Vol 21, No 1 (2012)
The belief that all young people have potential for positive citizenship inspired early pioneers in democratic education and youth work. But for several decades, this spirit of optimism was stifled by a pessimistic focus on deficits and deviance. Now, a renewed focus on strengths and resilience provides fresh hope and practical strategies for helping all young people to thrive.
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Quality Books About Bullying in the Young Adult Tradition
Joanne Larson, John H. Hoover
Educators have at their fingertips a broad, impressive menu of novels illustrating bullying issues.
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Culture and Development
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On a Path Toward Thriving
Peter L. Benson
Peter Benson called for moving beyond a preoccupation with what is wrong with
today’s youth to build the relationships and environments where all young people can thrive and flourish.
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Risk, Resilience, and Recovery
Emmy Werner
In 1955, the first longitudinal study of resilience began on the island of Kauai. This research continues to the present. Emmy Werner, the principal investigator, shares her perspective on the process by which many children overcome adversity and thrive.
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Educational Innovations
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Creating the Infrastructure for Organizational Change with RAP
Julie Shields, Mindy Milstein, Consuela Robinson
Response Ability Pathways (Brendtro & du Toit, 2005) training was provided for all staff working with emotionally challenged students in a large county-wide school setting. To generalize these new skills and imbed them in the school culture, specific strategies were used to engage parents, students, and staff in building a climate of respect.
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Independence, Disengagement, and Discipline
Ron Rubin
Traditional behavior management discourages the development of self-discipline. Positive learning and growth requires meeting developmental needs of youth, including autonomy which is a prerequisite to responsible independence.
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Life Space Crisis Intervention
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The Paradigm Shift: Voices of Professionals
Nancy Koehler
LSCI training provides a new paradigm and practical skills for reclaiming young people involved in self-defeating patterns of behavior. Professionals offer their perspectives on how this training enables them to succeed with challenging children and youth.
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"My mom and her boyfriend fuss": A Five-Minute RAP
Erk K. Laursen, Kendra Whindleton
Unresolved issues from home often spill over into behavior problems at school. This brief restorative intervention was a successful alternative to punishment and exclusion.
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Instilling Hope
Donna Pym
These reflections of a RAP trainer describe the transformation that occurs as youth
professionals discover the power of connecting with challenging students.
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The Resilient Brain
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Ashley's Amygdala
Tiffany Grimes
Concepts from brain science are used to help a youth learn to regulate her anger and build respectful relationships.
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Treatment and Family
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Discovering Greatness
Muhammad Ali, Lonnie Ali
When I was young, I was privileged to be a professional boxer. The sport of boxing is no longer my field. It was a way to introduce me to the world. My most important job now is to teach people to treat each other with dignity and respect.
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The Developmental Audit: From Deficits to Strengths
Larry K. Brendtro, Martin L. Mitchell, Mark D. Freado, Lesley du Toit
The Developmental Audit® transforms assessment by enlisting youth and significant others in resolving problems and building strengths. Audits are used in schools, treatment settings, and juvenile justice to develop growth plans for
resilient life outcomes.
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Nicholas Hobbs and Schools of Joy
Dee Newman
The principles for strength-based approaches to troubled children and youth were laid by Nicholas Hobbs a half century ago. He called for “throwing away the templates” of deficit and deviance to create environments in which all children can thrive.
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Unconditional Space: Turning Risk into Resilience
Max Smart
Angry youth act in ways that can evoke serial rejection from adults who react with punishment and exclusion. A youth in Scotland was given a safe space in which to experience unconditional belonging with staff who responded to his needs.
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What Do Teens Think of Therapy?
Robert Foltz
Young people in residential treatment participated in the Adolescent Subjective Experience of Treatment (ASET) study. Most responses indicated a high value
on involvement in individual therapy.
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Voices of Pioneers
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A Pioneer in Positive Youth Development: The Legacy of Peter L. Benson (1945-2011)
Eugene C. Roehlkepartain
A close colleague of Peter Benson at the Search Institute highlights the contribution of this leader in the strength-based revolution.
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