Youth development programs: risk, prevention and policy

Abstract

Adolescence is a time of both great risk and opportunity. Buoyed by a belief that today’s adolescents face more obstacles on the way to adulthood, from time-crunched parents, dangerous substances and behaviors, overburdened schools, and a more demanding job market, we as a nation no longer believe adolescents should fend for themselves during nonschool hours. In some communities, an array of school-based extracurricular activities (e.g., sports, music, art, community service) as well as community-based youth programs provide young people with ample choices for supervised activities outside of school. This is far from the norm. Availability, cost, transportation, and interest limit many youths’ choices during nonschool hours. In a recent opinion poll, 62% of 14to 17-year-olds agreed with the statement “Adults criticize teens for wasting time but adults don’t realize there’s not much for teens to do after school” [1]. Over half wished for more after-school activities in their neighborhood or community. Growing public support, both ideological and financial, for more structured activities during nonschool hours stems, in part, from the view that these activities and programs do more than fill idle time and keep youth off the streets. They also can provide youth with enriching experiences that broaden their perspectives, improve their socialization, and enhance their skills. A shift in thinking about what youth need for successful (productive) adulthood is behind recent efforts to increase the supply of afterschool activities, such as the federal government’s funding of 21st Century Learning Centers. Over the past 10 years, the youth development movement’s call for a paradigm shift from deterrence to development, captured by the phrase problem free is not fully prepared, has led to an increase in the acceptance of youth preparation and development, not just problem prevention and deterrence, as desirable goals requiring strategic action [2]. With the maturing of the youth development field, a consensus has emerged on the endpoints of positive (successful) youth development and the experiences and supports youths’ need to get there [3]. Generally speaking, positive youth development encompasses all our hopes and aspirations for a nation of healthy, happy, and competent adolescents on their way to productive and satisfying adulthoods [3]. Lerner et al. [4] summarize the ingredients of positive youth development into the five Cs: (a) competence in academic, social, and vocational areas; (b) confidence or a positive self-identity; (c) connections to community, family, and peers; (d) From the National Center for Children and Families, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York. Portions of this paper were presented at the Society for Adolescent Medicine meetings, as the Gallagher Lecture, March 1999, in Los Angeles, California. Address correspondence to: Jodie Roth, Ph.D., National Center for Children and Families, 525 West 120th Street, Box 39, New York, NY 10027. E-mail: jr328@columbia.edu. Manuscript accepted May 31, 2002. JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENT HEALTH 2003;32:170–182