At-Risk or At-Hope? How We Label Youth Matters
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Amy Donofrio |
TEDxJacksonville
• October 2017
As an educator and advocate, Amy Donofrio often gets the same question: How do we reach our at-risk youth? Her answer: We must start by instead viewing youth as at-HOPE. Authentic hope means believing wildly, unconditionally and (at-times) irrationally in an individual’s value and potential. As adults, we can demonstrate this belief in youth through three key actions: building relationships, investing lavishly, and empowering youth to reimagine even their missteps as platform qualifiers rather than permanent disqualifiers of their significance.