LEMMINGSVILLE

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LEMMINGSVILLE

• A Parable
• Stephen Small
• Human Development Family Studies
• University of Wisconsin-Madison/Extension

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Just Dont Jump!!
JUMPING
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S.N.A.R.E.
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Kids need to learn how to jump responsibly!!
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• Resilient jumpers have big feet
• Kids usually jump on sunny days

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Badger University
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What can we learn from Lemmingsville?
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QUESTIONS

• How did the people of Lemmingsville define the
  problem?
• What do you think was the cause of the problem?
• Were there any stakeholders who were missing from
  the process? What insights could they have
  provided?
• What were some of the mistakes that were made?
• What role did research and evaluation play?
• How well did the community collaborate?
• What things could the people of Lemmingsville
  have done differently?

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Lessons of Lemmingsville

• People organizations have vested interests that
  can influence how they define solve problems
• Involving key stakeholders is critical to success
• Try to address causes not symptoms
• Good intentions are not enough
• Well-meaning approaches can sometimes cause harm
• Strategies should be based on the best available
  knowledge
• Evaluate your policies, programs practices

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• The story of Lemmingsville parallels the
  history of the field of prevention youth
  development
• Understanding this history can help current
  policy makers and practitioners

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Patch and Punish

• Patch up those who become injured
• Punish those who engage in dangerous or illegal
  behavior
• Punishment keeps chronic offenders from
  continuing behavior and in theory serves as a
  deterrent
• Patch and punish approaches can be short-sighted
  and expensive

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Prevention
S.N.A.R.E.
JUMPING

• Contemporary prevention approaches try to
  eliminate or reduce risk factors and increase
  protective factors
• Risk factors are individual or environmental
  markers that increase the likelihood that a
  negative outcome will occur
• Protective factors are individual or
  environmental safeguards that enhance a persons
  ability to resist risks

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Ecological Context

• Risk and protective factors can exist within
  individuals and across various levels of the
  environment

Laws/Norms
Economics
Peers
Role models
Family
School
Youth
Church
Neighborhood
Work
Media
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Risk factors can have a cumulative effect
Percent of teens who are
delinquent
Number of risk factors
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Strengths of Prevention

• Provides an intuitive, logical framework and
  language
• Researchers have found a number of common risk
  and protective factors related to a range of
  problematic behaviors

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Weaknesses of Prevention

• Emphasizes what is wrong with people
• Tells us little about how to promote normal
  developmentProblem free are not necessarily
  fully prepared"
• Risk and protective factors are not necessarily
  equally important
• Risk and protective factors often are only
  correlates of some underlying process

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Resiliency

• The process of or capacity for successful
  adaptation despite challenging, stressful, or
  threatening circumstances
• Usually refers to adequate (not great) outcomes
  despite high-risk status or stress
• Usually the result of one or more of the
  following mechanisms
• protective processes
• successful coping or recovery from the crisis
• steeling or hardiness
• exceptional personal characteristics

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Strengths of Resiliency

• It emphasizes positive factors
• Builds on strengths and can be empowering
• Provides hope for those living in difficult
  circumstances

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Weaknesses of Resiliency

• The term is not clearly defined and is overused
• It is primarily concerned with individuals and
  families who are exposed to risks
• Resiliency tells us little about how to promote
  the normative development of people
• Sometimes those who look resilient really arent
• It may blame the victim
• Some factors that promote resiliency are not
  easily changed

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Positive Youth Development /Asset Building

• Helping people achieve their full potential is
  the best way to prevent them from experiencing
  problems
• Youth need to experience a set of supports and
  opportunities to succeed
• Communities need to mobilize and build capacity
  to support the development of youth
• Youth should not be viewed as problems to be
  fixed, but as partners and resources

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Developmental Outcomes

• To become economically self-sufficient
• To be mentally and physically healthy
• To develop caring and competent social
  relationships with family and others
• To be a responsible member of and contributor to
  their community

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Search Institutes Developmental Assets

• Developmental assets are defined as the building
  blocks that are crucial for promoting healthy
  development and well-being
• Assets center on relationships,
• social environments, patterns
• of interaction, and norms

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Relationship of assets to positive outcomes
Positive outcomes
Number of assets
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Relationship of assets to negative outcomes
Percent of teens delinquent
Number of assets
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Strengths of Positive Youth Development /Asset
Building

• The emphasis on promoting development addresses
  an important but overlooked area
• The strengths-based approach may have advantages
  as a way to engage and sustain community efforts
• The Search asset model provides a common language
  and easy to understand framework

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Weaknesses of Positive Youth Development / Asset
Building

• The concept of asset is so broad that its
  practical value is diminished
• Assets are usually viewed as equally important

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Assets vs Critical AssetsIn Relation to Positive
Youth Outcomes
Positive Outcomes
Number of Reported Assets
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Weaknesses of Positive Youth Development

• The concept of asset is so broad that its
  practical value is diminished
• Assets are usually viewed as equally important
• May overlook the fact that youth do face risks
  that can jeopardize their health and development

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Relationship of assets and risk factors
Percent of delinquent teens
Number of assets
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General Lessons

• There is no one best approach
• Each approach has its place
• Alone, any particular approach is incomplete and
  partial

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General Lessons

• 5P approach
• PREVENT (prevent risks)
• PROTECT (protect from harm)
• PREVAIL (promote resiliency)
• PROMOTE (build assets)
• PATCH PUNISH (create deterrents and
  rehabilitate)

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General Lessons

• Comprehensive approaches, are more likely to be
  effective
• Redundancy can be good
• Scientific knowledge is cumulative
• There will always be obsolescence innovation
• A clear and common language can facilitate
  communication, understanding and action

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Lessons of Lemmingsville

• How you stand on an issue often depends on where
  you sit.
• Involving key stakeholders is critical
• Good intentions are not enough
• Well-meaning approaches can sometimes cause harm
• Strategies should be based on the best available
  knowledge
• Address underlying causes rather than symptoms

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General Lessons

• Because resources are finite, we need to be
  strategic about how we use them where we begin
• We may need to reallocate resources because
  funding is not equally distributed across
  approaches
• Be realistic about what can be done given our
  knowledge and resources

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Questions?
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Where do we begin?

• Strength of relationship
• Causal relationship
• Ability to change
• Contextual relevance/ Community fit
• Political and institutional feasibility
  readiness

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Strength of Relationship

• What are the best predictors of a particular
  behavior?
• Can use statistical data

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Causal Relationship

• Which variable(s) causes the behavior?
• Most of our data are correlational
• Should look for evidence of causation

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Correlational and Causal Models
Risk
Outcome
Risk
Outcome
3rd Variable
Risk
Outcome
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Ability to change

• Which variables are most amenable to change?
• Some risk factors, protective factors, and assets
  are difficult or impossible to change (especially
  biological or genetic factors)

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Contextual Relevance/Community Fit

• Because communities vary from one another,
  different factors may be more (or less) important

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Contextual Relevance Neighborhood Factor
Effect of Parental Monitoring on Binge Drinking
by Neighborhood Context
High Risk Neighborhood
Low Risk Neighborhood
Percent drunk in past month
Parental Monitoring
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Contextual Relevance/Community Fit

• People are different, which may lead to different
  needs for different groups

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Contextual RelevanceDevelopmental Status
Neighborhood Monitoring and Binge Drinking by
Grade
7th grade
9th grade
11th grade
Percent drunk in past month
Neighborhood Monitoring
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Contextual Relevance

• Keystone factors/Tipping points

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Critical Assets in Order of Importancein One
Community

• 1. Teachers care about and have high expectations
  for youth
• 2. Family eats dinner together at least three
  nights a week
• 3. School curriculum is high in quality and
  relevant to the real world
• 4. Parents regularly monitor youths whereabouts
• 5. Family boundaries are clear and enforced
  fairly
• 6. Peers value social responsibility
• 7. Peers discourage foolish/dangerous behavior
• 8. Parents support personal and social
  responsibility
• 9. Peers provide emotional support
• 10. Parents support youths academic success
• 11. Peers support academic success

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Critical Assets in Order of Importancein Another
Community

• 1. Youth feel safe in community at school.
• 2. Neighbors are supportive and caring
• 3. Adults in community monitor teens behavior
• 4. Parents regularly monitor youths whereabouts
• 5. Family boundaries are clear and enforced
  fairly
• 6. Teachers care about and are interested in
  students.
• 7. Peers value social responsibility
• 8. Family eats dinner together at least three
  nights a week
• 9. Peers discourage foolish/dangerous behavior
• 10. Parents support personal and social
  responsibility
• 11. Peers support academic success

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Political and Institutional Feasibility
Readiness

• Is there awareness of and agreement on the
  problem or goal?
• Is there agreement on the means?
• Is the community or institution ready to change?
• Does it have the desire?
• Does it have the resources?
• Is the action likely to be successful, even if
  it is modest?

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THE END
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ZELDINS SEVEN COMPONENTS FOR COMMUNITY YOUTH
DEVELOPMENT INIATIVES

• 1. COMMON UNDERSTANDING AND VISION
• 2. SELF-ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY
• 3. YOUTH-ADULT PARTNERSHIPS
• 4. CELEBRATION AND COMMUNITY PRIDE
• 5. POLICY EDUCATION
• 6. YOUTH AND FAMILY WORKER TRAINING
• 7. LEARNING COMMUNITIES OF YOUTH AND FAMILY
  WORKERS

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COMMON UNDERSTANDING AND VISION

• All stakeholders have a common understanding of
  key concepts like youth development, assets and
  community building
• There is a common understanding of the issues and
  concerns to be addressed
• There is a common understanding of the role the
  group/community will play

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SELF-ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

• There are common established ways for
  organizations and coalitions to assess youth
  development programming
• There are strategies for the community to learn
  from its experiences and mistakes
• There are mechanisms to evaluate the progress of
  programs and initiatives

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YOUTH-ADULT PARTNERSHIPS
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CELEBRATION AND COMMUNITY PRIDE
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POLICY EDUCATION
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YOUTH AND FAMILY WORKER TRAINING
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LEARNING COMMUNITIES OF YOUTH AND FAMILY WORKERS
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Where do we go next?

• How do you see yourself using this information?
• Is there a framework that seems best for you?
• Where would you begin? Why?
• What are some barriers to using the information?
• How can you overcome them?
• What can we accomplish given our current
  knowledge and resources?

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INITIATIVE

• The ability to be motivated from within to
  direct attention and effort toward a challenging
  goal.
• The devotion of cumulative effort over time to
  achieve a goal.
• Reed Larson
• American Psychologist, January 2000

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• In our global society adolescents need to acquire
  the motivation and skills to create order,
  meaning, and action out of a field of
  ill-structured choices.
• Individuals will need the capacity to exert
  cumulative effort over time to reinvent
  themselves, reshape their environments, engage
  in other planful undertakings.
• Although the capacity for initiative is necessary
  for adult membership, it is by no means a
  guaranteed result of how children are socialized
  in our society.

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THREE ELEMENTS OF INITIATIVE

• Intrinsic motivation
• the experience of wanting to do an activity
  being invested in it
• Concerted engagement in the environment
• constructive attention
• devotion of thought and efforts toward creating
  some form or order or synergy
• Temporal arc of effort directed toward a goal
• involves sticking with an activity in the face of
  setbacks, re-evaluation and adjustment

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SCHOOL EXPERIENCE

• Csikszentmihalyi Larson, 1984

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Experience with Friends

• Csikszentmihalyi Larson, 1984

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Experience During Structured Voluntary Activities

• Larson Kleiber, 1993

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? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ?
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Conclusion

• Human development is not rocket science (its
  more complex)

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A Kick in the Assets
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Brighter Lights
A Kick in the Assets
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Select a specific developmental outcome or
   problem behavior (e.g., academic success)
2. Brainstorm a list of factors that promote its
   development or reduce its incidence
3. Rank order this list from most to least important
4. Discuss which factors are most amenable to change
   and easiest to address

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• Cheryl Wheeler
• If it were up to me.