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Youth Development – Youth Leadership Research Base
SummaryEffective workforce development programs have youth development and leadership components at their core. Research shows that youth who participate in youth development and leadership experiences are more likely to do well in school, participate in their community and positively transition through adolescence to adulthood. Involvement in youth development and leadership activities is especially valuable for youth with disabilities who may need accommodations and additional support to allow them to participate successfully.
positive outcomes for youth involved in youth development activitiesResearch on youth development (Benson and Saito, 2001; Scales and Leffert, 1999; and the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, 2002) found positive outcomes for youth involved in youth development activities in the areas of:
Benson and Saito (2001) also found that adults who had participated in voluntary youth organizations were more likely to: be employed; report higher incomes; be involved in civic and community services; and attain higher education levels. Research also shows that the roles of families and other significant adults are important in youth development. The Commission on Children at Risk (2003) reviewed recent scientific studies and found that people are born with a need to: 1) connect with other people, beginning with their parents and extended family; and 2) find purpose and meaning in life. They conclude that “meeting the human child’s deep need for these related aspects of connectedness is essential to the child’s health and development.” Youth development includes leadership development as part of a broad array of activities. Research indicates that leadership can be learned (Boyd, 2001; Montemayor & Supik, 1995; NCSET, 2002), but that all experiences are not equal in their potential effectiveness for leadership development. Two characteristics of effective experiences have been consistently revealed in the research (Lambrecht, Hopkins, Moss, Finch, Crane, & Bruce, 1997): 1) placement in a variety of challenging situations with problems to solve and choices to make under conditions of risk; and 2) a supportive environment with positive role models and mentors who provide counsel and support. Combining experiential learning with the opportunity to put knowledge and skills into action was an effective method for teaching leadership skills (Boyd, 2001). For instance, “on-the-job” experiences provided the opportunity to experience the challenge of new and/or complex tasks or problems; the chance to learn new ideas, practices, insights; the opportunity to apply and practice skills and knowledge; encouragement and confidence building; and, exposure to positive role models (Lambrecht et al., 1997). Sipe, Ma, and Gambone (1998) found that youth who participated in formal and informal leadership activities had higher levels of self-efficacy than youth with no leadership activities and that the level of self-efficacy was directly related to the number of leadership activities. Wehman (1996) found that leadership skills for many youth are developed during structured extracurricular activities such as clubs, service organizations, sports programs, and fine arts. However, few youth with disabilities participated in these types of activities (Moon, 1994) unless teachers, families, and other advocates interceded for them (Amado, 1993; Moon, 1994; Halpern, Herr, Wolf, Doven, Johnson, & Lawson, 1997). It was also important to ensure that youth with disabilities established meaningful relationships with non-disabled peers through activities such as disability awareness, peer tutors training, and mentoring programs (Zygmunt, Larson, & Tilson, 1994). Part of youth leadership development for students with disabilities is the development of self-determination
and self-advocacy skills. Wehmeyer & Schwartz (1997) found that students with learning disabilities
who had self-determination training were more likely to achieve positive adult outcomes, such as being
employed at a higher rate and earning more per hour, than peers who did not receive self-determination
training. Perlmutter and Monty’s research (1997) supported the relationship between self-determination
and positive educational outcomes. The importance of self-advocacy skills for youth with disabilities
was documented (Agran, 1997; Sands & Wehmeyer, 1996; Van Reusen, Bos, Schumaker, & Deshler,
1994; Wehmeyer, Agran, & Hughes, 1998) including the areas of adult services, basic civil rights,
legal protections (Sands & Wehmeyer, 1996; Wehmeyer, Agran, & Hughes, 1998), and workplace and
educational accommodations.
ReferencesBlackorby, J., & Wagner, M. (1996). Longitudinal outcomes for youth with disabilities: Findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study. Exceptional Children, 62, 399-419. Agran, M. (Ed.). (1997). Student-Directed Learning: Teaching Self-Determination Skills. Thousand Oaks: Brooks/Cole. Amado, A. (Ed.). (1993). Friendships and community connections between people with and without developmental disabilities. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes. Benson, P., & Saito, R. (2000). The Scientific Foundations of Youth Development. Minneapolis: Search Institute. Boyd, B. L. (2001). Bringing leadership experiences to inner-city youth. Journal of Extension, 39 (4). Commission on Children at Risk. (2003). Hardwired to connect: The new scientific case for authoritative communities. New York: Institute for American Values. Halpern, A., Herr, C., Wolf, N., Doven, B., Johnson, M., & Lawson, J. (1997). Next step: Student transition and educational planning. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed. Lambrecht, J.L., Hopkins, C.R., Moss, Jr., Finch, C.R., Crane, E. C., & Bruce, L. (1997). Importance of On-The-Job Experiences in Developing Leadership Capabilities. Berkeley: University of California at Berkeley. Montemayer, A. M, & Supik, J. D. (1995). Youth leadership: Great works in progress. Intercultural Development Research Association Newsletter, Oct (4-5). Moon, M.S. (Ed.). (1994). Making school and community recreation fun for everyone. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes. National Center on Secondary Education and Transition. (2002). Youth development and leadership. Retrieved at www.ncset.org/topics/leadership. National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. (2002). Community programs to promote youth development. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Perlmutter, L.C., & Monty, R.A. (1977). The importance of perceived control: Fact or fantasy? American Scientist, 65, 759-765. Sands, D. K., & Wehmeyer, M. L. (Eds.). ( 1996). Self-Determination Across the Life Span: Independence and Choice for People with Disabilities. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. Scales, P. & Leffert, N. (1999). Developmental Assets: A Synthesis of the Scientific Research on Adolescent Development. Minneapolis: Search Institute. Sipe, C. L., Ma, P., & Gambone, M. A. (1998). Support for youth: A profile of three communities. Philadelphia, PA: Public/Private Ventures. Van Reusen, A. K., Bos, C. S., Schumaker, J. B., & Deshler, D. D. (1994). The Self-Advocacy
Strategy for Education and Transition Planning. Lawrence: Edge Weyman, P. (1996). Life beyond the classroom: Transition strategies for young people with disabilities. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes. Wehmeyer, M. L., Agran, M., & Hughes, C. (1998). Teaching Self-Determination to Students with Disabilities: Basic Skills for Successful Transition. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. Weymeyer, M. & Schwartz, M. (1997). Self-determination and positive adult outcomes: A follow-up study of youth with mental retardation or learning disabilities. Exceptional Children, 63, 245-256. Zymunt, L., Larson, M., & Tilson, G. (1994). Disability awareness training and social networking. In M.S. Moon (Ed.), Making school and community recreation fun for everyone (pp. 209-226). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes. |
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