Youth as authors of their lives

By Jessica Pierson Russo

Youth, no matter what age, can achieve great things. But do they believe it? Many youth, especially adolescents, can feel as though they’re at the mercy of the world around them. But if they can feel a sense of self-agency, they can begin to see themselves as the authors of their lives and find a kind of personal leadership that brings self-confidence, hope, and expectation for their futures. 

I define self-agency as a sense of yourself as the agent, or leader of your life—your ability to use your resources, to be effective, influence your own life, drive change, and take responsibility for your behavior. It is important to note that youth will express self-agency differently, depending on their cultural background and personal experiences. For instance, the value of independence so strongly valued in the United States may not be so strongly emphasized in other places. However, self-agency is important because it helps youth feel distinct from others. Years of research on the topic prove its importance to overall health and well-being, academic motivation and achievement, and personal development—including the development of self-esteem and identity. Self-agency is important for all youth, though those with the most risk factors may stand to benefit most. Developing a sense of agency allows youth to confront the barriers in their lives with hope that they can be overcome. To develop agency, youth need opportunities to build confidence in exploring the world and themselves, asking questions and contributing ideas, and learning from their mistakes.

Here are some strategies that youth programs can use to foster self-agency in adolescents. 

1. Encourage self-reflection and self-awareness through activities like journaling, mindfulness, and self-assessment so youth can gain a deeper understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, and values.
2. Help youth learn goal setting and planning so they are able to set specific, achievable goals and create plans to achieve them.
3. Use autonomy-supportive discipline in your programming by providing youth with opportunities to make decisions, take responsibility, and exercise autonomy with your guidance and support.
4. Help youth develop problem-solving, decision-making, communication, and self-regulation.
5. Provide constructive feedback and positive reinforcement to motivate them to strive for self-agency.
6. Mentor youth by modeling positive relationships.
7. Create a supportive environment that fosters autonomy, youth voice and choice, self-discovery, and self-expression.

What do you think about the idea of developing self-agency in youth? How do you actively support youth seeing themselves as the authors of their lives?

-- Jessica Pierson Russo, Extension educator

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