Profiles in Mentoring: Peter L. Samuelson on Positive Youth Development

Chronicle (C): Your book emphasizes the metaphor of youth organizations as “crucibles” for transformation. Can you elaborate on how this concept emerged and why you felt it was the best way to describe the work of these organizations?

Peter Samuelson (PS): I wanted a metaphor that emphasized the “container” in which these principles are delivered by the youth service organizations. The main force of the metaphor is that – like metal compounds cannot be combined without a crucible or container that can withstand the heat – so is the community formed to serve the youth crucial to the effectiveness of the eight other principles. There is something essential about the community in which the principles are practiced – a values-driven community – in which youth can have the safety and space to form themselves and be formed by others in the adolescent project of identity formation. Psychology is quite able to study individuals as well dyadic relationships (mentors, friendships, parents), but often misses the power of a community of adults dedicated to the care and development of youth. I thought this metaphor captures some of the essential nature of the role of adults in community around serving youth which exists in many forms in our society (school, church, sports, out-of-school programs).

C: In your research, you identified nine key principles that guide successful youth service organizations. Which of these principles do you think is the most challenging to implement, and why?

PS: I want to say the formation of a values-driven community might be the most challenging. These organizations and the community of adults that form around them are often started by a charismatic leader who imparts a vision on the organizations, or the organization hires such a leader who creates the community of values. It can be done by the staff of existing organizations (like Boys and Girls Clubs, 4-H, Girls, Inc. and other national franchises) but in the examples I studied, one leader usually played a key role in forming the values-driven community. It also takes tremendous resources. Sadly, one of the organizations I studied, Youth Radio of Oakland, CA (now known as YR Media) recently had to close due to lack of funds to sustain their programming. They are hopeful they can reorganize – but there is no promise of that.

I would like to add the principle of providing opportunities to learn and practice social, emotional, and relationship skills is also difficult to implement. This is because it is often ad-hoc – that is – it is situation dependent. In the examples I observed, the mentor often “caught” the youth in a crisis or situation that then became a teachable moment of emotional regulation – a key skill in this principle. It is relationship dependent, which takes time to develop and time together to experience enough “teachable moments” to make a

difference. That said, it can be one of the most powerful of the principles for youth to experience, especially those who grow up in violent circumstances.

C: As a former Director of Research and Evaluation at the Thrive Foundation for Youth, how did your experiences there shape the development of this book and its focus on Positive Youth Development (PYD)?

PS: The Thrive Foundation for Youth was an early adopter and supporter of the emerging science of Positive Youth Development. From its very inception around 1999, the King family (who formed the Thrive Foundation for Youth) dedicated substantial grants to fund research in PYD, giving funds to the Stanford Center on Adolescence to study purpose, and the Search Institute to study developmental relationships, to name a few. They also developed curricula and programs based on PYD and funded their implementation. Most importantly, my experience there brought me into contact with these scholars and allowed me to be in conversation with them as I developed the nine principles. For example, we were able to fund the convening of scholars around topics like the gathering of scholars around “natural mentors” hosted by the University of Massachusetts at Boston. Having funds to dedicate to hiring experts like Michael Quinn Patton to consult with me on Principles-focused Evaluation methods didn’t hurt either! Even though it was a small, family foundation, I felt like I was in the hub of the community of scholars dedicated to developing the science of PYD. The interactions with practitioners and scholars in that “hub” were rich and influential indeed.

C: Your book critiques deficit-based labels like “at-risk youth” and instead advocates for terms like “at-promise youth.” How do you think these labels influence the way society views and supports young people?

PS: To flip the script, these labels impoverish young people growing up in challenging circumstances and might even put them “at-risk.” Most perniciously, it can rob them of finding within themselves and within their communities the resources they need for their positive development. This is why the intellectual framework of “affordances” that I borrowed from the Evolutionary Psychologist, John Gibson, is so important to me. It gives us a way to talk about existing assets in these so-called impoverished neighborhoods and gives youth eyes to see how these resources afford them opportunities for their own positive development. It also allows them to see their own gifts and aptitudes as affording resources for positive development. Mentors play a key role in helping youth discover these affordances both in themselves and in their surrounding environment. The term “at-

promise” came from a mentor in the Becoming a Man (BAM) program in a school in the South Side of Chicago, one of the most challenging neighborhoods to grow up in in the nation. That label affords the chance for youth to see their promise instead of focusing on the obstacles in their way and gives them permission to find a way of fulfilling that promise.

C: While your book provides a robust framework for youth development, it also touches on systemic challenges like racism and poverty. How can youth organizations balance addressing these larger systemic issues while focusing on individual development?

PS: What was so exciting about getting to know these organizations was to see how they incorporated youth voice and action to address larger systemic issues of racism and poverty. The ninth principle of “empower youth to engage in the betterment of their communities and the world” was used by these organizations to help the youth both understand larger systemic issues and use their passion and gifts to address them. Sometimes it was through a kind of individual commitment on the part of the youth to develop themselves and get the kind of education and training that would allow them to come back to the organizations or organizations like them to “give back” to kids like them or to engage in careers that would address these systemic issues. In other cases, it involved organizing the youth to solve problems or give witness to politicians and the society at large concerning the problems and challenges they face. At the Thrive Foundation, we finally landed on a definition of “thriving” that was offered by a number of directors of the organizations we engaged with. These directors knew youth were thriving when they wanted to “give back” to the community. I continue to be awed by the work of these organizations and the ways they empower youth to be agents of positive change in their communities.

Dr. Samuelson’s book can be found here