Liberty : Thriving and Civic Engagement among America's Youth

by Richard M. Lerner

• ISBN13: 9780761929840
• ISBN10: 0761929843
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-02-10
• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc

Summary

Liberty: Thriving and Civic Engagement Among America's Youth examines what it means to develop as an exemplary young person - that is, a young person who is thriving within the community and on the rise to a hopeful future. The book explores several key characteristics of positive youth development such as competence, character, confidence, social connections, and compassion that coalesce to create a young person who is developing successfully towards an "ideal" adulthood, one marked by contributions to self, others, and the institutions of civil society. In this unique work, author Richard M. Lerner brings his formidable knowledge of developmental systems theory and facts on youth development to analyze the meaning of a thriving civil society and its relationship to the potential of youth for self-actualization and positive development.

Table of Contents

Foreword - Ralph Smith, The Annie E. Casey Foundation

Preface

1. Ideals and Human Development

2. Evolution and the Emergence of Liberty

3. Social Relationships and Human Development

4. Developmental Theory as a Frame for Understanding Liberty

5. On the Nature of Thriving

6. Programs Promoting Positive Youth Development and Civil Society

7. Policies Promoting Positive Youth Development and Civil Society

References

Name Index

Subject Index

About the Author