For a century, democratic values have called for abandoning coercive approaches and teaching children and youth to be responsible citizens. The authors explore strategies for creating respectful environments and positive group cultures with challenging youth. They offer suggestions to adult group facilitators to support youth in developing…

The best intentioned efforts of adults are often sabotaged by coercive climates of bullying among peers and conflict with adults. The solution is to create cultures where youth cooperate with authority and treat one another with respect. In this article, the authors stress the task of the staff to create a condition in which students see more…

Peer group treatment has been subject to two main lines of criticism. Some suggest any program which aggregates antisocial youth inevitably fosters negative peer influence. Others are concerned that certain peer programs are based on coercive peer confrontation. Positive Peer Culture [PPC] is an antidote to both of these varieties of toxic group…

The literature suggests that adolescent peer group programs have produced positive academic and rehabilitative environments as well as environments that help reduce aggressive behaviors in group-living situations. This article suggests elements to facilitate a peer group approach to cognitive problem-solving development in school and group living…

Servant leadership represents a significant departure from hierarchical systems of leadership often employed in educational and social service programs. The premise of servant leadership is deeply rooted in the leader's priority of serving others, to ensure that other people's highest priority needs are being served before one's self. The servant…

Positive climates in youth-serving organizations abandon adversarial encounters and enlist youth as partners in empowerment. The authors describe this approach, drawing from the "Cultivating Productive Peer Relationships" curriculum in the "No Disposable Kids" training program. Adults need strategies to build respectful relationships and to…