Approach One

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Strengths Based

Approaches that recognise and enhance the mana of young people and value young people’s whakapapa.

A strengths-based approach is a perspective that recognises that rangatahi, whānau, hapū, iwi and hapori have strengths.

The approach is focussed on illuminating and/or developing these strengths. Strengths-based approaches apply equally to working with individual rangatahi and to working with whānau and hapori.

They enhance the mana of young people and value young people’s whakapapa. Mana is the inherent value every person has at birth enabling a sense of potential and purpose.

Image generously supplied by Te Ora Hou

A strengths-based approach is a perspective that recognises that rangatahi, whānau, hapū, iwi and hapori have strengths.

It tells a story of bloodlines, where a person comes from and all the stories that encompasses. Strengths-based approaches work to empower young people by affirming their strengths, and collaborating with them to use their assets [3, 7], while strengthening external protective factors, whānau connections, community support, tuakana/teina relationships and so on. Facilitating a strengths-based approach increases a sense of belonging and supports the development of a positive identity.

Often the strengths of young people may have been untapped or gone unrecognised due to a deficit view of young people that has long been part of many society’s views of young people. This deficit view has often led to a focus on the things that are ‘wrong’ with young people or that need to be ‘fixed’ rather than recognising that young people have contributions to make and are important members of communities. A deficit view of young people contributes to negative stereotypes about young people; a strengths-based approach helps to rebalance this view.

A strengths-based approach should not lead us to ignore the struggles, vulnerabilities, and challenges that some young people and their whānau face. Young people are not vulnerable because they are young people, but external circumstances can contribute to creating vulnerability for young people.

It is important not to position young people as being inherently vulnerable or ‘at risk’. Strengths- based approaches position young people as valuable and contributing members of society rather than viewing them as vulnerable and risky ‘problems to be solved’.

The way in which strengths have been categorised is as both internal and external assets [26]. Internal strengths include talents, skills, knowledge, interests, dreams, hopes, goals, creativity, passion and connections. External strengths include support, empowerment, boundaries and expectations. Strengths-based approaches recognise that ‘risk’ and ‘protective’ factors are present in every young person’s life. Protective factors can enhance life opportunities and support positive outcomes including supporting young people to cope with adversity and be less susceptible to risk factors. Examples of protective factors are having a caring adult in the young person’s life, feeling a sense of belonging and having agency. Risk factors are conditions or events that place young people at risk of poorer outcomes.

“Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi engari he toa takitini”. “I come not with my own strengths but bring with me the gifts, talents and strengths of my family, tribe and ancestors”.

(Here Huata attributes the whakataukī to Paterangi of Ngāti Kahungunu)

2 Tūrangawaewae can be broken into two words: tūranga (standing place) and waewae (feet). A person’s Tūrangawaewae is their ‘place to stand’, where they feel connected and empowered. Often a person’s Tūrangawaewae is their home.

Whānau

The importance of whānau as a key protective factor for rangatahi is well documented in research and Māori models of wellbeing [5]. These models illustrate the value of whānau, relationships with parents, siblings and cousins and the support and nurture from several generations of extended whānau, hapū and iwi.The contribution the extended whānau makes to the wellbeing of a young person can often be invisible or undervalued [6].

Whakapapa

Whakapapa is traditionally used to describe genealogical ancestral lineages and connections to, and interconnection between, whānau, hapū and iwi [7]. Whakapapa captures the stories of descendants, their connection to waka, whenua and specific geographical features within that region such as awa/moana, maunga, marae/whare tupuna, and the events that have shaped history [8]. Whakapapa shapes a young person’s identity and belonging, it is the back story of their existence, their place in the present, their connection to the past and the future.

Whenua

Central to Māori identity is the importance of whenua. In this context, whenua means not just the land, but the stories, histories and connections embedded in that place. The significance of whenua is reflected in the term ‘tāngata whenua’ people of the land [9]. Many young Māori have become disconnected from their whenua through urbanisation and colonisation, finding their tūrangawaewae is an important part of strengthening cultural identity.

Some important things about risk and protective factors include:

Risk factors tend to be positively associated with one another and negatively associated with protective factors. In other words, people with some risk factors have a greater chance of having even more risk factors, and they are less likely to be exposed to, or experience protective factors [27].
Risk factors can be quite difficult to eliminate or remove from a young person’s life.
Protective factors and risk factors are not static. In different contexts, a particular characteristic may act as a protective factor in one context and a risk factor in another context.
Protective factors and risk factors are not the same for everybody. What might be a risk factor for one young person may be a protective factor for other young people.
Risk factors are not the same as risk-taking behaviour. Risk taking is a normal part of adolescent development. It is when risky behaviours start at a very early age, become too frequent, prolonged or continuously outweigh non-risky behaviours, that they can become a risk factor for poor outcomes.
Culture plays a part in how we perceive what risk and protective factors are. A key aim of strength-based approaches is developing protective factors. There are a range of strengths-based assessment tools that have been developed in New Zealand. These include the SCOPE assessment tool, Whānau capacity tool, the Mana Potential model, MĀUI model of youth entrepreneur development. As it is not possible to discuss these tools in detail, they are referenced in the appendix.

‘In’ people and services

‘With’ people and services

‘Around’ people and services

Can be characterised in
general principles as:

The people ‘on the ground’, who are most vested in what happens.

The people who have a sense of belonging to that community, or who live in that community.

People who work with the community but don’t live in it or belong to that community. Often people think they’re in the community but in fact, they’re working with the community.

Not on the ground and mostly invisible to those on the ground.

Usually have money and decision
making ability about issues and
systems that impact the
community.

Can have a big influence, and often the level of influence can exceed the level of care fort hat community.

How one space relates to the others:

“The wisdom of the community always exceeds the knowledge of the experts” [23].

Often those in the ‘with’ space act as a broker between the ‘in’ and ‘around’.

When making decisions, those in the ‘around’ must ask “who does this decision impact the most?”.

Examples include:

Residents of a community and residents associations, volunteers who belong to the community they volunteer in e.g. member of the rainbow community volunteering with a rainbow youth group.

Community based NGOs, e.g.youth groups or sports clubs where the leaders/coaches and young people don’t live in the area, teachers or social workers who don’t live in the community(but may feel they have the best interests of that community at heart).

Policy makers, funders, representative groups.

Organisations that build community capacity and empower agency tend to:

Foster genuine and unconditional positive relationships.
Encourage volunteerism and ideally have a volunteer and worker base drawn from the community.
Contribute to the communities they are part of, provide a relational hub and are much more than service providers in that they facilitate social cohesion.
Verbalise their role in the community – ‘in’, ‘with’ or ‘around’ (see Diagram 6 and Table 1).
Advocate for members of the community to be at the table when decisions are being made that affect them – a sense of ‘we’. Ensure there is a diversity of community voices.
Consider who is not ‘at the table’ in decision making processes and seek to address barriers to participation, particularly for marginalised groups of people. While it may not be possible to have everyone represented (at the table) when decisions are made, it is important to acknowledge voices that are missing.
Can give a relational history of the area/community and/or have enduring relationships with the community over time.
Encourage young people to participate in planning and running key activities.
Look to mentoring long-term.
Foster active local networks which are positive and noncompetitive.
Be responsive to the aspirations, needs, goals and priorities of rangatahi and their whānau, hapū, iwi and hapori.
Listen to their community and be flexible and adaptable to the community’s needs.
Develop shared outcomes based on identified needs, priorities, values and goals.
Support intergenerational interaction.
Share intellectual property and resources.
Go the extra mile.
Ensure that people and communities have appropriate resources and support to be able to develop well.

It is important to support initiatives that meaningfully support local contribution and local iwi/hapū, stakeholders; connect people and generations and have shared outcomes. Central to this way of working is respectful relationship building over time.

Reflective Questions

One

What does a strengths-based approach mean to you? How is this evident in your work with young people?

Two

How do you and your organisation create opportunities for young people to develop and demonstrate their strengths?

Three

In what ways do you and your organisation identify and develop community strengths and resources?

*Diagram 12: Approach one – Strengths-Based*

Ideas in Action

Ideas in Action are models, frameworks, cultural narratives and practice philosophies that support practice.

James

Case study three –

James discusses how focussing on his strengths and his determination to maintain a strong work ethic and build a better life, has helped him develop as a person.

With support from his youth worker, James has become more confident in his abilities, developed his assertiveness, and overcome challenges.

Read the case study

“I wasn’t confident at school. I wasn’t paying attention at school and I couldn’t focus – a weakness, I’d say. But since I’ve been working, I’ve changed a lot. I’ve realised that I have a good work ethic, just getting into any job regardless of the difficulty and keeping rhythm with it. I think that’s my strength. I realised I could be quite quick with things and get things done very fast. I am a fast learner and I am fast to do things, that’d probably be my strength. I guess it all started when I was helping my dad with gardening, which turned into work ethic, getting on with things and not stopping until the job’s done.

My work ethic has been pretty important. I guess your ethic is how much effort you put into things, and it can be applied to a lot of other stuff in life. It’s the same with confidence, that goes into other areas too. Initiative, that’s not just things that you can use in the workplace, it’s everywhere you go in life.

I try and use initiative a lot at work. Working with my youth worker has helped me in a way. I’m being more assertive and trying to do things without being told. I just realised that no one wants to be at work a lot of the time. There are people who want to be there, but everyone wants to just go home, everyone wants to have a break or something. It’s about just making it enjoyable for everyone and realising that everyone’s on the same page, it’s about making it as easy for everyone to get on with it. Once you understand that, then it’s like a respect as well. People like to work around you more, which helps with just getting on with work.

My work ethic has helped me put some discipline into something, like when I’m doing things that I don’t want to do, but I do because I have to. By focussing on my strengths I’ve been able to get on with things. It’s helped me with finding a new flat – it’s an intimidating thing and I’d usually be like, “f*#k this”, but I was able to sort it out. My current place has been an unhealthy house to be in. The one I’m moving into is better for me. I’ve learnt the confidence to manage that, sort it out and communicate with my landlord and all that.

I’d say confidence helps me with social things a lot because I don’t really like to interact with new people a lot of the time. Confidence has helped me go into restaurants and cafes and just handing in a CV to some random person at the counter. That’s been something that I’ve always wanted to do, but I’d go to do it, get to the door and then walk away ‘cos I can’t do it. Now, in being able to do that, being able to talk to someone and advertise myself, like “this is me and I’m very keen”, literally shows them that I am keen.

I guess when you grow those strengths, it increases everything else. Your weaknesses get a little better as well. It goes hand in hand. What you do to one will affect the other in other areas too. I enrolled in a barista course today, it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while. I want to get that finished. Then, I’d like to save up some money, get my restricted and a car, so I’m on the road to doing that.

It’s cool when you have something you’re passionate about and you’re learning.”

Practitioners’ Perspectives

Case study three

Approach 1 - Strengths based

Weaving with the two outcomes

Developing the whole person

Once the practitioner had built a positive relationship with James, they asked what strengths he would like to develop. They created opportunities to transfer his confidence into new areas in a safe and supported environment, and then eventually reduced support so James could undertake his tasks on his own. Initially, the practitioner had to consider how to create a safe space and the tools that can support this (e.g. humour/fun, compassion, good planning and communication).

Developing connected communities

The youth organisation wanted to enable opportunities where young people are positively integrated in the community by supporting him to lead volunteers and visitor groups in different activities.

Relevance for funders / policy makers

The opportunity James had to gain experiences with different groups in the community was important in building his own wellbeing as well as his sense of his own contribution to society. This shows how outcomes for the individual and the community are hard to separate.

Strengths Based

A strengths-based approach is a perspective that recognises that rangatahi, whānau, hapū, iwi and hapori have strengths.

A strengths-based approach is a perspective that recognises that rangatahi, whānau, hapū, iwi and hapori have strengths.

Some important things about risk and protective factors include:

Reflective Questions

One

Two

Three

Ideas in Action

James discusses how focussing on his strengths and his determination to maintain a strong work ethic and build a better life, has helped him develop as a person.

Approach 1 - Strengths based

Weaving with the two outcomes

Relevance for funders / policy makers

Further reading

Explore

The PYDA

Contact

Strengths Based

A strengths-based approach is a perspective that recognises that rangatahi, whānau, hapū, iwi and hapori have strengths.

A strengths-based approach is a perspective that recognises that rangatahi, whānau, hapū, iwi and hapori have strengths.

Some important things about risk and protective factors include:

Reflective Questions

One

Two

Three

Ideas in Action

Idea in Action 7 –

Idea in Action 8 –

Idea in Action 9 –

James discusses how focussing on his strengths and his determination to maintain a strong work ethic and build a better life, has helped him develop as a person.

Approach 1 - Strengths based

Weaving with the two outcomes

Relevance for funders / policy makers

Further reading

Explore

The PYDA

Contact