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Preventing youth violence through the promotion of community engagement and membership
Author(s) -
Zeldin Shepherd
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/jcop.20023
Subject(s) - juvenile delinquency , youth engagement , promotion (chess) , positive youth development , youth studies , psychology , interpersonal violence , criminology , interpersonal communication , public policy , social psychology , political science , public relations , poison control , suicide prevention , developmental psychology , politics , medicine , environmental health , law
Youth policy in the United States reflects the public assumption that adolescence is a time of storm and stress and that youth are therefore in need of protection and control from their communities. These and other beliefs about youth distance adults from youth in their communities and, equally important, distract attention and debate from the full range of policy responses available to address youth violence. The purpose of this policy analysis is to explore youth engagement in community decision‐making as a public response to violence. A broad body of research indicates that youth engagement reduces the likelihood of interpersonal violence and delinquency, while concurrently promoting community membership and the development of positive youth competencies and emotional well being. Given that youth engagement is a viable policy option, the challenge will be to integrate youth into their communities as contributing citizens rather than regard them as objects of concern. Towards that end, the analysis offers six policy directions. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 32: 623–641, 2004.