The Circle of Courage

I am journaling my way each Monday through Reclaiming Youth At Risk: Our Hope for the Future by Larry Brendtro, Martin Brokenleg & Steve Van Bockern. Part 2 of 3.

In last week's journal entry I described how the authors view the challenge of youth at-risk as a systemic community issue. There are four hazardous environments that work against their well-being: destructive relationships, climates of futility, learned irresponsibility, and the loss of purpose. Young people immersed in these environments experience a profound alienation.

The section of the book I'm journaling about today describes The Circle of Courage, a framework to help youth at-risk experience belonging rather than alienation. They write, "Lacking a sense of self-worth, a young person from any cultural or family background is vulnerable to a host of social, psychological, and learning problems." Because of this, the circle reflects four components that speak to the self-esteem, or primary emotional needs, of youth:

1. The Spirit of Belonging is about acceptance. Respect and inclusion isn't just the responsibility of the nuclear family, but all sectors (and generations) of the community.
2. The Spirit of Mastery shows a young person that they're good at something that benefits others. The importance of this is explained thusly, "When the child's need to be competent is satisfied, motivation for further achievement is enhanced." In other words, success breeds success.
3. The Spirit of Independence is the "ability to control one's behavior and gain the respect of others." It fosters young people who are self-reliant and resilient.
4. The Spirit of Generosity gets young people looking outside themselves and at the needs of others. The authors rightly assert, "young people cannot develop a sense of their own value unless they have opportunities to be of value to others."

Belonging, Mastery, Independence, and Generosity—these are needs that must be met in an adolescent to ensure a healthy adulthood. Young people are trying to meet these needs, whether they know it or not. Their attempts to do so may be distorted by experiences in a hazardous environment. All the more reason for caring adults everywhere to help youth mend "the broken circle", the strategies of which I'll journal about next Monday.

Ian Eastman, M.A. is the Conference Youth Coordinator for the Southwestern New York Conference of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Coordinator of the Shared Lutheran Youth Ministry in Jamestown NY, and a Youth Minister in the Pastoral Care Department at Gustavus Adolphus Family Services. He is a student at the Institute for Youth Ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary.