Working with Youth to Enhance their Natural Supports: Practice Framework
Burns Memorial Fund and United Way of Calgary and Area are pleased to release “Working with Vulnerable Youth to Enhance their Natural Supports: A Practice Framework, Version 2.0.” Natural supports are relationships and associations that are ‘natural’ in the sense that they are informally and locally developed; and are based on reciprocity or give and take. Natural supports include family, friends, neighbours, coaches, team-mates, and others who comprise our social network.
A growing body of research clearly demonstrates the connection between positive natural supports and healthy youth development. Natural supports play a critical role in promoting youth resiliency, social integration, and positive development. They can also contribute to a youth’s recovery and growth process, reduce psychological distress, and help vulnerable youth successfully transition to adulthood.
Professional supports, while important, aren’t sustainable. Programs end, professionals change jobs, and youth age out of services. An over-reliance on professional supports ultimately increases vulnerability. Through utilizing the Practice Framework in working with youth, we work towards empowering youth to rely on and contribute to a life-long network of supportive family, community, and peer relationships.
This Practice Framework is the culmination of several years of work with 13 dedicated community partners, known as the Change Collective. Their knowledge and skill working with vulnerable youth, candidness in sharing their experiences, and openness to significant practice change were crucial in the development of these documents. Our partners and co-authors are:
- The Alex
- Aspen
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Calgary and Area
- Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary
- Calgary and Area Child and Family Services
- Calgary Fetal Alcohol Network
- Calgary John Howard Society
- Calgary Sexual Health Centre
- Carya
- Catholic Family Service
- Hull Services
- Parent Support Association
- Wood’s Homes
We would also like to acknowledge the significant contributions of our writer/facilitator, Elizabeth Dozois of Word on the Street Ltd. and our developmental evaluator, Melissa Innes of MPI Associates.
The full version of the Practice Framework can be found by clicking on the image below. Please feel free to download, copy, use and distribute.
