Guardare agli adolescenti con fiducia e speranza. Il Positive Youth Development

Translated title of the contribution: [Autom. eng. transl.] Look to teenagers with confidence and hope. The Positive Youth Development

Elena Marta*, Sara Alfieri

*Corresponding author

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

[Autom. eng. transl.] Anyone who has had anything to do with adolescence (because he has been there, because he has a child at this stage, or for professional reasons) cannot but agree that this is a very complex and tiring phase of the life cycle . These complexities and fatigue are not unique to the adolescent, but to all the adult figures that are next to him. The vast production of volumes, articles, hashtags on this age group gives us a taste of this complexity: the offer ranges from supporting parents to 'survive unharmed' to their children, to practical indications strictly designed for the 'employees of works', to real dictionaries that help to read and interpret a 'new way of being a teenager', different from that of past generations. These brief glimpses of the adult gaze refer us to the idea of a specific way of considering the 'adolescent phenomenon', not divorced from a certain mistrust, as they are mainly found in the most critical and problematic sides and less frequently a reality made up of resources, interests, relationships, values. This view of adults on young people is not without consequences: in fact, it is part of a spiral that is anything but virtuous, which can lead to disappointment with children's expectations of the adult world. The latter, in fact, is perceived as incapable of providing real opportunities for growth and being fertile ground for development processes that generate well-being and realization. How can this spiral be broken? In our opinion, a first step can be taken by the adult world. It is our responsibility to start looking at the 'adolescence phenomenon' with different eyes: not only pointing the finger at what is not working, what is missing, which creates inconvenience or problems, but also and above all enhancing what is already there and that it needs to be well channeled to be able to express itself at its best. It is clear that this is a cultural change that must see all the actors involved as protagonists. Because, as we will see better in the course of this chapter, for ...
Translated title of the contribution[Autom. eng. transl.] Look to teenagers with confidence and hope. The Positive Youth Development
Original languageItalian
Title of host publicationGenerazione Z. Guardare il mondo con fiducia e speranza
Pages17-41
Number of pages25
Publication statusPublished - 2018

Keywords

  • Adolescenti
  • Adolescents
  • Approccio di sviluppo positivo
  • Positive Youth Development

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