Building Healthy Communities for Positive Youth Development PDF
Preview Building Healthy Communities for Positive Youth Development
The Search Institute Series on Developmentally Attentive Community and Society SeriesEditor PeterL.Benson SearchInstitute,Minneapolis,MN Forfurthervolumes: http://www.springer.com/series/6554 · · Michael J. Nakkula Karen C. Foster · Marc Mannes Shenita Bolstrom Building Healthy Communities for Positive Youth Development 123 MichaelJ.Nakkula KarenC.Foster UniversityofPennsylvania 01810AndoverMassachusetts GraduateSchoolofEducation USA DivisionofAppliedPsychology-Human [email protected] Development WalnutSt.3700 19104PhiladelphiaPennsylvania GSERoom308 USA [email protected] MarcMannes ShenitaBolstrom SearchInstitute Medtronic,Inc. FirstAve.NE.,615 55432-3568Minneapolis 55413MinneapolisMinnesota Minnesota USA USA [email protected] [email protected] ISBN978-1-4419-5743-6 e-ISBN978-1-4419-5744-3 DOI10.1007/978-1-4419-5744-3 SpringerNewYorkDordrechtHeidelbergLondon LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2010926131 ©SpringerScience+BusinessMedia,LLC2010 Allrightsreserved.Thisworkmaynotbetranslatedorcopiedinwholeorinpartwithoutthewritten permission of the publisher (Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 233 Spring Street, New York, NY10013,USA),exceptforbriefexcerptsinconnectionwithreviewsorscholarlyanalysis.Usein connectionwithanyformofinformationstorageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,computersoftware, orbysimilarordissimilarmethodologynowknownorhereafterdevelopedisforbidden. Theuseinthispublicationoftradenames,trademarks,servicemarks,andsimilarterms,eveniftheyare notidentifiedassuch,isnottobetakenasanexpressionofopinionastowhetherornottheyaresubject toproprietaryrights. Printedonacid-freepaper SpringerispartofSpringerScience+BusinessMedia(www.springer.com) Series Preface ItisagreatpleasuretoofferthisvolumefromMichaelJ.Nakkula,KarenC.Foster, Marc Mannes, and Shenita Bolstrom as the latest in the Search Institute Series on Developmentally Attentive Community and Society. Its importance to the series andthisfieldofinquiryandpracticeisreadilyevidentinitstitle,BuildingHealthy CommunitiesforPositiveYouthDevelopment. Sincetheearly1990s,SearchInstitutehasinvitedandencouragedcommunities ofallshapesandsizestouseitsframeworkofDevelopmentalAssetsandprinciples ofassetbuildingtocreatestrong,vibrant,andwelcomingcommunitiesforchildren andyouth.Wehaveoperatedlargelyatthegrassrootslevel,encouraginginnovation and adaptation around a shared vision, rather than proposing a program or model forreplication.Weseektolearnasmuchfromthecommunitiesastheylearnfrom us. This book offers in-depth case studies of what happened in eight diverse com- munitiesthattookupourinvitation.Inthem,weseeawidearrayofstrategiesand approachesthat,onthesurface,seemtohavelittlecoherence.But,asNakkulaand colleaguesfound,underlyingeachofthesedistincteffortswasadeepcommitment to transforming the social norms of community life to more effectively attend to youngpeople’shealthydevelopmentthroughoutthefirsttwodecadesoflife. There have been many ambitious efforts aimed at comprehensive community change on behalf of young people. Many have invested heavily in the transforma- tionofpolicies,programs,andsystems,withgreaterandlesserdegreesofsuccess. Thoughthecommunitiesdescribedinthisbookhaveaddressedthesesystems-based issues,their(andour)focushasbeenweightedtowardtheinformaldynamics,net- works,andrelationshipsofcommunitylife.You’llseehowthesecommunitieshave investedmuchoftheirtimeandenergyinmobilizingeverydaycommunitymembers (youthandadults)tobepartofthesolution.You’llseeformal,systematicplanning andactionbumpingintothemorefluidanddynamicprocessesofmovementbuild- ing. In the process, you’ll begin to see the strengths and limitations that diverse approachesofferforcommunitytransformation. SincewefirstintroducedtheDevelopmentalAssetsintheearly1990s,Ihavehad the opportunity to be in hundreds of communities that have used the asset frame- workasaguideorspringboardfortransformation.Drawingfromtheeffortsofeight distinctcommunities,thisbookprovidesthemostsystematicanalysisandinterpre- tation of this approach to community building with and on behalf of youth that v vi SeriesPreface is available. As such, it is essential reading for leaders, scholars, and students of communitylife. Aseditorofthisseries,IamdeeplygratefultoMike,Karen,Marc,andShenita for their thoughtful, rigorous, and tenacious efforts to conduct this research and produce this volume. I am just as grateful to the leaders and residents of the eight communities—representinghundredsofothers—whohavemadeittheirpriorityto transformtheircommunitiestoensurethatallyoungpeopleintheirmidsthavethe opportunitiestheyneedtogrowupsuccessfully. PeterL.Benson,Ph.D. SearchInstitute SeriesEditor Acknowledgments Primary thanks for this book go to the youth and adults who so graciously wel- comed us into their communities. The many participants of the eight Healthy Communities •HealthyYouth(HC•HY)initiativesfeaturedhereinspireduswith theirstoriesofgrowth,challenge,andcommunitypartnership.Eachinitiativemade itpossibleforustolearncriticalnewlessonsfortheworkahead. Special thanks go to the initiative directors and site coordinators who helped us identify and access key contributors in their communities and provided such generous support, despite the additional hours our visits required of their time. ThosedirectorsandcoordinatorsincludeBeckyBeauchampofTraverseBayArea’s GivEm40.24.7; Lisa Stein and Cathy Billings of Lawton/Fort Sill’s Community Coalition;RayLarsenofOrlando’sHealthyCommunityInitiative;KarenAtkinson of St. Louis Park’s Children First; Christy McGill and Alecia Hoffman of the Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey Counties in Nevada; CherylLynnHigginsofMcPherson,Kansas’sTri-CountyAsset-BuildingInitiative; Barry Nelson of Moorhead’s Healthy Community Initiative; and Chris Tebbin of Portland’sTaketheTime.Wehopewehavedoneyourlessonsjusticeandthatthis bookservesasahelpfulteachingtool.Theconstraintsofabooklikethisone,which featuresmultipleapproachesfromaroundthecountry,makeitimpossibletogetany oneinitiative’sstoryoutfully;wehavetried,therefore,toextractavarietyoflessons acrosstheeightsites,hopingthatthesumofthepartscreatesarepresentativeand informativewhole.Ourdeepestthankstoallofyouforallowingustolearnandpass alongyourknowledgeandexperience. Wealsooweagreatdebttothefunderswhomadevariousaspectsofthisproject andthisbookpossible.TheseweretheDonaldW.ReynoldsFoundation,Lutheran Brotherhood, Kansas Health Foundation, and the McKnight Foundation, each of which supported the research project. In addition is the Lilly Endowment, which helped make the development of this book possible as part of its support for the SearchInstituteSeriesonDevelopmentallyAttentiveCommunityandSociety. Although the four authors worked collectively to lead different aspects of the researchdesignanddatacollection,analysis,andreporting,manyotherswereinte- grally involved in the project at key junctures along the way. A special thanks to Dr. Andrew Schneider-Muñoz for helping to conceptualize the project (during his tenureatSearchInstitute),andforbringingtheSearchInstitute–HarvardUniversity vii viii Acknowledgments researchteamtogether.Andyhasaknackforhatchingspecialprojectsonbehalfof youthwell-being,andhecertainlyhelpedmakethisoneareality.Mikewillnever forgettheuniquelyservedorangejuiceandcoffeeAndydeliveredtohishoteldoor! We are also grateful to Search Institute’s Nancy Tellett-Royce, senior consultant, for generously sharing her vast knowledge of the HC • HY initiative history and evolving network of community partnerships. Sandra Longfellow, manager of the InformationResourceCenteratSearchInstitute,wasunfailinglyhelpfulinlocating theliteratureweneeded. Researchassistantswhoplayedkeyrolesindatacollectionandanalysisinclude NicoleHintzandJenniferMcGaffeyofSearchInstituteandAnnaCammidge,Linda DiPalma,andKristinaPintoofHarvardUniversity.Atremendousdebtofgratitude isdueeachofthem. Dr.PeterL.Benson,presidentofSearchInstitute,wassupportiveofthisproject from its inception and was instrumental not only in making possible the research presentedherebutalsointhedevelopmentandevolutionoftheHC•HYinitiative itself. Without Peter’s efforts, on so many levels, neither this study nor its focus wouldhavebeenpossible. Many layers of editorial support have gone into this book. Kathryn L. (Kay) Hong,formerlyseniorprojectsmanageratSearchInstitute,providedtheinitialsup- port necessary for framing the study as a readable, informative, and useful book. Kay’spragmatismandaestheticsensibilitiesgotthebookofftoastrongstart.Copy editor Mary Byers provided invaluable editorial guidance throughout the process, withoutever being heavy-handed. Mary’sextensive editorialexpertise andelegant writing skills are reflected throughout the book. As is so often the case, Eugene C. Roehlkepartain, vice president of Search Institute, was essential to getting the projectoverthefinishline.And,finally,ourthankstotheeditorialandpublication staffatSpringer,particularlyJudyJones,GarthHaller,andJenniferHadley,fortheir professionalhandlingofthefinaldetails. Contents 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 EightInterpretationsoftheDevelopmentalAssetsFramework . . . . 1 SpecificsoftheDevelopmentalAssetsFramework andtheHC•HYInitiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 TheNationalAsset-BuildingCaseStudyProject . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Research Design and Methodology: Developing anEthnographicallyInformedPerspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 SiteSelection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 QualitativeInstrumentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Analysis:DerivingData-DrivenInterpretations . . . . . . . . . . . 9 UnfinishedCollaborations,DynamicProcesses . . . . . . . . . . . 10 2 Transformation,Affirmation,andBlendedModels . . . . . . . . 11 OrganizingThemesandConcepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Catalyzing the Transformation of Community Norms: TheCoreTheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 TheNewNorm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 DoesItMatter? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 CatalyticContext . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 ConclusionandImplications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 3 StrategicCare,SectorbySector:TraverseBayArea’s GivEm4024.7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 ContextoftheInitiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 StructuralFeaturesoftheInitiative. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 CharacterizingThemes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 LeadershipWisdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Sector-DeepRepresentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 TenuousnessandSurvival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 SpreadControl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Postscript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 ix x Contents 4 TheForgottenNeighborhoods:Moorhead,Minnesota’s HealthyCommunityInitiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 ContextoftheInitiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 StructuralFeaturesandOrientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 FocusonOut-of-SchoolTime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 NewDirector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 TensionwithFargoandPartnershipPotential . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 CharacterizingThemes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 CulturalIdentityDevelopment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Representation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 AreWeDoingWhatWeSetOuttoDo? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 TheElementofRiskTaking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Postscript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 5 Pursuing“TheTippingPoint”:Portland,Oregon’sTake theTimeInitiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 ContextoftheInitiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 “DeathbyReorganization” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 StructuralFeaturesandOrientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 CharacterizingThemes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 PersonalOwnership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 ReachingaCommonGround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 EgalitarianContext . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 SpreadingtheWord:SuccessesandSetbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 YouthAdvocacyforBalancedMediaCoverage . . . . . . . . . . . 83 ParentOutreach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 CommunityChange:PersonbyPerson,MistakebyMistake . . . . . 85 Postscript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 6 Community Sustainability: Orlando’s Healthy CommunityInitiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 ContextoftheInitiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 StructuralFeaturesandOrientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 CharacterizingThemes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 SynergisticCommitment:InitiativeswithinanInitiative . . . . . . 91 LeadershipWisdom:HCI’sDistributedLeadershipModel . . . . . 95 FitoftheModel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 DevelopmentalAssetsasthe“Lever” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 TheRoleofCommunityFaculty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 ClosingThoughts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Postscript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 7 We Are Not a Program! St. Louis Park, Minnesota’s ChildrenFirstInitiative. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 RedefiningtheCatalyticContext . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 DistinguishingFeaturesofChildrenFirst’sIdentity . . . . . . . . . . 103
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