Archive for category Education Articles
Opening the Door to the Hero’s Journey for Out-of-School Youth
“If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living.” – Joseph Campbell
The hero’s journey comes from the structure of ancient and modern mythology. In ancient times, as well as today, myths inform us about the mysterious and unknown aspects of life. In the hero’s journey, there are stages: ordinary life, the call to adventure, refusal of the call, meeting mentors and allies, saying yes to the call, tests, inner searching, big challenges, rewards, completing the journey and returning to the world a changed person.
Juvenile Renewal Training Grounds – Youth Boot Camp
Youth boot camps are primarily designed for troubled teenagers. Youth boot camps are similar to those of military camps. The standards and programs that are adhered in youth boot camps are firm enough to induce obedience but also gentle enough to level on the personalities and understandings of the troubled youth. The difference between a youth boot camp from a juvenile detention center is that the former avoid using degradation and humiliation and brutal punishments, of which are no longer appropriate to the troubled teenager.
Youth boot camps plays a significant role in the countries juvenile system for more than twenty five years. Youths that have bring upon itself social crimes must undergo probation or are most likely sentenced to a youth boot camp for a certain length. The truth is, youth boot camps are by far, a much better option. If not, the youth’s path may lead to a darker future and may further aggravate their criminal habits. Instead of conveying a lesson to the troubled youth, the youth could be exposed to some bad adults with more disturbing offenses. That is the reason why the penal system of the country has allowed the operation of youth boot camps.
A Lost Generation of Youth
The Department of Labor funds a number of youth-oriented programs age range 12- to 25- year-old. The purpose of these programs involves the development of youth and employability and occupational skills training in a number of different forums. However, it is my recommendation that the U.S. federal government do a better job with auditing their programs and analyzing the needs of the community. Programs that are needed and those that prove to be successful are not being funded or refunded because of budget cuts and allocations to other federal programs. I suggest that the federal government provide more support to youth programs and schools that are in an economically disadvantage areas.
Secretary Chao announced a $20 million grant to the National Urban League to continue and expand its Urban Youth Empowerment Program. “The income and self-respect that come with succeeding in a job is critical for young people trying to turn their lives around,” said Chao. “With this $20 million grant, we are tripling the commitment to the President’s Urban Youth Empowerment Program to help at-risk youth prepare for full-time employment. A significant portion of this grant will help young people in New Orleans and other areas that were affected by last year’s hurricanes.”
Assessing Future Risk of Youth Violence
Determination of future risk of violence is an important forensic task. It can contribute to decisions about the appropriate level of care or structure. Research has demonstrated repeatedly that clinical judgment about the risk of future violence is little better than chance. Tools to determine this risk affect a youth’s life significantly and should be reliable and valid. Tools developed to date to determine youth risk of future violence, delinquency, and behavior problems include the SAVRY, PCL-YV, YLS-CMI, and the CARE.
The Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) (Borum, Bartel, & Forth, 2002) is composed of 24 risk items (Historical, Social/ Contextual, and Individual) drawn from existing literature on adolescent development and on aggression in youth. An additional six Protective Factors are also provided. It was once thought that dangerousness was static and not subject to change, however more recently it is viewed as more contextual or dependent on situations. Additionally, the developers of the SAVRY have included dynamic risk factors because personality and behavior traits are not stable in adolescence. The theory underlying these assessments has shifted from a violence prediction model to a more clinical model of risk assessment and behavior management. The task is to determine the nature and degree of risk an individual may pose for certain kinds of behaviors, and under what conditions and contexts.
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