How might Social Development Strategy (SDS) apply to digital health for youth? This was the topic of last week's "Bringing Digital Wellness Home" Discussion.
What do most people (of any age) go looking for when they turn to tech in unhealthy ways?
Connection. Validation. A sense of value and belonging.
And sometimes even online opportunities for learning run amuck because of all the rabbit holes and distractions and the lack of relationship/connection too frequently part of online learning experiences.
SDS is about helping build connection through three simple things: *opportunities* for learning and building *skills*, and positive *recognition* along the way in that process.
Opportunities.
Skills (skill-building).
Recognition.
Research shows that the Nancy Reagan era "Just say no" (bless her heart) doesn't work with drugs. We at EPIK don't believe it works with tech either.
That's not to say don't have boundaries for your kids, including with tech. Research shows that kids need and want boundaries. But SDS invites us to focus on relationship and those three things that build attachment, rather than focusing all the energy on the boundaries. The research shows that these three things -- healthy bonding experiences -- more naturally incline youth to adopt standards of healthy behavior. Healthy behavior becomes more of a fruit of providing these three things:
Opportunities.
Skills.
Recognition.
Think of those who helped you in your childhood/teen years. Parents are the primary influencers, but this word cloud reflects that often other adults play a very significant role in youth social development.
Who made the most impact for you?
When Rob asked this question, it was interesting to see that the people in our memories (or as we reflected on who had impacted our own children) were primarily people who were *helping us/our children learn something.* It's not just about building a skill per se. It's about the bond that builds in the process, and surely about what happens within a child when that young person feels seen, cared about, supported, helped, encouraged. It's about having people who show up (often over and over again) with deliberate purpose to help youth grow and progress.
Consider an example from this paper in the Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research. (link in comments)
There were serious problems with drugs, violence, etc at a community
park. The instinct was to close the park to the youth causing and getting into trouble and increase police patrol. But wise influencers asked themselves: How would that help the youth have opportunities to change their behaviors?
"The park director held a pizza party to hear what the youth wanted. She learned that they wanted to play games such as kickball and soccer but that many of the youths had not had the opportunity to participate in recreational sports leagues due to financial and scheduling constraints. With their help, the parks department set up activities that youths wanted—activities where youths could learn skills and have fun together. They even got the park commissioners to play a game of kickball with the youths at a community celebration. All the while, the parks director was reinforcing the rules and standards of conduct in the park. Together, the community and the parks department reduced the problems in the park without pushing away the very youths who needed to be pulled toward positive influences." ([ Ссылка ])
How might we help pull the children and youth in your sphere of influence toward positive forces in this digital age of ours? Some of that may include stories like the above, with opportunities to build physical skills. And some of it may be working side-by-side with them to build digital skills and wellness habits.
The sky is the limit of positive opportunities that can be created. Let's also work with the children and youth in our spheres to co-create ideas with them, just like these community leaders did. We might learn a thing or two from the young people as we do!
