Exploring Resiliency Beyond the Individual

1. Exploring Resiliency Beyond the Individual Theory, Framework, Programs and Application Patricia Scott-Jeoffroy Parent Action on Drugs March, 2011

2. Parent Action on Drugswww.parentactionondrugs.org • began 30 years ago by parents in Ontario • initiated peer education programming in 1985 • mandate is to address issues related to youth substance use • develops and provides a growing bank of programs and resources for youth, professionals and parents and caregivers PAD is a member of HC Link

3. Agenda Exploring resiliency beyond the individual Theory Framework Programs Application

4. THEORY

5. Defining Resiliency The ability to bounce back from difficult situations and adversity to make healthier choices when coping with life’s struggles

6. Importance of Resiliency Research shows that a resilient youth is less likely to become involved in problems such as substance use, gang participation, gambling or other anti-social behaviors

7. It’s Not New The concept of resiliency is not new. Many researchers and clinicians have understood the role that resiliency plays in the lives of youth for many years.

8. Dr. WayneHammond • The capacity for resiliency develops and changes over time • Work is primarily focused on at risk youth • Risk and protective factors • Developed a framework and assessment tool

10. Michael Under Too Safe for Their Own Good: How Risk and Responsibility Help Teens Thrive • How much risk is too much risk? • Are we keeping our kids too safe? • Need to teach youth what is appropriate risk taking, how to assess risk and how to keep themselves safe rather than doing it for them Strength Based Counseling: with At-Risk Youth • Six strategies for nurturing resiliency • The hidden coping of disadvantaged youth

11. UnDer From a community perspective: • in the environment in which teens are learning to be adults; has the community found the balance between keeping youth safe and allowing them the risk taking responsibilities of the maturing process?

12. Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Mate Hold onto your kids: Why parents matter more than peers Engaging parents in the development process of youth and addressing the ‘they just don’t listen’ issue for parents Applied to a community understanding: the parent, community and broader society also speak to the youth growing up in the community Emphasis importance to listening to the voice of youth

13. Barry Duncan The Heroic Client What is Right with You • Approaching problems in life with a negative self perception predisposes you to failure. • Your personal strength allows you to manage the inevitable changes that life will offer. Applied to the community: does the environment view youth as a potential problem or opportunity and what do the policies developed reflect?

14. FRAMEWORK

15. Approaches to Youth Resiliency • Traditional understanding of the youth address the internal variables: • the ‘nature’ of the youth • the individual • Approaches focus on building self-esteem, optimism and independence of the individual almost in isolation of the external environment

16. What is the impact? Emphasis on the internal variables of the youth are important however can be limiting By also addressing the context of the community and the environment in which the youth lives broadens the impact of resiliency programs.

17. Ecological Approach Examines the context of the individual’s existence: family, peers, school, neighbours and larger society Explores the role of the environment in building resiliency Reverses the lens from the individual’s resiliency to the perspective of the environment

18. Ecological Approach • How the youth feels and sees themselves, is influences by the broader community, including friends, family and neighbourhood. • These are directly shaped by national policies, global economic climate, terrorism and the media Mental Health Foundation of Australia

19. Ecological Approach • Suggests that viewing resiliency as a component of just the individual is a limited approach • Rather, resiliency is an attribute of communities, schools and families. • Attention to the risk factors should be done only to identify development of protective factors Mental Health Foundation of Australia

20. ‘Fundamental Attribution Error’ • a tendency to see the good or poor functioning of a youth as due to the youth’s ‘nature' rather than their context or circumstances Mental Health Foundation of Australia

21. Betancourt and Khan Harvard School of Public Health 2008

22. Mental Health Foundation of Australia

23. Best Practice for Resiliency Programs • A focus on identifying and developing protective factors • Targeting of ‘at risk’ children • Targeting at times of transition and stress • A strong research or evidence base • A focus on fostering supportive environments • a preference for systemic intervention • Evaluation built into the program

24. Best Practice Mission: frame goals in positive terms Models: include positive predictors and outcome in models of change Measures: assess the positive ways as well as the negative Methods: consider multiply strategies based on resilient needs • Risk-based approaches • Asset-focused strategies • Process-oriented designs

25. Ann Masten and Jennifer Powell • When designing programs focus on the positive resources, health and competence • ‘Programs’ mission, goals, measures and methods should all reflect a focus on positive adaption and the natural human capacity for healthy adaptation.’

26. PROGRAMS

27. OPHA In February 2009, OPHA received Health Canada funding to lead a provincial Youth Engagement (YE) Project. Working closely with six pilot sites throughout Ontario, OPHA assisted with local youth engagement initiatives and developed tools and resources for organizations to use when working with youth

28. OPHA Youth Engagement Project • The project will run from February 2009 – June 2011. • The goal of this project is to increase the application of knowledge and skills among public health professionals working with grades 6, 7 and 8 students to increase youth engagement in activities that enhance protective factors and resilience against illicit drug use and risk taking behaviours among this age group. www..opha.on.ca

29. Parent Action on Drugs Strengthening Families Programs aims to increase family cooperation, communication and organization through participation in an eight-week skills-building family change program • Increase positive parenting practices • Increase overall family strengths and resilience • Increase social skills in youth (cooperation, responsibility and self-control)

30. Strengthening Families Programs • an active curriculum of skills-building designed specifically to increase protective factors, such as parent-child communication and empathy, consistent parental monitoring and positive discipline and strategies to improve family organization and cohesion. Sessions for youth are designed specifically with youth in mind; to be fun, active and helpful in relation to both parents and peers. www.parentactionondrugs.org

31. CAMH Growing up resilient: Ways to build resilience in children and youth Tatyana Barankin and Nazilla Khanlou How people cope with the challenges they face in different life stages is influenced by their sense of who they are, how they relate to the world and others around them, and how well they manage the various parts of their lives. www.camh.net

32. APPLICATIONS

33. What can we do? • No two communities will be the same or require the same supports and developments • All aspects of the local community as well as the wider society (Global economic conditions, political unrest, violence etc.) will fluctuate • Seek to be aware of the environment created through public policy and actions which have an influence on resiliency

34. Community Resilience • The strength of the social capital available for the individual to draw upon in times of adversity • The strength of the social network that supports members of the community

35. A Local Example • New High School built to accommodate increasing population in GTA community • School is built facing north side of 4 lane road • No side walk in front of school on north side of the street • Pizza, sub and chicken shop on south side of the street, bus stop and cross walk are on the North side approx 500 yards to the west with no connecting side walk

37. Environmental Resiliency • Whereas youth in their high school years are developing independence and assessing risk taking, the environment created by the lack of sidewalk inhibited appropriate opportunities. • Youth began crossing the 4 lane highway in the midst of traffic

38. Community Response • A sidewalk was built in front of the school to allow for safe passage to the intersection and south side of the street • Assessing youth resiliency from the individual perspective would evaluate what was wrong with the youth that they would be running across 4 lanes of traffic and not acknowledge that the community has created an environment that inhibited building resiliency

39. Ecological Response • evaluate environment in which the youth is making decisions • the missing sidewalk is a variable beyond the internal ‘nature’ of the individual • therefore by building the sidewalk, the community is playing a positive role to develop the independence of the youth and supporting the development resiliency

40. Another Community Example • A GTA community has a growing population, and is a commuter town for the City of Toronto • With this develops a community of families with most housing geared toward two income single family homes • The result is many parents absent from the family home after school (generally between 2:30-6:00pm)

41. Investing in Youth • New developers in partnership with the town and a youth advisory council construct a skate-board park in the middle of the new development. • Refocus on traditional approach to children’s playground. • Allows space for youth who have outgrown the playground

42. Community Response • Provides affordable access to local community centers for swimming, skating, hockey and art clubs • Provides youth drop-in programs between 3:00-5:00pm at various community locations • Provides ‘in-training’ programs for youth who are underage for employment

43. Ecological Response • Prioritizing youth in the community allowed for the recognition of positive attributes of youth • Public policy allowed for programming to support youth through social, recreational and academic opportunities • Creates a community of resilience rather than a community of youth without structured opportunities

44. Leonard Sax Boys Adrift, Girls on the Edge Assessment of gender differences in risk taking behavior • Boys overestimate their ability and underestimate the risks • Girls underestimate their ability and overestimate the risks

45. Resources Parent Action on Drugs www.parentactionondrugs.org Resiliency Initiatives : Dr. Wayne Hammond www.resiliencycanada.ca Resiliency Research Center: Michael Unger www.resilienceproject.org Mental Health Foundation of Australia www.embracethefuture.org.au

46. Conclusion • By strengthening individual resiliency you also can work towards building a stronger safer community • Resiliency can be developed within the individual. • Resiliency is also a product of the environment, community and social context of the individual • Partnership potentials exist within the community and programs designed to address both offer the best opportunities for youth

47. On behalf of Parent Action on Drugs,Thank you for participating in theResiliency Webinar