Adult Development
Volunteering With Youth
Anne Stephens
The Ashland Beacon
Most adults would agree that sharing knowledge and experience with others is a valuable part of building communities. Kids learn from adults in both formal and non-formal situations. We typically think of education as a student learning from teachers at school, but there are many other non-formal educational situations, such as community groups, club programs, church programs, and social activities.
Not every adult is naturally a good teacher. The reason that professional teachers study education to become certified is that the education process is complicated and varies from student to student. Not everyone learns the same way, and developmental processes are hard to define. Age groupings help the teacher decide what material is appropriate for a student, but age is not the only factor that a teacher must understand.
If you are an adult who is interested in making a difference in your community, the Greenup County Extension Service has volunteer opportunities for you! It takes adult volunteers who are willing to learn about the programs to make them work. If you are interested, please read the following excerpt from an article made available by the Community and Leadership Development branch of the Cooperative Extension Service. You can get a copy of the entire article by contacting our office.
We will also be happy to give you details about our volunteer opportunities, which include working with youth and/or working with adults. We have many groups and clubs that offer educational experiences in a variety of skills, including leadership.
Adult Development
Preparing Adults for the Youth Development Experience by Kenneth R. Jones, Community and Leadership Development Quality programming, positive social interactions, skill development, and a host of other factors play key roles in guiding youth through a smooth transition in adolescence. The dedication of committed, caring adults is crucial in ensuring that other essential elements are attainable. Given the long-term social ties formed between youth and adults within families and youth programs, it is safe to assume that adults are in need of development as well. Many of them, despite their motivation to work with youth, are not equipped to tackle the complex issues that affect young lives. They need training that will help them identify and provide what is necessary to promote positive development in the youth they encounter.
Youth face a flux of changes from birth through the teen years, and adults must determine how to balance youth independence with the support they need. Parents are busy attempting to adjust to the ever-changing relationships they have with their children. Youth practitioners are working hard to meet complicated demands through high-quality programs that maintain interest and are meaningful at multiple stages of development. Both parents and youth workers are in search of youth development professionals who can help them acquire the skills to better understand, relate to, and work effectively with today’s youth.
Youth-Adult Relationships
Development is a collective social change process shared by both youth and supportive adults.Adult development is a strategy to help adults acquire the skills to build stronger intergenerational relationships, with an emphasis on adults partnering effectively with youth in the community. Youth-adult collaborations may be formed to implement a particular project, but it is important for adults to serve as allies throughout the youth development process. Communities must have these relationships in place, not only to promote change but to establish the levels of trust that must exist between youth and adults.
Adults have a major role in creating successful youth-adult relationships that are embraced by today’s youth culture. Whether they are parents, teachers, caseworkers, or mentors, adults must learn and understand the needs of youth, as well as the routines that affect their lives. Adults must be aware of social, emotional, and physical needs and understand the steps required to establish meaningful relationships that build trust. By far, those adults who can reflect on meaningful adult development experiences tend to respect youth voice, solicit and value youth opinions, and respond in a non-judgmental manner.
Experiential Learning
Usually, the challenge for most adults working with youth is not a lack of passion for youth development work. In most instances, adults are not well-versed in youth development principles and current practices and are confined to a limited worldview of today’s young person. Adults do not always readily recall the days of their youth or reflect on how life was as a teen. Many of them may have been exposed to stressful teen years that they do not wish to revisit mentally and emotionally. Many adults have problems working with youth because they identify with youth only by remembering their personal, troublesome past. They see youth as needing to be saved from all harm and danger and treat them as if they have no experiences of their own.
Because of this disconnect, adults often have difficulty identifying successful youth development strategies for today. Many adults volunteer because they care about youth, but they are impeded by the fact that they have no formal training on how to deal with the issues affecting children or teens. From situations at home to concerns at school, youth are bound to have problematic episodes that require the attention of adults. Yet, only a few colleges and universities offer degrees or certifications in the youth development academic discipline, so most of these skills are crafted in non-formal settings that are not accessible to everyone.
High standards must remain in place to ensure that youth remain a priority and that adults have training opportunities that will allow them to be the best at what they do—parent, teach, mentor, and support the next generation. Such strategies are vital in taking the youth development field to the next level.
Copyright © 2010 for materials developed by University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension. This publication may be reproduced in portions or its entirety for educational or nonprofit purposes only. Permitted users shall give credit to the author(s) and include this copyright notice. Publications are also available on the World Wide Web at www.ca.uky.edu
For more information, contact Anne Stephens, Agent for Community Arts and Development in Greenup County. 606.836.0201 anne.stephens@uky.edu 35 Wurtland Avenue, Wurtland, KY 41144 The Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is an Equal Opportunity Organization with respect to education and employment and authorization to provide research, education information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to economic or social status and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information, age, veteran status, physical or mental disability or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. University of Kentucky, Kentucky State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Kentucky counties, cooperating.
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