I appreciate the ways you are all thinking about your own families, ways families are incorporated into the work of the Vera spinoffs, and ways families are complex—they have strengths and challenges. There are no short answers and they key is to have a balanced approach where you can consider the strengths and challenges of families.
I thought you might be interested in learning more about ways to help people uncover their strengths. A colleague of mine named Michael Clark brings this approach to probation and parole departments all around the U.S. and even internationally. He has written about the benefits to a strength-based approach and we build on this work when training or providing technical assistance in criminal justice settings. For more on his work, you can visit: www.buildmotivation.com. If you look under the Resources Section and select “Youth and Families” there are some short articles about applying a strengths perspective to work with justice involved youth. I found it really shifted my thinking and ‘d be interested in what you think.
I thought you might be interested in learning more about ways to help people uncover their strengths. A colleague of mine named Michael Clark brings this approach to probation and parole departments all around the U.S. and even internationally. He has written about the benefits to a strength-based approach and we build on this work when training or providing technical assistance in criminal justice settings. For more on his work, you can visit: www.buildmotivation.com. If you look under the Resources Section and select “Youth and Families” there are some short articles about applying a strengths perspective to work with justice involved youth. I found it really shifted my thinking and ‘d be interested in what you think.
1 comment:
Thank you Ms. diZerega, for providing us with a useful website. The articles posted there help us understand how justice can not only provide punishment for an individual, but also emphasize their strengths.
Most of all, I liked the idea of positive reintegration into the community. After committing any misdemeanor, teenagers viewed as criminals among their neighbors. However, if they bring any benefit to the community, whether it is planting trees in a park or sweeping floor in a supermarket, they are not viewed as “bad guys” anymore. Positive reintegration alters the way adults view these teenagers. This was the main goal of The Institute for Strengths in Juvenile Justice in Mason, Mich., founded by Michael C. Clark.
A probation officer views those teenagers as villains, a social worker views them as victims. We all have our good and bad sides. Mr. Clark looks at those teens from the third perspective. He evaluates their strengths. He applies something that “is blowing those teens off” for their benefits and for the benefits of the community.
The Institute for Strengths in Juvenile Justice in Mason, Mich. is doing an amazing work. Its workers change teenager’s lives through their support and support of teenagers’ families. My only question to Ms. diZerega and to everyone is what happens when those teenagers do not have any support from their families? when they have no one to listen to? when they have no one to come back to? How does the Institute for Strengths in Juvenile Justice in Mason, Mich. solve this problem?
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