Staff versus Youth- what’s the use? Let’s call a truce!

Facilitators: Carol M. Altomare CSW David Johns MA

Presentation Summary

This workshop opens with youth and adult leaders introducing themselves and briefly describing JCCA's residential treatment centers. After giving an overview of the workshop, the facilitators ask workshop members to participate in an activity designed to challenge adult views regarding the capabilities of youth. This activity is called " Are you ready?" Participants are asked to line up along a wall upon which signs have been placed at opposite ends. One sign reads " comfortable"; the other reads "uncomfortable". A series of statements about youth activities are read and the participants move to a point between the two signs based upon their reaction to each statement. The leaders process this activity around which statements created the most anxiety and doubt for participants and why.

The leaders then discuss the difficulties that can occur when attempting to engage youth in a trusting relationship. Adolescents in residential treatment often have experienced significant loss and trauma from the adults in their lives and, as a result, can be very mistrustful and difficult to engage in a therapeutic alliance. Behavior can range from the merely grumpy to serious acting out. Frustrated staff often respond with less tolerance and an increase in rules and consequences as a way to establish greater control. This often leads to an “us versus them” mentality that can only be destructive in the long run.

The workshop facilitators define and discuss the core elements of Positive Youth Development and the role it plays at JCCA.

Positive Youth Development can be defined as " the ongoing process in which all youth are engaged in attempting to 1) meet their basic personal and social needs, and 2) build skills and competence that allows them to function and contribute in their daily lives". (National Collaboration for Youth Members, March 1998). PYD has eight core elements: Create healthy and safe environments; Promote healthy relationships; Learn by doing; Create Community partnerships; Realize that independence takes time; Value individual strengths; Build in feedback and self-assessment; and embrace total youth involvement.

In 1998, JCCA decided to incorporate and emphasize the philosophy of Positive Youth Development throughout the agency in order to promote a more cooperative, less adversarial environment for all. To facilitate this effort, key executive and administrative staff received training on Positive Youth Development (PYD). This training was designed to acquaint them with the concepts of PYD and the impact such an approach, if fully embraced, might have on their programs. Eventually all agency staff received this training as well. The leaders define and discuss the key components of youth-adult partnerships. They also describe the agency goal to create a youth-adult partnership and the steps taken to achieve it. The goal was to create an alliance between youth and staff through which our youth would be provided with all the support and opportunities possible to develop their skills, knowledge and strengths.

A Youth-Adult Partnership is one in which adults and youth work in full collaboration. A true youth-adult partnership provides both youth and adults the same opportunity to make suggestions, decisions and contributions that are recognized and valued. (Building Positive Youth-Adult Partnerships NFYAC and CWLA 2003) The key components of a youth-adult partnership are: open mind; equal status within the partnership; shared decision-making; shared responsibility; shared accountability; equal respect for youth and adults; appreciation for all individuals' assets and teamwork.

With this in mind, it was decided to change JCCA’s annual youth retreat on Independent Living to a retreat open to both youth and staff to learn about positive youth development. Approximately 60 people attend this retreat, held at the Frost Valley YMCA Camp in the Catskill Mountains. All levels of staff, from CEO to Milieu Counselor attend, as do an equal number of youth aged 16 –20. Staff and youth work hard together during the weekend to talk to each other, learn more about each other, and really listen to each other. As a team, they develop recommendations and strategies to present to the larger JCCA community in order to implement this approach, throughout the agency. The annual Youth/Adult Alliance retreats continue to be the means by which the implementation of PYD into the fabric of the agency is gauged. Each year youth and adults review the previous year’s recommendations to see whether or not they were accomplished, develop strategies to overcome whatever obstacles exist and develop new ideas and goals for the next year. Our Youth Advisory Council then presents these recommendations and strategies to the relevant executive and program directors for discussion and implementation. Worshop facilitators will then show a brief tape depicting various aspects of our annual YAA retreat.

Leaders then move on to discuss barriers to developing youth-adult partnerships. Adultism is one such barrier and will be defined and discussed as a concept.

Adultism is " an adult practice of forming certain beliefs about young people and practicing certain behaviors toward them because of societal views, usually negative, that are based on their age. Adultism happens when this prejudice is combined with the ability of adults to exert control over the lives of young people. When adults practice adultism, young people are viewed as objects instead of resources. The end result is that young people become disempowered and disenfranchised." (Building Positive Youth and Adult Partnerships- National Foster Youth Advisory Council-CWLA- adapted from the Center for Youth Development and Policy Research, Advancing Youth Development, Washington, DC).

Facilitators next discuss ways to combat adultism and these include: * Open your minds to change * Respect youth as you do adults * Think of youth as resources * Listen to young people's opinions and thoughts * Listen to what young people have to say * Allow youth to make decisions * Respect youth decisions * Share power and responsibility * Have high expectations for youth * Be honest and direct * Take all feedback from youth seriously (Youth and Adults Working in Partnership- National Foster Youth Advisory Council- Child Welfare League of America)

Facilitators note that in their experience the best way to combat staff resistance and adultism, is through the use of experiential activities. Such activities move the process along and can actually change the attitudes and behavior of participants. For instance, the two exercises described below are extremely powerful and help adults develop a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the struggles facing the youth with whom they work. (Note: workshop participants will have an opportunity to do one of these activities if time permits)

This first activity begins the dialogue between youth and staff that lays the groundwork for an alliance and how to establish a safe structured forum for this essential conversation. There are four questions that form the basis of the conversation and they are: 1. What can adults (youth) do that youth (adults) can't? 2. What is important for youth to know about adults? For adults to know about youth? 3. What can adults (youth) do to develop better relationships with youth (adults)? 4. What do you most enjoy about being a youth (adult)?

In order for all to feel safe when doing this activity, adults and youth are separated to answer these questions and are then brought back together to discuss their answers. It should be noted that almost always adolescents take this activity extremely seriously and see it as a real opportunity to express their feelings and ideas. Adults often take it much less seriously and answer the questions superficially without giving them a great deal of thought. The questions are deceptively simple for adults and this becomes apparent when the activity is processed. Youth are always allowed to present their answers first and leaders must help adults really listen to what is said without becoming angry and defensive. This is a very intense activity and youth usually express a great deal of anger, pain and disappointment during it. It needs to be emphasized that those leading this activity must ensure that the environment remain safe for all to express their ideas and feelings with an eye to developing a greater understanding and ability to work together.

For the second activity, participants are split up into two or three small groups for an activity called "Culture Club". (Foster Youth Involvement Toolkit- National Foster Youth Advisory Council-CWLA) Workshop leaders point out that youth and adults sometimes have difficulty relating because they come from two different generations or cultures. Each group is asked to first identify and list the culture clashes that can exist between youth and adults and then list the ways that adults can help close that culture gap. Each small group presents its' ideas for understanding and learning more about youth. Facilitators process this activity around the importance of adults reaching out in an effort to really understand and learn about youth rather than making assumptions about them. This process can be the first step to creating an alliance that will have many positive outcomes including: adolescents and adults developing a more balanced view of each other's strengths and values; youth and adults developing supportive, trusting and therapeutic relationships; adults becoming less resistant to input and participation from youth; youth driven activites are given support; youth making positive contributions to the agency/community and receiving recognition for it, thus also building their self- esteem; and youth and adults developing new skills and relationships and recognizing they have something important to offer.

Facilitators open the floor for questions and comments. Handouts containing concepts and definitions used during workshop are handed out.