Community Programs to Promote Youth Development

Abstract

Children, Youth and Environments Vol. 15 No. 2 (2005) ISSN: 1546-2250 Community Programs to Promote Youth Development Eccles, Jacquelynne and Gootman, Jennifer Appleton (2002). National Academy Press; 441 pages. $49.95. ISBN 0309072751. This book was written as the culminating work of the U.S.based National Research Council’s (NRC) and the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) Committee on Community-Level Programs for Youth. The NRC and IOM Committee includes some of the best social scientists in the fields of adolescent development from such disciplines as: anthropology, education, human development and family studies, medicine, psychology, and sociology. It was published by the premier scientific publisher in the United States, the National Academy Press, and delineates what the United States social scientific community knows about youth development and contexts that foster the positive development of adolescents. The information it presents is useful for anyone who works with, studies, or advocates on behalf of youth, including practitioners and social scientists. 452 This book has importance for validating the youth development field. First, the involvement of two of the most prestigious research and scientific organizations in the United States, namely NRC and IOM, emphasizes the importance of youth development and community-based programming. Second, the multi-disciplinary nature of the committee which assisted Eccles and Gootman in synthesizing the research about effective practice and programming for youth development assured that the information is the most current and the best of what is known from a cluster of related fields. Third, the information is a concrete example of how science and practice are intertwined, informing each other through an iterative process. Thus, the information in this book is drawn from scientifically respected and historically significant research about adolescence and presented through the lens of practical application in order to improve practice within the youth work field. Community Programs to Promote Youth Development addresses five major points. First, it captures what social scientists know about adolescent development. Second, it elaborates the defining features of contexts (e.g., neighborhood, school, community-based program) that promote positive development in adolescence. Third, this book comprehensively identifies the varied landscape of communitybased youth programs. Fourth, it highlights lessons from experimental evaluations, directions for future evaluations, and potential new social indicator data. Finally, it concludes with clear recommendations for scientists, practitioners, funders, advocates, and policy-makers. The book is comprised of four sections. The first is a comprehensive literature review about adolescent development and positive developmental settings. The second section examines what is known about community programs for youth from research and evaluation studies. The third section provides information about directions for new research, including examination of potential existing data sources and the development of positive indicators. The fourth and final 453 chapter addresses the intersection of practice, research, and policy. Community Programs to Promote Youth Development summarizes what personal and social assets youth need to succeed. These assets are not directly associated with Search Institute’s 40 developmental assets (see Benson 1997). These assets fall into four broad developmental domains: physical, intellectual, psychological and emotional, and social. The assets were identified through a comprehensive scan of the literature on factors that increase the healthy development and well-being of youth in adolescence and as they transition into adulthood. The book discusses the interactions between and cumulative nature of these assets. For a practitioner, the book’s identification of specific features of positive developmental settings represents a road map to best practices in programming. These features include: physical and psychological safety; appropriate structure; supportive relationships; opportunities to belong; positive social norms; support for efficacy and mattering (opportunity to be useful and to make a difference); opportunities for skillbuilding (e.g., leadership skills, decision-making skills, cultural competence, communication skills, problem-solving skills, and civic responsibility); active learning; opportunities for recognition; and the integration of family, school, and community efforts. The book provides detailed explanations of these features as well as programmatic examples. The chapter on lessons drawn from previous experimental evaluations actually includes information from quasiexperimental designs as well because of the dearth of experimental studies available. One major recommendation by the book’s authors is that community-based programs should begin conducting experimental—or at least quasiexperimental...