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What You Can Do

Young Adults

YouthThrive

Across the country, parents, programs, organizations and local, state and federal agencies have embraced a new approach to helping families thrive AND promoting children’s best development.

YouthThrive Protective and Promotive Factors

Factors that both mitigate risk and enhance healthy development and well-being for youth.

Youth Resilience: Internal, adaptive traits that evolve from youths’ positive or adverse life experiences, and that enable youth to survive and thrive:

  • positive identity, positive self-concept
  • self-worth
  • self-compassion
  • sense of competence and self-efficacy
  • sense of personal responsibility
  • autonomy
  • timely help-seeking
  • belief in one’s ability to influence the environment positively
  • self-advocacy
  • healthy coping

Social Connections

  • Physically and emotionally safe, stable and supportive environments including equitable schools, communities and social institutions
  • Healthy, supportive, caring relationships with family and other adults who provide positive advice; promote high expectations; and set developmentally appropriate limits, rules and monitoring
  • Healthy, supportive, caring relationships with peers and intimate partners
  • Opportunities for constructive engagement in family, school, community and social institutions

Knowledge of Adolescent Development

  • Youth and adults have accurate information about youth biopsychosocial and cognitive development, including the impact of trauma
  • Youth and adults have accurate information about preventing negative outcomes for youth (e.g., substance abuse, pregnancy, suicide, gang involvement)
  • Youth and adults recognize that all youth have strengths and capacities

Concrete Support in Times of Need

  • Opportunities for additional skill building (e.g., tutoring, counseling)
  • Crisis assistance (e.g., mental health, substance abuse, intimate partner violence, health, housing, workforce development, legal, recreation, respite)
  • Psychoeducational assistance (e.g., cognitive, behavioral and academic assessment and services)

Cognitive and Social-Emotional Competence: Youth engage in behaviors that promote healthy biopsychosocial and cognitive development, including:

  • Exercising self-regulation and impulse control
  • Building critical thinking, planning, decision-making, conflict-resolution and communication skills
  • Displaying a sense of right and wrong
  • Understanding one’s personal developmental history and needs
  • Committing to realistic, productive goals, positive work habits, activities, values and beliefs
  • Experiencing positive emotions (e.g., joy, love, hope, optimism, trust, faith)
  • Demonstrating character strengths (e.g., respect, compassion, integrity)
  • Identifying productive interests and seeking to excel
  • Forming and sustaining healthy relationships
  • Engaging in positive risk-taking
  • Avoiding drugs, alcohol and risky sexual activity
  • Building essential life skills (e.g., financial management, self-care, home maintenance)
  • Deepening cultural knowledge
  • Exploring spirituality
  • Consuming nutritious foods and exercising within one’s physical means

Learn more about YouthThrive at the website of the Center for Study of Social Policy.

Additional YouthThrive Materials:

Our Impact This Year

  • Children/Young Adults Served in 2020

    Over 9,000

  • Parents Supported in 2020

    Over 4,300

  • Service Professionals Trained in 2020

    Nearly 300

  • Counties Working with Bring Up Nebraska

    75 and Growing

© 2024 Bring Up Nebraska Initiative

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