Reframing adolescence as a a time of growth and opportunity
People often rely on stereotypes of adolescence as a time of danger and vulnerability. For more than a decade, FrameWorks has partnered with adolescent brain scientists to understand how framing can build more accurate and productive understandings of this crucial period.
What the Research Tells Us
Advance a positive vision of adolescence.
Avoid harmful and inaccurate stereotypes of young people. Instead, talk about adolescence as an important time for building skills and relationships with community.
Talk about what we all need, not what "they" need.
It's hard to build support for a group while simultaneously (if inadvertently) othering them. Talk about adolescence as a time in which we all develop skills and build resilience.
Emphasize community connections.
Highlight the value of supporting adolescents to engage with the world around them, and emphasize that doing so leads to healthier and more connected communities.
Resource / Adolescent Development
Connections and Communities: Reframing How We Talk About Opportunity Youth
Everyone wants young people to thrive and be active and engaged members of their communities as they become adults But
March 20, 2024