Positive Development for Children and Youths Discussion Paper

Today’s family structure and community set-up are diversified because of the current social changes. Children and youths may be living with one parent, foster parents, a nuclear family, or are raised by grandparents. More so, there is the issue of sexuality and creating awareness of sex issues (Blake, 2015). These aspects, among others, demonstrate that children and youth need a safe living environment that promotes their physical and psychological development. The three changes that the society could make to enable the growth of children and youth is enabling safety, establishing positive social norms and structures, and providing opportunities for children to feel a sense of belonging.

Safety is essential for positive development because it affects both the psychological and physical aspects of children and teenagers. The society can promote physical changes by developing settings that are safe from violence and health issues (Pekoc, 2019). Positive Development for Children and Youths Discussion Paper For instance, society can incorporate strict measures to protect a child or teenager from sexual abuse (Fisher, 2011). The concept of development of domains outlined in module 3 demonstrates that the physical domain of a child’s development necessitates brain and healthy nervous growth. The society can set up safe and health institutions and practices that promote safety to peer group interactions and reduce unsafe conditions for children and youth.

More so, society should establish appropriate social norms and structures that enable the positive development of children and youth. For instance, the community can develop clear and consistent regulations as well as expectations for the teenagers (Blake, 2015). Also, limit settings and firm adequate control over the activities that children engage in their daily lives. Parents should develop clear boundaries and perform age-appropriate observing (Benson et al., 2012). Module 1 on social structural concept connects this notion and illustrates that the three components of structural social work are defense, unmasking social structures, and facilitating client-social worker power.

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Defense refers to advocacy to promote children’s access to basic needs and rights. Client-employee power refers to recognizing the power imbalance and individual need to provide for their needs. This perspective involves teamwork and thoughtful information sharing to increase youth empowerment (Benson et al., 2012). Unmasking structures refers to assisting youth or children comprehend that experiencing and observing the impacts of social injustices, unfortunately, a normalizing effect. It involves providing education to the youth to help them comprehend sources of their plight (Fisher, 2011). These changes in social norms and structures fundamentally promote positive development.

Establishing opportunities for youths to feel a sense of belonging promotes positive development. It involves creating supportive interactions such as guidance, consistent communication, connections, prompt response, and secure relationships (Fisher, 2011).Positive Development for Children and Youths Discussion Paper  Emerging social changes such as ethnicity, gays and lesbians, single parenting, easy access to pornography, and issues of sex and sexuality, there is a need for inclusion (Pekoc, 2019). The society needs to comprehend and embrace these changes and as well as establish support and education systems.

Regardless of a child’s background, gender, disability, or sexual orientation, social inclusion is fundamental to the growth of a child. Moreover, social inclusion promotes social engagement, development of social and cultural identity, and care for cultural and bicultural aspects (Fisher, 2011). All these factors promote a sense of belonging where a child or teenager feels free to live without the fear of judgment or exclusion (Pekoc, 2019). The physical domain demonstrates that the sense of belonging promotes the positive social-emotional growth of a child, which enables them to acquire the ability to connect with other people harmoniously at all social levels.

Lessons learned from modules 1 and 3 help me understand that society needs to make changes that provision sense of belonging, safety, and molding social norms and structures to suit positive development.

References

Blake, B. (2015). Developmental psychology: Incorporating Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories in classrooms.

Benson, P. L., Leffert, N., Scales, P. C., & Blyth, D. A. (2012). Beyond the “village” rhetoric: Creating healthy communities for children and adolescents. Applied developmental science, 16(1), 3-23.

Fisher, J. (2011). The four domains model: Connecting spirituality, health, and well-being. Religions, 2(1), 17-28.

Pekoc, S. (2019). The Traumatic Effects of Cultural Oppression on Children Who Sexually Abuse Children: A Critical Review About the Social Causes of Abuse and Treating Children with Problematic Sexual Behaviors (Doctoral dissertation, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology).

Positive Development for Children and Youths Discussion Paper