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Connections Matter! Young People’s Perspectives 0n Resilience

Connections Matter! Young People’s Perspectives 0n Resilience. Trish Gledhill A research study submitted for the Post Graduate Diploma in Child Advocacy, Children’s Issues Centre, University of Otago . . Why this study?. Young people’s views. The resilience paradigm - what works?.

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Connections Matter! Young People’s Perspectives 0n Resilience

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  1. Connections Matter!Young People’s Perspectives 0n Resilience Trish Gledhill A research study submitted for the Post Graduate Diploma in Child Advocacy, Children’s Issues Centre, University of Otago.

  2. Why this study? Young people’s views The resilience paradigm - what works? Personal interest – working in schools

  3. Research questions • Defining resilience • The factors that make a difference • Pathways • How can schools help? Method • Fifth and Sixth Form students, low decile co- ed Secondary school • Qualitative method,two small focus groups

  4. Definitions of resilience Resilience is described as the successful adaptation of an individual despite risk(Luthar & Cicchetti, 2000) Resilience may also be described as the ability to bounce back, endure or even thrive in the face of stressful or negative life experiences(Wolin & Wolin, 1995)

  5. What does the literature say about resilience? The individual - inherent characteristics, skills and abilities. The family -parenting styles, routines, relationships. The community and schools- formal and informal supports, activities.

  6. The role of schools • Promoting resilience through systems, classroom and individual levels • A secure base , connections and belonging (Bernard,1997)

  7. The role of schools • Opportunities for participation and success (Johnson,2000) • Relationships rather than buildings (Rutter,1979) • Collaboration across systems (McLaren, 2000)

  8. The role of teachers • Demonstrating respect • Positive expectations • Teaching specific strategies • Positive behaviour management • Monitoring risk • The ‘small’ things count - relationships

  9. What the young people had to say… Three predominant themes: • Striving • Value in adversity • Distancing and connecting

  10. Theme one - strivingapproaches “ Try to pick one at a time to deal with. …deal with one and then decide on how you are going to deal with the next one…

  11. Theme one - strivingapproaches “you have to kind of be sad for a little while, but then you’ve got to like bounce back because life’s not going to stop…you’ve got to keep going …the sooner you do it the better, … because otherwise if you don’t deal with it, then later on in life…” “’It’s going to bite you in the bum.”

  12. Striving - using strategies “It’s cool having things like kayaking because sometimes when you are really stressed out …you go for a run or you’ll go for a walk … I’ll go to my room and I’ll play my violin … you always kind of feel better after you have done it, … it’s kinda like a stress release”

  13. Theme two -seeing value in adversity “ … with my parents it was probably like the best thing they could have done cause like they were always, always arguing and fighting …” “ It was a great release when they separated I felt a lot more freer.”

  14. Seeing value in adversity “… I’ve got these friends in Auckland and … their parents have everything …. but when you think about it they are just living off their parents so in the future they won’t know what to do. “

  15. Theme Three - distancing and connectingDistancing “You need some way to get away from your family when you need it, … Having your own room can sometimes help so you can just go and sit in your room and get over issues yourself.”

  16. Distancing “even if you don’t do it,…say the school production, if you like just go and watch it [to] take your mind off other things.”

  17. Connecting with mates “ Sometimes all you want is someone to listen- not to lecture you or to tell you what to do, just someone to listen.”

  18. Connecting with mates “mates are like what pull you to school everyday” “ Someone that knows where you are coming from and they know you really well and they might have been through it themselves”

  19. Connecting with family…….. “I think it’s having somebody there that you can trust and talk to … whether they would be your grandparents, or if it’s your aunty.” “Family days??!!”

  20. Connecting with family “What families do you know that eat together?”

  21. Connecting with school “ If you are here now in Sixth Form you have already sort of made it so you’re not failing, ………now its like, yeah, not far to go now.” “I like representing the school I feel proud”

  22. Connections with teachers “ They’re kind of like treat you as a person …. and not as a class…. you kind of get treated as though you’re human beings and not just students.” “If you looked down or something they would always ask you ..why” “you could like joke around with them or stuff”

  23. Teachers “if you didn’t have a strict teacher, if you just have a teacher that let you do what you want, you wouldn’t learn … “I reckon it was just the teacher she was a really good teacher, she gave me a fair go, … She knew that I had that problem, and she didn’t make fun of it or anything like that”

  24. Teachers “…teachers sometimes might not realise that you are going through a rather difficult time and so they won’t … they’ll just keep pressuring you to do homework and do better and of course you have …family members pressuring you about something else.” “ Pressure from both sides.” “ You just don’t want to go anywhere.”

  25. Results -defining resilience • Agency and empowerment • Reframing • Developing strength • Resilience is a dynamic process

  26. Individual factors • Outgoing and positive • Determination, agency, control • Insight and understanding • Humour • Communication skills • Talents • Participation • Differences

  27. Other factors - connections matter! • Settings • Relationships with significant people • Friendships or family - consistency, trust, unconditional acceptance • Community??

  28. Pathways to resilience • Activities that promote skills and connections “There’s heaps of stuff to do” • Accessing help “they provide counsellors and healthnurses and people that come and talk to us about sex and relationships and stuff like that” • Relationships within school ”she sent me a little card thing saying congratulations.” • Distancing from risk

  29. How schools can help? • Access to activities - diversity and cost • Belonging to school • Learning is success • Supporting pathways to distance and connect • Promoting agency • Recognising resilience is dynamic - sometimes ‘hanging in there’ is OK • Balance boundaries with tolerance/understanding

  30. Discussion - implications • School is the most relevant context • Are students seen as problems or assets? • Balancing risk and resilience approaches • Processes are most important that enhance pathways and connections • Collaborative approaches across systems • More research involving young people? The ‘Yellow Brick Road’

  31. Acknowledgements • Contributing secondary • school • Research participants • Gledhill family • Ministry of Education, Group Special Education, Hawke's Bay

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