Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility: Past, Present and Future

Abstract

During the past decade the field of youth development has grown by leaps and bounds. With this growth have emerged numerous initiatives addressing challenges that many youth face in their community — especially youth living in underserved communities. These initiatives have been guided by a number of various curricular models.This article provides an overview of how the teaching for personal and social responsibility (TPSR) model has evolved. Its birthplace — a gym — is described where things were tried out, ideas tested, and learning about what worked and what did not work took place. Secondly, the present-day applications of the TPSR are examined — its use by a variety of professionals who work with kids in numerous settings (and ways). Finally, the article concludes with an assessment of the TPSR model and its future role in youth development programming. This will include a portrayal of school and community-based programs: their future missions, support and ideological underpinnings. Problems that face society, especially in segments of the underserved, will not go away. Preparing for the future challenges facing youth will require practitioners who view youth as contributors to their community instead of as problems. Such a commitment will interface well with the spirit of TPSR and will certainly be a response to the question: “What is worth doing and what is possible?”

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