Employers Can Do Youth Development Too

• Main Author: Eric Vogel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University Library System, University of Pittsburgh 2008-09-01
• Series: Journal of Youth Development
• Online Access: http://jyd.pitt.edu/ojs/jyd/article/view/306

Professionals and volunteers who care about the welfare of young people know the importance of caring adults. The field has worked with all types of adults, including parents, teachers, and youth workers to enhance their understanding of youth development philosophy, approaches and practices. However, we’ve virtually ignored an entire sector of adults who play a major role in the lives of young people—employers. Given the large number of youth in the workforce, and understanding the critical role of caring adults, the question becomes, “how do we focus attention on preparing employers and other workplace adults to be more thoughtful and intentional about their interactions with young people?” The objective of this paper is to lay out the relevant issues and to begin the dialogue about building the capacity of employers to better support the development of our young people.