At a conference where he received the Circle of Courage Award, psychologist Christopher Peterson (Peterson & Brendtro, 2008) noted that there is something about the architecture of the human mind that causes it to overlook strengths. He suggested three reasons the focus needs to shift to strengths: (1) competence makes life most worth living;…

Australia's Northern Territory is twice the size of Texas, with only 230,000 people living in its enormous space. About half reside in the capital Darwin in the tropical far north; the next biggest town with a population of 25,000 people is Alice Springs, 1600 kilometers south in the central desert. Some 70,000 Indigenous people form 30% of the…

Discussions of transformational change pervade the field of business but are rare in work with young people at risk--those most in need of deep change. Instead, the nation seems preoccupied with punishing or medicating problem behavior. Some propose the alternative of "rehabilitation," but that term means "to restore to former…

Many youth who have experienced pain and trauma have learned to survive. But surviving is not the same as thriving. Humans are able to flourish only as they find hope. How can adults help youth envision positive futures? One strategy is to help youth to have a concrete vision of a future worth having. One exercise asks young people to write their…

This article describes four waves of juvenile justice reform across the past century that have profoundly impacted how youth are served in community-based, detention, and correctional settings. This first wave of reform began in 1899 as Jane Addams founded the modern juvenile court in Chicago. These progressive reforms soon spread worldwide.…

Punishment is a procedure in which responses are followed by either the removal of positive reinforcement or the presentation of an aversive stimulus (Skinner, 1953) that results in a decrease in the frequency and/or intensity of the response (Azrin & Holtz, 1966). By definition, punishment seeks to stop unacceptable, unwanted, and bothersome…

Christopher Peterson received the Circle of Courage Award and made the following address in a symposium on "The Strength-Based Revolution" at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan (Peterson & Brendtro, 2008). Dr. Peterson shared personal reflections on the strengths movement, which is transforming youth development. His…

In this article, the authors recount their visit to Chiang Mai, a city in northern Thailand, in late January and focus on their search for resolution in cultural dissonance. So much about Thailand was different to them. Although they tend to relish differences, they still find some differences quite challenging. Thai culture is firmly anchored in…

Several excellent frameworks exist that define components of positive youth development and demonstrate an inverse relationship with adolescent risks (Ginsburg, 2007). The authors have found that many of their colleagues have been drawn to the Circle of Courage for its clarity and spirit (Brendtro, Brokenleg, & Van Bockern, 2002). This model is…

Secure, trusting bonds are essential if young people are to grow, learn, and thrive. But millions of modern youth are disconnected, struggling in overstressed families, depersonalized schools, and violent communities. Those most vulnerable because of maltreatment display behavior that increases their alienation from caring adults. How do adults…

In the behavioral science literature, successful childhood socialization is termed Positive Youth Development (PYD). Young people themselves are active agents in charting their own life course (Jackson, in press). However, the responsibility for socialization begins with families and is shared by neighbors, faith communities, educators, youth…

People are confronting the most pressing challenge facing every family, school, and community--raising respectful children in a toxic world. In simpler societies, raising children was a shared task of the whole community, as adults and youth worked in harmony and mutual respect. Today, humans are the only species in creation living out of balance.…

The authors' commitment to experiential education is rooted in their own training as teachers in Denmark. Throughout college, they engaged in experiential and constructivist learning, placing primary responsibility for learning on the learners. After their graduation, they used the same practices in their work with troubled and troubling youth in…

The Holyoake DRUMBEAT (Discovering Relationships Using Music--Beliefs, Emotions, Attitudes, & Thoughts) program was first developed in 2003 as a means of engaging Australian Aboriginal youth who were resistant to talk-based therapeutic approaches. Aboriginal Australians, like indigenous peoples in many other countries, are over-represented in…

Outcomes measurement has become a contemporary requirement for non-profit, government, and private sector child, youth, and family service providers throughout North America as well as in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere. Cost-effectiveness, care planning, service evaluations, and fiscal audits are now commonplace…