Case Study
...picture of youth behavior. According to the report 21% reported having problems in school which including skipping class and grades below a C average. Anti-social behaviors included trouble with police, vandalism and shoplifting, to which 23% of the youth admitted. Violence including fighting, threatening physical harm, or carrying or using a weapon accounted for 29% of responses. And, finally, 12% had claimed having sexual intercourse three or more times in their lifetime.
While these may appear to be separate incidents, low self-esteem is a common factor that influences risk taking behavior. The level of self-esteem a person has can be linked to the number of positive assets they possess. There are 40 assets that are needed for success in life, and the more assets a person has the less likely they are to engage in high risk behaviors, such as substance abuse and risky sexual behaviors. In a survey done by the Erie County Health Department, Erie County students had a total of 18.2 assets on the average.
This data shows the need for a program in the schools to build assets among students which will lower their engagement in high risk behaviors. The long term benefits of this will include fewer problems in schools, lower teen pregnancy rates, less gang related activity, and a lower rate of substance abuse.
Available in our community are many organizations that deal with helping youth but there are few programs that deal with promoting self-esteem. The programs that do promote self-esteem, such as the Boys and Girls Club, use it as only part of their mission. Or there are programs that focus directly on self-esteem but limit participation to a certain age group or sex. The two programs found directly working on promoting healthy self-esteem were the Erie County Health Department's "I Believe I Can Fly" summer camp and Adam Junior High School's "Soul...
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