[Music]
positive youth development is all about
empowering youth as they discover their
unique individual strengths the positive
youth development framework is a tool
that helps trusted adults engage young
people to identify the unique gifts and
voice a strengths-based approach is a
proven strategy to do just that positive
youth development is an approach that
brings youth to the table and it allows
youth to have a voice in matters that
are impacting them and I think positive
youth development has a lot to do with
authentic relationships with working in
tandem with youth and adults to utilize
their strengths where youth have the
lived experiences and the the knowledge
of just what it is to be a youth and
what matters I think a strengths-based
approach is just more fun it's fun for
people to get to do what they are
passionate about and what they're
particularly good at it doesn't mean at
the exclusion of focusing on where there
may be gaps or weaknesses or
opportunities for growth but it means
leveraging what the things that were
particularly good at or what drives us
to do the work the strength based
approach would be closer to to saying
what are you doing in your community
already that you feel like is making
things better and what skills do you
have that you think are you know skills
that we can use with the work that we're
doing and a lot of times when you allow
that train of thought to guide you it
takes you to places that you didn't even
think possible at first PYD pretty
simply is is just the recognition that
you
have not just a voice with power within
them themselves to create the change
that that we're all hoping for within
the world that that we live in not just
as it pertains to youth but just the
world in general and so I think that
positive youth development is an
approach that helps us to tap into that
energy and and to hopefully create some
of the spaces where that change can take
place prior to getting exposed to the
positive youth development training we
were less of a strength-based emphasis
and more of awareness based approach and
then since going through the trainings
we have really continued to transform
our programming so that we are landing
in the strength space and young people
are able to practice the skills that
they need to be in healthy relationships
as opposed to just knowing what not to
look for project pave encourages youth
to use their strengths and multiple
facets if we feel that a youth may not
be a fantastic facilitator they may not
be a fantastic coordinator but they're a
great photographer then we will take
them out to events to where they can go
out and they can take pay photographs we
have them helping out with our social
media team as well the culture around
project Dave has changed for the
betterment of empowering youth and
finding areas where their strengths are
better used to utilize in project phase
organizations so one of our teen Action
Council members is a student at Thornton
high school and we were giving the
opportunity in partnership with a group
called voice to have what's called a
poster workshop I think the hope is that
when students see the posters that they
ask questions about so what what does
this mean that the students that that
made the posters then can answer that
question because obviously they know
best but they would be encouraged to
also think about what are some of the
ways that we rise above what are some of
the the things that we find that gives
us strength the way that we see youth
today can often be shaped by the way
that we look at our own experience as as
youths that reframing I feel like starts
deeply inside of yourself first before
you can really make any sort of
significant change with the way that
you're dealing with youth one of the
important components of that is our
organizational strengths around a
learning culture that we we have this
small team that we are all always
seeking out opportunities for growth and
so that allows us to learn from each
other to the work that I do really
excites me because I feel like in
various ways it gives me the chance to
just ask what are you passionate about
what are you wanting to to see improve
within your own community within the
state and then beyond as well and how
can I support you and that do you want
to learn more about how to engage youth
as partners in your work do you need
help taking young people from
participants to partners learn more
about the positive youth development
framework see more videos and find
training in your area by going to PYD in
action calm