influence of social structures and policies on their lives; (5) to achieve open identities to ensure justice along multiple axes of oppression; and (6) to act collectively in pursuit of better lives for self and others. The idea of navigational capacities acknowledges that adversity, change, and movement are a constant feature of the landscape of youth in the Global South. Thus, developing flexible capacities—rather than hard skills, rigid assets, or only adaptive resilience—is a more helpful goal for youth development. The essay describes these capacities, their theoretical foundations, and potential as a framework for practice and analysis in youth work and youth studies research in the Global South.

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