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ISSN 1089-5701
Volume 17, Number 1 Spring 2008

TABLE OF CONTENTS with ABSTRACTS

READ FULL EDITORIAL HERE
Editorial: Respectful Alliances
Erik K. Laursen
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Editorial:
Respectful Alliances
Erik K. Laursen

Many traditional approaches to challenging youth only manage surface behavior or administer superficial interventions. Positive Peer Culture sets a goal of transforming the culture and climate of the school so that youth and adults work together in a respectful alliance. Seven core components in this process are outlined.

Fifty years ago, Weeks (1958) reported on the results of a comparison of 229 boys who had participated in the Guided Group Interaction (GGI) program at Highfields in New Jersey with 119 boys committed to a traditional state reformatory. He concluded that 63% of the Highfields boys were successful compared to 47% of the reformatory boys. He also found that Highfields rehabilitated boys in approximately one third of the time of the traditional corrections facility at less cost.

While peer group programs attribute their roots to the pioneering efforts at Highfields, many of the early GGI programs turned into adult-sanctioned peer bullying programs because they were implemented by untrained staff. The awareness of the power of the peer group influenced Harry Vorrath, who had worked as a group leader in the Highfields program, to implement the basic model of GGI in a variety of settings working with delinquent youth. He modified, expanded, and refined the program until it emerged into a comprehensive and specific treatment methodology known as Positive Peer Culture (PPC) (Vorrath & Brendtro, 1985). From this work, best practices for group meetings, for developing interdisciplinary teams, and for using an established problem list were implemented in facilities throughout the country.

For more than two decades, these best treatment practices were shared at conferences hosted by the National Association of Peer Group Agencies (NAPGA) and Strengths Based Services International (SBSI). In 2006, the Academy for Positive Peer Culture was established and now provides learning opportunities for peer group practitioners at the Black Hills Seminars hosted by Reclaiming Youth International. Best PPC treatment practices center around peer helping and social engagement expressed as "care and concern," "problems as opportunities," "trust and openness," "here and now vs. there and then" and "greatness vs. compliance" (Vorrath & Brendtro, 1985).

While PPC is a treatment approach for working with at-risk youth, this article focuses more broadly on culture development, specifically the development of respectful school and youth setting cultures designed to meet growth needs of young people and nurture strong attachments between youth and adults.

Why should we be concerned?
Over the last few decades, societal changes have placed a demand on families for increased mobility as well as the need for most families to have two income earners. Changing societal values have contributed to the development of new family structures where an increasing number of children are raised by a single parent and/or a step parent. School-age children spend about a third of their time in school, and many spend time in before- and after-school programs, such as day care centers and youth organizations. Due to these changes, children have fewer chances to interact with adults. These changes are caused by socio-economic developments in our society, not because parents have become less responsible and less invested in their children. As this different reality becomes apparent, it is important for adults to become aware of the task involved in raising children.

Humans are born with an attachment brain (Neufeld & Mate, 2006), and when adults are not available, children will naturally try to satisfy their attachment need with peers. However, these attachments are different than attachments with adults; they are less secure and more superficial. In the absence of adult connections, children and youth form their own cultures that often are in opposition to adult guided cultures. In order to reclaim connections with children and youth, it is important to design cultures where natural attachments with adults can take place. As the extended family and the village are becoming less involved in raising children, it is paramount to pay close attention to the environments and their cultures — in which children spend most of their time. Schein (2004) defines culture as:

... a pattern of shared basic assumptions that was learned by a group as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems. (p. 17)

Seven habits or dimensions of building caring and respectful cultures are illustrated below (Laursen, 2005):

Core values
Schools, after-school programs, group homes, residential treatment facilities, and other settings where youth meet need core values. Values are the guiding principles and practices of an organization that result in consistent behaviors of the people who participate in the culture. When values are shared, people excel and learn, not because they are told to but because they want to. As people behave according to the shared values, they unveil a vision of what both the organization and its participants can become. While each setting's values should be aligned with its mission and vision, five values should be implemented that communicate respect for children and youth.

Positive relationships and enduring connections
This value acknowledges that all people are born with an attachment brain and that attachment to people is what matters most. Due to the socioeconomic development and changing family structures described above, children spend more and more time in day-care institutions, schools, and after-school programs. In these alternate child-rearing places, the child to adult ratio is much higher than in traditional families where one parent, most often the mother, is responsible for the child rearing. Thus, children and youth spend an increasing amount of time in the company of other children and youth. However, peer relations do not fill the voids left by adults.

This requires the purposeful design of cultures where children receive adequate exposure to nurturing and caring adults. Such requires courage and creativity and a willingness to not only take a hard look at what it takes to make schools and other settings safe and free of harm for all children, but also to attend to universal developmental needs, such as belonging, independence, mastery, and generosity (Brendtro, Brokenleg, & Van Bockern, 2002).

According to renowned psychologist Urie Brofenbrenner (1986) children need social communities that nurture their physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual needs. An absolute minimum of connection for each child is at least one adult who is irrationally crazy about him or her. Many children are deprived of even this slim diet of human nurturance. Youth settings should be guided by the assurance that all children will have positive relationships and genuine connections with significant adults.

Strengths and challenges
This value emphasizes that all children (and people) have potential. Focusing on people's strengths generates higher expectations for change. Embracing this value in practice puts specific demands on us. First, the organization and its staff must have a formalized approach to assessing youth's (and families') strengths. Resources for assessing the strengths of youth are available on the internet, e.g., VIA on Character Strengths (2007) or Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences. Once a youth's strengths are identified, opportunities to integrate them into daily interactions are multiple.

Second, being strength-based means that helpers must collaborate with youth and families. Services must be family-driven and youth-guided (SAMHSA, 2007). Family-driven means that families have a primary decision making role in the care of their own children and the policies and procedures governing care. Since youth are the true experts and primary consumers of these services, we must actively involve them, respect their voices, and make them partners in creating environments where they can grow and learn.

Change is the only permanent thing
The belief that change is constantly occurring recasts problems as opportunities and communicates that tomorrow will be different from today. This sends an optimistic view on change and hope for the future.

Life is filled with struggles and challenges. If, when faced with seemingly overwhelming difficulties, we believe that we are unable to cope and thus are without hope — we will be overcome. If, on the other hand, we believe that with endurance, and the support of others, we will overcome, we have hope. Many youth do not expect that the world will treat them fairly. Because of physical, emotional, and spiritual pain, some are led to violence and drugs. Their presenting behaviors are all too familiarrage, violence, self-abusive behaviors, bullying, disillusionment, and narcissism. For those who have experienced severe trauma, giving up is a defense mechanism — a way to protect oneself against continued oppression, rejection, abuse, and injustice. Youth organizations and the adults who work there must be driven by optimistic belief that the pain experienced by youth can be turned into lives lived right side up.

Caring and helping
Heidegger (1962), a German philosopher, described caring as the very Being of human life. While he used the term very broadly, the meaning of the caring and helping value is relational. It is connection between people — a carer and a cared-for. Noddings (2005) writes "no matter how hard teachers try to care, if the caring is not received by students, the claim `they don't care' has some validity. It suggests strongly, that something is very wrong" (p. 15).

When young people are given the opportunity to care and help, they learn about the world of work, explore career options, and develop communication skills through activities that link the existing school curriculum with civic action. Helping the community also promotes students' self-worth, develops higher order thinking skills, and provides authentic learning experiences. Most importantly, students begin to think of someone else beside themselves. They become resources for the community while learning the value of active citizenship. This value communicates an interest for other people and things that are outside oneself and expects that people help others. When caring, one must really hear, see, and feel what others are conveying and then recognize and respond to their needs.

Cultural and linguistic competence
This value communicates a celebration of diversity and an awareness and respect of the importance of the values, beliefs, traditions, customs, and parenting styles of other people. Our own culture has an impact on our relationships with the youth with whom we work, and we must commit to take these factors into account in our interactions. In the past, many helpers did not acknowledge the impact addressing the cultural needs of youth has in building relationships with them. Historically, minority groups have had less access to services. Some of the barriers to services include mistrust, fear of treatment, racism and discrimination, the geographical location of services, and differences in language and communications. Organizations committed to cultural and linguistic competence advocate and support youth of all cultures in receiving services.

Symbols, architecture, and artifacts
The places youth gather and interact with one another and with adults have a powerful impact. The environment affects the sense of security as well as emotions and it sends messages about what is impor tant. Svmbols are noticed through sight, sound, touch, and smell. The physical layout, landscaping, and displayed artwork send important messages about the accomplishments of youth and staff. Is the place clean, well-lighted, in good repair? Are staff offices new and equipped with the best furniture, while equipment and places where kids
gather are dilapidated and worn out? Adults who are committed to creating respectful places for youth think purposefully about the symbols in the organization. Examples may include t-shirts designed by youth, the display of student artwork on the walls, posters or paintings illustrating the organization's values, performance of music by students, and public display of accomplishments of youth and staff. Symbols are powerful indicators of organizational culture and comprise both the physical setting and the objects within that physical setting. They stand for the meanings, experiences, and ideas that people have in and about the organization.

Language shared by all
We use language to shape our thoughts and experiences, yet patterns and structures in the language itself shape us in return. According to Toomey (1999), "Words can inform our mind, caress and comfort our feelings, excite and thrill our spirit, or warm and kindle the flame of our hearts. They can also slap our face, punch us in the stomach, rattle our nerves, kill our desire, or destroy our selfconfidence." Words have the power to include and exclude. Thus, youth organizations must create a language of respect, equality, and inclusion. For example, the Circle of Courage (Brendtro, Brokenleg, & Van Bockern, 2002) provides belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity as positive words to use when talking with young people about universal growth needs. Any youth organization claiming to be strength-based should have a shared language to talk about the strengths of young people. The VIA Institute on Character (2007) provides such a language asserting that people who live in concordance with their signature strengths will have full, healthy, productive lives and contribute positively to society. The Institute identifies 24 character strengths consisting of six broad general categories called virtues: wisdom, courage, justice, humanity, temperance, and spirituality.

Traditions, rituals, and ceremonies
Traditions provide a tie to the past, bolster the present, and set the tone for the future. Rituals are events or occasions purposefully designed to display the unique values and beliefs of the organization. Examples of rituals and traditions could include welcoming a new youth to the setting, honoring a student of the month, rewarding a youth or an employee, or performing a graduation ceremony. One school welcomes new students in the following way. Current students and adults in the classroom gather in a circle shoulder to shoulder and say, "Let's open our circle and welcome Deshaun;" the people in the circle take a step backwards to make room for Deshaun. As the new student enters the circle, he is welcomed by all. In our program at UMFS, a monthly award is given to a staff member for demonstrating the tasks associated with belonging, mastery, independence, or generosity. Both of these examples are ritualized enactments, rather than spontaneous behaviors, and communicate clear values of the organization.

Graduation ceremonies represent another way of displaying the values and beliefs of the organization. The type of reward given at a graduation ceremony is less important than the fact that an award is given. For instance, at graduation ceremonies at UMFS, we give students a compass encouraging them to use their strengths and abilities to guide them in the future. The fact that we give the same award systematically makes the ceremony meaningful, and the fact that the award and specific steps of the ceremony follow a set form makes the event ritualistic.

Universal design
Universal design is an approach to designed products and environments, including culture building, that takes into consideration different abilities, disabilities, racial/ethnic backgrounds, ages, languages, and other characteristics of the participants (Finn & Thoma, 2006). Universal design requires that the organization is usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. Cultures that are designed according to these principles are flexible and can accommodate a wide range of individual preferences and abilities. Furthermore, the environment must be simple and intuitive as demonstrated by the symbols, architecture, and artifacts in the environment. In youth organizations, uni
versal design requires that there are multiple opportunities for adults and youth to interact. The organization must assure that adults are keenly tuned in to responding to kids' bids for connections and that adults make pre-emptive attempts to connect with every youth each day.

Roles and responsibilities
Senge (2006) describes the roles of leaders in learning organizations as designers, stewards, and teachers. They are responsible for building organizations where people continually expand their capabilities to understand complexity, clarify vision, and improve shared mental models about life and the future. Senge uses the term "presence" to clarify the human relations that must be developed in order for this to happen. When we design environments we must fulfill our roles as designers, stewards, and teachers. Building reclaiming cultures for youth requires a shift in the leadership adults provide. From resilience literature, we know that the involvement of caring adults outside the family serves as a protective factor as youth transition into adulthood. With the caring and emotional support given by others, youth acquire the belief that their lives have meaning and that they are in control of their own fate. Werner and Smith (1992) conclude that the life stories of the resilient children in their study validate the fact that

... competence, confidence, and caring can flourish if children encounter persons who provide them with the secure basis for the development of trust, autonomy, and initiative. From odds successfully overcome springs hope — a gift each of us can share with a child — at home, in the classroom, on the playground, or in the neighborhood. (p. 209)

Accordingly, in order to develop reclaiming cultures, there must be multiple opportunities for building respectful alliances between adults and youth.

Evidence-based practices
Organizations providing services to youth — whether in the field of education, mental health, or youth work — must be committed to using the best practices in the field. APA (2005) defines evidence-based practices as the integration of the best available research with clinical expertise in the context of patient characteristics, culture, and preferences. Evidence-based practice stands in contrast to approaches that are based on tradition, convention, belief, or anecdotal evidence. An increasing number of best youth practices have been and continue to be identified. It is noteworthy to distinguish between evidence-based programs and interventions (Hawaii Department of Health, 2007). While several websites list blue-ribbon programs that have been approved as evidencebased practices, the Hawaii Department of Health has analyzed the practices that the programs use. The reason for this approach is that no one can learn the protocols of every best-practice program. However, it is possible to implement effective strategies matched to the needs of particular individuals.

Summary
This article highlighted seven essential elements to building caring cultures where respectful alliances between adults and youth can be nurtured and developed. Careful attention must be given to each of these elements — they complement one another and are necessary for the culture to achieve its purpose.

References
APA. (2005). American Psychological Association statement: Policy statement on evidence-based practice in psychology. Retrieved November 21, 2007 from http://www2.apa.org/practice/ ebpstatement.pdf

Brendtro, L. K., Brokenleg, M., & Van Bockern, S. (2002). Reclaiming youth at risk (rev. ed.). Bloomington, IN: National Educational Service.

Brendtro, L., & du Toit, L. (2006). Response Ability Pathways. Cape Town, South Africa: Pretext.

Brofenbrenner, U. (1986a). Alienation and the four worlds of childhood. Phi Delta Kappan, 67. pp. 430-436.

Brofenbrenner, U. (1986b). Ecology of the family as a context for human development. Developmental Psychology, 22, 6. pp. 723-742.

Finn, D. E., & Thoma, C. A. (Spring 2006). What is a universal design approach to learning? The Professor's Assistant. Richmond, VA: VCU Professional Development Academy.

Hawaii Department of Health (2007). 2007 Biennial report: Effective psychosocial interventions for youth with behavioral and emotional needs. Retrieved November 21, 2007 from http://www.hawaii.gov/health/mental-health/camhd/library/pdf/ebs/ebs012.pdf

Heidegger, M. (1962). Being and time (rev ed.). New York: Harper & Row.

Laursen, E. K. (2005). The seven habits of culture building. Unpublished manuscript.

Neufeld, G., & Mate, G. (2006). Hold on to your kids. New York: Ballentine Books.

Noddings, N. (2005). The challenge to care in schools (2nd ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.

SAMHSA. (2007). Systems of care. Retrieved November 21, 2007 from http://systemsofcare.samhsa.gov/index.aspx

Schein, E. H. (2004). Organizational culture and leadership (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Senge, P. M, (2006). The fifth discipline (rev. ed.). New York: Doubleday.

Toomey, M. (1999). The power of language. Retrieved November 21, 2007 from http://www.mtoomey.com/poweroflanguage.html

VIA on Character Strengths. (2007). The VIA classification on character strengths. Retrieved November 21, 2007 from http://www.viastrengths.org/VIAClassification/tabid/56/ Default.aspx

Vorrath, H. H., & Brendtro L. K. (1985). Positive peer culture (2nd ed.). New York: Aldine.

Weeks, H. A. (1958). Youthful offenders at High fields: An evaluation of the effects of the short-term treatment of delinquent boys. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.

Werner, E. E., & Smith, R. S. (1992). Overcoming the odds: High risk children from birth to adulthood. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

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