Introduction and Summary
Most of us understand how children in stable families with good schools and safe, enriching neighborhoods are able to succeed. But how does a child who does not have these supports thrive? And why is it that even when the indicators seem to signal "doomed life ahead," some children surmount adverse circumstances, growing and excelling? How do youth find ways within and outside their families to meet some of their basic needs?
A portion of the answer is found in the results of an investigation by child psychologist Emily Werner, of the University of California, and her colleague Ruth Smith, a clinical psychologist. Werner and Smith tested, over a span of more than 30 years, a sample of children born in 1955 in Kauai, Hawaii, into troubled and impoverished families. The researchers discovered that one-third of the high-risk children were vulnerable but resilient throughout the study, becoming successful in school and later at work. The study's authors described them as "competent, confident, caring adults." The other two-thirds developed emotional and behavioral problems, which included teen pregnancy and mental health problems and delinquency.
Werner and Smith identified three clusters of protective factors separating the resilient group from the other adolescents: certain temperamental characteristics and engaging social skills; strong relationships with parents or parental substitutes, including siblings; and a community support network.
Of those children in the Werner and Smith study who did succumb to their at-risk environment, becoming problem teenagers, a portion matured to become successful young adults. Key to their ability to pull their lives together were pivotal experiences with supportive people in situations that structured their lives. For example, problem teenagers who joined the military or a church group, went to college or developed a stable and close relationship with a spouse were more likely to become successful young men and women.19
While the theory of resiliency is not entirely understood, other studies support the findings of Werner and Smith. The capacity to be resilient challenges the notion that impoverished environments doom a child to a dismal future.
However, as a member of the Youth Committee of the Lilly Endowment asserts, "While children can, and often do, make the best of difficult circumstances, they cannot be sustained and helped to grow by chance arrangements or makeshift events. Something far more intentional is required."20
Community youth organizations now play an increasingly vital role in making "something more intentional" happen. Nationwide, more than 17,000 such organizations offer community programs for youth. These include large, national groups such as the YMCA of the USA and Boys and Girls Clubs of America, as well as local community organizations such as churches, museums, libraries, performing arts, recreation and youth development centers.
Such programs address children's needs for adult support and provide role models, often making an impression on youngsters who might otherwise surrender to hostility and hopelessness. They become locations in which youth "hang out," forming friendships with peers and adults while taking an active role in constructive activities and learning
new skills.
As noted by the Carnegie Council,"[Y]oung members socialize with their peers and adults and learn to set and achieve goals, compete fairly, win gracefully, recover from defeat, and resolve disputes peaceably. They acquire life skills: the ability to communicate, make decisions, solve problems, make plans, set goals for education and careers. They put their school-learned knowledge to use, for example, by working as an intern in a museum."21 Experiences such as these can offset adverse circumstances and lead youth toward productive lives.