C R E AT I N G C R O S S R O A D S I N T H E M I N D S O F O U R Y O U T H : 5 W AY S T O I N S P I R E Y O U T H T O A S P I R E & S U C C E E D

M I C H A E L E . PA R K E R

Grant Autonomy

By offering young people self-directed freedom and moral independence, teenagers access an actionable level of

responsibility. Psychological studies have determined that the more trust you place in someone, the more he/she will behave

in the way you’d like them to. Autonomy is a tool that encourages a mind-shift and pushes young people to become

motivated change-makers.

Show EmpathyWhen someone feel misunderstood, they’ll rarely

try to be understanding. Empathy can be a decided pathway to successfully reaching out to

misunderstood individuals, especially young person. By putting yourself into the shoes of a young person or being a good listener, you’re

demonstrating that you’re on their side.

But more than that you’re proving that you’re willing to cry with them, laugh with them, and

celebrate with them, and they’ll understand the importance of being empathetic & understanding.

Lead By Example

Young people don’t always listen, and the reason for that isn’t psychological, but biological. Instead,

youth are more likely to imitate the behavior around them. If they witness their parents striving for success or attempting to stride toward glory, they’ll attempt

to do the same --mirroring and mimicking that behavior.

Recognize Their Efforts

Validation and recognition are valuable to young people and adults alike. It’s a priceless motivator

that pushes individuals to recognize their worth. If a young person can’t see the impact of their contribution, they’ll begin to ask, “why am I

contributing?” For that reason it’s important to communicate with young people, informing them of their importance --and it’s best to do this on a

one-on-one basis.

Identify the Purpose

Help a young person to understand incentive, motivation, and purpose --that will be

instrumental for helping young people to participate in community service, deal with

critical physical and psychological issues, cope with depression, and identify a valuable

purpose.

Interested in learning more?Vist MichaelEParker.org!