NCJ Number
228853
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior Volume: 14 Issue: 6 Dated: November/December 2009 Pages: 488-498
Date Published
December 2009
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This article explores how community youth development, critical pedagogies, and Hawaiian epistemology can help Native Hawaiian young adults cope with negative behaviors.
Abstract
Findings suggest that a program with key processes of community youth development, critical pedagogies, and Hawaiian epistemology may serve as a vehicle for health and wellness, preventing a host of negative behaviors, such as violence. Based on the findings, a critical contextually based approach to violence prevention that focuses on providing opportunities for Native Hawaiian young adults to take an active participatory role in promoting health is proposed. This model bridges theories of community youth development, critical pedagogies, and community epistemology. It has promise in preventing a host of negative behaviors among Native Hawaiian youth, and incorporates the processes of youth participation, critical consciousness, and production of cultural knowledge. These processes are complimentary, yet work simultaneously through specific activities that many conventional youth programs lack. These processes also encourage youth and young adults to learn how to live well in their social context or environment. Data were derived from a single case study of a community-based youth program that targets Native Hawaiian and other Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth. The program paid internships to 12 youth or young adults, aged 17 to 25, over a 10-month period, providing them with hands-on, real-life work and business experiences. Appendix and references