How Adolescent-Parent Relationships Effect Adolescent Religiosity

The relationship between adolescents and their parents has a significant impact on their positive development into adulthood. This study analyzes data from the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) in order to determine if an adolescent’s relationship with his or her parents has an impact on the religiosity of adolescents between the ages of 17-24 years old. This study distinguished the difference between religiosity and spirituality. Religiosity involves a relationship with a particular institutionalized doctrine about a supernatural power; a relationship that occurs through affiliation with an organized faith and participation in its prescribed rituals (Reich, Oser, & Scarlett, 1999). This is opposed to spirituality, which is a more general way of thinking about a higher being or purpose without the affiliation of an organized doctrine or faith. The study is framed by James Fowler’s faith development theory (Fowler, 1984), which contends that religion can be an important aspect of positive youth development for older adolescents. The theory supposes that the more autonomous a person grows in their faith the less influence others have on their faith development. Utilizing the NSYR, adolescent-parent relationships were measured using 12 indicators from the NSYR, such as “how close do you feel to your mother?” or “how often do you talk to your father?” Adolescent religiosity was also measured using 12 indicators from the NSYR, such as “how important is religious faith in shaping how you live your daily life?” or “how often do you pray by yourself alone?” Exploratory factor analysis reveled two major factors describing adolescent religiosity: adolescent religious importance and adolescent respect for religion. The EFA also revealed three factors for adolescent-parent relationships: mother-adolescent relationships, father-adolescent relationships, and parental visitation. These factors were tested against the two factors of adolescent religiosity to determine the effect of adolescent-parent relationships on adolescent religiosity. While parental visitation did not have a significant effect on adolescent religiosity, the study determined that adolescent-parent relationships have a positive effect on adolescent religiosity of adolescents 17-24 years old. The closer an adolescent of this age is to their parents the more likely they are to have respect for religion and find it important. However, adolescent-parent relationships are not the only indicators of adolescent religiosity. Faith development theory states that as adolescents grow they begin to think abstractly. This growth allows them to make their own decisions on abstract subjects such as religious belief (King & Roeser, 2009). Further research can explore other impacts on adolescent religiosity from ages 17-24 and examine how abstract thought impacts religious development. The findings in this study provide researchers and practitioners a glimpse into the influences of religion on older adolescents. This presentation will shine a light on these influences and suggest ways that these findings can be implemented into practice

Race, Antiracism, and Youth Development: From Awareness to Sustained Action

After yet more vivid examples of how Black people are far too often treated unjustly in America and the enormous response worldwide, it is high time to recognize racism in our field and promote a strong and sustained commitment to antiracist approaches to research, publishing, practice, and policy in the youth development field. This essay begins to make the case for such efforts and calls for sustained action in many areas. These are things we can and must do as a field that supports the positive development of all youth

Silence is Not an Option: Oral History of Race in Youth Development Through the Words of Esteemed Black Scholars

The study of race has been silenced in many areas of science including youth development research. We present this commentary in response to an invitation to address the impact of racism on the field of youth development for the Journal of Youth Development. Through oral history narratives, the paper synthesizes an antiracist agenda from the perspectives of 6 Black scholars: Tabbye Chavous, Michael Cunningham, Davido Dupree, Leoandra Onnie Rogers, Stephanie Rowley, and Robert Sellers. The narratives depict each scholar’s perspective on race research that informs youth-serving programs and the study of race in research of children and adolescents, particularly Black children. We selected scholars based on their commitment to supporting research that helps children of color thrive, and who have in-depth knowledge about racist ideologies and practices that have persisted since the inception of the science of youth development. Each scholar offered thoughtful critiques regarding racially biased measures and methodologies, the problematic use of deficit-oriented language, and the challenges that scholars of color encounter with advancing in the field. While the scholars expressed a consensus that the field has struggled to name racism in research and practice, they share hope in the complexity of future race research and practice that centers culture and context in youth development studies and programs

Social Justice and Civic Engagement through Participation in a Youth Health Leadership Program

This program brief examines the impact of a community-based health leadership program on youth participants’ perceptions of citizenship in the context of social justice for community-level policy changes to promote physical activity. Youth participants completed journal entries and interviews. Results suggest citizenship developed as participants considered issues of social justice through exposure to new environments and experiences. However, youth struggled with issues of adultism and relating social injustices to their role as citizens

Planting the Seed: An Evaluation of a Community Youth Summit

Meaningful youth engagement produces benefits both to youth and to the community in which they live. This paper discusses a day-long youth summit held for 289 middle school students. Youth attended a combination of mass and break-out sessions based on America’s Promise Five Promises. Planners and evaluators assessed proximal student outcomes throughout the day. A two question visual analog scale was developed and utilized to assess students’ perceptions of learning and enjoyment

Planting the Seed: An Evaluation of a Community Youth Summit

Meaningful youth engagement produces benefits both to youth and to the community in which they live. This paper discusses a day-long youth summit held for 289 middle school students. Youth attended a combination of mass and break-out sessions based on America’s Promise Five Promises. Planners and evaluators assessed proximal student outcomes throughout the day. A two question visual analog scale was developed and utilized to assess students’ perceptions of learning and enjoyment

Association Analysis of Reported Attitudes and Culturally Competent Behavior Engagement among Public Health Department Employees

Objective: The purpose of this research is to analyze the association of attitudes and beliefs on engaging in culturally competent behavior. Design: Explorational case study of individuals employed within an urban public health department. Participants: Employees (n=90) from four metropolitan clinical sites of an urban public health department located in the southwest region of the United States were solicited and recruited during a monthly staff meeting. This sample is representative of 84% of the total employees which is comprised of 107 individuals. Main Outcome Measures: The Cultural Competence Assessment is designed to explore individual knowledge, feelings and actions of respondents when interacting with clients in health service environments. The instrument is based on the cultural competence model, and measures cultural awareness and sensitivity; cultural competence behaviors and cultural diversity experience and training. For reporting purposes, participants were divided into subgroups, clinical and non-clinical. This was completed to account for the variation in respondents’ level of education, type of client/patient interaction and opportunities for professional development engagement. Results: Respondents with increased levels of knowledge possessed attitudes which encompass dignity and respect of minority groups, potentially improving clinical interactions. African Americans and Hispanic/Latinos within the non-clinical subgroup displayed more culturally sensitive attitudes compared to their clinical peers within the same race/ethnicity classification. Non-clinical workers with Associate and Bachelors degrees displayed more culturally sensitive attitudes than their clinical counterparts. Clinical staff with graduate or professional degrees scored higher in the culturally sensitive attitudes analysis than non-clinical peers. Conclusions: Knowledgeable individuals have the necessary foundation to develop beliefs and attitudes conducive to creating an effective clinical encounter. Educational programs must include components which increase participant awareness of diversity. In addition, training should encompass lessons to foster self-reflection of one’s own bias and beliefs, and its effect on how workers provide health services

Special Issue: Perspectives on Immigrant, Refugee, and Border Youth

The positive development of immigrant, refugee, and border youth is a significant issue among youth development researchers, practitioners, and policy makers. As evidenced by the papers in this issue, the field has made great strides in research and programmatic approaches and has begun to identify specific developmental pathways. This special issue is intended to ignite a spark in future research and programming, encouraging the field of youth development to further develop interdisciplinary perspectives that include not only a focus on immigrant, refugee, and border youth, but also include their voices

Cultural Immersion Camps and Development of Ethnic Identity in Asian American Youth

The purpose of this study was to explore camp outcomes specialized in ethnic identity among Asian American youth after they participated in a residential cultural immersion camp. In this study, the cultural immersion camp is viewed as a mediating factor that channels other influences in such a way as to guide Asian American youth to commit more expressly and more fully to their perception of ethnic identity. The results obtained from 3 cultural immersion camps located in the Western United States reveals that cultural immersion camp experiences significantly increase perceived levels of ethnic identity among Asian American youth. Implications of cultural immersion camp on the development of Asian American youth are discussed