Session 5: Youth Development
What is it?
Originally designed as a session on youth development, JGC, CCSP, and NTACCS broadened this session to be more encompassing of school climate and the role that youth engagement in and out of school plays in fostering a positive environment for learning and young people’s overall development. Particular emphasis in the afternoon session was placed on the role of youth participation.
Session 5’s primary objectives were to prepare participants to:
1. Critically examine their school's culture and how it responds to the needs of its children and youth.
2. Participate in a youth engagement process in which young people describe their perceptions of the school climate and culture.
3. Learn about effective youth development practices that respond to the needs of young people and build their resilience.
4. Assess and develop strategies for integrating these principles into the culture and climate of the school as a "whole school" application – with the use of youth participation as one of several practices.
Tools Organized by Purpose
Time
|
Purpose |
Description |
Tools |
Notes on Tools |
| 30 min |
Arrival/Breakfast/Welcome
Ice breaker: Team Opener
|
|
S5 Tool - Team Opener.doc |
Pair-Share Activity |
| 25 min |
The Importance of Youth Development
|
Milbrey McLaughlin presentation on School Culture and Youth Engagement |
S5 Presentation - Youth Engagement and School Culture-JGC.ppt |
|
| 25 min |
Session Framing:
Whole school approach to Creating a Postive Community School Climate
|
Interactive discussion of the hopes for the day, what school climate consists of, and how a youth development approach fits into a community school framework |
S5 Presentation - Why Youth Engagement-CCCSP.ppt |
|
| 70 min |
Youth Development Overview
|
CNYD's framework on the importance of youth development, including the school's perspective; discussion of how a youth development approach to a youth crisis would look. |
|
|
|
15 MINUTE BREAK
|
| 15 min |
How to Partner with Youth in a Community Schools
|
|
S5 Presentation - Partnering with Youth in Community Schools-CCCSP.ppt |
|
| 60 min |
Student Perspectives on Community School Climate
|
An expert panel of youth leaders from YELL (Youth Engaged in Leadership and Learning) share lessons for partnering with youth in and outside the classroom |
S5 Sample - Youth Panel Notes-JGC.doc |
notes from discussion |
| 45 MINUTE LUNCH BREAK (optional Role- Alike Lunch) |
| 70 min |
Integrating Youth Development Practices at Your Site
|
Interactive exercises to explore and assess your youth development practices; developing strategies to strengthen youth participation at your site. |
|
versions in Spanish and English |
| 15 MINUTE BREAK |
| 70 min |
Team Time |
|
|
|
| 10 min |
Final Thoughts and Closing |
Discussion of what we've learned, ourschool's track records, strengths and areas needing improvement; practical steps towards implementation |
S5 Evaluation Summary.doc |
|
Additional Resources from Session Thursday, December 9, 2004
Readings:
Why is this important?
Session 5 was intended to impart to teams a youth development perspective and how it can be reinforced in a K-12 setting. Considerable research and an established literature have documented a number of common features that are associated with successful and effective youth development programs, i.e., physical/emotional/social safety, adult allies and supervision, adequate and welcoming space, and a positive and caring climate. Session 5 emphasized making the case for youth development principles as a means for strengthening teaching and learning as well as for a comprehensive view of young people’s development.
Why this module now?
Session 5 was important to convey to Leadership Teams that youth engagement is an essential component of any program of instruction or participation, whether academic or recreational, psychological, social, emotional, intellectual, or physical. It is essential for successful teaching, coaching, counseling, parenting, and leadership. The session focused on the breadth and depth of the youth development approach within the context of community schools. It was also important to frame it in a school climate context and in language a broader group of stakeholders connect with, especially in a setting where “youth development” was not widely understood or seen as the work for after-school or other service providers exclusively.
What did we do?
The Community Network for Youth Development (CNYD) presented a framework for defining and better understanding what is meant by “youth development” and how schools can create a culture of engagement:
- Each student is known as a “whole child.”
- Students feel safe—emotionally and physically.
- Varied opportunities exist for students to feel competent and valued.
- Challenging instruction and support to meet high standards.
- High expectations and on-going feedback.
- Families are connected and involved.
- Teachers have professional learning communities and the opportunity to reflect on their practice.
A youth panel comprised of representatives from Youth Engaged in Leadership and Learning (YELL), a local youth development program that was developed by JGC and community partners, responded to prompts and questions regarding the best ways to partner with youth. The day concluded with a presentation on youth participation which covered: what it looks like, how we do it, and what are youth skills, attitudes, and benefits.
How did we do it?
- Milbrey McLaughlin, founder of the JGC, and staff from CNYD helped to frame youth development areas and why it’s an essential component of community schools.
- Participants engaged in a case study exercise to help situate their response to community school issues—typical versus a youth development approach.
- YELL youth panel addressed issues, youth data, and questions from their perspective on how schools could do a better job of addressing their concerns.
- Participants completed an “Adults as Allies” assessment and asked youth to define what an adult ally meant to them.
- CNYD presentation on Youth Participation and how schools can create a culture of youth engagement.
- Team action planning on youth development next steps—teams reflected on their program’s current strengths in youth participation and what they could do to strengthen this practice.
Reflections and Lessons Learned
- Leadership Teams needed more time in school team groups for team discussions to discuss next steps. Some participants expressed frustration with significant discussions taking place late in the afternoon.
- Participants liked the youth panel in which they could listen to youth and talk to them directly. The student panel provided insights into how much students have to contribute and how valuable their perspectives are.
- It was important for participants to hear what youth really want in order to better connect with other youth, parents, and teachers. The session offered insights into relationship building with youth.
- A number of participants expressed frustration with the fact that the singular focus on state standards make it difficult to feel that there is time for a variety of youth engagement opportunities due to faculty and student stresses and pressures from “No Child Left Behind.”
- In retrospect, the session needed to emphasize how race, class, and culture change the dynamics of the youth development field, and are significant factors for designing and adopting youth engagement strategies.
- The use of youth participation as the example leadership practice in the afternoon session was useful for the middle schools but challenging for the elementary schools as they struggled with identifying more age-appropriate activities and strategies for promoting youth participation for younger children. Furthermore, the youth leadership program panel left some participants thinking that the main or primary strategy for promoting youth development was youth leadership or youth participation and so they struggled to take more immediate action in implementing key strategies at their sites.
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