«Pourquoi nous soucions-nous des 15-17 ans?»
Le Global Youth Economic Opportunities Summit hinged on this question, posé par la conférencière principale Cassie Crockett, Directeur et responsable de la stratégie chez Schmidt Futures, lors de sa quatrième session virtuelle de 2020.
Crockett a expliqué qu'avec les programmes axés sur les jeunes, "vous les rencontrez à un point d'inflexion, you are capturing them at this moment when they are considering what their trajectory into adulthood will look like.”
Convening organizations dedicated to developing methods to build the skills that young people need to achieve long-term social and economic success, GYEOS offered a breakout session featuring representatives from USAID’s Communauté, Résilience des familles et des jeunes (CERISE) program in the Caribbean.
During an Oct. 8 session titled, “Family Systems to Improve Psychosocial and Life-Skills Among At-Risk Youth: An Evidence-Based Approach,” panelists explored how CFYR’s family-based therapy model, delivered through the Questions de famille intervention, improves outcomes for ‘at risk’ youth.
“We recognize that majority of solutions are going to come through the family," a déclaré le Dr. Andre Brown of Heru Consulting, who has been training CFYR’s family counselors since 2018.
In the Caribbean, youth face high levels of unemployment and crime, as well as a lack of psycho-social support services. Using a risk assessment tool called the Youth Services Eligibility Tool (YSET), young men and women who are considered at secondary level of risk for engaging in delinquent behavior enter Questions de famille. The program then pairs highly trained counselors with youth and their families to build tools to navigate conflict, improve communication and ultimately build resiliency in vulnerable communities.
“My family counselor helped me realize my strengths and transition from a high school student to the world of work … look at me now, a young entrepreneur who focuses on photography and has his own clothing line,” explained Evron, a young Questions de famille graduate, in a video he prepared for the event.
Depuis 2016, USAID’s CFYR has been counseling youth like Evron and implementing evidence-based, targeted interventions in 15 high-risk communities across Saint Lucia, Guyane, et St. Kitts et Nevis, as part of a place based, approche de santé publique à la prévention de la violence chez les jeunes.
The soft skills developed by family counselors during coaching sessions with youth, such as self-efficacy, emotional self-regulation, and goal orientation, translate to job readiness and retention, which was a major focus at the GYEOS session.
Speaking on the panel, Government of St. Kitts and Nevis representative and CFYR partner, Michèle de la Coudray Blake, explained how the effects of this work ripple far beyond the home.
“Regulation of self, of mood, ability to manage anger and conflict… if the youth is able to manage himself in a way that is effective, he can achieve success in other areas of life whether it is school or work,” said Blake. “The more the youth is able to manage self and build confidence and resilience, those will translate to school and work success.”
Citizen Security Project Director, Docteur. Erik Alda, explored trends across all four family-based therapy programs implemented by Creative over the past six years, where on average, 75 percent of youth beneficiaries were found to be less likely to engage in crime and violence.
This trend was reflected in the Caribbean, où 73 percent of youth participants experienced a reduction in risk factors – 56 percent experienced such a dramatic decrease that they were no longer considered to be at risk after twelve months of counseling.
"[Counseling] is hugely important for these kids," a déclaré le Dr. Alda. “The skills [developed] are sustained.”
For the counselors, said Blake, the quantitative findings support the positive changes they are seeing. They embrace a holistic approach, working with participating youth, their families, and the wider community to set the stage for a sustainable transformation.
“Seeing the numbers was empowering to us, seeing the reduction in risk factors,” said Blake. “It is important to tie what the data says to the family stories. [Families say] ‘he’s listening’ or ‘we are getting on.’ The language they use to describe the cohesion of the family and aligns with what the data says.”
At the heart of the methodology lies a deep commitment to families – they are key allies in the effort to build more resilient communities. Through healing relationships, helping youth establish and pursue career goals, and educating the family on the services available to them, counselors set the stage for a sustainable transformation In this way, positive changes made at the family level are expected to have a wider impact on breaking endemic cycles of violence.
“We are partners in the process," a déclaré le Dr. Brown.
