Empowerment Theory

                  Empowerment theory focuses on processes that enable participation;  enhance control through shared decision making; and create opportunities to learn, practice, and increase skills. 

Empowerment theory suggests that engaging youth in pro-social, meaningful, and community-enhancing activities that the youth themselves define and control, helps youth gain vital skills, responsibilities, and confidence necessary to become productive and healthy adults.

Types of Empowerment

Youth empowerment examines six interdependent dimensions: psychological, community, organizational, economic, social and cultural. Psychological empowerment enhances individual's consciousness, belief in self-efficacy, awareness and knowledge of problems and solutions and of how individuals can address problems that harm their quality of life.^[1] This dimension aims to create self-confidence and give youth the skills to acquire knowledge. 

COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT also focuses on enhancing the community through leadership development, improving communication, and creating a network of support to mobilize the community to address concerns. 

ORGANIZATIONAL EMPOWERMENT aims to create a base of resources for a community, including voluntary organizations, unions and associations that aim to protect, promote and advocate for the powerless. 

ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT teaches entrepreneurial skills, how to take ownership of their assets and how to have income security. 

SOCIAL EMPOWERMENT teaches youth about social inclusion and literacy as well as helping kids find the resources to be proactive in their communities. 

CULTURAL EMPOWERMENT aims to recreate cultural practices and redefine cultural rules and norms for youth. 

Through these dimensions of empowerment, programs can work on empowering youth in one or more aspects of their lives.

Goals of Empowerment

Youth empowerment programs are aimed at creating healthier and higher qualities of life for underprivileged or at-risk youth. 

The five competencies of a healthy youth are:

(1) Positive Sense of Self

(2) Self- Control

(3) Decision-Making Skills

(4) A Moral System of Belief

(5) Pro-social Connectedness.

Developmental interventions and programs have to be anchored on these competencies that define positive outcomes of healthy youth.^[

Positive Development Settings

 

Youth empowerment programs thrive in positive developmental settings. Positive developmental settings promote youth competence, confidence and connections. Two features of the positive developmental youth settings are supportive relationships and support for efficacy and mattering. Supportive relationships are those that are between youth and non-familial adults that foster trust and respect. Support for efficacy and mattering specifically focuses on youth being active, instrumental agents of change in their communities, collective decision-making and adults listen to and respect their voice.

Youth Empowerment Programs

There are various types of empowerment programs across the globe that empower youth through many different tactics and programs. Programs can operate in a variety of settings. The majority of programs operate in more than one setting, which may be a key factor in their success. The beneficial outcomes to youth empowerment programs are improved social skills, improved behavior, increased academic achievement, increased self-esteem and increased self-efficacy.

There are programs are aimed at just empowering women and young girls. Regardless of specific goals or methods, empowering effects include improving women's wellbeing, self-esteem, and self-efficacy, and enhancing social status by teaching technical and organizational skills.

Other youth empowerment programs are focused on POVERTY ALLEVIATION. Living standards are for those living in poverty are declining causing forms of deprivation as it relates to food, resources and education. Programs aimed at empowering poor youth, work toward livelihood protection or livelihood promotion.

There are also empowerment movements that use the SOCIAL ACTION MODEL, aiming for disadvantaged people to become empowered, organized, and educated so that they may create change. These programs advocate for constructive confrontations to enhance the social power of people who are considered disadvantaged. Another model is the 5C's model that focuses on emphasizing competence, confidence, connection, character and caring. A sixth C of contribution to society was later added. This model focuses primarily on engagement as a key marker of positive youth development, emphasizing the need to foster initiative. 

Youth-Adult Partnerships are another type of empowerment method used around the world. This method has been defined as a developmental process and a community practice. The partnership involves people of different ages working together on community issues over a period of time. The method emphasizes reciprocity among adults and youth with a focus on shared decision making and reflective learning. The concept of shared control is key for empowering youth. It is the courage to do good things.

Youth empowerment has also been used as a framework to prevent and reduce youth violence. 

Research shows that these youth empowerment programs can improve conflict avoidance and resolution skills, increase group leadership skills, and civic efficacy and improve ethnic identity and reduce racial conflict.