Building Healthy Individuals, Families, and Communities

Youth have nearly always exhibited behaviors that frustrate adults. It can be diffi­ cult to understand why young people engage in risky or destructive behavior, and it is challenging to develop strategies to encourage more healthy and responsible behavior among our youth. However, it is helpful to realize that despite the fact that large numbers of youth engage in frightful and destructive behaviors for pe­ riods of time during adolescence and early adulthood, a large proportion of youth find a way not only to survive but also to bounce back and contribute significantly to the furtherance of human development. We are not the first generation of adults to experience the pain, fear, and frustration of dealing with our youth. More important, we recognize that we are not helpless when faced with the problems youth experience. While it is true that adolescents have always exhibited problem behaviors, a number of effective tools and approaches have always been at our disposal to assist with appropriate youth development. Of course, the most effective approaches require a tremendous amount of focused time and energy.