Youth at Risk

1
Youth at Risk

• KNR 270

2
Who is considered at risk?

• Children and adolescents who for a variety of
  reasons are at risk of becoming juvenile
  offenders
• OR are in danger of negative future events
• 50 of youth population
• 36 million

3
Factors that place youth at risk

• Socially disadvantaged backgrounds
• Lack of basic academic skills
• Problems in school
• Feelings of alienination
• Could be gang membership
• Limited family support
• Low SES
• Parental separation or divorce

4
Factors that place youth at risk

• Physical, social, or sexual abuse
• Alcoholism
• Their own or their parents
• Frequent residential moves
• Violence, physical aggression, destruction of
  property

5
Resiliency

• Not all youth with negative factors become at
  risk
• Some are resilient
• They resist negative and make positive
  contributions

6
What factors are protective or help with
resiliency?

• Neighborhood resources
• Presence of a caring adult
• Perceived competence
• Positive attitudes toward future
• Sense of belonging
• Others?

7
What can recreation do?

• Provide stimulating and challenging activities
• Outdoor activities
• Ropes courses
• Foster interpersonal skills
• Foster acceptance of others
• Foster cooperation

8
What can recreation do?

• Emphasize autonomy and choice
• Involve youth in planning activities
• Create positive, caring, and accepting
  environments
• Encourage family involvement
• Reduce fees for programs

9
What can recreation do?

• Early prevention programs
• With severe behavior problems may need to
  collaborate with CTRS
• Caring leaders
• Others?

10
What skills do leaders need?

• Experiential education
• Conflict resolution
• Youth development
• Behavior management
• Ability to develop rapport
• Ability to set boundaries
• Process debriefing skills