By Jessica Pierson Russo The intent of positive youth development is to place young people at the heart of what we do. But what does this look like? Being youth-centered starts with thinking of young people in terms of their uniqueness and humanity. How we think about the youth we interact with is reflected in our actions. For instance, if we think about them as damaged, we are likely to treat them that way. If we think about them as privileged, we are likely to treat them that way too. Our natural tendency as human beings may be to categorize others based on their circumstances. So, if a young person is in foster care, or their experiences are influenced by historical trauma, we may be tempted to view them through the lens of those circumstances. Likewise, if they have two well-paid, able-bodied parents at home, we may also view them through the lens of a certain type of experience we envision them having. This type of assumptive thinking can prevent us from really seeing and unders...
Our youth development educators bridge research and practice. In this blog, they offer their views on what's happening in the field of youth development, with an eye to evidence-based research written by themselves and others in our field. We welcome your comments.