Growing up in Switzerland, I participated in the Swiss Girl Scout movement. We spent the majority of every Saturday afternoon in the forest, learning outdoor skills such as making a fire, navigating with a map, and planting seeds. Working in a residential home for children and adolescents at-risk, I noticed that the first priority was to manage unwanted behaviors, which we generally approached through punishments or restrictions. I felt more like...

The purpose of this thesis is to examine prevention methods that work in keeping youth from joining gangs and to outline the steps necessary to develop a business plan for an existing youth-serving organization. This business model is a response to the need for a viable solution for youth joining gangs in Tucson, Arizona. The thesis includes the following elements: research demonstrating the challenge of youth joining gangs both across the United...

The purpose of this text was to research best practices in supporting therapeutically significant growth with at-risk youth populations. The result of this inquiry is a research project, which provides an overview of materials examined and finally, a curriculum manual for counselors that is applicable to a varied audience including educators and social workers. The focus of the manual is on the essential components of conducting therapeutically effective...