Abstract
Adolescence—beginning with the onset of puberty and ending in the mid-20s—is a distinct developmental period marking the transition between early childhood and adulthood. Although adolescence is now understood as a period of exceptional learning and growth, it is still frequently characterized as a time of increased risk and vulnerability. This mischaracterization of adolescence, combined with the deeply rooted societal inequities, has left the promise of adolescence unrealized for too many youth. A recent report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine entitled The Promise of Adolescence: Realizing Opportunity for All Youth explores the socio-behavioral and neurobiological science of adolescence and provides recommendations for how this science can be applied by youth-serving systems. This paper outlines the principles of adolescent development identified in the report and details 5 practices that can be implemented by youth-serving practitioners to promote positive adolescent development and ameliorate disparities in adolescent outcomes
Recommended Citation
Shefska, Dara and Backes, Emily
(2020)
"Fulfilling the Promise of Adolescence:
Applying Developmental Knowledge to
Create Systems Change,"
Journal of Youth Development: Vol. 15:
Iss.
3, Article 6.
DOI: 10.5195/jyd.2020.946
Available at:
https://open.clemson.edu/jyd/vol15/iss3/6
