About youth development
Adolescence is a critical period in a person’s lifespan involving big physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioural changes.
The processes and experiences of adolescence are complex, and they are different for every young person, according to their sex, ethnicity, socio-economic status, family background, genetic make-up, cultural environment and personal disposition.
Youth development is the process by which young people cultivate the skills during adolescence that they will need as adults.
A “strengths-based” approach to youth development involves focusing on young people’s assets and capabilities to help them become confident and competent directors of their own lives. This means providing them with opportunities to explore their own interests and talents, learn how to navigate through problems for themselves, and gradually develop a clear and positive sense of their own identity and autonomy as adults.
Youth development is an ongoing process.
Youth development is ongoing as young people move through many different environments: home and family, schools, workplaces, peer groups, neighbourhoods and communities. Each environment contributes to the complex interplay of protective and risk factors that influence a young person’s growth into adulthood, and each presents different opportunities for positive experiences and discoveries.
Learn more about the Youth Development Strategy Aotearoa.
A detailed overview of youth development in theory and practice is presented in the Youth Development Strategy Aotearoa and its companion document: Building Strength: A review of research on how to achieve good outcomes for young people in their families, peer groups, schools, careers and communities. The strategy and literature review were published by the Ministry of Youth Development in 2002 and are available for free download from the relevant Ministry of Youth Development publications page.
