Support for Efficacy and Mattering Resources

A good overview of the concepts, research, theories, etc. regarding Support for Efficacy and Mattering can be found in REACH's Positive Youth Development modules.

Why is this important?

Resource 1: Ensuring meaningful youth engagement

Meaningful youth engagement requires that youth not only feel belongingness towards the program, but also that their self-efficacy is nurtured. Meaningful youth engagement includes working with youth to determine reasonable responsibilities, providing youth with help in carrying those responsibilities out, helping them analyze how they can improve, and celebrating their achievements with them. This article describes why youth engagement is important and what strategies can be incorporated within youth programs to have more favorable outcomes.

Managers and Staff could:

Review youth engagement strategies to identify improvement areas
Understand how the issue of fidelity is addressed while planning youth engagement strategies
Adapt and apply some of the successful engagement strategies from other programs into their own.

Meaningful Youth Engagement (Article and Toolkit, Office of Population Affairs)

Resource 2: Self Efficacy and Why Believing in Yourself Matters

Self-efficacy in youth plays a role in how they feel about themselves and if they believe they can succeed. Building self-efficacy in youth leads to youth empowerment and engagement. Giving youth the tools they need to be successful and believe in themselves.

This article defines self-efficacy through Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory. An overview is given along with the role self-efficacy plays in goals and plans. A contrast of self-efficacy vs lack of self-efficacy and their impacts. Throughout the article there are methods provided to develop self-efficacy.

Managers and Staff could:

Identify roles self-efficacy plays in development
Create a t-chart of what high vs low self-efficacy looks like
Print out affirmations within the article to hang around program environment

Very Well Mind: Self-Efficacy and Why Believing in Yourself Matters

How can I help my staff in this area?

Resource 1: Youth engagement checklist

Youth program staff's behaviors can facilitate self-efficacy and mattering in the youth. It is important that these practices are regular and evaluated to ensure make sure they are effective within the program The checklist contains seven items that program managers can use to assess the quality of youth engagement in their programs.

Managers could:

Brainstorm the feasibility of using the seven practices in the checklist
Use the checklist at different times of the program year to evaluate youth engagement over a period of time
Encourage feedback and suggestions from youth and program staff to get diverse points of views

Checklist: Support for Efficacy and Mattering (Checklist, JCSH Youth Engagement Toolkit)

Resource 2: The How-To-Guide for Effective Practices

Effective youth engagement leads to positive youth outcomes at three levels- the individual level, the social level, and the system level. Integrating youth engagement at these levels requires readiness and change on the part of the program, which can be understood from four stages of Kirby's Institutionalizing Participation Framework, which is explained in this resource. The booklet has two sections; the first section outlines the importance of youth engagement and provides a conceptual model with important key components. The second section provides a hands-on process with tools and evidence-based practices to effectively engage young people at each of the different stages within the program.

Managers could:

Understand the thought processes involved in genuine youth-adult partnership
Identify common areas where adults make inaccurate assumptions about youth capabilities
Realize the importance of addressing the three levels of youth engagement while planning youth engagement activities

Youth Engagement Toolkit (Booklet, Pan-Canadian Joint Consortium for School Health)

Resource 3: Self-Efficacy toolkit

Self-efficacy is our belief in our ability to accomplish and succeed in any given situation. It is crucial for youth to believe in themselves and their own ability to succeed. Self-efficacy is different from self-esteem; which is the sense of self-worth youth feel they have. By creating an environment that fosters acceptance of failure, youth can develop a growth mindset that helps them to believe they can grow and change their capabilities.

This toolkit includes handouts, facilitator guide, and presentation for training staff in ways to increase self-efficacy in youth.

Managers could:

Create a multiple choice quiz for staff to identify the difference between self-esteem, self-efficacy, and growth mindset
Print and hang encouraging quotes in the youth facility/program
Practice breathing and mindfulness with staff by starting meetings with stress relieving exercises (on slide 23 of the presentation)
Lead an activity where staff identify how youth and staff set goals differently (on slide 19 of the presentation)
Lead feedback roundtables using sandwich method of complimenting and providing feedback (on slide 21 of the presentation)

Self Efficacy: A Key Component of Social-Emotional Learning (Toolkit, Transforming Education)

How can my staff help youth in this area?

Resource 1: Strengthening Social Skills

Social skills refer to competencies relating to interactions and communication with society. Some examples of social skills are negotiation, conflict resolution, anger management, and expression of feelings. These skills can be learned and strengthened to help youth have a better understanding of self and improved relations with others.

The booklet provides worksheets that staff can use to record and evaluate youth across various social skills. Staff and youth can work together to identify improvement areas for specific social skills.

Staff could:

Brainstorm with the youth about the importance of specific social skills for their personal goals
Facilitate group discussions where youth can set goals, exchange action plans to strengthen particular social skills, and provide support to others in their efforts
Administer worksheets at different time intervals to review improvement

Social Skills Worksheet (Web Archive, Minneapolis Public Schools)

Resource 2: Leadership Skill Development

Involving youth in leadership skill development can benefit youth in numerous ways, like increased sense of control over their lives and better decision making. Leadership skills also foster empowerment and autonomy in youth. These skills can be developed when youth are assisted in making individual goals and plans, involved in formulating learning activities, provided guidance and encouragement, and provide timely evaluations of their outputs.

The manual describes some principles that youth programs can incorporate to have successful youth leadership development projects. It also provides a template for a leadership project plan that can help in setting goals and tentative timeframes and identifying resources. Finally, it describes the techniques that leaders can adopt to nurture leadership skills in youth more effectively.

Staff could:

Understand the three distinct ways in which adults can relate to young people in leadership roles
Incorporate needs and characteristics of youth while setting youth leadership goals
Use the list of teen leadership activities in the booklet with youth to engage them in setting goals at the program, community, county, and state levels

Teen Leadership: A Leader's Manual (Manual, The University of Vermont Extension)