Youth mentoring programs are extremely important for our future. These programs help the current generation of young individuals to develop a positive attitude towards life and be active members of society. At BBSLI, we aim to provide our mentees with all the possible tools to help them develop and grow most effectively. Positive youth development is an essential part of our programs through which we aim to empower young individuals and help them live a sustainable life.
What is Positive Youth Development?
Positive youth development programs are designed especially to facilitate the optimal development of youth. The developmental progress of the youth is the center of such programs that take a positivistic approach. This approach seeks to help young individuals develop their inherent potential and the qualities of emotional intelligence, mental capabilities, and behaviour. Such programs also help youngsters with their academic and career endeavours.
The aim of positive youth development is to make youth into productive members of society. The youth development programs do not see youngsters as a problem to be solved; instead, the focus is on helping them develop in the most optimal manner and solve the problems that actually impact them. It is not the individual, but their circumstances that are considered a problem, and that’s what these programs seek to solve.
Features of Positive Youth Development
To understand the essence of positive youth development, it is important to understand some of its features. Knowing these features is essential to gaining an insight into what positive youth development is and how it functions. Check out the list of features of positive youth development below.
- Positive youth development is a continuous process. It is not a one-time process but rather a process that helps young individuals continuously.
- It is also an intentional process that is proactive about protecting young individuals from a negative impact.
- In these programs, the young individuals play an active role and are not considered passive entities. Rather, they are motivated to act and become an active agent in their life.
- Positive youth development programs are aimed at helping young individuals grow and develop their skills to enhance the quality of their lives.
- These programs are also created to acknowledge the skills of young individuals and develop them to turn them into assets that can help improve the quality of life they live.
- These programs also aim to involve the community in their functions, so there is scope for the overall development of an individual.
- Positive youth development also seeks to help young individuals develop themselves into healthy and functioning adults that can contribute positively to society.
Key Elements of Positive Youth Development
Positive youth development is a research-based approach and has certain key elements. These elements define the development process and outline what are its main objectives. Check out the list of key elements of positive youth development programs below.
- Positive Relationships – The programs aim to create a positive relationship between the young individual and their surrounding community. This helps youth develop healthy relationships that benefit them in the long run.
- Safe Environment – The programs provide a safe environment for the youth to help them express themselves freely. This safe environment is crucial to their growth potential, as abusive environments are known to result in stunted emotional and mental growth.
- Providing Service – These programs are about providing service and also developing a sense of service in the young individuals involved in its programs.
- Opportunity for Mastery – The youth development programs are also an opportunity for the youth to focus on their innate skills and achieve mastery in them. The development of skills is crucial for youth to thrive and live a sustainable life in society.
- Opportunities for Learning – There are various learning opportunities provided to youth to help them develop in a positive way. These opportunities for learning are not limited to hard skills but also soft skills.
- Hopefulness About Future – Building a sense of positivity is an essential part of positive youth development programs. The sense of hopefulness about one’s future helps youth have a positive approach toward their life and future.
- Discovering Self – The most important part of positive youth development programs is to help young individuals develop a sense of self. The programs aim to help youth to identify who they are and where their interests lie. They have various exercises that help one gain an understanding of one’s own self.
- Developing Self-Esteem – The positive youth development programs are also aimed towards helping one develop self-esteem. Having confidence in one’s own abilities is crucial, and these programs ensure that the individual has a sense of self that helps in the creation of confidence, which enables them to go after their goals.
Youth Mentoring Programs for Youth Development
Youth mentorship programs at BBBSLI aim to help young individuals to create a positive life. The programs are aimed towards creating a positive change that can exclusively benefit the individuals. At BBBSLI, we help young individuals in many ways. These ways are curated in order to facilitate the maximum development of one’s skills and potential.
- We match our mentees or Littles with their mentors or Bigs by following a very strict method. Our Bigs are chosen carefully and matched with the Littles carefully after giving consideration to factors such as shared interests, personalities, etc.
- We have multiple programs that help mentors, as well as mentees, find a common, comfortable ground to facilitate the youth mentoring programs and achieve their aims.
- We organize various events every year to help mentors and mentees bond and have an experience that allows them to grow and develop themselves.
- We provide assistance to mentors as well so they can do their best and find strategies that can help them develop their mentees to their full potential.
- We also have various donation drives to provide our Littles with the important things they need to live a comfortable life.
To Sum Up
Positive youth development is certainly a need for young individuals who are living at a disadvantage. The youth mentorship programs are a great way to enable young people to find their skills and use them to create a positive change for themselves. The programs are aimed at ensuring that young individuals become active agents of the society in which they live and contribute positively. While the aim is to help young people as much as possible, the primary goal is to make them self-confident and self-sufficient.
