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DEVELOPING RESILIENCE
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• Rural youth are
• Up to 4 times more likely to commit suicide
• Up to 5 times more likely to be involved in a
  motor vehicle accident
• Up to 4 times more likely to commit an alcohol
  related crime
• Up to 3 times more likely to die from external
  causes and injury
• Up to 7 times more likely to become pregnant
• Up to 11 times more likely to experience physical
  abuse if female (as compared to males) living in
  a rural community
• 1 in 3 rural youth aged 14-19 have been victims
  of alcohol related verbal and/or physical abuse
• More likely to use illicit substances

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• Resilience
• Rather than focusing on the shortcomings of
  young people who are at risk of academic failure,
  drug use, or other at-risk behaviors, the
  resilience idea attempts to identify factors that
  account for success
• (Gonzalez, R. Padilla, M, 1997).

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Resilient children have a positive attitude
toward their environment, hold a strong sense of
purpose, develop a strong internal strength
enabling them to see lifes obstacles as
challenges that can be overcome. Herbert 1996
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• Stanley Coopersmith observed that four basic
  components of self-esteem are
• significance/identity
• competence/achievement
• power, and
• virtue/purpose

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Generosity
Independence
Belonging
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Mastery
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Belonging Child rearing was not just the province
of biological parents, but children were nurtured
within a larger circle of significant others. Dr
Karl Menninger, observes that todays children
are desperately pursuing artificial belongings
because this need is not being fulfilled by
families, schools and neighbourhoods. Living
with and loving other human beings who return
that love is the most strengthening and
salubrious emotional experience in the world.
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Knowing the potential problems we need to start
much earlier in his life. You say that all of
this is his mothers job? True enough to a
point. Kids need more than
parents, they need others
a community of caring adults.
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• Research shows that young people seek help only
  from adults that they see as caring and
  nurturing.

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The systems in the human brain that allows us to
form and maintain emotional relationships develop
during infancy and the first years of life.
Experiences during this early vulnerable period
of life are critical to shaping the capacity to
form intimate and emotionally healthy
relationships. Dr. Bruce Perry
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If we wait until a young person is around 14 or
15 years of age to address the potential hazards
that face him, that is wait until he has
experimented with drugs, sex or been severely
influenced by many different media exposures we
are starting much too late.
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• Social Support
• Lack of social support is associated with
  problem behaviors (drug and alcohol use,
  delinquent acts) among youth. Strong social
  support attenuates this adverse effect.
  (McCreary, Slavine, 1996).
• Social support is often less present in the
  lives of youths at risk of school failure.
  (Rickman Rosenfled, 1998).

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Roberts et al., 1995, defined school as a
community as a place where students and teachers
care about and support each other, actively
participate in activities and decisions relating
to school, feel a sense of belonging and
identification within the school group, and have
common goals and values.
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When students had a high perception of their
school as a community, they tended to read more
outside of school, enjoy reading more, enjoy
class more, like school more, avoid work less,
and were more academically motivated. They
trusted and respected school more, enjoyed
helping others learn more, had higher educational
aspirations, and higher educational expectations.
Academically, they achieved higher on reading and
math achievement tests. In the area of personal
attitudes and behaviours, they had more concern
for others, higher self esteem, and resolved
conflicts better. It Takes a Church, p
54
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When teachers had a high perception of their
school as a community they had higher
expectations for student learning, trusted
students more, enjoyed teaching more, were more
satisfied with teaching, and had a higher overall
satisfaction with their job. When the school
climate was rated as having a high sense of
community, the principal was more competent and
supportive, parents were more supportive, and
there were more positive student-teacher
relations. It Takes a Church, p54.
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Mastery When the childs need to be competent is
satisfied, motivation for further achievement is
enhanced deprived of opportunities for success,
young people express their frustration through
troubled behaviour or by retreating in
helplessness and inferiority. A childs self
value is based upon their perception of how you
value them.
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Independence In contrast to obedience models
of discipline, Native child rearing is strongly
influenced by the principle of guidance without
interference. Elders teach values and provide
models, but the child is given increasing
opportunities to learn to make choices without
coercion.
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Well-regulated freedom was designed to give
the child abundant opportunity to learn from
experience and natural consequences In this
manner, the child who has been given
responsibility to make his own decisions in
childhood would become a responsible, disciplined
adult.
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Anthropologist Ruth Benedict, criticised our
culture for excluding youth from responsibility
only to blame them for their irresponsibility
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Generosity Long before he could participate in
the hunt, a boy would look forward to that day
when he would bring home his first game and give
it to persons in need.
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Today, little is asked of young people except
that they be consumers. A vast industry serves
youth with schooling, entertainment and goods of
all kinds, but there are limited opportunities
for the young themselves to produce goods and
services for others. Deprived opportunities for
genuine productivity, lured into consumptive
roles, young people come to believe that their
lives make little difference to the world.
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More and more people today have the means to
live but no meaning to their existence.
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Brendtro and Ness demonstrate that troubled young
people increase their sense of self-worth as they
become committed to the positive value of caring
for others. Elkind suggests that helping others
improves self-esteem, and increased self-esteem
allows young people to de-centre and contribute
to others.
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Normal Distorted Absent Attached Gang
Loyalty Unattached Loving Craves
Affection Guarded Friendly Craves
Acceptance Rejected Intimate Promiscuous Lonely Gr
egarious Clinging Aloof Cooperative Cult
Vulnerable Isolated Trusting Overly
Dependent Distrustful
Belonging
Belonging
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• Normal Distorted Absent
• Achiever Overachiever Nonachiever
• Successful Arrogant Failure Oriented
• Creative Risk-Seeker Avoid Risks
• Problem-Solver Cheater Fears Challenges
• Motivate Workaholic Unmotivated
• Persistent Delinquent Skill Gives Up Easily
• Competent Inadequate

Mastery
Mastery
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• Normal Distorted Absent
• Autonomous Dictatorial Submissive
• Confident Reckless/Macho Lacks Confidence
• Assertive Bullies Others Inferiority
• Responsible Sexual Prowess Irresponsible
• Inner Control Manipulative Helplessness
• Self-discipline Rebellious Undisciplined
• Leadership Defies Authority Easily Led

Independence
Independence
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• Normal Distorted Absent
• Altruistic Noblesse Oblige Selfishness
• Caring Plays Martyr Affectionless
• Sharing Co-Dependent Narcissistic
• Loyal Overinvolvement Disloyal
• Empathetic Servitude Hardened
• Prosocial Bondage Antisocial
• Supportive Exploitative

Generosity
Generosity
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Mending the Broken Circle One may need to answer
questions like these Is this revenge by a child
who feels rejection? Is this frustration in
response to failure? Is this rebellion to counter
powerlessness? Is this exploitation in pursuit of
selfish goals? One cannot mend the circle of
courage without understanding where it is broken.
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In a conversation with his aging grandfather,
Belleroe posed the question, Grandfather, what
is the purpose of life? After a long time in
thought, the old man looked up and said,
Grandson, children are the purpose of life. We
were once children and someone cared for us, and
now it is our time to care.
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When parents are perceived as having friendly
attentive styles of communication their
adolescents report less sexual activity in junior
high school, high school and college. Conversely
when adolescents perceive their parents as
contentious, dramatic and dominant they reported
more sexual activity. Mueller Powers, 1990
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We dont teach a kid how to become resilient.
We surround them with social support or a loving
and caring environment, we learn their names and
greet them personally taking a few moments to
talk one on one, and we develop enduring
relationships with them It Takes a Church, page 4
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Upon a careful review of much of the available
research designed to identify what it is that
fosters resilience among young people, we see one
important influencing factor that emerges over
and over again that factor is valuable, sincere,
and enduring relationships. Supportive older
adults, mentors, ranging from teachers to clergy
may contribute to resilience among youth.
(Herbert, 1996).
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Do you know the names of the children who live
next door to you? Do you know the names of the
children who live in your street? Do you
regularly engage them in conversation? Do you do
most of the talking or most of the listening? Are
you a significant adult in the lives of the
children within your circle of social
contact? You may be the single most important
factor within a childs life that protects them
from risk.
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Never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful, committed citizens can change the
world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever
has. Anthropologist Margaret Mead
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• Significance is found in the acceptance,
  attention and affection of others. To lack
  significance is to be rejected, ignored, and not
  to belong.
• Competence develops as one masters the
  environment. Success brings innate satisfaction
  and a sense of efficacy, while chronic failure
  stifles motivation.

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Women who initiate intercourse by the age of 15
are 4 times more likely to have 10 or more
lifetime sexual partners than women who initiate
intercourse by the age of 20 years. DAngelo and
DiClemente, 1996
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Similarly, a few studies that have been
conducted found that students of teachers who are
considered warm and supportive are more helpful
and cooperative than those of teachers who are
either more business like and task orientated,
or who are harsh and punitive. It Takes a
Church, p55.
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• Self-Esteem
• If self-esteem comes from others, it only makes
  sense that we must have others around us in
  order to develop positive self-esteem. If we grow
  up in a socially isolated environment where we
  have little contact with other people, especially
  adults, it is logical that we may not have the
  opportunity to develop a positive self-esteem
  unless our parent (in the case of a single parent
  home) or parents are keen on pointing out our
  true strengths and reinforcing our successes. We
  arent talking about a parent or parents who
  endlessly tell kids that we are the best, better
  than others, and do everything well. Kids are
  not fools. They can see right through
  transparent praise.

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• Social Support
• College students who reported high levels of
  social support also reported significantly lower
  levels of stress (Ainslie Shafer,
  1996)
• Larger social networks are related to less
  hospitalizations
  (Albert, Becker, McCrone, Thornicroft, 1998).

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• Social Support
• A caring adult or supportive peer relationship
  can serve as a buffer to the experience of
  childhood physical abuse. (Milner, 1989)
• Low social support is associated with a greater
  chance of death during the recovery phase
  following heart attack. (Farmer, Meter, 1996)
• When Hispanic female college students believed
  that their university environment was friendly
  and supportive, and they perceived social support
  from friends, they dropped out of college less.
  (Gloria, 1997)

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• Power is shown in the ability to control ones
  behaviour and gain the respect of others. Those
  lacking power feel helpless and without
  influence.
• Virtue is worthiness judged by values of ones
  culture and of significant others. Without
  feelings of worthiness, life is not spiritually
  fulfilling.

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