Mobilizing Adults for Positive Youth Development: Strategies for Closing the Gap between Beliefs and Behaviors

When highly successful people from all walks of life are asked how they were able to attain such lofty achievements, they inevitably pay tribute to the influential role played by a variety of adults throughout their young lives. Whether it’s a valedictorian delivering the commencement speech, a team captain receiving an MVP award, or an actor accepting an award, the underlying message each sends is clear: Throughout childhood and adolescence, they had consistent, meaningful interaction with adults.

In today’s fast-paced, often-dehumanizing world, increasing positive adult involvement and influence is particularly vital. To further that goal, Mobilizing Adults for Positive Youth Development: Strategies for Closing the Gap between Beliefs and Behaviors brings together, in one concise volume, the advice and expertise of leading scholars dedicated to affecting positive youth development. Taken together, the chapters in this book provide a multifaceted, multidisciplinary blueprint for social change. The volume includes much-needed information on:

• Understanding the current state of youth development work; the world in which adolescents live; and the world in which adults function, as well as the context in which adults can establish adult-youth relationships and use community resources to ensure a successful youth development outcome.
• Promoting individual adult involvement in adolescents’ lives to ensure positive youth development.
• Mobilizing individual adults through a variety of outlets, including neighborhood and community coalitions, religious institutions, and university outreach programs.
• Mobilizing a society of adults, through volunteer and other programs.

Mobilizing Adults for Positive Youth Development: Strategies for Closing the Gap between Beliefs and Behaviors is a must-have volume for both practitioners and researchers – in fact, for anyone interested and involved in working toward achieving positive youth development.