ERIC Number: EJ1175030
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 9
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-None
EISSN: N/A
Critical Friendship: Helping Youth Lift as They Climb Together
Wiggins, Tanya G.
Afterschool Matters, n27 p1-9 Spr 2018
Friendship and peer groups are important to youth. However, adults in afterschool programs and other youth-serving community-based organizations often either ignore peer relationships or deem them detrimental to desired youth outcomes. What would it mean to consider young people's friendships in a different light? How can this important element of their experience support positive youth outcomes? One possibility is the cultivation of critical friendships. The term "critical friendship" has been used in teacher professional learning communities for at least 20 years. Critical friendship offers a new perspective on youth relationships. An exploration of how youth participants in a community-based organization developed their own critical friendships can push adults engaged in youth work to create conditions that support positive peer relationships.
Descriptors: Friendship, Peer Groups, Peer Relationship, After School Programs, Community Organizations, Social Capital, Youth Programs, Secondary School Students, College Students, Student Attitudes, Focus Groups, Cooperative Learning, Self Concept, Peer Influence, Social Networks, Information Dissemination, Sharing Behavior, Accountability, Expectation, Norms, Goal Orientation, Student Motivation, Peer Evaluation, Feedback (Response), Interviews
National Institute on Out-of-School Time. Wellesley Centers for Women, 106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02481. Tel: 781-283-2547; Fax: 781-283-3657; e-mail: niost@wellesley.edu; Web site: http://www.niost.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A