Youth attitudes toward difference and diversity: a cross-national analysis

This paper analyses youth attitudes toward difference and cultural diversity. Firstly, we analyse data from 65 countries showing that youths are more tolerant than older people toward both stigmatised groups and groups perceived as racially or ethnically different. Findings also show that political conservatism is a very stable predictor of intolerance to difference. Secondly, we study the appraisals of cultural diversity in 21 European countries, showing that youths express greater openness to cultural diversity than older people. In this new study, while values of conservation correlate negatively with openness to cultural diversity, values of self-transcendence correlate positively.

Social engagement among migrant youth: attitudes and meanings

This article explores migrant young people’s engagement, participation and involvement in socially meaningful activi-ties, events and experiences. This type of social participation is approached in the social inclusion literature using the notions of social capital and active citizenship (Bourdieu, 1986; Coleman, 1988; Putnam, 1993; Putnam, 2000). A key objective, therefore, is to explore the attitudes, values and perceptions associated with social participation for young people. They include the meanings that social engagement has for migrant young people, along with drivers and inhibi-tions to active participation. The article focuses on both the motives for being actively engaged as well as perceived barriers to social engagement. It is based on a large study conducted among migrant young people of African, Arabic-speaking and Pacific Islander backgrounds in Melbourne and Brisbane, and presents both quantitative and qualitative (discursive) snapshots from the overall findings, based on interviews and focus groups. While many studies have cen-tred on the management of migration and migrants, this article draws attention to the individuals’ active position in negotiating, interpreting and appropriating the conditions of social inclusion. Accounting for the multidimensional and multilayered nature of social inclusion, the paper highlights the heuristic role of social engagement in fostering the feel-ings of belonging and personal growth for migrant youth.

Determinants of youth attitudes and skills towards which drinking/driving prevention programs should be directed. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Migrant youth, cultural identity and media representation

The current social climate of heightened intercultural tensions in culturally pluralist societies such as Australia highlights the need to develop a more nuanced understanding of the complex cultural adjustment processes  encountered by migrant youth in developing and articulating a sense of  national belonging, To this end, this chapter examines migrant settlement experiences as a 'process by which individuals and groups ... maintain their cultural identity while actively participating in the larger societal framework' (Karac 2001). Research into these critical aspects of integration and  acculturation examines identity formation as a cultural process of  renegotiating individual and group identity, and focuses on concepts of belonging, recognition and self-respect (Berry '997). While cultural factors are considered critical indicators of successful integration into the host community, insufficient research has been conducted into the particular processes of group and individual identity formation that take place amongst migrant youth. In the case of Australia, this process has been made  particularly difficult for some cultural groups due to the contemporary resurgence of populist and exclusionary discourses of national identity. In such a context, the construction of identity amongst migrant youth is all the more challenging, especially when this process exhibits notions of dual attachment, hybridity and difference. For migrant youth, the engagement with different social institutions such as family, school and wider societal networks often affects the processes of identity 'formation that are inherently  dynamic and 'necessarily multiple and fluid' (Noble & Tabar 2002, pp.I28). Negotiating life in-between cultures, youths from migrant backgrounds experience identity construction as a highly contested territory.

Cultural identity is a central issue for immigrants, regardless of how much time has elapsed since leaving their country of origin. This issue is particularly salient for first- and second-generation1 migrant youth, who negotiate identity space comfortably alongside, in opposition to, or more commonly, somewhere in between, their immigrant parents' conceptions of culture and the receiving culture in which they live. Unlike their native peers,  the children of immigrants arc exposed to intra-ethnic and inter- ethnic   dynamics and experiences in their journey towards cultural identity formation. These experiences are complex and diverse, and are navigated within multi- layered ethnic, racial, familial, gendered, socioeconomic and educational  contexts.

The chapter begins by providing theoretical frameworks for conceptualising  cultural diversity and cultural identity. It then examines how migrant youth  negotiate cultural identity in the public realms of family networks and school  environments and how these translate into key educational and behavioural  outcomes. It will draw on some qualitative snapshots as a way of illustrating  shifting migrant youth attitudes towards society, school and culture.

Hope seen through the eyes of ten Australian youth

In this study I explored the phenomenon of hope, seen through the eyes often Australian youth. Specifically, the participants of this study were self-identified Spirit-filled Christian youth residing in Melbourne and youth who were marginalised and disenfranchised from main stream society and receiving care and supportive services within an outreach organisation located in another state in Australia at the time of their interview. The rationale for the selection of these youth for inclusion in this study is contained in this thesis in Chapter 4, The Study Method A phenomenological study, using the philosophical underpinnings of Hans Georg Gadamer (1989), was selected to explicate the meaning of and to distil the essence of hope seen through the eyes of these participants, and is the main aim of this study.

Reengaging 'at-risk' youth in secondary education

A psychosocial study suggesting how 'at-risk' youth may reengage in secondary education. There are four outcomes: first, recognize identity work as key to understanding youth; second, progressively include youth in decision making; third, empower youth through collegial dialogue; finally, share creation of and responsibilities for content, process, assessment and evaluation.

Relationships among adolescent substance use, leisure boredom, and physical activity

This study was a secondary analysis of data drawn from the Youth Leisure Study. The purpose of the study was to: a) explore the relationships among physical activity, leisure boredom, and various substance use variables; b) determine if leisure boredom moderated the relationship among physical activity and substance use variables; and c) create a foundation of knowledge with which to educate adolescents and educators of the importance of adopting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle early in life (i.e., free from unhealthy behaviours such as substance use and physical inactivity). Studies examining relationships among physical activity and substance are limited and, in the past, have yielded inconsistent results. The interaction of leisure boredom with physical activity intensity variables, including both team and individual pursuits were tested using moderated hierarchical regression procedures. Six measures of physical activity were used as independent variables, including, frequency of high, medium, and low intensity individual and team physical activities. Various types of substance use, including, tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol use, binge drinking, and drunkenness were used as dependent variables. The results for this study indicated that frequency of physical activity intensity was a consistent, positive predictor of alcohol use and binge drinking, but not tobacco use, marijuana use, or drunkenness. Leisure boredom was found to be a highly significant predictor of tobacco use, however, it was not a moderator of relationships among physical activity intensity and substance use variables. The implications for the study findings, are discussed further, and suggestions for future research are presented.

Generació Einstein 3.0. La comunicació en un món nou

Imaginem-nos que volem vendre alguna cosa a un jove: un producte, una idea o potser unes pràctiques a la nostra empresa. Com ho faríeu? Quins mètodes podríeu fer servir? Ho faríeu de la mateixa manera que ho heu fet sempre? Penseu que els vostres anuncis, textos publicitaris, llocs web o cartells encara serien vàlids? Creieu que tots els diners invertits en comunicació i màrqueting us ajudarien a assolir l’objectiu? Si la resposta a aquestes preguntes és que sí, aleshores no cal que continueu llegint. Podeu continuar comunicant-vos amb els joves com ho heu fet fins ara, perquè us funciona. Però si us passa com a tots nosaltres i reconeixeu que la comunicació amb els joves no és tan fàcil, que de vegades us sembla que no us veuen o no us senten, aleshores us convidem a continuar llegint. No pretenem oferir totes les respostes, ja que no tenim la clau dels seus cors, però sí que volem mirar d’entendre el seu comportament, la seva manera de pensar i les seves accions

Sociedades adultocéntricas: sobre sus orígenes y reproducción

Nuestra sociedad occidental puede ser caracterizada conceptualmente desde diversas nociones según los ejes de observación que se privilegien en el análisis. Para el caso de este ejercicio reflexivo, el eje principal es el de las relaciones entre clases de edad, específicamente juventudes y adultez. Desde esa perspectiva, decimos que se trata de una sociedad adultocéntrica, producida como resultado de diversos procesos económicos y políticos que han consolidado materialmente este modo de organización societal, así como de la construcción de su matriz socio-cultural que, en un plano simbólico, potencia su recreación y reproducción, construyendo imaginarios que afectan directamente las relaciones y los procesos identitarios de diversos sujetos sociales. La presente reflexión muestra procesos que han posibilitado la emergencia y reproducción de sociedades adultocéntricas, leído desde las condiciones y situaciones de las y los jóvenes.

Gosto, música e juventude: uma pesquisa exploratória com grupos de alunos da rede pública e privada de ensino em Araraquara

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention in San Jose, Costa Rica : Assessment of an Educational Intervention

This thesis explores adolescent pregnancy in San Jose, Costa Rica and examines a school-based pregnancy prevention intervention. The relationships between school, gender and risk of adolescent pregnancy are also analyzed, and recommendations are made for effective pregnancy prevention programming. The Purral region of Guadalupe on the outskirts of San Jose, Costa Rica, suffers a higher rate of adolescent pregnancy compared to the rest of the country. In response to this problem, the International Health Central American Institute (IHCAI) implemented a sexual health education program in two local secondary schools in 2006. Very little information about the program is available. It is known that the program was initially evaluated through assessments of the participants’ knowledge before and after the educational sessions. There was no evaluation of the youth attitudes or behaviors, adolescent pregnancies, or long-term impact. The author worked with IHCAI in San Jose, Costa Rica to perform an assessment of the longer term effects of this sexual health education program. They developed a questionnaire to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding sexual health of youth in the Purral community. Researchers at IHCAI later used this survey to collect data from adolescents who had participated in the educational intervention and those who had not. This thesis analyzes the data collected by IHCAI to assess the effectiveness of the - 2 - educational intervention and the influence of other factors on the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of adolescents in the Purral region. The thesis begins with an overview of adolescent pregnancy, Costa Rica and the Purral region, and a description of the education intervention implemented by IHCAI. The research goal, logic model, and methods are then described. The results are reported, and the thesis then concludes with discussion of the results as well as study limitations and recommendations for future research and intervention. This thesis will be used to guide IHCAI’s continuation and expansion of adolescent pregnancy prevention programming.