Page 248 - Ana Kozina and Nora Wiium, eds. ▪︎ Positive Youth Development in Contexts. Ljubljana: Educational Research Institute, 2021. Digital Library, Dissertationes (Scientific Monographs), 42.
P. 248
positive youth development in contexts
in different national contexts) as well as the overall significance of devel-
opment assets for PYD (e.g. bullying in the school environment as a nega-
tive external development asset) and its varying roles for adolescents from
different backgrounds (e.g. gender, migrant status). The book convincing-
ly demonstrates that further research is needed for PYD to be fully under-
stood, meaningfully implemented in European practice, and appropriate-
ly supported by policy.
This book is about practice. Although PYD is a standalone and
well-rounded perspective, its main advantages are its openness to related
perspectives and adaptability to different contexts. Thus, as shown in the
book, its goals can be achieved through various interventions, including the
development of social and emotional learning. While the school environ-
ment (and the relationships within it) is an important developmental asset,
teachers’ social and emotional competencies should not be overlooked in
this regard. The PYD understanding of adolescents – as human beings pos-
sessing several strengths and potential and not as sources of several deficits
and troubles – chiefly calls for the implementation of prevention and inter-
vention and less so compensation approaches in practice (also see Geldhof
et al., 2014). The particular needs of specific groups of adolescents (e.g., gen-
der, age, migrant status, type of school) indicate they may benefit from tar-
geted and tailored interventions that would allow them to establish nurtur-
ing relationships and stay on a good and stable path towards their future.
This book is about policy. In Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model, an in-
dividual dynamically interacts with several contexts in the micro-, meso-,
exo-, and macro-systems. Policies may be understood as the exo- and mac-
ro-systems, which support PYD. Consistent with Benson (2007), the as-
set-building community and asset-building society depend on policies
which will determine the availability of development assets and, hence,
the number of thriving indicators that youth report. This makes it crucial
that policies are established which nurture developmental assets in various
youth contexts (Benson, 2007). Considering adolescents as whole-personal-
ities and the several developmental assets that support their development, a
cross-sectoral policy approach to PYD is required. An approach coordinat-
ed among several sectors (e.g. education, youth, social care, health) should
support the building of effective policies as well as appropriate norms and
behaviours, which will support PYD in broader society. In this respect,
the cooperation of policy, research and practice is of particular need for
248
in different national contexts) as well as the overall significance of devel-
opment assets for PYD (e.g. bullying in the school environment as a nega-
tive external development asset) and its varying roles for adolescents from
different backgrounds (e.g. gender, migrant status). The book convincing-
ly demonstrates that further research is needed for PYD to be fully under-
stood, meaningfully implemented in European practice, and appropriate-
ly supported by policy.
This book is about practice. Although PYD is a standalone and
well-rounded perspective, its main advantages are its openness to related
perspectives and adaptability to different contexts. Thus, as shown in the
book, its goals can be achieved through various interventions, including the
development of social and emotional learning. While the school environ-
ment (and the relationships within it) is an important developmental asset,
teachers’ social and emotional competencies should not be overlooked in
this regard. The PYD understanding of adolescents – as human beings pos-
sessing several strengths and potential and not as sources of several deficits
and troubles – chiefly calls for the implementation of prevention and inter-
vention and less so compensation approaches in practice (also see Geldhof
et al., 2014). The particular needs of specific groups of adolescents (e.g., gen-
der, age, migrant status, type of school) indicate they may benefit from tar-
geted and tailored interventions that would allow them to establish nurtur-
ing relationships and stay on a good and stable path towards their future.
This book is about policy. In Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model, an in-
dividual dynamically interacts with several contexts in the micro-, meso-,
exo-, and macro-systems. Policies may be understood as the exo- and mac-
ro-systems, which support PYD. Consistent with Benson (2007), the as-
set-building community and asset-building society depend on policies
which will determine the availability of development assets and, hence,
the number of thriving indicators that youth report. This makes it crucial
that policies are established which nurture developmental assets in various
youth contexts (Benson, 2007). Considering adolescents as whole-personal-
ities and the several developmental assets that support their development, a
cross-sectoral policy approach to PYD is required. An approach coordinat-
ed among several sectors (e.g. education, youth, social care, health) should
support the building of effective policies as well as appropriate norms and
behaviours, which will support PYD in broader society. In this respect,
the cooperation of policy, research and practice is of particular need for
248
