Offering indispensable advice to anyone seeking to integrate empowerment into their youth work, this guide demonstrates how youth leaders, teachers, peer program advisors, adults who work with teens and adolescents, and any professional organization with a youth focus can foster leadership qualities in youth. Motivating examples are combined with activities, and reproducible self-assessment checklists to aid individuals and groups in evaluating their strengths and weaknesses in their efforts to empower youth. The tips included can be used in one-on-one situations, in groups, and in structured programs, and have been tested in varied circumstances, including youth programs, communities, classrooms, and faith-based organizations. The introduction outlines the Developmental Assets® framework, and the four empowerment assets are discussed in detail. The importance of being valued by community, treating youth as a valued resource, service to others, and ensuring safety are examined, and ideas for cultivating an environment conducive to empowerment are also discussed.

Unveiling a powerful and proven methodology for teens and young adults with ADHD, this guidebook offers complete instruction for professionals and parents on what ADHD coaching for young people is and how it can dramatically improve the lives of the afflicted. A groundbreaking approach, this handbook discusses powerful intervention practices to help youths with ADHD break through barriers and succeed in their lives. The thorough, hands-on guidance makes for an ideal resource for all individuals interested in learning more about coaching young people with ADHD--including life coaches interested in expanding their practices to a new market; academic tutors and personal organizers wondering if they would like to become trained as an ADHD coach; and therapists, psychiatrists, and pediatricians confused about what ADHD coaches do.

On youth violence and how to reduce it

Youth Poets documents an ethnographic study of the literacy learning of urban high school youth in June Jordan's Poetry for the People program. The book emphasizes how seven students adopted empowering literacies as they read, wrote, published, and performed poetry in and outside of school. Using a sociocultural and critical framework on literacy and pedagogy, the book focuses on the experiences of urban youth - from their own perspectives - to examine the various processes, products, and practices associated with poetry. It contributes to current research on literacy pedagogy in urban contexts, and further grounds connections between poetry production and academic and critical literacies. Not only does the research presented here support the use of poetry in itself, but it makes a case for the ways in which poetry can lead to transformative possibilities in diverse and multicultural classrooms.

“Ezeilo artfully articulates the obscured problem of racism in the country’s environmental movement and unapologetically sets forth solutions.” —Elaine Brown, author of A Taste of Power Revealing the deep and abiding interest that African American, Latino, and Native American communities—many of whom live in degraded and polluted parts of the country—have in our collective environment, Engage, Connect, Protect is part eye-opening critique of the cultural divide in environmentalism, part biography of a leading social entrepreneur, and part practical toolkit for engaging diverse youth. It covers: Why communities of color are largely unrecognized in the environmental movementHow to bridge the cultural divide and activate a new generation of environmental stewardsA curriculum for engaging diverse youth and young adults through culturally appropriate methods and activitiesResources for connecting mainstream America to organizations working with diverse youth within environmental projects, training, and employment Engage, Connect, Protect is a wake-up call for businesses, activists, educators, and policymakers to recognize the work of grassroots activists in diverse communities and create opportunities for engaging with diverse youth as the next generation of environmental stewards, while the concern about the state of our land, air, and water continues to grow. “An accessible guide to respond to the inequities faced by persons of color marginalized by mainstream environmentalism.” —Dianne D. Glave, author of Rooted in the Earth “Highlights the cultural connection to nature that black and brown people have always had, and the need, for the sake of our physical, mental, and spiritual health, for it to be reclaimed.” —Kamilah Martin, Vice President at the Jane Goodall Institute

Empowered youth CAN and DO make a difference! Young people become empowered by their participation in the institutions and decisions that affect their lives—which in turn can lead to real positive change in the community. Youth Participation and Community Change presents leading authorities providing the latest research and effective approaches on how young people can be drawn to participate in organizations and communities. The diverse perspectives discuss youth participation in today’s society, the models and methods of its practice, the roles of youth and adults, and the future of youth participation and community in a diverse democracy. Approaches include those which promote participatory community-based research and evaluation, and involve youth groups in poor and racially segregated areas. The mainstream view of much of today’s youth is that of being victims of society rather than a being a possible positive influence on society as a whole. Youth Participation and Community Change seeks to shift the viewpoint from youth as being problems to empowering them to enact positive social change. The book explores community agency efforts to involve young people, and the process by which youth civic engagement promotes empowerment. Social work and public health approaches are examined, with cogent discussions on conceptual and theoretical issues. Empirically based case studies illustrate best practices and interdisciplinary work that draws upon psychology, sociology, social work, public health, education, and related academic disciplines and professional fields. Topics in Youth Participation and Community Change include: key dimensions of critical youth empowerment a case study of youth leadership development in Hawaii—the Sariling Gawa Youth Council the Lexington Youth Leadership Academy—a leadership development and community change program a new model for youth civic engagement in Hampton, Virginia three projects that engage urban youth in community change through participatory research youth engagement strategies and the benefits of youth participation in health research ten projects which used photovoice to represent, advocate, and enhance community health a participatory action research process with youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina the Growing Up in Cities project of UNESCO training students as facilitators for the Youth Empowerment Strategies (YES!) project four characteristics of engagement in the research literature and a school-community-university project differences in developmental outcomes among youth organizing, identity-support, and traditional youth development agencies Youth Participation and Community Change is thought-provoking, enlightening reading that is perfect for organizers, planners, policymakers, advocates, youth service workers, agency administrators, educators, students, and professionals in psychology, sociology, social work, urban planning, public policy, and public health.

This book grasps the duality between opportunities and risks which arise from children’s and adolescents’ social media use. It investigates the following main themes, from a multidisciplinary perspective: identity, privacy, risks and empowerment. Social media have become an integral part of young people’s lives. While social media offer adolescents opportunities for identity and relational development, adolescents might also be confronted with some threats. The first part of this book deals with how young people use social media to express their developing identity. The second part revolves around the disclosure of personal information on social network sites, and concentrates on the tension between online self-disclosure and privacy. The final part deepens specific online risks young people are confronted with and suggests solutions by describing how children and adolescents can be empowered to cope with online risks. By emphasizing these different, but intertwined topics, this book provides a unique overview of research resulting from different academic disciplines such as Communication Studies, Education, Psychology and Law. The outstanding researchers that contribute to the different chapters apply relevant theories, report on topical research, discuss practical solutions and reveal important emerging issues that could lead future research agendas.