Commissioned Reports

From Risk to Resilience
The National Dialogue on Resilience in Youth

February 2009

By The Learning Partnership

Fostering youth who are resilient is important. Young people who are valued, safe, connected and engaged are the core foundation of a population that is healthy and productive. As parents, educators, community members, business people and politicians, it is what we all wish for our children. But in order to reach those markers, our youth must be resilient, especially when their difficulties are of such magnitude that they are vulnerable or at risk.

Resources

The National Dialogue on Resilience in Youth produced an invaluable snapshot of what we know, what we need to know and what can be done to foster resilience in youth across Canada. The most compelling findings from the National Dialogue contained the seeds of future action for all stakeholders and partners, from parents to political leaders, and are summarized as follows:

  • The National Dialogue identified the protective value of focusing on strengths and assets of young people and their families as a general operating principle rather than focusing on their difficulties and deficits. With regard to ‘youth at risk’ this paradigm shift has significant implications for educators, parents, mental health professionals and for all who work with children and young people.
  • Ensuring optimal development in the early years is possibly the most effective way to foster healthy, resilient children. Facilitating positive early childhood development is a socio-economic imperative. Parents who are nurturing and healthy provide the basis for early development. When parents are unable to provide a nurturing environment that promotes childhood well-being, society (schools, communities and governments) must develop strategies and provide programs to assist vulnerable parents. Such programs include affordable and high quality early development and learning opportunities that give children the tools to be resilient and to succeed in school and beyond.
  • Despite the foundational role of genes in early child development, researchers are uncovering new information on the ability of the brain to change throughout life’s course. Resilient behaviour can therefore be learned at all stages. When asked what constitutes the most important factor in the promotion of resilience in youth, conference speakers and participants unequivocally identified the presence of a positive relationship with a caring and nurturing adult. The relationships children and young people have with significant adults in their lives can be transformative. Initiatives that foster positive relationships with strong role models should be paramount, be they at the individual level or at the broad policy level.
  • Promoting youth resilience as a means to helping young people succeed in school and beyond requires the combined efforts of parents and families, schools, communities, researchers, policy-makers, governments and the youth themselves. Specifically, approaches include: Developing partnerships throughout the education and social services system; more knowledge mobilization that enables diverse partners to share ideas and learn from each other; including evaluation of programs and outcomes in order to provide relevant data and evidence to build the case and foster the political will to promote the necessary initiatives. A National Summit on Youth Resiliency involving all partners should meet to develop strategies and to form coalitions to put the strategies in place. Civil society must be drawn into the discussion to help Canadians understand why they have a shared interest in fostering resilience and to ensure that politicians will listen.