SW:Week2:Discussion 1

Respectful Youth Cultures Erik K. Laursen

Creating a positive culture requires staff who believe in the potential and greatness of even the most troubled youth. Positive Peer Culture (PPC) enlists youth in pro-social values of care and concern.

Children are social beings who rely on inter-actions with others to survive and thrive. Since the human brain is wired to connect, cul- tures in schools and youth organizations must be designed so youth can bond to supportive peers and adults. Children learn through obser- vation, modeling, and responding to people in their environments. Bronfenbrenner (2005) de- scribed how a person's ecology shapes develop-

mental pathways for children and youth. Some organizations provide a nurturing ecology that respects children and treats them as individu- als; others impose authoritarian structures with strictly enforced rules and hierarchical control. Interactions, diversity, and relationships among administrators, teacher-counselors, parents, and students build the climate or culture of the organization.

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The Centers for Disease Control identified four fac- tors in schools that promote a culture of connect- edness: adult support, belonging to a positive peer group, commitment to education, and the school environment (CDC, 2009). Organizations working with children and youth should pay close attention to understanding, developing, and assessing their cultures. Positive climates promote development opportunities for youth to become self-sufficient contributing members in a democratic society (e.g., Laursen, 2009; Taras et al., 2004). Respectful youth cultures create environments that enhance the physical, emotional, and social health of youth and staff, and ultimately contribute to creating an environment where youth can thrive. Two approaches to designing positive cultures for or- ganizations and youth are discussed.

A key principle of the strengths approach is sharing

power.

Cultures of Respect in Organizations Organizations are saturated by values conveyed in relationships, policies, rituals, stories, language, architecture, and more. Organizational cultures are systemic, shaped by the "organizational DNA" of these social networks and interactions. (See graphic on p. 50.) Cultures of Respect (COR) is a model to support youth-serving organizations (Laursen, 2012). COR integrates organizational theory— behavior and change—with positive psychology, youth development, strength-based practice, and neuroscience in order to understand and shape the building blocks of an organization's culture.

Scientists in the Human Genome Project spent de- cades deciphering the chemical bases that make up the rungs in our twisted, ladder-shaped DNA molecules. The COR model begins to untangle the building blocks of organizational DNA in youth or- ganizations. The goal is to develop and sustain the values and the "rungs" of the organizational DNA that contribute to an inclusive, respectful climate. COR offers a framework for organizational values and principles that support a youth development climate. Following are seven building blocks that enable the organization to be intentional about shaping the culture.

Relationships Positive and caring relationships with other peo- ple are the core of the human experience. These involve trust, respect, and care and concern for

others, the community, and our world. Young people need adults who care deeply about them. All who work in youth organizations must be committed to help, share, participate, cooper- ate, compromise, empathize, and encourage one another. Programs do not change people; people change people.

Engagement Youth, parents, community members, and staff must all have a voice in how the organization operates. Democratic processes provide all with opportuni-

ties for full participation in decisions that affect their lives (Laursen & Täte, 2012). When youth experience "voice and choice," the barrier of mistrust that plagues so many youth organiza-

tions begins to crumble. When staff members are ful- ly engaged, they connect with, laugh with, and uplift the lives of one another.

Social Justice Working with vulnerable youth exposes deep so- cial, economic, and political problems of our soci- ety, and we should promote dialogue about power and oppression. In this context, helping and social responsibility must be integrated throughout the organization as a value and a practice. Advocating for youth and families and engaging them in self- advocacy is a cornerstone in pursuing social justice and responsibility.

Personal Mastery Personal mastery teaches us to become the best we can be in all areas of life. It involves a tension between our current reality and our vision—our hope and aspiration for the future. Mastery is pur- sued when people engage in learning at the edge of their comfort zone. Failing is okay and persever- ing in trying again should be encouraged. The best predictor of mastery is grit (Duckworth, Peterson, Matthews, & Kelly, 2007).

Empowerment Cultures must end the dance of dependency. Youth need the opportunity to develop confi- dence in their capacity to influence their lives socially, intellectually, spiritually, economically, and politically. A key principle of the strengths

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approach is sharing power. Organizations work- ing with struggling youth and families can easily slip into adultism and rankism. Such systems ex- ercise power over youth and their families. "Pow- er over takes place when an individual, group, or organization assumes the right to control or colo- nize others" (McCashen, 2005, p. 20).

Cuiturai and linguistic competence While we share a common humanity, we are di- verse in nationality, ethnicity, culture, religion, family background, sexual orientation, and in- dividual experience. These fundamental differ- ences affect beliefs and behaviors that youth and adults have toward each other. Organiza- tions must embrace the oneness of humankind as well as celebrate diversity. In such settings, people are treated with dignity and hold each other to that standard.

Talents, strengths, and capacities All people and communities have strengths and ca- pacities. These may not always be visible but have to be explored and identified. All have resources in their environment such as family, friends, neigh- bors, and material assets. Strengths offer hope and aspirations providing the fuel for change in us, our communities, and the world.

Positive Peer Cultures with Youth Positive Peer Culture (PPC) is a peer-helping model designed to improve social competence and cultivate strengths in troubled and troubling youth (Vorrath & Brendtro, 1985). PPC is designed to convert other- wise negative peer influence into care and concern for others. Developing such social interest is the defining element of PPC and this requires leadership and guid- ance from trained adults. Rather than demanding obedience, PPC demands responsibility, empower- ing youth to discover their greatness. Caring is made fashionable and any hurting behavior is challenged.

CULTURES OF RESPECT ORGANIZATIONAL DNA

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Positive caring norms are established when group members learn to trust, respect, and take respon- sibility for the actions of self and others. This not only extinguishes antisocial conduct, but, more importantly, reinforces pro-social attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. As group members become commit- ted to caring for others, they abandon hurtful be- haviors and gain increased self-worth.

Peer group programs have grown from the ecologi- cal "life space" models of Eritz Redi (1966), Urie Bron- fenbrenner (2005), William Morse (2008), and oth- ers. Young people exert influence and are influenced by relationships in their life space. PPC intentionally designs the living and learning environment to meet the developmental needs of youth (Laursen, 2008). This counters the peer deviance conta- gion that can compro- mise any group setting when a "vacuum left by the withdrawal of parents and adults is filled with an undesired—and possibly undesirable—substitute of an age-segregated peer group" (Bronfenbrenner, 2005, p. 231).

While practitioners have long intuitively known that care and concern for others are essential to "correcting" troubled and troubling youth, there was little research to document the power of em- pathy. With the explosion of neuroscience, we now know that many youth become involved in antiso- cial activities because of developmental lags in their social brain, particularly in empathy and affect reg- ulation (Goleman, 2006). By immersing youth in a milieu intentionally designed to promote empathy and caring, the neuroplasticity of the brain allows youth to connect in restorative relationships.

The power of positive cultures comes from peer concern, not peer coercion and confrontation.

The most comprehensive research on PPC was led by Gold and Osgood (1992) of the University of Michi- gan. Their quasi-experimental studies spanned ten years and involved over 300 delinquent youth in four residential schools. Researchers defined the characteristics of effective peer helping programs and the staff climates essential to developing these positive cultures. Subsequent research has estab- lished the evidence base for these peer helping pro- grams (James, 2012; Laursen, 2010).

Positive and caring relationships with other people are the core of

the human experience.

Effective PPC programs create a culture where essential developmental needs for belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity are met. Research shows that these growth needs are hard- wired into the human brain (Brendtro, Mitchell, & McCall, 2009) and foster the resiliency to enable youth to overcome adversity.

Belonging All humans have an innate need to belong. Among teens, peer influence is omnipresent—whether positive or negative. PPC intentionally builds car- ing values in peer groups. The power of positive

cultures comes from peer concern, not peer coercion and confronta- tion. Gold and Osgood found that caring peers and adults provided the opportunities for youth to build attachments

and change their lives. Youth who most liked their group members and adults did better in the pro- gram and upon return to the community. Staff who most believed in youth had the most impact.

Mastery PPC believes in the potentials of young people in all areas of life. Problems are not seen as weakness but as rich opportunities for learning and growth. The focus is on the "here and now" by solving real life difficulties. These everyday challenges provide opportunity to explore one's behavior, thinking, and feelings. As youth become aware of how their actions hurt self and others, they are motivated to change. Research shows that investment in school and learning is also a strong predictor of successful outcomes, even when youth still have Stressors in other areas of their lives.

Independence PPC is designed to develop autonomy by involv- ing youth in decisions that impact their lives. They participate in developing plans to meet their needs and goals. Youth monitor their progress and that of their peers as they use group discussion to develop plans for learning and leisure activities. Osgood, Gruber, Archer, and Newcomb (1985) observed that a sense of autonomy in youth reduces the attrac- tiveness of counter-cultural values. Eurther, posi- tive interpersonal relationships foster development of the cortex which manages emotional regulation (Goleman, 2006; Perry & Szalavitz, 2007).

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Generosity Cold and Osgood found the principle of care and concern for others to be the normative value in PPC programs. PPC uses peer helping as the primary change agent. No other treatment approach more directly taps empathy as the transformational ve- hicle for troubled youth (Laursen, 2005). Authentic PPC programs are grounded in peer helping which begins in peer group meetings and extends to ev- eryday events (Brendtro, Mitchell, & McCall, 2009; Laursen, 2002). Helping is generalized beyond the group in a wide range of altruistic and community service activities. As youth contribute to others, they develop proof of their own worth—they are of value to others.

Erik K. Laursen, PhD, is a native of Denmark with a doctorate in urban services. He has been a leader in de- veloping Positive Peer Culture programs at United Meth- odist Eamily Services in Richmond, Virginia, and has published broadly on strength-based services for youth at risk. Contact him by email: [email protected]

References

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