Youth Practitioners Research Articles

Mutual Learning Transfer Between Wrestling and Sumo as Similar Combat Sports Activities: Impact on Youth’s Technical Performance and Intrinsic Motivation

Objectives. This study aimed to compare the effects of wrestling and sumo wrestling as similar combat sports activities in a training program on technical wrestling scores, wrestling performance indexes, and intrinsic motivation in youth practitioners. Materials and methods. A randomized controlled trial using a single-blinded design, and repeated measures of parallel groups (sumo-based group: EG, n = 19, aged = 12.42 ± 0.87 years; and only wrestling group: CG, n = 19, aged = 12.41 ± 0.78 years) was conducted. Three 65-minute weekly sessions for four weeks were dedicated to the interventions. A two-factor mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) model with repeated measures was performed to assess the group vs. time impact analysis. Results. The findings revealed a significant interaction between the variables, whereby higher values were observed for technical wrestling scores on the attempted head and arm throw test (F1;18 = 356.2; p = < 0.0001; ES = 0.60), wrestling performance indexes on the pushing opponent test (F1;18 = 8.31; p = 0.009; ES = 0.08), intrinsic motivation for effort/importance item (F1;18 = 12.24; p = 0.003; ES = 0.82) and intrinsic motivation item (F1;18 = 19.36; p = 0.000; ES = 0.24) in favor of EG. Conclusions. In conclusion, the sumo-based training program produces significantly greater responses on technical performance, and intrinsic motivation, specifically regarding wrestling training.

The Social and Psychological impact of Taekwondo

The Social And Psychological Studies It should be noted that interests in Taekwondo social and psychological impact date back to the 1960s. However, it was not until the mid-nineties that its focus was turned to the youth practitioners. While researchers used to examine the normal traits that Taekwondo focused on, like boosting self-esteem, independence, and even decreasing anxiety and stress, all changed. Instead, they began focusing on the hostility and anger found in the Taekwondo practitioners. However, the bias towards their findings reduced when these researchers started weighing the teaching methods, that is, the traditional versus the non-traditional techniques. The outcomes became more positive when the training laid focus on the long-established approach to Taekwondo

Tackling Gender-Related Violence: How Can Theory Inform International Professional Education Projects?

Is it helpful to share feminist theory with youth practitioners and is there room for it on short training courses such as in EU Action Projects? Can theoretical work on intersectionality, and the concept of gender-related violence (GRV) which grew from it, be shared in training interventions with professionals who work with children and young people? This article is based on the findings of the EU co-funded GAP Work Project that sought to improve GRV intervention and referral through training for practitioners in everyday (rather than specialist) contact with children or young people in four countries. Summarising how the project worked, and how theory informed it, including a brief account of how the concept of GRV worked in practice, guides the selection of material from the wider Project Final Report and offers a reflection on how educators used theory in the training, sometimes explicitly in the sessions. It therefore contributes our experiences to discussions about the design and implementation of education and training about violence and abuse. It concludes by sharing resources for designing and implementing training on sexual harassment, violence and hate crime, including from other recent projects that offer resources for incorporating an intersectional perspective when developing local government plans, programmes, and projects.

Centering marginalized positive youth development constructs: examining perspectives and experiences of racially, ethnically, and gender minoritized practitioners and youth

ABSTRACT Positive youth development (PYD) measurement tools are influenced by the social positionalities, ideologies, and interests of those who create them. Historically, racial, ethnic, and gender-minoritized practitioners and youth program participants have been excluded from the development and testing of PYD measures. In particular, they have been excluded from the conceptual work of defining and operationalizing central PYD constructs, from which PYD measurement and implementation are rooted. Furthermore, the existing constructs are subjective qualities, characteristics, and normative behaviors. The role and impact of power, privilege, and oppression on PYD are often missing from PYD constructs, yet they play an important role in PYD practice with racially, ethnically, and gender-diverse youth. This paper aims to center the knowledge and experiences of marginalized youth practitioners and youth in the conceptualization of PYD constructs. A multiple qualitative case study design and a purposive, convenience sampling approach were used to identify programs within a publicly funded, county-wide initiative in the pacific northwest that serves Black, Indigenous, or person of color, immigrant or refugee, and/or trans- or non-binary youth. The inductive analysis identified three key constructs: racial and social identity development, socio-emotional development, and youth-centered program environment. Participants emphasized communitarian understandings of identity development, a clear articulation of social justice principles across constructs, and emphasized relational practices and environmental factors over youth characteristics. We outline results in detail and discuss how youth and adult service providers’ perspectives can help inform a more empowering and relevant model for evaluating PYD interventions.

Barriers experienced with multi-agency responses to county line gangs: a focus group study

PurposeThis study aims to create a platform for frontline practitioners to share experiences, express opinions and forge new ideas for effective multi-agency work when responding to child exploitation by county line gangs (CLGs).Design/methodology/approachCLGs are grooming children as young as age 7. The need for effective multi-agency responses to grooming by CLGs is a key priority for prevention. Using findings from focus groups held with 13 youth practitioners, school staff and charities, this article highlights the barriers that multi-agency frontline practitioners face when they are tasked with responding to instances of child criminal exploitation by CLGs.FindingsDiscussions within the focus groups indicate there are many common barriers and driving factors with regards to young people being successfully groomed by a CLG. More specifically, findings from this research identified school exclusions and a lack of prosocial sense of belonging to be a driving factor that exacerbated the risk of being successfully groomed by a CLG. Lack of a significant adult relationship was also found to be a barrier to successful multi-agency intervention, which was attributed to the lack of funding and resources required for adequate staffing needed to build meaningful relationships.Originality/valueThis study offered the unique opportunity for practitioners from various different sectors and jurisdictions to share their experiences of not only working with young people involved in CLGs, but also their challenges when using a multi-agency approach. These discussions are particularly important in the case of CLGs due to the cross-jurisdiction nature of the gangs’ activities. This research has identified issues with multi-agency responses to CLGs and offers recommendations for improvement. Identifying and understanding the barriers that practitioners face when responding to CLGs can allow for the development and implementation of various measures, which will aid the safeguarding of vulnerable victims of exploitation by CLGs.

Gender-Related Violence in Young People’s Lives: UK Practitioners’ Concerns and Planned Interventions

Youth workers are on the front line for supporting children and young people with the violence some of them face. However, education and training for this part of the role seemed lacking in our experience as a Youth and Community Worker and a Youth and Community Work Lecturer in the UK. An international project that sought to address this educational gap for ‘youth practitioners’ had a UK arm, which is the context for this article. This project created a three-day training course that sought to improve responses to gender-related violence (GRV) by increasing awareness, improving knowledge about providing support and making referrals, and also sought to prevent or reduce gender-related violence by challenging the inequalities on which it rests. The UK ‘youth practitioners’ who attended the training wrote almost 500 ‘action plans’—plans to act on the basis of the training, and analysis of these offers an indication of their concerns and priorities. Here, we present the concerns that UK-based teachers and youth workers had for the children and young people they worked with, and the forms of violence they were aware of when they began this training course. We then describe the interventions with young people or changes to their practice that these attendees said they would make in response to the training once they were back at work. This provides an agenda for action in youth, education and social services to address gender-related violence in the lives of children and young people in the UK. By the end of the training, the interventions they had committed to making included changes to their own practice, showing their reflexivity and their understanding that key tools for tackling gender-related violence included their own behaviour and reflexive practice in their service or team. They highlighted the need for culture change at an organisational level, and identified the problems of sexism and homophobia, even in their own workplaces. Their views about the value of the term gender-related violence (GRV) were mixed, with some practitioners finding it unnecessarily theoretical and others finding it a helpful link between areas of discrimination and of violence that they tended to tackle separately, such as between homophobia and violence against women and girls.

Understanding and Assessing Construct Validity of the Social Provisions Scale: Implications for Youth Development

Confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modeling was used to measure the construct validity of the increasingly utilized social provisions scale. This scale was used to measure social support sources and types among a sample of 421 youth from 4 Pennsylvania schools. The youth were surveyed to determine their levels of social support and the relationship of social support to community and youth development capacities. Research findings indicated an acceptable model fit indices for the sources of the social support model. A lower fit for the types of social support was found. Overall, the analysis further verified the reliability and validity of the social provisions scale. With this information, youth practitioners can better measure and assess social support and use the social provisions scale to tailor youth development programs to individual and group needs.

Pedagogies of Discomfort and Care: Balancing Critical Tensions in Delivering Gender-Related Violence Training to Youth Practitioners

This reflective paper explores the emotions, ethics, and challenges of facilitating training for youth practitioners to tackle gender-related violence (GRV). This paper draws on insights from a training intervention that emerged from an EU-funded feminist project (UK GAPWORK project), which sought to bring together approaches to tackle violence against women and girls with challenging heteronormativity and homophobia. Drawing on accounts from facilitators and participants, the aim of this paper is to identify tensions, opportunities and strategies in developing training to support critically engaged practice around sensitive topics such as GRV, and to consider the significance of working with discomfort within any such training intervention. We reflect on how discomfort presented within the training space and the challenges presented. This paper examines how Boler’s theoretical work on pedagogy of discomfort can be operationalised to think productively about designing and delivering training for informal educators on sensitive issues with ethical integrity.

Coaching vulnerable youths for positive change: A coaching relationship model for promoting adolescent interpersonal relationships with trusted adults

Objective:Despite the growing research in Coaching Psychology, there is little literature on the psychology of coaching adolescents within community settings. This study aimed to explore youth work practitioner experiences to gain insights into how vulnerable adolescents are supported in their emotional wellbeing within the domain of Coaching Psychology.Methods:The study explored, through semi-structured interviews with 13 qualified youth practitioners how emotional wellbeing may be promoted in adolescents within existing positive development and Coaching Psychology theoretical frameworks.Results:The findings, using Grounded Theory methods presents a Holding-Containing-Attunement Coaching Model that conceptualises the coaching relationship processes for promoting an authentic, communicative environment to enhance adolescent interpersonal relationships with trusted adults. The emotions-focused model informs a coaching relationship framework based on the environment provided by participants (holding), their way of being (containing) and perceived emotions-related outcomes (attunement).Discussion:The Model forms the basis of a framework for promoting emotional wellbeing in adolescents and an emerging Emotional Attunement theory on the coaching relationship that can be further researched and used to coach positive adolescent development.Conclusions:The findings of this study go some way to addressing the gap in current adolescent coaching research, and provides valuable insights into the understudied area of Coaching Psychology within community settings. The Holding-Containing-Attunement Model and Emotional Attunement theory makes a significant contribution to the discussion on the need for a dedicated theory on the coaching relationship.

Youth Practitioners’ Perspectives on Building Agency and Supporting Transitions with and for Young People Experiencing Disadvantage

Despite the policy and academic interest in helping disadvantaged young people into employment and education, and towards a more positive future, little is known about the process of supporting positive transitions for young people. In Australia and internationally, youth work is increasingly considering alternatives to the traditional deficit-oriented and risk-averse approach to supporting young people experiencing social or material disadvantage. With an outset in youth practitioners’ perspectives on their work and underpinned by key concepts drawn from the Positive Youth Development approach, this paper seeks to improve understandings of how best to support disadvantaged young people’s ability to thrive, facilitate practitioner dialogue and strengthen practice. Qualitative interviews were conducted with twelve youth practitioners and a focus group run with an additional eight. The paper explores three concepts emerging from the analysis that were identified as key to understanding the unique potential youth work practitioners have to support positive transitions with and for disadvantaged young people: having an ecological focus, encouraging personal agency and fostering alternative possibilities. The findings propose new possibilities for working with young people with whom mainstream services struggle to engage. The paper concludes by discussing the practical implications and limitations of this approach.

Youth Practitioners Can Counter Fascism: What We Know and What We Need

Fascist, White nationalist, and misogynist groups are actively recruiting adolescent followers both online and in person. Youth development practitioners can play an important role in mitigating the influence of fascist ideologies on young people’s behavior and reducing the proliferation of youth-perpetrated harassment and violence. In this paper, we present a theoretical integration that draws on empirical research from multiple disciplines and youth development best practices to examine how youth practitioners can counter fascist recruitment of youth. There is much that youth development researchers and practitioners already know and do, or have the capacity to learn and do, that can mitigate the threat of fascist recruitment and deter young people from developmental trajectories leading them towards harmful ideologies and actions. In order to support youth development practitioners in effectively embodying this potential, we detail 3 sets of activities: (a) immunizing youth to reduce susceptibility to fascist recruitment, (b) intervening in fascist recruitment of specific youth, and (c) counter-recruiting youth into community organizing for social justice. For each set of activities, we describe the goals of each component, propose concrete actions it may entail, and highlight existing research and best practices in the field that can be applied to this current challenge. We then propose next steps in research–practice integration to further improve relevant strategies and point to existing resources for supporting youth in resisting fascist recruitment.

Bounce Back: randomised trial of a brief, school-based group intervention for children with emergent mental health difficulties.

We report the findings of the first randomised trial of Bounce Back, a brief, school-based group intervention for children with emergent mental health difficulties, whose aim is to improve their understanding of resilience and well-being, support them to build their confidence and friendships, and provide practical skills to make positive behaviour changes. 24 primary schools (N = 326 children) were randomly allocated to deliver the intervention or continue practice as usual in a waitlist design. Children in the intervention arm of the trial worked in groups of up to 15, supported by a trained youth practitioner, over ten weekly sessions that were delivered during the school day for up to an hour. Measures of emotional symptoms, behavioural difficulties, problem-solving, and self-esteem were recorded at baseline and post-intervention follow-up. Routinely collected session attendance data were used as a proxy for intervention compliance. Intent to treat analyses revealed that Bounce Back produced significant reductions in emotional symptoms (d = -0.21). Furthermore, complier average causal effect analyses established that intervention compliance modified this treatment effect, such that children who attended more sessions accrued greater reductions in symptoms (moderate compliance d = -0.54; high compliance d = -0.61). There were no intervention effects for any of the other outcomes. Collectively, these findings provide robust preliminary evidence of the efficacy of Bounce Back.Trial registration: ISRCTN11162672.

Characteristics, experiences, and service utilization patterns of homeless youth in a transitional living program: Differences by LGBQ identity

Homeless youth who identity as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer (LGBTQ) face considerable issues including victimization, mental health needs, and substance use, yet are less likely than their heterosexual homeless peers to utilize services. Although research in this area is growing, studies tend to focus on the experiences and service use of homeless youth in drop-in or emergency shelters, instead of longer-term transitional living programs (TLPs). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to expand the homeless youth literature by examining differences in sociodemographic characteristics, victimization, mental health, and substance use histories, and service utilization patterns of homeless youth by LGBQ identity (LGBQ vs. non-LGBQ) in a TLP. We extracted secondary data from closed case files of homeless youth (N = 101) ages 16–20 who accessed services in a mid-Michigan TLP between 2011 and 2018. Using independent sample t-tests and Chi-square, we assessed patterns by LGBQ. Results indicate that LGBQ homeless youth were more likely than their non-LGBQ homeless peers to identify as female, report being sexually victimized, and have greater mental health-related needs. All youth, but especially LGBQ youth underutilized available services, resulting in greater unmet mental health needs. These findings confirm the vulnerability of LGBQ homeless youth in TLPs and provide essential information regarding service utilization for homeless youth practitioners, including the need for trauma-informed and LGBTQ-specific services. Additionally, the data suggest that service providers must encourage youth engagement in services offered within TLPs.

Perceived parental sacrifice, filial piety and hopelessness among Chinese adolescents: A cross-lagged panel study

IntroductionThere is a dearth of research on examining the longitudinal effects of cultural family processes on adolescent hopelessness, and the mechanisms through which the effects happen. Hence, the present study examined the relationship among parental (paternal and maternal) sacrifices, filial piety and adolescent hopelessness in the Chinese context. MethodsThe study was based on a three-wave longitudinal data from a sample of 1569 Chinese adolescents (Time 1: mean age = 13.15 ± .92 years; 50.8% girls). The adolescents were invited to fill out a questionnaire containing measurements of studied variables thrice, at an interval of one year. ResultsThe results of cross-lagged panel analysis indicated that maternal sacrifice was associated with filial piety, which in turn was linked with hopelessness among Chinese adolescents. Moreover, there was bidirectional effects of adolescent hopelessness at earlier time point on paternal and maternal sacrifice at later time point via filial piety. ConclusionsThe study showed that maternal sacrifice serves as a protective factor that reduces adolescents’ sense of hopelessness via the development of filial piety. At the same time, the bidirectional indirect effects of filial piety on the relationship between parental sacrifice and adolescent hopelessness also alert family researchers and youth practitioners on the child effects on parental behavior in Chinese families. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Informal Sex Education by Youth Practitioners

Youth practitioners are commonly acknowledged to play an important role in supporting the sexual health of young people. However, there is relatively little literature that documents, conceptualizes and theorizes the unique nature and potential of informal sex education provided by youth practitioners such as social workers and youth workers. Using the theoretical framework of critical pedagogy, this article seeks to conceptualize informal sex education practices by youth practitioners, from the practitioner’s point of view. Eight semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with youth practitioners, working in a variety of programmes and provisions for young people across Israel. The data were thematically analysed. The analysis identified three key concepts, drawn from critical pedagogy, which underscore the unique potential of informal sex education by youth practitioners: dialogue, the language of possibility and language of critique.

A Systematic Review of Program Quality in the Field of Positive Youth Development

The purpose of the study was to examine areas of competency for quality programming in the field of youth development. Program Quality is one of the new foci of evaluation capacity building (ECB) efforts that has not been clearly defined in the literature. For the purpose of this study, the researchers operationally defined program quality as the program characteristics, indicators, and implementation practice that stakeholders including researchers mutually agree upon. These program quality components are interlinked. It is critical to help youth practitioners think through the logical connection among the components of program quality. This can be partly achieved through professional development, which equips practitioners with competencies necessary to perform their tasks. Implementation of quality is associated with program staff’s ability to influence program structure and process. Staff expertise is not defined by only their knowledge and skills but also their ability to respond to challenges and problems they face daily at work. Through a systematic literature review, the authors identified key areas where program quality in the field of youth development can be effectively impacted by staff training activities; these areas then served as the components of a proposed staff training model. The latter consists of four components: child/youth development, social ecological theory, program management, and program theory. These components were found to be critical for quality programming.

‘It’s a No-Win Scenario, either the Police or the Gang Will Get You’: Young People and Organised Crime – Vulnerable or Criminal?

The Serious and Organised Crime Strategy for England and Wales made a commitment to develop preventive educational resources for use with young people on the topic of organised crime. This article presents findings from a UK Home Office funded project, which was aimed at developing and subsequently evaluating these resources, and explores their wider implications for youth crime prevention policy within the United Kingdom and internationally. Based on interviews with youth practitioners and young people, the project found that many young people with vulnerabilities (such as learning difficulties) were in turn vulnerable to exploitation by criminal groups, that the reasons for young people becoming involved in organised crime were complex including a desire to provide for their families in a climate of austerity and unemployment and that positive relationships with professionals and long-term support were significant for youth crime prevention.

Building on strengths

This article introduces a new strengths-based approach to youth development program practice developed in Queensland, Australia. This approach is encapsulated in a good practice framework, its six principles, their underlying indicators and examples of action. The framework is a wholly new synthesis of academic, youth and practitioner expertise, and demonstrates the complex ecological nature of youth programs and the bi-directional links between the diversity of staff and youth needs, and contributions made within the program environment. I introduce the framework by discussing each of the six principles, which focus on the themes of learning and development; leadership and decision making; an inclusive ethos; community service; partnerships and networking; and ethical promotion. Taken together, the principles presented here embody an innovative, comprehensive and comprehensible framework for volunteer and paid youth practitioners, service providers and youth studies scholars.

Youth Practitioner Professional Narratives: Changing Identities in Changing Times

ABSTRACTThis paper examines youth practitioner professionality responses to neo-liberal policy changes in youth work and the youth support sector in the UK, from New Labour to Conservative-led administrations. Using a narrative inquiry approach, six early career practitioners explore and recount their experiences of moving into the field during changing political times. The narratives reveal differentiated responses to a climate of increasing managerialism and performativity but point to the value of narrative capital as a personalised resource.

Kundalini yoga as mutual recovery: a feasibility study including children in care and their carers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to test whether incorporating a 20-week Kundalini yoga programme into a residential home for children improves well-being outcomes. Design/methodology/approach This is a mixed methods feasibility study. Feasibility was assessed through recruitment and retention rates as well as participants’ self-report perceptions on social inclusion, mental health and well-being and through semi-structured interviews on the benefits of the study. Mutual recovery entailed that children in care (CIC), youth practitioners and management participated together in the Kundalini yoga sessions. Findings The study initially enrolled 100 per cent of CIC and 97 per cent (29/30) of eligible staff. Attendance was low with an average rate of four sessions per participant (SD=3.7, range 0-13). All the participants reported that the study was personally meaningful and experienced both individual (e.g. feeling more relaxed) and social benefits (e.g. feeling more open and positive). Pre- and post-yoga questionnaires did not show any significant effects. Low attendance was associated with the challenges faced by the children’s workforce (e.g. high levels of stress, low status, profile and pay) and insufficient consultation and early involvement of stakeholders on the study implementation process. Research limitations/implications Because of the chosen research approach (i.e. feasibility study) and low attendance rate, the research results may lack generalisability. Therefore, further research with larger samples including a control or comparison group to pilot similar research questions is mandatory. Practical implications This study has generated a number of valuable guiding principles and recommendations that might underpin the development of any future intervention for CIC and staff working in children’s homes. Social implications The concept of togetherness and mutuality within residential spaces is discussed in the paper. Originality/value The effects of Kundalini yoga have not been reported before in any peer-review publications. This paper fulfils an identified need (i.e. poor outcomes among CIC and residential staff) and shows how movement and creative practices can support the concept of mutual recovery.