life in progress developing better strategies to work with adolescents
TRANSCRIPT
LIFE IN PROGRESSDeveloping Better Strategies
to Work with Adolescents
Adolescence to Adulthood
• Developing Identity
• Developing Self-Efficacy
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Characteristics of Adults
• Accepts responsibility for him/herself
• Makes independent decisions
• Becomes financially independent
(Arnett)
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Adolescents & Emerging Adults(13-18 & 18-25)
• Develop intimate relationships (adolescents: testing
the water, short-term relationships; emerging adults:
asking themselves who they may want to spend their
life with)
• Develop relationship with world of work (adolescents:
learn good work habits, earn spending money;
emerging adults: what kind of work am I good at, what
work would I find satisfying in the long-run, what are my
chances of finding work in a field that suits me?)
(Arnett)
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Exploration, Risk-Taking,Resilience
• Developing strategies to address risky situations,
including peer pressure
• Adolescents: importance of family
• Emerging adults: obtaining a broad range of life experiences
• Emerging adults: making decisions on their own, facing failure, lonely, optimistic about the future
(Arnett)
Self-Efficacy
• Cultivating interests• Enabling beliefs• Developing competencies:• Intentionality (intentions with plans, strategies)• Projection into the future (visualizing the future)• Self-regulation (personal standards, monitoring
& regulating one's actions)• Self-examination (reflecting on personal efficacy
& making adjustments)
(Bandura)
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Efficacy Beliefs
Determine how one views opportunities and challenges:• Low efficacy belief leads to pessimism, giving up
easily• High efficacy belief allows one to stay the course,
handle adversity
(Bandura)
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Paths to Efficacy
• Personal Agency (personal influence on oneself & circumstances)
• Proxy Agency (ability to call on assistance from people with influence)
• Collective Agency (pooling resources & skills to work together to effect change - the power of teamwork: raises possibilities, commitment, enhances group achievement, strengthens resiliency)
(Bandura)8
Developmental Skills Needed byAdolescents & Emerging Adults
• Personal commitment to something worth doing• Vision of desired future• Self-regulated learning (selection of appropriate strategies,
testing one's competence & correcting one's deficiencies)• Self-regulated emotional skills (discerning emotions, effect
of expression of emotions, management of emotional state - especially under duress)
• Information management (access, process, evaluate)
(Bandura)
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Gender Stereotyping
In exploring the world of work, adolescents & emerging adults fall into gender stereotypes.
To counter these stereotypes:• Use assessment results to explore youth's confidence in gender-typed
occupations• Ask: "Is there any career that you would find fun among boys/girls
careers?"• Present adults in non-traditional jobs• UNISEX ACT Interest Inventory• Work with parents (adolescents) so they better understand types of careers
available to their children & develop confidence in their child's ability to master tasks
(Turner)
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Characteristics of EffectiveDevelopmental Approaches
• Attract & hold youth's interests• Effective means for achieving developmental
goals• Works for a variety of youths
(Gabone)
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Factors for EffectiveDevelopmental Approaches
• Sense of safety• Challenging & interesting activities• Sense of belonging• Social support from adults• Input & decision-making• Leadership (formal & informal)
(Gabone)12
Developmental Approaches'Effect on Self-Efficacy
• Increase youth's ability to successfully navigate adolescence and emerging adulthood
• Do not stigmatize low-income participants
(Gabone)
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A Regional Workforce Board's Experience
• Determining critical needs
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A Regional Workforce Board's Experience
• Researching best practices
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A Regional Workforce Board's Experience
• Evaluating results
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A Regional Workforce Board's Experience
Critical elements:• Engagement• Outstanding youth provider• Program outcomes
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A Regional Workforce Board's Experience
• Entrepreneurial Training
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A Youth Provider's Experience
• Committed staff that develops relationships with youth (Facebook friends, one on one intake, cheerleader role)
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A Youth Provider's Experience
• Regular and varied activities• Youth input into activities
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A Youth Provider's Experience
• Youth feel taken care of (incentives, food)
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A Youth Provider's Experience
• Outside partners (FSU School of Business, UF Extension Division, business sponsors)
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A Youth Provider's Experience
• Exit strategy for program outcomes
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A Youth Provider's Experience
• Dynamic Workshops
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CONTACTS
Isabelle Potts (850) 921-3148
Dorcas Washington (850) 464-3985
Danica Mamby (954) 202-3830
Patina Fuller (850) 617-4515
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Arnett, Jeffrey Jansen, "A Theory of Development from the Late
Teens through the Twenties" American Psychologist, May 2000.
Bandura, Albert, "Adolescent Development from an Agentic
Perspective" Self-Efficacy Beliefs of Adolescents, 2005 (Information
Age Publishing)
Gambone, Michelle Alberti & Amy J.A. Arbreton, Safe Havens--The
Contributions of Youth Organizations to Healthy Adolescent
Development, 1997 (Public/Private Ventures).
Turner, Sherri & Richard T. Lapan, "Career Self-Efficacy and
Perceptions of Parent Support in Adolescent Career Development"
The Career Development Quarterly, 2002.
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