a. Dorothea Dixb. Urie Bronfenbrenner, founder of the Head Start program and the Ecological Systems Theory
c. Urie Bronfenbrenner's death announcement
c. Head Start program - Official site
d. National Head Start Association
Families on the Edge
a. Barbara Huff and the Myth of the Bad Parent
b. Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health
c. Judy and Jack Balswick The Family: A Christian Perspective
d. Linda Lantieri and Janet Patti's Waging Peace in our Schools
Estranged from School
a. Linda Lantieri's Building the Peace: The Resolving Conflict Creatively Program (RCCP)
b. Mark Harris' Before Push Comes to Shove
c. Herbert Needleman, Julie Riess et al Bone Lead Levels and Delinquent Behavior
d. Lili Garfinkel's Juvenile Justice
Destructive Peer Influence
a. The GATE Program (Gang Awareness Training Education)
b. Frederic Milton Thrasher The Gang
c. Chicago Gangs
d. National Youth Gang Center
e. William I Thomas' The Unadjusted Girl
f. William I. Thomas Bibliography (hyperlinked articles)
g. Don Pinnock and Cape Town's Gang Culture
h. Michigan Gang Research Project
i. Jack Kirkland's CYC Net (South Africa)
Comment A: "While parents cannot completely control who their child chooses as friends, in most cases, young people gravitate to peers who do not pose a major threat to their values. Contrary to popular thinking, most teens remain strongly bonded to their family, have values similar to their parents, and turn to their parents in times of stress... But when adults are not a prominent force in the lives of children and youth, then the peer culture, the gang, the cult, and the culture of the street can gain a powerful hold over children's lives." (p.50)
When reading this chapter, I was reminded of the importance of a holistic strategy when working with at-risk youth. I have been thinking about this particularly in relationship to gang involvement. I love Brendtro and Larson's connection between the disintegration of the family and the emergence of gang culture. It goes to show that our work can't just be with the child, but must be beyond that - with the family, the community, the socio-cultural context.
How can we more effectively develop holistic strategies for reclaiming at-risk youth?
11 comments:
Hi Tiesha,
No problem.
We are always looking for others who will join in discussion. Please feel free to comment.
Steve
I believe that to develop holistic strategies for reclaiming at-risk youth we need to get families involved. We need to build relationships with parents and have them come on-board with us in our ministry and mission.
I think this relationship brings a two-fold sort of reaction/outcome.
1. It gives us an opportunity to team up with parents and give them direct support. This allows for a positive christian influence to infiltrate the homes of these young people, benefiting both parent and child.
2. In building relationships with parents and getting them to buy into the things that you are doing you gain help from another individual (the parents) who has substancial influence on the child.
Let's face it, every parent wants the best for their child (atleast I'd hope that that is the case), so if we can show them that we are on the same mission thats just great.
Now this one element on it's own probably won't solve all the problems with our at-risk youth. It's a place that we can all start though and one that I think can make a significant difference in many lives.
well here is the thing it is good and all to try and get the family to be a part of everything. but look at it this way of you take an average family from the burbs they are going to have a Dad a Mom, maybe two kids and a dog and fish maybe. they are going to both have jobs and both have the time to be with there kids. and this is just a ideal setting.
now go to the "on" ghetto family whatever this is supposed to mean.
they are goig leave in a small house the dad might be in jail or not even around the mom is going to have like five jobs or she is going to be a crack head and on welfare.
so this were we step in right try to bring in the families. yeah that is great and it works but for those it does not work for we should become othe family like the gang members are or like the streets are.
holistic meaning all, correct? so a holistic strategy would incorporate every aspect for reclaiming the at rish, right?
a lot of this goes into what we've talking about in godbearing youth ministry (cpr). that we are to summon for God as moses did, the elders. and kids can be elders too. it also goes into the whole mentoring/disciple making process we've discussed earlier on this blog as well.
i think that we need to meet these kids on various different levels, in different ways in order to effectively reach them. we can't just say once a week when we see them that we care about them. we've got to make the effort and invest in a relationship with them. communication should always be open and constant between every person involved in the child's life. whether menial or great. that is how the bigger impact is made. like blowing up a building. you don't put one massive stick in the center. you place sticks all over, on different levels, rooms and floors. we've got to look at all aspects of what we're doing and seriously consider everything in order to even intend on making an impact.
~jenn
I don't think holistic strategies should only be geared towards getting the family involved. There are others that are influencing the teens besides their parents. They will have mentors in the form of teachers, grandparents, neighbors, etc. So, we should be working to get the community involved, rather than only the family. In this way, if the teen does not have the quintessential family, then they will not feel singled out because their family is not getting involved. They can have someone who has already shown some signs of support get involved on another level in the teen's life.
Gavin,
Yes, I think that a holistic strategy which incorporates family is crucial to reclaiming at-risk youth. However, I would have to seriously question your assumption about parents.
Yesterday, when I was traveling to NYU, I was listening to a radio show on NPR which was about teaching the law to kids. A district attorney brought kids (gr. 8) who are studying law into the studio. She asks them a variety of questions related to drugs and the law - seeking to educate kids about the consequences of their actions.
When asked by a caller, where kids who were distributors got the drugs from, they said from their parents. Is this looking out for your kids or is this an exploitation of childhood??
What about the cases of sexual abuse we have been speaking about with Jo? Most often, these are family members. Are they protecting their kids?
I think this statement is presumptuous - and often not the case.
What do you think?
Steve
Hi Scott,
Thanks for the comments. A couple of queries:
1. What made you conclude these four basic needs? How did adventure get into the group?
2. Is our goal to be simply reuniting families? What if these relationships are abusive? What if the kids are neglected? Is our goal simply to connect everyone together?
I think like Gavin's post, this is too little. As an end-goal, it makes sense. But there is a cavern of issues which are causing this split to occur. Some of the issues are with individuals (psychologically, physically), and the relationships cultivated (or not). Other issues are deeply systemic in the socio-political context etc.
To simply reunite is like rearranging chairs on a ship that is sinking. We need to be concerned also with plugging the gaping hole in the side of the ship if we are to change/challenge the state of the family.
The solution isn't easy, but we need to be putting a ton of our energy into changing the envrionment if we are going to reclaim families.
Steve
Hi Kyle,
I think you're on to something. While we believe that there is a biblical concept of family which is an ideal to attain for, is this the 'nuclear' family that we understand in western culture???
That would be really strange, because that idea of the family has really been a 20th century social construction. So is this an ideal that is biblical or cultural?
When Jesus was around, he had a mid-eastern conceptual idea of family - the extended family. This might explain why Jesus was left behind when he went to Jerusalem at age 12.
Like the old saying, "It takes a village to raise a child" - maybe the church needs to be the village - the support structure, the scaffolds to aid in the reclaiming, reconstruction and reconciliation of the parent/child relationship...
Like Larson and Brendtro suggest - Koinonia does fit well as alternative gang.
Steve
Hi Lourdes,
Great point! I'm glad to see that you're making connections back to your local context.
I think the challenge becomes complicated, as you have suggested, because of the additional social expectations you have highlighted - parents not having the capacity to be parents due to working multiple jobs.
I know that the Army has had events like Moms and Tots camps to help provide spaces where these relationships can be cultivated. Also, the historical purpose of the Home League was to fulfill a similar function - but including essential life-skills, extended community, spiritual and emotional support etc.
Maybe we need to re-look at our history and reappropriate these types of programs into work with young mothers. In South Africa, they have a program called "Junior Miss" which is a younger/teen version of Home League. I'm thinking particularly of teen girls who become parents and have to drop out of school to support their kids.
How do you think we can be that extended family?
Steve
Hi Jenn,
I think Vangi has brilliantly illustrated this through her philosophy of ministry in Vailsburg.
While she has programs, events, services etc... It is the walks to the store, the late night visitation when there is abuse going on, the supper times - that really make the difference.
If she thought that a program a week would change that community - her house would be completely empty! She gets it. She understands what needs to be done.
I hope that as youthworkers, you will recognize this, and incorporate it into your own philosophy of ministry.
Steve
Hi Josh,
Who wrote that song? Can you post the lyrics?
Steve
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