Olive

= = =**The African American Child and Positive Youth Development**= //A Journey from Support to Sufficiency// Olive, E. (2003)

For the African American youth, the journey through adolescence to adulthood has many well-documented obstacles. Although research offers many labels for African American youth, including at-risk, high-risk, disadvantaged, and troubled, there is a lack of documentation that describes the development of a positive environment that simultaneously engages African American youth in the following: 1) a positive skill/ competency development, 2) supportive adult and peer relationships, 3) identification and prevention of self-defeating behaviors, 4) active connection with self, and 5)meaningful partnerships with adults and peers that facilitate self-development. Therefore, the question of how to guide African American youth in the movement from extrinsic support to intrinsic self-sufficiency remains. Olive (2003) seeks to answer this question by identifying and examining the prominent factors in African American culture and recommending ways to implement effective community development practices for African American youth.

PROMINENT FACTORS IN AFRICAN AMERICAN YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
African American youth face unique challenges To be successful, programming must first recognize and understand these issues and then embrace the uniqueness of those it serves. Olive outlines the following challenges:

1. African American youth begin as a minority. It is a challenge to develop a positive self-image and self awareness. 2. The transient nature of life leads to a development that is often indirect, chaotic and disorderly. 3. Differences in cultural values affect their regard for the importance or unimportance of social institutions.

Six Prominent Factors in African American Youth Development
Although the following factors influence all youth, these factors impact African American in different ways and on deeper levels.

__Construction__

 * The family is seen as compromised because of the high number of fatherless or female-headed households.
 * Male youth have few positive role models in their immediate environment.

__Disorganization__
 * African American youth experience multiple concurrent transitions.
 * Moving from rural to urban settings
 * Moving between environments and living quarters
 * Constant rearrangement of the family structure
 * Family members have ambiguous roles and responsibilities.
 * Older youth may be overly responsible for caring for self and siblings
 * Routines and rituals are seldom established

__Destruction__
 * Linked to the absence of the male figure due to death, incarceration, or abandonment
 * Linked to the high percentage of youth who experience early parental death due to drugs, AIDS, alcoholism, or health issues
 * Linked to parental abandonment, abuse, or neglect

=
Research further indicates that family influence, if it is strong and consistent, can provide the sole positive impact for African American youth whether the source is a single mother, father, grandmother, or close relative.=====

//Dorian's* story illustrates the impact of construction, disorganization, and destruction of the African American family. Dorian is a 33-year-old African American single mother of four boys ranging in age from eleven to eighteen months. Her oldest son lives with her parents in a city three hours away. The father of her children was murdered in a drug related incident. At the time of the murder, she and the younger children were living in a mobile home that the father provided. The week after the father's death, a kitchen fire caused significant damage to the home, forcing Dorian and the three children to move in with boys' father's sister. While working a part-time job and going back to graduate school, Dorian is trying to get building permits, oversee home repairs, and handle a mass of legal papers. Her life is further complicated by her 4-year-old's sickle cell anemia. She has to constantly monitor his health and worries about how his absences in school will affect his academic and social development, both now and in the future. Dorian works hard, and she loves her children, but she is constantly reminded that her journey and theirs is one of struggle. (Personal communication, February 1, 2012).//
 * Name has been changed.

**2. Community/Neighborhood**
Communities and neighborhoods provide the backdrop for activities and interactions. As Jarrett (1998) states, "Development is influenced by the setting in which it occurs..."(p.32). For the African American youth, the neighborhood represents the following:
 * The scarcity of resources (economic, social, and institutional)
 * The setting for significant relationships
 * Substitutes for family members
 * Search for belongingness that may lead to gang involvement
 * The classroom for social lessons taught in accordance with those occupying the street
 * The belief system of acceptable and unacceptable behaviors

Because socialization does not exist in isolation from the community, the community influence, which can range from dangerous to plentiful, can provide positive or negative influences on youth; however, the existence or absence of poverty is not the sole variable in determining the positive or negative impact (Jarrett, 1998).

**3. Socioeconomic Status**
Research shows that over half of African American youth are living below the poverty line (Davis, 1991; McLoyd, 1998). Youth living in poverty are impacted in the following ways:
 * They are more susceptible to depression, low self-esteem, and behavioral problems.
 * They are preoccupied with the basics of daily living.
 * Their caretakers are focused on survival issues.
 * The are bombarded with the world's view that materials lead to importance.

**4. Spirituality**
Spirituality has historically influenced the development of African American youth. Religious and spiritual beliefs in the home provide the following:
 * Opportunity for routines and consistency to guiding principles
 * A source of perseverance and faith to move through challenges
 * Rituals of protection guidance and support

Coles (1990) insight that a young person's spiritual life grows,changes and responds to the other lives that make up that individual, is illustrated in //Devin's story//, the story of a young African American male whose life was impacted by a church youth group in his community. His beliefs helped him to persevere through life's challenges, and now he is sharing his faith and talents with other young people. []

**5. Culture**
It is important for African American youth to know and connect with their cultural roots.
 * Cultural awareness may bring controversy:
 * being told they are trying to "act white" if they are smart, articulate or well-dress
 * receiving negative messages from the media about what it means to "act black"


 * Cultural awareness is critical to emotional development and self-empowerment.
 * Disconnection to culture brings a negative self-image.
 * Disconnection to culture makes it difficult to respect others.


 * Failure to teach cultural awareness has led to a lack of strength and cultural pride among African American youth (Edelman, 1995).

Cicely Tyson's monologue in //Madea's Family Reunion// addresses the importance of cultural roots for African Americans. Her words reflect the heritage of their race and are a challenge to the younger generation to regain the strength and dignity of past generations.The following is a portion of her speech:

//"Do you see this shack? The man and woman who were born here gave birth to this generation. They were slaves. They worked this ground, but they bought it from the widow of the slave owner, and that’s the kind of blood we have running though our veins. That’s the stock we are made of. What happened to us? What happened to us? Who are you? Do you know who you are? What happened to the pride and the dignity and the love and respect that we had for one another? Where did it go? And how, how do we get it back? I’ma tell you. Young black men, take your place. We need you. Your sons and daughters need you. Did you understand what I just said? You were sold off and had no choice, yes, but now it’s time to stay. Take your place. Now. Starting now. Starting now. Young black women, you are more than your thighs and your hips. You are beautiful, strong, powerful. I want more from you. Take your place...."//

**6. Education**
For African American youth, the effects of education is varied.
 * Education is often devalued by those at home and in the community.
 * They do not understand the relationship between education and goals.
 * The impact of education is minimized due to poor attendance, failure, or drop-outs.


 * For some, education is the only valid path to a particular lifestyle.
 * Schools often provide the motivation to push through challenges.
 * Education represents a goal or result to be obtained.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WORKING WITH AFRICAN AMERICAN YOUTH
Olive makes the following recommendations for those developing programs to help African American youth move from extrinsic support to intrinsic self-sufficiency:

1. Understand, recognize and appreciate the differences of African American children.

 * This is not the same as seeing beyond skin color.
 * We must intentionally acknowledge the contributions of African Americans in our society.

2. Be aware of the life circumstances of the children and youth who are being served.

 * Awareness of circumstances may help explain behavior.
 * Youth workers should help empower youth to create their own destiny, a destiny without limits.
 * Youth workers must give youth responsibility in order for the youth to learn responsibility.
 * Youth workers' expectations must be clear, consistent, and realistic.
 * Youth workers must demand responsible behavior through encouragement.

3. Provide multicultural experiences for African American youth.

 * Multicultural experiences help youth see that everyone has a role in contributing to society.
 * Multicultural experiences show youth that one race's role is not more important then another's.

4. Provide opportunities to interact with positive African American adults.

 * African American youth need to identify with those in their immediate environment.
 * Relationships with positive role models can be transforming.

One program that is having an impact in this area is Call Me MISTER. The mission of the Call Me MISTER program is "to increase the pool of available teachers from a broader more diverse background particularly among the State's lowest performing elementary schools. Student participants are largely selected from among under-served, socio-economically disadvantaged and educationally at-risk communities." [] The program which began in South Carolina in 2004 has expanded to seven states and has been instrumental in placing positive African American male role models in elementary classrooms.

5. Involve African American youth as equal partners in the development and delivery of programs.

 * Involvement in development and implementation promotes ownership.
 * Giving youth a voice in programs that affect them, demonstrates the value of their contributions.

6. Adhere to the practice of strength-based paradigms.

 * Programming for African American youth should focus on their strengths.
 * Focusing on strengths encourages development of critical self-awareness, self-respect, and self-empowerment.

7. Involve community stakeholders in the development and implementation of youth programs.

 * Positive youth development cannot exist in isolation from communities and neighborhoods.
 * Development of the total person must address the person's environment.

8. Know thyself.

 * Knowledge of self is the centerpiece to successful youth work.
 * Knowing oneself is foremost in guiding someone else.

In conclusion, youth workers must authentically embrace the uniqueness and celebrate the differences of the African American youth with whom they work while recognizing these youth as active participants in the creation of their own stories.

Olive, E. (2003). The African American child and positive youth development: A journey from support to sufficiency (pp. 27-46). In F. Villarruel, D.Perkins,L. Borden, & J. Keith (Eds.) //Community Youth Development: Programs, Policies, & Practices.// Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Perry, T. (Producer/Director). (2006). //Madea's Family Reunion.// USA: Lion Gate.