Youth Empowerment: Building Confidence and Creating Change
An Account of the Development of the Youth Empowerment Framework
Youth empowerment is the realization that the young population is a vital part of the community and should be involved in decision-making. It involves providing the youth with the confidence, ideas, and opportunities to make a positive change in their lives.
Youth empowerment programs are important for reducing crime rates, instilling a sense of purpose and providing job opportunities. It can also help reduce poverty levels and boost economic growth.
Self-awareness
Self-awareness is the ability to understand your own thoughts, feelings, values, and beliefs. It can also be a powerful tool for identifying your strengths and weaknesses. Self-awareness can help you feel empowered to take control of your life and make changes when needed.
For example, if you are good at seeing the big picture in business decisions but struggle with details, it is important to be aware of this weakness and seek training or guidance to help you improve. This way, you can exploit your strengths while overcoming your weaknesses.
Educators might introduce the concept of self-awareness through awareness raising exercises that encourage introspection. These may include a variety of emotional, cognitive, sensory and/or behavioral stimuli with built-in time for reflection. This would provide clarity on the construct of self-awareness and facilitate its use in management education, leadership development, and other contexts.
Self-confidence
Youth empowerment involves giving young people the ability to use their innate abilities for personal growth and societal progress. This can be achieved through a variety of methods, including training programs and giving them access to resources. It can also involve encouraging them to take risks and step outside of their comfort zones.
Having high levels of self-confidence can make youth feel more confident in their abilities to deal with challenges. They are more likely to believe they can make a difference and change their community for the better. This can be fostered by programs that promote leadership efficacy and civic efficacy.
A good example of a program that fosters self-confidence is Rock and Water, an intervention that helps students develop emotional self-regulation, confidence, and reflection skills. It uses a psychophysical approach to achieve this goal.
Self-determination
Having a high level of self-determination is an important aspect of youth empowerment. It enables young people to believe that they have the power to make decisions for themselves and that they are capable of making a difference in their community. This can be achieved by introducing them to socio-civic organizations and encouraging them to take part in programs that help the community.
Research on youth empowerment focuses on how young people are empowered to take action and assume responsibility for their lives. It is an area of scholarship that draws from empowerment constructs and frameworks and recognizes young people as experts on their own lives. Several prior studies have found that self-determination enhancement is a promising intervention for improving outcomes for youth transitioning from out-of-home care.
Social skills
People with strong social skills tend to have better mental and physical health. This is due to the number and depth of friendships they have, which can fulfill their emotional needs and offer support in difficult times.
Youth can build their social skills by spending time with friends, participating in team sports and volunteering. They can also use their skills to interact with adults in positive ways, such as greeting a new student at school or inviting them to join group activities.
A social skill is any competence facilitating interaction and communication with others. These include understanding feelings (including one’s own), understanding the social environment and carrying out the right social behavior.
Leadership
Youth leadership offers a unique developmental opportunity for youth impacted by cancer. It also improves the relevance and appropriateness of youth services. However, best practices for engaging and supporting youth leaders remain unclear. This account of the Framework’s development and insights can help guide other youth-serving organisations and cancer services in their efforts to develop empowering and meaningful youth leadership systems.
A young person who is empowered is aware of their own worth and can stand up for what they believe in. They can take risks and know that failure is just a step towards progress, not a reason to give up. Involving youth in organisational leadership builds their confidence and helps them recognize that they can be the change they want to see in the world.