|
WELCOME
This site is for those
interested in
essential
strength-based strategies for working with Youth in
family, school, residential programmes or community.
We promote training and learning opportunities
based on the Circle of Courage for those wanting
to make a difference in the lives of young people.
"Because many
young people at risk overcome difficult life situations."
Zero
tolerance and punishment are often seen as the solution
to extreme teenage and adolescent problems.
Not so,
according to Larry Brendtro, an American researcher and
youth worker.
Details about
upcoming training events
here
"This challenges traditional
approaches that focus on problems through the lens of
deficit and disorder. Difficult life problems pose
dangers, but also can lead to new strengths and coping
ability.
Brendtro's approach is based on the The Circle of
Courage, a model of positive youth development. The
model integrates Native American philosophies of
child-rearing, the heritage of early pioneers in
education and youth work, and contemporary resilience
research. The Circle of Courage is based in four
universal growth needs of all children: belonging,
mastery, independence, and generosity. The model has
been applied world-wide in schools, treatment settings,
and family and youth development programs.
Brendtro
has run a number of workshops in New Zealand over the
past 10 years referred to as RAP (Response Abilities
Pathways), in Auckland. The RAP programme was designed
by a team of North American and South African experts in
working with youth at risk. It translates research on
positive youth development into practical methods to
foster pathways to responsibility. New Zealand workshop
participants have been impressed with the multi-cultural
relevance of the Circle of Courage and RAP training and
Brendtro's ability to bring the concepts alive through
inspiring real-life stories. On future tours, sponsored
by the Circle of Courage Training and Development Trust
New Zealand, Brendtro will also be introducing an
assessment and planning model referred to as the
Development Audit. Designed specifically to help young
people at risk this model can be used for functional
assessment in schools, to inform intervention decisions
by courts and in case planning by treatment teams.
.... [
more
] |
