Transcript Youth Programs in 2011 - University of Maryland College of

Kristen M. Wilson
Extension Horse Specialist
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Examine how youth have evolved:
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Family structure now and then
What technology has done to today’s youth
Behavioral changes
Look at a prospective to developing youth
programs
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Divorce was very uncommon, just 50 years ago
it was less than 15% of married couples
divorced.
Men were considered the “breadwinners”, and
women were to run the household and raise
the children. Think of the movie Mary
Poppins, what role did women have and
children have? The setting is 1910. How are
children raised?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDbOK
_fDu9Y
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67% of children today live with both parents.
Children living in mother-only families is 24%.
Children living in father-only families is 5%.
Living without either parent (with other
relatives or with nonrelatives) is 5%.
There are federal reforms to encourage two
parent married homes for children. Why do
you think the government is worried about
single family homes?
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Economic suffering- With only one parent
money is tighter, thus sometimes leading to
deprivation of computers, clothes, the ability to
go to good schools because of living in poor
neighborhoods and so forth. Research showing
that children do better at school and exhibit
fewer behavioral problems when nonresident
fathers or mothers pay child support.
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Quality of Parenting- quality of parenting is
one of the best predictors of children's
emotional and social well-being. Many single
parents, however, find it difficult to function
effectively as parents. Compared with
continuously married parents, they are less
emotionally supportive of their children, have
fewer rules, dispense harsher discipline, are
more inconsistent in dispensing discipline,
provide less supervision, and engage in more
conflict with their children.
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Outcomes including poor academic
achievement, emotional problems, conduct
problems, low self-esteem, and problems
forming and maintaining social relationships.
Other studies show that depression among
custodial mothers, which usually detracts from
effective parenting, is related to poor
adjustment among offspring.
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Exposure to “Stress”- Children living with
single parents are exposed to more stressful
experiences and circumstances than are
children living with continuously married
parents. Economic hardship, unskilled
parenting, and loss of contact with a parent can
be stressful for children.
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Forget the paper, pencils, and books…
Internet
Social networkng
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Facebook, Myspace, Twitter
Skype
Blogging
Cell phones
Laptops
I-Pads and I-Pods
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57% of teens view their cell phone as the key to
their social life
6 in 10 youth credit cell phones to improving
their lives
4 out of 5 teens (17 million) carry wireless
devices (40% increase since 2004)
Equal time is spent texting as talking on the
phone
CTIA and Harris Interactive, July 2008
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“Nintendo Society”
Childhood obesity has more
than tripled in the past 30
years.
Obesity among children
aged 6 to 11 years increased
from 6.5% in 1980 to 19.6% in
2008.
Obesity among adolescents
aged 12 to 19 years increased
from 5.0% to 18.1%.
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Approximately 30% of youth eat some type of
fast food item daily
Eating dinner as a family is rare instead of the
norm
Always on the go
Overscheduled children resulting in one
activity after another
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Want information quick
Get bored easily & need a change in experience
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ADD & ADHD
Changes in overall:
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Responsibility for actions
Respect for themselves and others
Communication skills
WHAT ELSE??
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Addresses current issues
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Educational advantage
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Science, obesity, workforce readiness, fitness…
What can you provide that others cannot?
Cost
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Need to get the most for their money spent
Scientists, practitioners, and educators agree:
 Youth are resources to be developed; they are
not problems to be managed.
 This vision replaces the traditional deficit
model of children and adolescents which is a
model of disease and prevention. In the deficit
view, people see children as broken or as
destined to be broken and feel that they need to
fix them or prevent these problems from
occurring.
Prevention is not promotion
Problem free is not prepared
Prepared is not engaged
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All children have strengths
All families, school, and communities have
assets –or the “nutrients” or “building blocks”
of healthy, positive development
Aligning – creating a good fit – between child
strengths and ecological assets will promote
positive youth development
“THE FIVE Cs”
 Competence
 Confidence
 Connection
 Character
 Caring
Contribution
Positive Youth Development Happens
in Context
INDIVIDUAL
Competence
Contribution
Confidence
Connection
FAMILY
COMMUNITY
PYD
Character
Reduced
Risk behaviors
Caring
SCHOOL
One Community
Asset for the
Promotion of Positive
Development:
Effective Youth Serving Programs
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Positive, sustained adult-youth relationships
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Skill-building activities for youth
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Youth participation and leadership in every
facet of the program
Lerner, R.M. (2004). Liberty: Thriving and civic engagement among America’s youth.
“Time spent in youth programs was the
developmental asset that appeared to have the
most pervasive positive
influence…predicting…thriving
outcomes…Good youth programs provide
young people with access to caring adults and
responsible peers, as well as skill-building
activities that can reinforce the values and
skills that are associated with doing well in
school and maintaining good physical health.”
Note: This conclusion comes from a study of about 100,000 diverse youth in grades 6-12 from across the
United States. (Scales, Benson, Leffert, and Blyth, Applied Developmental Science, 2000)
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Obesity
Fitness
Mentoring Programs
STEM
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Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math
WHAT ELSE??
Recent initiative to get kids active and outside
through hands-on learning experiences
You Tube Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRR1feH
qZPY
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Demographics of audience
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Ages and Stages
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Learning Styles
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Types of Instruction used
Kristen M. Wilson
[email protected]
301-596-9478