Answer

The Concept of Youth Development

Question 1: Youth Development Principles

            Working with the youth is one of the desirable opportunities that one can participate in to benefit the community. In the past, I had a chance to work with Act for Youth. During this time, I undertook a leadership role focused on educating the youth about teen pregnancy. Brinton, Hill and Ward (2017) mentioned that teen pregnancy is one of the underlying concerns in the community which should be addressed. The Act for Youth organization incorporates the principles of youth development when addressing the underlying concerns faced by the youth in the society. In its programs, the organization implements the policies of positive youth development categorized under the 5 C’s. Competence is one of the principles incorporated by the firm in its program. Arguably, I was required to communicate the concerns successfully associated with teen pregnancy to reduce the number of reported cases about the matter. While promoting the outlined knowledge, the firm requested that I show a high level of self-worth by believing that my input was going to derive satisfactory results. Considering the connection principle, the program required that I relate well with the youth to guarantee the effective delivery of the information. The organization also implements the character principle in that I was needed to educate the teenagers about how to observe societal norms while informing them about teen pregnancy. Furthermore, establishing programs focused on teaching teenagers about teen pregnancy shows that the firm cares about the well-being of the teenagers hence the need to educate them about how pregnancy can influence their life. Through the implementation of the outlined principles, a positive development is observed by the community, the teenagers and the family.

Question 2: Sport and Recreation for the Z generation

            Recreation and Sport come in handy in promoting youth development in the society. Arguably, the outlined activities attract the interests of the youths to the event by establishing a safe environment whereby the sports leaders can interact with them for a successful outcome. Several features determine the members of generation Z such as they are digitally literate, value cultural diversity, are accepting of important good health achieved by engaging in physical activity, and have strong educational aspirations. Having the identified unique factors in mind, it is recommended that the recreation leaders should design a practical approach which matches their needs. The fact that the member of the generation Z is regarded as technology “addicts” means that the recreation leaders should establish recreation activities which require the youth from the outlined generation to play more video games to facilitate an interaction process (Brinton, Hill & Ward, 2017). Moreover, such leaders can also attract more youth from this generation by arranging for gymnastic classes. The number of teens participating in such activities have recorded a positive trend over the years. For instance, in 1998, 27% of youth in Canada preferred martial arts or gymnastics as physical activity. The value increased by 11% in 2008 showing that activities are continually gaining prominence among the members of the generation Z population (Halsall, Kendellen, Bean & Forneris, 2016). The fact that the members of the generation value cultural diversity suggests that recreational leaders should establish recreational events which include people from different cultures. As a result, having such environments would attract more youths, thus creating a situation whereby they can be educated about essential concerns affecting their lives in the community.

Question 3: Domains of Development

            Cognitive, social, emotional and physical domains are considered during youth development. Brinton, Hill and Ward (2017) note that leaders often face scenarios whereby they find it difficult to engage and support the youth without them feeling undermined.  A recreational leader can consider the development domains to reduce the negative behavior of the youth through the use of recreational activities. A leader can utilize recreational activities to create an opportunity for the child to gain new knowledge after understanding the importance of a particular behavior. For instance, the use of video games enables the members of the population to engage in creativity and reasoning which is vital for their positive cognitive development. Additionally, the coach can make use of recreational activities to promote the development of the youth’s social-emotional capacities. Leisure activities such as watching documentaries expose one to an environment whereby he/she can gain experience about how to handle societal concerns. To promote the development of the physical domains of the youths, the coach can consider encouraging the members of the population to engage in activities which require their physical output (Brinton, Hill & Ward, 2017). For instance, other than staying indoors and playing video games, the coach can encourage the learners to take part in outdoor sports such as playing football. Despite the fact that outdoor pursuits have proven to be more challenging for the youth within the z generation, the coach can educate the members of the population of their benefits, thus increasing the chances that they will engage in high yield leisure activities which are more beneficial. Some of the high yield activities that the coach can recommend for physical development includes hiking, biking and swimming among others.

Question 4: Controversial Activities

            The youth are essential members of the society who should be provided with a proper guide to avoid falling victims of peer pressure. Activities can be considered as tools for attracting their interest in several instances. When offering an event that could be regarded as controversial for the youth, several factors can be found. For example, implementing several competencies which facilitate a positive development can come in handy in acting as a guide to ensure that the interest of the youths is protected in the process. For example, observing cultural competence would prove to be effective in this case since it guides in ensuring that the activity facilitates equality from both cultural contexts. Having a favorable view of the youth’s future would also guide in establishing if the event can influence the positive development of the child. In instances where the activity fails to support this form of development, then it should be overlooked. Implementing the five C’s of development can also be considered when dealing with the controversial activities for the youth. The five elements are appropriate in guiding the positive development of the youth. Therefore, they can be considered to establish an action which can jeopardize positive growth. Through the five C’s, elements such as competence, confidence, connection, character, and compassion can be examined and related to the questionable activity, thus understanding the contribution it makes to the youth’s life. Moreover, the use of personal experiences can also come in handy in gauging the nature of the activity before involving the child. Arguably, most leaders have enough experience to understand how an activity can influence the youth. Therefore, if particular leisure has contributed to more positive outcomes than the negative ones, then it is considered for the development of the members of the population.

Question 5: Putting it all together

October 23^rd 2018

Stephen Mark

1234 Mountain View Way

Greenway, CA 2334

Mayor Daniel Samson

200 Municipal Way

Greenway, CA 2334

Dear Mayor Daniel,

I am writing concerning a youth development activity involving street play in the city. I am aware of the importance of positive youth development, and I would like to take part in the process to aid in the creation of a positive future society. As a result, I have explored different sport, and recreational activities which can facilitate positive development of the members of the community and I have identified street play as the most effective. I have analyzed the activity based on competence, character, compassion, connection and confidence and I am comfortable to say that it would result to the cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development of the member of the population. Nowadays, the youth prefer staying indoors and playing video games which is not beneficial to their health. The fact that the activity is physically involving, aiding in the positive physical development of the youths attracted my attention. The current generation z youths are mostly drawn to such events, thus providing permission for the activity to take part every Sunday would attract the interest of a multitude of children. With this activity, educating the youths on essential matters such as teen pregnancy and poverty would be facilitated to create a more cautious group. As a result, a decreased trend in such issues in the society would be noted in the near future.

Granting our organization with permission to take part in the street play would benefit the youths and the society as a whole. Thank you for your service.

Sincerely,

Stephen Mark

(2017) study employed, there are very little room for generalizing the study’s findings.