Youth Development Insight

By Emily Becher Recent data demonstrate an increase in mental health symptoms in youth. And yet a topic of conversation I’ve been having is around the idea that behind every young person who is struggling, there are adults who are most likely struggling themselves. This creates a recipe for increases in compassion fatigue for youth workers and it is something to be aware of and work towards preventing. What is compassion fatigue?  Compassion fatigue starts with compassion stress. Compassion stress can be referred to as the cost of caring and describes when someone experiences higher levels of stress because they 1) care deeply, and 2) the people they are working with are going through a highly stressful experience or series of experiences.  Over time, if unaddressed, compassion stress can lead to compassion fatigue and can look like: A loss of compassion that can lead to poor judgment.  Unexplained or unexpected ongoing negative feelings like loss of meaning and hope, anger, detach

By Jeremy Freeman For several years prior to coming to Extension, I worked at an outdoor education and leadership program that centered their organization around using adventures as a tool for development. Set in the rural mountains of Western Montana, adventure was not hard to find. A key element to this organization's approach, however, was their belief that adventure was everywhere. They defined adventure as ' any situation with an unknown outcome .' By using this definition, the organization was able to process lessons learned in the outdoors across everyday experiences. The element of adventure has remained with me over the years, and I am excited to see some of these themes emerge in this year's 4-H Annual Volunteer Training, Learning as Adventure . With young people, adventure is a part of life. Just think briefly to yourself of some of the many ways a young person may encounter a situation with an unknown outcome . Here is a short list to get you started: Build