Suchergebnisse

Research suggests that military youth have higher rates of anxiety and socio-emotional difficulties as compared to their non-military peers, due in part to the unique stressors of military life. The study reported here provides feasibility findings of a mindfulness-based adventure camp that was conducted in Colorado and Hawaii with 292 military youth, through a partnership with 4-H Extension Professionals /Operations Military Kids. The results suggest that military youth were highly satisfied with the camp experience and that mindfulness tools could be used to help deal with stress. Mindfulness-based programs could be one way for Extension professionals to work with youth.

With increasing diversity and multiculturalism, there is a greater need to understand ways to foster positive intergroup interactions. In this study, youth ages 14 to 18 from three different regions in the United States ( N = 21) were given camera phones and instructed to take pictures of what multiculturalism meant to them and how it played a role in their life. Interviews and focus groups were conducted and transcribed, followed by thematic coding. Generally, youth had ideal views and attitudes about multiculturalism, but they also expressed, to varying degrees, a lack of institutional support (i.e., educational opportunities) that encouraged acquiring knowledge about diversity and multiculturalism. Youth suggested that schools should formally incorporate dialogue about multiculturalism in the school curriculum, as a way to reduce misunderstandings among different groups which in turn may facilitate greater empathy and positive intergroup relationships.