A Trauma-Informed Model for Empowerment Programs Targeting Vulnerable Youth
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A Trauma-Informed Model for Empowerment Programs Targeting Vulnerable Youth Jeffrey Bulanda1 • Trisha Byro Johnson2
Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015
Abstract Youth-led program development, organizing, research, and health promotion have been identified as an important practices for community practitioners. Since such practices target vulnerable youth, it is critical that such empowerment programs are trauma-informed. This paper addresses trauma, its potential impacts, and cultural differences in understanding trauma as well as the assumptions of empowerment and youth-led programming. The relationship between health and empowerment is described as well as how youth empowerment programs can specifically target symptoms of powerlessness, low self-esteem and interpersonal difficulties, commonly experienced by youth living in socially toxic environments. Implications for program development, research, and policy are considered. Keywords Youth-led Empowerment Trauma Vulnerable youth
Introduction Over the past 20 years, practitioners and scholars have significantly expanded the literature on youth empowerment, youth civic engagement, youth-led organizing, and youth-led research (Flanagan & Christens, 2011a, b; Checkoway & Gutierrez, 2006a; Delgado, 2006; Delgado & Staples, 2008; Morton & Montgomery, 2011; Sherrod,
Torney-Purta, & Flanagan, 2010). These approaches are rooted in the belief that society should not only focus on preventing youth1 from engaging in harmful behaviors (i.e., drug use, violence), but also on encouraging youth participation in their communities, developing capabilities, and increasing the youth’s sense of agency. Authors have elaborated on the theory of change of such programs, illustrated program implementation with case studies, and published curriculum materials. With the surge of literature on trauma informed work with children and youth across various settings such as schools and child welfare systems (i.e., Chadwick Trauma-Informed Systems Project, 2013; Walkley & Cox, 2013), it is critical to consider the influence of trauma on youth participants in empowerment programs as well as the potential source of healing such a program can provide. Therefore, this paper looks at the relationship between trauma and empowerment programs from several angles: (1) the impact of trauma on youth participants and their ability to engage in a group empowerment program; (2) the characteristics of a traumainformed program that effectively responds to youth’s social-emotional needs; and, (3) ways in which an empowerment program can increase the resiliency and psychological well-being of youth exposed to potentially traumatic conditions. This paper will describe the potential impact of trauma on youth, identify the core components of a youth empowerment program (YEP), propose a model for creating trauma-informed YEPs, and consider practice and policy implications.
& Jeffrey Bulanda [email protected] 1
2
Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 North St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL 606
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