Abundant Life Academy is very unique… no doubt about it. When considering a school, program, or camp for troubled teens parents find Abundant Life Academy to be the perfect answer. Not a day goes by that we don’t have a parent of a troubled teen contacts us and declare, “I am desperate, I did not know what I was looking for, but when I found you I thought, ‘This is exactly what I am looking for, it is perfect!’ “ But why? Why is ALA so popular with Christian parents? Well, the truth is that we are not popular with all parents, only those who love Jesus and believe that He is the only answer!

For more information about ALA Programs, please click one of the links below:

ALA Base Leadership Program (9 - 12 months)

OR

ALA Short-term “Early-early” Intervention Program (3 to 6 months)

It is true that most of our parents, when looking for a solution for their troubled teen, had no idea that a program like Abundant Life Academy existed. When searching for options on the Internet our parents had no clue as to what to search for. They were in crisis and in need of help. They simply got on Google or Yahoo and began a search, in faith. Most parents feel that the Holy Spirit led them to our site. If, by faith, you are reading this page and believe that the Holy Spirit has led you to Abundant Life Academy, it would be an honor to serve you. Whether or not ALA is the right school for your child does not matter. It is our goal to minister to you, and give you hope in Jesus. We intend to help you to find the right school or program for your child.

Program Philosophy – “The Choice”

At Abundant Life Academy we believe everything is about “choice”. Our current status and position in life is a product of our choices. And, in consideration to all the choices we have each day, in reality it really boils down to just two important choices. We are either going to follow the flesh (self-centered, selfish, self-absorbed), or follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit. There are no other choices. Either we are going to be Spirit led, or led to death through the flesh. This “choice” is what our troubled teens need to focus on. They already know what the consequences of following the flesh are (by their recent behaviors they have all the evidence in the world that “flesh” destroys liberty and freedom). Our goal at ALA is to help the lost teenager rethink their choices, and to lead them to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit… and enjoy the pure “life” that comes by following the Spirit.

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.” Romans 8:1-9

Know Yourself – As seen through the eyes of Christ

To know yourself is to have self-awareness of how you show up in the world. It is to know and understand how you function (personality, temperaments, patterns of behavior, choices we make and their impact on our lives, etc.). To know yourself is to clearly and humbly identify various patterns that serve you well and those that actually create the opposite of what you really want. Our life is a series of choices made under adverse circumstances. The question is, are we making the kinds of choices that lead to life and liberty, prosperity and purpose, or, are we making choices that lead to restrictions, loss, and regret?

“That they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that you sent me.” John 17:21

Before an ALA student can make good choices (the choice to follow the Spirit) they first need to know who they are in Christ. They need to know themselves as being a child of God. Additionally, they need to know the destructive potential of their flesh nature. Moreover, they need to know what God has blessed them with (the Spirit of God and eternal life). Furthermore, they need to know all about their giftings, strengths, temperaments, blind spots, weaknesses, and negative behavioral patterns. They need to know about “thinking errors” and “thought distortions”. Basically, they need to see how self-justification and blaming others for their own poor choices will ultimately destroy them.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law… if we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:16-18, 25

Chose Yourself – The “Change Model”

Our students learn to “chose themselves” at Abundant Life Academy. They learn that their status and position in life is based on their choices. If they don’t like where they are, then they know they can make some major changes by making better, more powerful, choices. We call this the “Change Model”. The Change Model starts with our understanding how we see the world (TWIST… and acronym for The Way I See Things)

The Change Model… what is your TWIST?

“For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:6

Give Yourself – Called to Serve

The Abundant Life Academy student learns to develop self-direction, using empathy and Biblically principled decision making to increase wisdom in all choices. Our work is in the realm of providing our students with a new T.W.I.S.T (see above); where we provide the students with renewed Biblical perspectives, awareness, language, and practices - with the students learning to make new choices, leading to behaviors that culminate in improved results. Once the student really learns this and it is “in their heart”, then we give them an opportunity to “give it away. Typically, prior to coming to ALA the parents of our students provided motivators for behavior changes, hoping to get the results that are wanted. This usually resulted in short-term changes in choices and behavior. Once the motivator was removed, worn off, or is now expected, the behavior reverted back to the old negative patterns. At ALA we go much deeper then behavior - we work on the level of perspective and awareness. Due to this deeper understanding we find that the child’s behavioral changes are made for the long term (heart changes), as they are internal to the individual (they own the change because it is of value to them - becoming their choice!). However, knowing it is not enough. At ALA we provide platforms where our students can practice their new understandings. More importantly, our students give away all that they learn to the new students. By giving it away, helping the new students to change also locks the changes into their hearts forever.

“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and their by waves and carried about by evey wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from who the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.” Ephesians 4:11-16

Understanding Human Behavior – A Biblical Perspective
Through a thorough grounding in behavioral temperaments, our own and others, provides our students with a base of understanding and awareness that will help our students to have more effective relationships. We explore the temperaments of those in the Bible, including the Disciples and Jesus. How these various temperaments served them well and how some of the behavioral temperaments did not serve at all. We will explore our God given temperament and also our "environmental" temperament and find ways to bring our temperament into balance to better serve our goals and ambitions.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
At Abundant Life Academy we explore two powerful models that many of the nations' top businesses and universities utilize to develop emotionally intelligent leaders. Again, we study the concept of choice, and how we really do have choice in what we think, feel, and how we act. We debunk the "victim" mentality that will always promote weakness, reaction, and a lack of accountability. Our students learn to apply the EQ Models of Know Yourself, Choose Yourself, and Give Yourself. We teach the ALA students to the concepts of how our brain functions and how that relates to our emotional development and better yet, how we can re-train ourselves to remain "in choice" and develop new neural pathways for our habitual reactions and actions.

Accountability – Being Accountable to one another
At Abundant Life Academy the students explore the aspects of "Above the Line" and "Below the Line" behavior. Studies show that we all learn how to perform "below the line" behavior, meaning when we are led by the Spirit of God, and not by our emotions, we prosper . We develop the concept that accountability is something that we impose on ourselves and not the traditional concept of an externally imposed accountability. We learn what it means to step-up and serve others, and in that we better serve ourselves.

Positive Peer Culture

I. Foundations of Positive Peer Culture

The Power of Emotionally Mature Peers

In American culture the training of children begins in infancy and continues through adolescence, at which time, the young man or woman enters the adult role. Even in primitive cultures, this pattern is common and often includes an initiation ceremony, a “rite of passage”, to make the transition from childhood to adulthood. In modern US society, adult status can come many years after adolescence ends.

“The definition of “emotional maturity” is the desire and willingness to change, grow, and become successful. Additionally, the emotionally mature take the full responsibility of this growth and press for it. The definition of “emotional immaturity” is the unwillingness to change, grow, and be successful. The emotionally immature really believes that the entire world around him is at fault for all his problems and stubbornly expects the world to change to meet his demands. This is fantasy-based thinking.” Craig Rogers

When today’s young people (adolescents) achieve physical maturity, they often believe that they are also capable of “making it on their own and calling their own shots”. In reality, most young people in the US are incapable of making it on their own no matter how much they desire to do so. These young people want social independence, but most don’t realize that true independence cannot be attained when the young person remains in a position of “dependency” (unable to make decisions that are in one’s best interest). In most cases, the dependent status is a direct result of being emotionally immature… and emotional immaturity imposes dependency.

“We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater then our heart and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. The is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.” 1 John 3: 16-23

Emotional immaturity is a condition of many young people where they are unable, or unwilling, to make personal choices that are in his/her best interest. In other words, the emotionally immature person will make decisions based on his/her “wants” (wanting to use drugs, wanting to drop out of school, wanting to engage in pre-marital sex, etc.) regardless of the consequences. The emotionally immature person chooses to fulfill their desires at the expense of others, and to the detriment of him/herself. In other words, the emotionally immature person is driven by his/her desires for immediate comfort and gratification and this person shuns responsibility and accountability at all costs. Because the emotionally immature young person can’t find respect and honor among mature youth of his/her own age, they tend to bond together with other emotionally immature youth.

Because most young people in America are unable to make positive decisions for them- selves, they are hopelessly dependent on others. They want independence but can’t make it on their own. They reject their parent’s authority, yet are unable to provide for themselves, so they bond together with others with the same needs of dependency. The real problem is that these same young people are truly duped into believing that they can run their own life. This fantasy-based thinking propels the emotionally immature person into rebelling not only against their parents, but also against all things that are in their best interest concerning their future. They get support from their emotionally immature peers. For example, most emotionally immature people place the importance of their friends above their educational needs, placing their need for social acceptance above the respect of their parents and their parent’s pro-social values. Why? Because in the support of their negative peers, the emotionally immature youth can continue to avoid taking responsibility and continue to blame others for his/her poor decisions.

Today’s young people are being compelled to “grow up fast” and act like adults by our pervasive societal norms. However, the emotionally immature youth are not able to handle the pressure of making the decisions of an adult. Young people today want to be respected as being an adult, but they are unable to make adult-like decisions, and they are not able to take responsibility for themselves. These young people demand that their parents give them the legitimacy of “adulthood” but are unwilling to take the responsibility of being an adult (unable to make a living and pay for their personal needs, such as; shelter, food, medical, education, etc.). In other words, these youth want to quit school, hang out with their negative friends, party, and have fun….and they want their parents to cover all of their expenses.

Out of their need to be something more than adolescents and to achieve “forced” independence without being able to truly be independent, young people have created their own subculture where their fantasy ideals are supported by other immature youths. Fantasy ideals are false beliefs that the young person can “make it on their own” without parental support. They also believe that “authority figures” are hindrances to fun and good times. In the “fantasy culture, we find a complete set of well-defined values, norms, language, and symbols. The fantasy culture is really a subculture, or a new culture, whose sole purpose is to rebel against the “adult” culture. Remember, to the fantasy minded adolescent, the adult authority is a hindrance to their desire to have fun, call their own shots, and make their own decisions.

In today’s society this subculture has become extremely well organized through industry and marketing experts exploiting teens with the intent on making money. This is due to the advent of profiteering on the “rebel” culture. The subculture is becoming big business. It spans continents and oceans, includes specific styles of dress and grooming, has its own language, involves “hero’s or idols”, and is slanted toward defiance and degradation of the adult societal values. These subcultures are brought together in unity through the “entertainment industries” (music, Hollywood, etc.). These are a group of industries that promote societal breakdowns and encourage open rebellion all for the purpose of making money. These music/fashion driven subcultures mock adult authority, dismiss their good values (such as integrity and trustworthiness), and demand the respect of the adult, all at the same time Someone has to pay for the lifestyle choices, so parents are only valued as a means to pay for the youth’s material desires. The ironic thing is that the only way that the subculture can exist is through a strong bond between the members of the culture and the material support of parents. Even if a youth is not directly influenced into rebellion through the music subculture, he or she is still influenced by peers who are.

To the emotionally immature young person, the values of the adult culture are dismissed. By default, the values of the adult culture are increasingly replaced by the values and norms of the negative peer culture made up of other emotionally immature youth. Authority figures (adults, teachers, youth pastors, etc.) attempt to guide the emotionally immature young person with little success. In many cases the adult authority figures have less and less power to direct the emotionally immature young person, while the fantasy-based subculture seems to take an increasingly strong hold on the young person’s life. As time goes on, the subculture values all but replaces the influence of parents and other good adult role models. For example, to the adult culture, the value of being honest and truthful is extremely important. In the minds of the fantasy-based youth subculture, however, “truth” is relative and being honest is seen as retarded. In the fantasy-based youth subculture, the young person places little value on being truthful and honest, and believes that lying to adults can actually gain the respect of other young people. This is twisted thinking; yet it holds the youth culture hostage.

Today, parents decry their loss of influence and dream nostalgically of the family of the past where children “knew their place and the elders ruled supreme”. But it is very difficult to turn back the clock to another day when the young person found his peer group among Christ-centered peers. Today, the reality must be accepted as it is: The fantasy-based peer group is self-centered and emotionally immature. They are driven by fantasy thinking and have the strongest influence over the values, attitudes, and behavior of the emotionally immature youth. Most outstandingly, this subculture is rejecting their parent’s Christian heritage and Christian values (to love, respect, and serve others). This subculture is focused on immediate gratification, unearned and unwarranted comfort, and the self-centered, hedonistic ideals of pleasure. The conflict between the parent’s culture and the young person’s rebellious fantasy-based culture creates tremendous friction and conflict in the home.

This fantasy-based peer influence might be acceptable if young people were able to succeed in their subculture. Most of the time, the emotionally immature young person limits their counsel to other emotionally immature peers, and it is truly as if the “blind are leading the blind”. Being blinded, these young people have no idea as to the potential disasters that accompany their poor personal decisions. Unfortunately, their personal decisions can become so poor that the possible detrimental outcome literally scares their parents into taking complete and total control of the youth’s life. In many cases, the young person’s decisions are so wrapped up in fantasy-based thinking, which is greatly influenced by negative peers, that the parents have no other option but to step in and take total control. Of course this does not go very well with the emotionally immature youth. This youth is looking for more freedom and liberty, however his/her actions lead the concerned parent into taking away all freedom and liberty. In essence, the youth gets less of what he/she wants and more of what they are trying to avoid. To compound the problem, the emotionally immature youth has no idea that it is his/her poor self-management that has led to the loss of freedom and liberty. Instead of making positive adjustments and corrections, this youth blames the parent and justifies his/her poor decisions by minimizing the detriments. Quite often the parent becomes even more concerned and begins to micro-manage the youth’s life. The youth rejects his/her parents’ help and turns toward his/her negative friends for support. Needless to say this situation soon becomes unbearable for both parties.

Perhaps the most universal response is seen in the contest for power. With the motto “we’ll show them who is boss”, the parents attempt to control the young person into obedience… demanding respect and adherence to the values of the family. As controls become restrictive, friction and conflict increase. Adults, who feel they are about to lose control, frequently send for reinforcements. Parents turn to schools, pastors, therapists, etc. The normal advice to the parent is take control, restrict, punishment, and levy harsh consequences. In the end, adults may succeed in applying enough control to impose conformity, but the problems may have now gone underground. The “intelligent” young person (yet who is emotionally immature) learns to “front”, or pretend to comply in order to avoid punishment while the poor choices continue and even escalate behind the scenes All the while, the youth are growing ever closer to the negative peer group. The parent is duped into thinking that they are succeeding, when in fact they are losing more ground than ever before.

The truth is that the emotionally immature youth needs to mature. To the parent and child, the situation seems impossible; but in reality, the solution is simple. The youth does need help, but not in the form that the parents are supplying. The emotionally immature youth needs to learn to take responsibility for his/her choices, to hold him/herself accountable, and to make pro-active and pro-social choices. The bottom line is this… the emotionally immature youth needs to embrace adversity, become mentally and emotionally strong, and to honor his/her potential by learning the power of “CHOICE”. This youth needs to learn what choices he/she has, and to begin to make new choices, from a new prospective, and a new awareness.

True freedom and liberty can only be achieved through adversity, perseverance, and respecting the power of choice. Instead of being self-centered and self-gratifying, the first step toward emotional maturity is to understand and apply the concept of “giving”.

The Rewards of Giving

In traditional approaches to overcoming the problems of immature youth, adults tend to monopolize the giving of help. In contrast, Positive Peer Culture demands that young people assume the responsibility of giving the help among themselves. This notion of helping is, of course, not original; civilized man has long been aware of the benefits that accrue when people are involved in mutual giving. Isaiah expressed this idea nearly 3000 years ago: “They helped everyone his neighbor”. Isaiah 41:6

It is true that successful organizations flourish mainly because they offer individuals within the organization opportunities to serve others. When organizations (teams, businesses, churches, governmental agencies) flourish it is mainly due to the fact that they are effectively serving others. In addition, those who work in professions where they are consistently helping others often report more satisfaction in their work when compared to other professions. In other words, helping others is the key to helping yourself. In a PPC the first foundational truth of helping others is looked upon as being the greatest value, and those who serve others gain the greatest respect amongst the group. But helping others is not the only key… there are others.

Being accepted by one’s peers is also very critical in a PPC. In order for an individual to feel positive about him/herself, two conditions must exist. First, he/she must feel accepted by others. Secondly, he/she also must feel like they deserve the acceptance. If a youth does not feel like they are worthy of acceptance, they will reject any effort by others to feel accepted. Selfish and self-centered youth know that they do not deserve the acceptance of others, yet they greatly desire the acceptance of others. They are caught in-between two worlds, wanting something they can’t receive.

In order to be accepted, the emotionally immature youth must stop the selfish and self-centered (harmful) behavior and begin to make positive contributions to others such as serving and giving. In essence, the more the immature youth gives to others through sacrifice, the better they feel about themselves and the more they are accepted by others. Additionally, once they are accepted as “youth that give”, they feel worthy of the acceptance they receive. In healthy pro-social PPC members expects that each member will stop their irresponsible (hurting) behavior and begin helping others. These are the ingredients of a truly positive self-concept.

Moreover, contrary to established notions; emotionally immature youth need not conquer all of their problems before being able to help solve the problems of other emotionally immature youth. In a PPC staff does not wait until the youth can overcome all of their hang-ups before they expect him to contribute to others. In reality, the very act of helping others becomes the first decisive step in overcoming one’s personal problems. In reaching out to help another person, the emotionally immature youth creates his own proof of worthiness: He/she is now of value to someone.

The emotionally immature youth who tells you, “You are not going to get me to change” is not saying he is unwilling to change. In reality, most youth are considerably more receptive to change then are older individuals. What such a youth is really saying is that “I am not going to be changed by you (the adult)”, which is a very different situation. Youth are especially geared to help each other, and to be helped by one another. But rarely is the emotionally immature youth willing to receive help from an adult.

Rather than hoping the youth will come forth with a “cry for help”, PPC asks first that he be willing to offer help to other youth. While an individual certainly must learn to receive as well as to give help, the balance must be weighted in favor of giving – the only route to true strength, autonomy, and a positive self-concept. In PPC, the entire process of helping others is given highest status. The young person does not have to be cured because he is mentally ill, punished because he is immoral, or enlightened because he is ignorant. Rather, he comes to help others and thereby to receive help with his own problems.

The first and most powerful foundation of PPC is helping others.

The Strength of the Overcomer

The youth who has successfully overcome adversity and resolved problems often has the greatest potential for understanding the problems of other youth and helping them to master similar difficulties. This principle has not found widespread acceptance by professionals working with emotionally immature youth. Formerly immature youth are not looked upon as potential allies by most professional staff. However, in reality, the potential strength of a youthful overcomer is far more powerful than any adult in a similar situation.

When working with emotionally immature youth, adult staff all too often sees the limitations and not the strengths of the youth. Many adults are focused on controlling the immature behaviors of the youth, and not focused on cultivating potential strengths of a youth who has “overcome”. When the emotionally immature youth begins to understand his/her own negative behavior, he/she truly becomes an expert in dealing with other youth of similar backgrounds. For example, it is very hard to deceive or trick a youth who once was emotionally immature.

When the staff of a PPC begins to cultivate and nurture the youth into becoming “fellow reformers” a true power is released. In effect, strong groups of youth who have overcome emotional immaturity make a strong PPC. They, then, become a powerful tool in helping the newest member of the group. The only way to cultivate and nurture the power of the overcoming youth is to see them as an integral part of the process of change. In other words, a youth has a lot better opportunity to help an emotionally immature youth than does any adult.

II. Issues in Positive Peer Culture

Trust and Openness vs. Invasion and Exposure

Some confrontation groups use strong group pressure to break a person’s defenses in order to compel “honesty”. A target person of such is sometimes referred to as “being on the hot seat”. Trying to defer interrogation but subjected to intense attack from the group, this person often, breaks emotionally under the pressure of the prolonged confrontation. Defenses are shattered, a flood of emotions comes forth, and the inner person is bared for the benefit of the group. The climate of these confrontational groups is one of invasion and exposure.

In contrast, PPC seeks to build a climate characterized by openness. The young person in a PPC group does not enter a group placed on the hot seat; rather, he is , in effect, in the help seat, and preoccupation is to show their concern for him. This is no minor difference.

PPC groups have no concern other than to be of help. Groups empowered with the “right” to punish, harass, and restrict privileges are not geared to help, but can only hurt members through intimation and fear. PPC is based on the application of helping, not coercion. PPC is based on “concern”, not exposure. While peer concern may sometimes look like peer pressure, PPC has no place for pressure without genuine concern.

While many strong feelings may be shown in a PPC group meeting, the goal is not to force an unwilling youth to bare his emotions. Advocates of exposure procedures may define a good meeting as one in which somebody “breaks down”. While an individual should feel free to express any feelings to his group, achieving some catharsis in which all comes pouring out is not the object. For this reason, PPC groups usually are less threatening to a young person than are groups based on intense confrontation and exposure.

The person who enters a group that is intent on exposing him/her feels very much alone, an outcast. If he resists the advances of a confrontive group, the members become more and more adamant; should his defense hold, the group becomes frustrated and the attack increases to an almost unbelievable barrage of screaming and shouting that nobody would interpret as “caring”. In a PPC, group members are never to sit in judgment with authority to reject one another.

PPC assumes that the young person will initially distrust the group. Therefore, the PPC bears the burden of proof that distrust is groundless. During the vulnerable initial days in the program, the other members offer assistance to the new youth rather than exploiting him. They learn that the newcomer’s superficial behavior must be tolerated for a while, for any attempt to destroy his “front” will frighten him and perhaps drive him away from the group.

Many group programs have been criticized for the way they collapse defenses that have been constructed over a lifetime. This concern is valid. PPC does not assume that people with problems need to be forced into communications; the young person in a PPC group does not enter into some once-on-a-lifetime episode of contrived communication with a group of strangers. Rather, foundations are laid for a lifetime of experience with care, concern, and mutual trust.

A Climate of Change vs. a Climate of Security

Many believe that young people should be reared in safe environment, free of problems and conflict. However, no young person can develop in the absence of some challenge and frustration. Youth need opportunities to experience difficulties and surmount problems in order to learn how to cope effectively with the pressures of life. PPC does not offer youth a sheltered environment where they are protected from the demands of the real world. Youth are not provided with highly nurturing relationships in which they become overly dependent on adults; instead, they must learn to relate to one another in new and adaptive ways.

Staff strive with great energy and commitment to instill in young people a desire to change. Ideally, all staff interventions would be positive and even inspirational in nature, but such situations will seldom suffice to produce change. In addition, a climate in which all-harmful or self-destructive behavior is challenged is much more conducive to change than is the settled, “leave everything as it is” tone that dominates many traditional programs. Change occurs most readily when social equilibrium is disrupted. In an overly secure and tranquil environment, many youth are not in the least motivated to change. When all is going well, people seldom see any need to alter their behavior. Therefore, if movement is to occur, youth may first have to become dissatisfied with things as they are.

Many young people are not even aware of the dangerous or destructive nature of their behavior. Our schools are populated with students who experience very little adversity about their problems because, having achieved a sort of equilibrium, they have very little desire to alter their behavior or to test their values. A student may be engaged in almost suicidal abuse of drugs and still feel that he has no problem. A youth may steal but be concerned only that he/she not gets caught. That he may be hurting another person does not even seem to bother him/her. The provision of greater security will not help to change these young people; rather, they must be motivated, perhaps even prodded, to begin the process of change.

Many youth workers are reluctant to apply pressure to young people or to create stressful situations for them. These adults often treat young people as fragile beings because they do not want to add to their conflicts or to make them feel guilty. Certainly, a few are so emotionally inadequate they need a highly protected environment, but they are exceptional cases. The vast majority, even those with many problems, is quite capable of handling challenging or uncertain situations.

Instead of being guilt-ridden and overly anxious, many youth (especially those who are emotionally immature) do not experience enough guilt, so they may need to become more anxious in order to be motivated to change. When a youth does become motivated to change he/she is demonstrating emotional maturity. The desire and willingness to change is a sign of emotional maturity. Youth must come to feel uncomfortable and ill at ease each time they hurt themselves or others. Of course, no one would advocate purposely exposing youth to continuous, excessive adversity; yet all too often, adversity has been viewed as totally bad (a synonym of emotional disturbance) and its positive aspects overlooked. Adversity is not undesirable but essential… the natural system to signal that some change in behavior may be necessary. A person without adversity would have no warning system, no way of knowing when his/her behavior was contrary to his best interests.

Adults who work in a PPC program are as likely to create as to alleviate adversity. When properly managed and directed, adversity can facilitate the process of change. We do not mean that all adversity is useful at all times, in all situations, and with all youth. But when used in a carefully planned manner, significant benefits can accrue. If a youth becomes anxious enough about a problem, he will be motivated to take action.

PPC does not promise a young person a world of contentment, security, and freedom from adversity; rather a climate is created where all behavior that harms and hurts another person is noticed and challenged. Adversity arouses by anxiety in the young person, and he/she begins to question his/her existing values. As the youth is awakened to his/her lack of concern for self and others, he/she is already becoming emotionally mature.

Here and Now vs. Then and There

PPC focuses on the direct and immediate problems (current immature behavior) of an individual. PPC groups do not get involved in an analysis of all the details in a person’s history; neither does PPC search for answers to a person’s problems by looking “outside” the person. It is all about the person’s choices. PPC teaches the youth to look at their own choices (and patterns) as the root of their problems. PPC groups do not become engaged in theoretical debates of social, philosophical, or political issues. Instead, young people in a PPC are asked to concentrate on their choices (thoughts, feelings, and actions) and how they affect themselves and others.

A widespread misconception holds that one must analyze early child-hood experiences in order to understand his/her present difficulties. The notion is that once a person is able to achieve “insight” into the origin of his behavior, his problems can be readily resolved. After years of psychotherapy, people can become experts on their own dynamics, and yet continue to be just as unhappy and troubled as ever. It is not sufficient to learn that one’s behavior is the result of childhood. In fact, this kind of interpretation of the origins of one’s problems is generally of little value. It all about understands one’s choices and how new choices can bring new outcomes.

Sometimes youth avoid real-life problems by becoming engrossed into theoretical discussions regarding morality. PPC groups do not become sidetracked in such considerations. While such discourses might well have educational value, it gives too easy an opportunity for verbally skillful youth to intellectualize instead of dealing with their own immediate problems.

PPC groups do not occupy time in “psychological” discussions in which sophisticated terminology obscures the focus on the “individuals” choices and behaviors. PPC is built solely around the solution of real-life current problems. The results from solving actual problems translate much more readily into future positive choices for the youth.

Problems as Opportunities vs. Problems as Trouble

PPC sees problems (frustrating situations) as a very special opportunity rather than as a problem having to be solved by staff. Those who view problems as trouble frequently go to great lengths to carefully arrange the environment to avoid the creation of problems, and when they do occur the goal is to halt the problems as rapidly as possible. However, trying to stamp out problems is often like trying to squeeze the air out of a tied balloon; either the air shifts to a bulge on the other side of the balloon, or the balloon breaks. Many attempts at suppression only force the problem to reappear in another area and cause an explosion.

Perhaps the most telling example of failure in attempts to suppress problems is noted in programs for troubled teens. Here, delinquent youth are confined in a highly structured environment where behavior is as totally controlled. Often the attempts at control backfire, and youth openly rebel. However, most of the time students present a placid profile, at least when adult control is present. Youth usually learn to “serve their time”, fronting superficial positive adjustments meant to get them by. Then, when they return home they quickly return to the old behaviors and all the problems return.

PPC makes a distinction between solving problems and controlling problems (although it works toward the goal of solving broad patterns of problems, PPC also acknowledges the necessity of eliminating harmful behavior). Traditionally, schools, parents, and youth programs concentrate on controlling the problems. Highly sophisticated behavioral modification programs focus on controlling problems and avoid dealing with attitudes, values, or feelings. PPC works directly on attitudes, values and feelings. PPC does not consider it sufficient to modify only observable negative behavior (i.e., stealing). A young person can discontinue a specific troublesome behavior and still maintain negative social values and a poor self-concept. PPC believes that most problems result from distorted social values and/or a distorted self-concept. Only a person who adopts positive social values and develops a positive self-concept can see his problems be fully resolved.

Although learning theory is employed in PC (positive behaviors are reinforced by group approval), the focus of PPC is different from most behavior-modification programs. Controlling undesirable behavior preemptively fails to acknowledge its parameters, which usually include a set of values and attitudes. The expression of negative values and behavior is permitted, even encouraged, in PPC, so that the emotionally immature youth has the opportunity to make a clear choice. Typically, they are surfaced, examined for their utility, and then rejected in favor of the pro-social norms imbedded in a Positive Peer Culture.

In a PPC the existence of “problems” (emotional immaturity) does not greatly embarrass the youth. Youth with problems are in no way viewed as abnormal. The important consideration is that a person be aware of his problems and do something to solve them. In contrast, the popular viewpoints of “troubled teens” reflect a notion of mental illness, immorality, and emotional disturbance, or ignorance. In a healthy PPC there is a powerful TWIST. Youth are in no way viewed as being abnormal or “troubled”. The important consideration is that a person be aware of his/her problems and be willing receive help from his/her peers to solve them.

If problems are not shown it is extremely hard to know how to begin solving them. For example, a reading teacher would find it difficult to improve a child’s reading skills if the child never spoke to show just what his/her reading difficulties were. Only as the teacher sees the problems for what they are can he or she correct the problem. So it is with personal issues. PPC sees the appearance of a problem as an opportunity; as a person’s problems become visible, the way to a solution becomes clearer.

In most settings, teachers and youth workers attempt to suppress problems because they fear a loss of control. This concern is valid particularly when work is with large numbers of students. The potential for contagious, troublesome behavior is high in any group of students which does not relate positively to authority. Thus, the adult moves quickly to squelch any acting-out behavior. One of the common interventions is to “kick out” the troublemaker. Students who are viewed as a negative influence on other students are sacrificed for the sake of the rest of the group. Kicking out the problem youth has many negative sides effects:

1). Some understudy usually is waiting in readiness to fill the role of chief troublemaker. 2). The attempt to make an example frequently backfires as other students vent hostility
toward adults in defense of one of their number.
3). For the youth who already expects to fail, the threat of possible exclusion may lessen
motivation to succeed.
4). Sometimes the student who acts out with defiant bravado in reality receives some
reinforcement from expulsion.

PPC does not communicate to failure-oriented youth that “we are upset by your problem”. Rather the message is: “It is good that you are showing your problems, because now something can be done about them.” A strong program will never develop if youth are allowed to fail. Kicking out a youth is really giving up, which can only weaken everybody involved. This only shows:

1). The troublesome youth has failed to overcome his problems so he is less likely to
succeed in the future.
2). The peer group has failed to help one of their members so they will have less
confidence in their capacity to handle the problems of other members.
3). The adults have failed to build a group that could succeed and will be more likely feel
unable to handle difficult youth.

Staff must help the group to accept all problems as their responsibility. One does not abandon a person just because he needs help more than most. Instead, group and staff strength must be mobilized to deal with any problem, however difficult. If the problem cannot be resolved, then every student and every adult may have to admit that this one individual has more power than all of them combined.

While PPC staff allows problems to emerge, they do not sit back in a permissive manner as chaos develops. Problems must occur at a tempo which they can be monitored and examined, not at a landslide rate. As problems emerge, the students’ responsibility is to use them in a constructive manner; the adult must see that the group assumes responsibility for resolving them.

III. Calling Forth Greatness Instead of Demanding Submission

As adults encounter the challenge of difficult youth, the typical response is to demand conformity and submission. Elaborate sets of rules are concocted, and then the search for ways to enforce them begins. Rewards are offered to students for behaving, and punishments are applied to keep them from misbehaving; adults send for reinforcements; students are shunted to special problems, but the problems persist.

Rather than demand submission, PPC calls to young people to become the mature and productive human beings they can be. Unfortunately, many adults do not really believe that young people possess the quality of “greatness”, which is perhaps not surprising since youth seldom are provided with opportunities to display their true human potentials. PPC is concerned with setting expectations high enough to challenge the young person to do all he is capable of doing. To expect less is to deprive him of the opportunity of feeling as positively about himself as possible.

Many teachers and youth workers have long been aware that demanding conformity and submission was not an effective way of dealing with adolescents, but they usually knew only one alternative: the granting of total freedom. Many attempts to give responsibility to young people are instead really “freedom” approaches. In these programs, adults sometimes totally abdicate authority and return all decision making to the young. Not surprisingly, a common outcome is that the students run loose in a manner reminiscent of the classic novel Lord of the Flies.

Sometimes attempts are made to institute self-government among young people. In most cases, this self-government is, in reality, a sham. Most public school student governments, in which youth are allowed to decide little more than the color of crepe paper for the school prom, fall into this category. Usually, adults do not really want to give up their power; so they make sure that youth do not have much territory to govern.

PPC makes no pretense of turning over all decision making to the students. Adults never abdicate their authority or responsibility. Instead, PPC is so designed that adults are in control…without controlling. A flight instructor does not give full control to the student pilot but is always available to take charge if hazards are encountered while the student learns to fly. So in PPC, adults assign responsibility to youth and then coach and teach them to follow through on that responsibility.

PPC calls forth greatness from the student. PPC defines greatness as making new powerful choices; showing positive, caring values to other group members… loving, trusting, and serving others above one’s self. PPC groups help members to learn a new TWIST. This includes helpful new choices new awareness, new perspectives, and new language in handling themselves when learning to grow and meet their needs in mature pro-social ways.

Values or Rules

In PPC, youth are not given a complicated road map of explicit rules they must follow. While rules obviously are necessary in any society, still young people must be able to make decisions when no clear rules for behavior exist. Too often rules are geared to keeping unruly youth in submission and meeting the adult’s need for control. Adult rules do not prepare a young person to live responsibly amid the complexities and uncertainties of the real world. While our students may learn to obey all the rules we concoct, they may still fail miserably at the business of living. All too often rules give youth an easy way out of having to make wise and independent judgments. Youth must learn how to make sound decisions even in the absence of specific guidelines. Young people must learn and internalize the basic values for living and not merely memorize a set of rules.

PPC does not tell youth that they should stop their behavior to avoid punishment, for perhaps they are intelligent enough to avoid being caught. Youth are not told to alter their behavior because it is logical; honesty may not always be logical, and a case sometimes can be made for a crime. Is it always more logical to work at low wages as a domestic servant then to accept employment as a well-paid prostitute? Why should a person work at a tedious job if he has the skills to be a thief? PPC does not develop logical arguments against every misbehavior but turns instead to the ultimate issue of values; Is this helping or is this hurting?

While PPC is oriented toward the teaching of values, we should emphasize that this reference is not to middle-class values or any specific ideology. Rather, there is one basic value – the value of the human being. Such a value is tied neither to social status nor to culture and does not become obsolete with the passage of generations. Anything that hurts any person is considered wrong, and people are assumed to be responsible for caring for one another. Caring means, “I want what is best for you.” This value is reflected in the thinking of the Judaic-Christian tradition and in most other ethical systems.

Making Caring Fashionable

A PPC can exist only in a climate of mutual concern. However, since most youth do not initially show strongly positive, caring behavior, how can caring be made fashionable to them? This question is considered in the remainder of this chapter.

Positive values at the outset often are more acceptable to female than to male groups. The normal societal expectations for women reflect the values of service, caring, and giving of self to others. Thus, the central values of a PPC program are compatible with the role behaviors society has long advocated for the female. Certainly not all girls’ manifest kind, helping, sensitive behavior, nor does either gender have a monopoly on harmful, hurting behavior. Still, almost all girls have clearly been socialized toward positive caring behavior and thus are not initially likely to changes the underlying values of the PPC program.

Among male delinquents, the task of making caring palatable is much more difficult. Many young males consider positive, helping behavior as feminine in nature. It is widely assumed that male delinquency is related to the strong preoccupation with manliness that is seen among boys reared in predominately mother-centered environments.

Youth gravitate to a peer group usually in search of acceptance and belonging. Unfortunately, the values of the peer group are forced upon anyone trying to gain acceptance and belonging. If these values are anti-social then the youth takes on these values or is not allowed to belong. Most of these anti-social peer groups are made up of emotionally immature people who reject the notion of caring for others. They also reject honesty, integrity, and service toward others. The emphases of the negative, anti-social peer groups are rooted in fantasy-based thinking where members puff themselves up. They also have an inflated sense of personal importance by proclaiming “make-believe” strength. Weak individuals acting tough through false bravado do this. In many cases the emotionally immature youth strives to imitate by being tough. He/she feels they must always appear to be strong to his/her peer group when in reality they all know they are not strong. When members of the peer group go along with the “make-believe” strength of their members (not confronting the obvious falsehood), this is an indicator that the peer group is a group of immature kids in need of serious emotional maturity.

It is virtually impossible to persuade a group of emotionally immature youth to be sensitive and caring because they view caring and sensitive to be weak. The staff must present caring and sensitivity as it truly is. A person who cares about others more than themselves is really much stronger than those who do not care. To care, to serve, and to love others is not easy. It takes a mature person who has tremendous inner strength and maturity, wisdom and power, to serve others (especially when serving the emotionally immature).

The problem with today’s youth is that they have re-labeled good values as being weak and negative. They have also re-labeled negative behaviors as being cool and fashionable. Weak youth gravitate toward the anti-social values of negative adults in order to puff themselves up. In doing so, they mock and reject the “good values” (trustworthiness, honesty, hard work, truthfulness, loyal, etc.) and have re-classified them as being weak characteristics. Isaiah 5:20 teaches: “Woe, (judgment) to those who call good evil and evil good; that change darkness for light and light for darkness; that say that bitter is sweet and that sweet is bitter.”

Whenever this distortion of values is reflected in the language of the young people, staff must re-label the behavior so that “hurting behavior” will be viewed as undesirable and “helping behavior” fashionable. For example, if the emotionally immature youth perceives self-centered behavior as being acceptable and mature, staff must redirect the youth to see that our prisons are full of people who are self-centered.

The general concept of re-labeling is this… emotionally immature behavior is often accompanied by a romanticizing terminology that reinforces such behavior. Staff in a PPC program are alert to these terms and attempt to lower the attractiveness of the behavior by calling it by a name that is undesirable to the youth. Likewise, all references to positive, helping behavior, should be made with labels that are desirable. Effective PPC staff quickly become adept at describing all positive helping behavior with adjectives associated with strength and maturity and re-labeling all hurting behavior with adjectives associated with weakness and immaturity. Many labels are useable. Thus, reference to positive behavior as great, intelligent, independent, improving, winning will help to make such behavior more desirable for most youth, while the description of negative behavior as childish, unintelligent, helpless, destructive, copping out, and losing will help to establish such behavior as undesirable and unfashionable.

It cannot be emphasized too strongly that any negative label is meant to apply to behavior rather than to a person; otherwise we are attacking a person’s self-concept. Staff and group should not get into a situation in which they are merely calling a young person names under the pretense of helping him/her. We can label an individual’s explosive behavior as a childish temper tantrum, but we should never tell him he/she is a child; rather, that he/she is too mature to continue such childish behavior. Since group members pick up many of the re-labeling techniques, staff must keep alert in honoring this subtle, but important, distinction. “Sometimes you act in babyish ways” is much better then saying, “You are just a big baby.”

PPC seeks to constantly to undercut negative behavior as it continually builds up a person’s positive self-concept. The transformation of values that can occur as the positive potential of an individual is realized is empowering.

IV. Identifying Problems

Humans have been identifying and labeling the problems of other humans for at least as long as recorded history. From the days when problems were known to arise from evil spirits or demons to the invention of today’s complex psychiatric terminology, men have tried to create systems might somehow lead to solutions.

Classifications are now so complicated that it is not possible for behavioral scientists to communicate with one another about the nature of problems. A room full of social scientists has as many definitions of “schizophrenia” or “psychopath” or “character disorder” as the number of persons in the room. No review of the psychological literature will clarify what the names for problems really mean; one current revision of a standard psychiatric dictionary proudly states that the volume contains over 4000 new terms not included in the prior edition. This number is not a testimonial to the progress made in studying people’s problems; rather, it is an admission of the confusion and chaos that pervade the field of “problemology.”

In any setting where adults work with youth, we may encounter many different understandings, each with a separate language. The teacher, psychologist, psychiatrist, social work, recreation worker, child care worker, judge, and parent all are on different wave lengths; everybody views the problems of youth differently and does not understand the language of anybody else. Amid all these labels we have often judged most valid the professional language that describes problems in the fanciest terms. Most people now know what paranoid or neurotic or compulsive mean, since such psychiatric terms are in common use. The layman has come to stand in awe of psychological terminology and strives to acquire the terms as his own, if only to be able to carry on seemingly enlightened social conversation.

The Vernacular of Problems

PPC uses as little “professional” jargon as possible. In place of “psychologese,” all youth and adults who are part of a PPC program have developed a set standard, straightforward universal language of problems for use. All discussion of problems revolves around an easily understood set of labels covering most of the difficulties young people may experience. These terms include three general labels and nine more specific labels.

General Problems

1. Low self-image
2. Inconsiderate of others
3. Inconsiderate of self

Specific Problems

4. Authority problem
5. Misleads others
6. Easily misled
7. Aggravates others
8. Easily angered
9. Stealing
10. Alcohol or drug problem
11. Lying
12. Fronting

Since a problem is defined as anything that harms or damages oneself or another person, all problems theoretically can be encompassed within “inconsiderate of self” or “inconsiderate of others.” If a behavior or feeling does not in any way hurt nor harm another person or the self, it is not a problem. Although “low self-esteem” overlaps with “inconsiderate of self,” the first is so pervasive that it merits a special place on the list.
Since a classification system with only two or three categories would not facilitate clear and precise communication, several additional specific problems are included. These labels refer to particular patterns of troublesome behavior that occur quite frequently among youth.

The discerning reader already might have noted many connections between the first three general problems and the subsequent nine specific problems. For example, a student who is easily misled may really have a very low self-image. Before one can resolve the basic problem, though, it may be necessary to focus on more specific problems. A group may readily notice that others always lead a youth into trouble, but it may initially fail to recognize the more subtle connection with self-concept.

The group learns to identify the problems a young person displays, to help one another understand them and to help in their resolution. Simply to eliminate the expression of negative behavior is not the goal; the youth who truly resolves his problems will possess new positive and quite valuable social skills.

Positive Peer Culture - Problem-Solving List

The Problem-Solving List (table 4.1) defines the characteristics of those problems that need to be resolved. Students and staff in PPC programs receive this statement of goals, and individual progress is measured against the specific targets set by the list.

Although the idea of universal language is not new, the implementation of such a vernacular in an educational or treatment setting is uncommon. The effect of having all students and staff share a common language is a dramatic improvement in ability to communicate. The staff will not need a separate set of terms; in fact, formal progress reporting also can be done with this terminology by attaching a copy of the Problem-Solving List to the report for clarity. For example, in settings where youth are referred to PPC by juvenile courts, the regular communication of progress to the court is in the form of a monthly letter written in the vernacular of the Problem-Solving List. This report is made available to the group members and staff and is sent to the agency that assigned the youth to the program.

Observers frequently ask why fighting is not listed as a problem. The word fighting evokes too many contradictory images to be viewed as a problem. Because of the positive aspects of fighting for what is right (for one’s country, against crime, and for survival), the term is ineffective. Rather, it can be changed to “aggravating others” or being “easily angered” or “inconsiderate of others”- none of which carries the positive connotations of fighting.

Another question may be why sex problems are not specifically included on the list. Because students must accept the list as a valid description of problems, the inclusion of such a sensitive subject would be threatening enough to prevent young people from entering willingly into a program that appeared to focus on such issues. We do not mean that sexual problems are not discussed in PPC groups; rather, they may be discussed as they relate to a person’s self-image or as to being inconsiderate of self or others.

Contemporary slang words for problems should not be substituted on the problem list, although the peer group may not necessarily be discouraged from using such expressions in their discussions. Most slang expressions have emotional connotations that interfere with the proper and serious consideration of a problem. For example, the slang term rip-off has a much more daring, flippant, and masculine image than does the somewhat more “sneaky” concept portrayed by the word steal. The problem labels on the list are neither supportive nor highly disparaging. Rather, the tone is mildly negative to neutral, which allows the youth to communicate about problems in an objective manner and makes the list equally useful to all individuals, adult and youth alike.

Problems can be identified and labeled with relative ease and consistency because of the straightforward nature of the list. However, since the list encompasses a wide range of behavioral problems, the staff in a PPC program should clearly understand the precise meaning of the various labels in order to prevent any distortions in communication that may result from the different meanings that different individuals attach to the labels.

While the foregoing is a Pandora’s Box of negative behavior, it is essential that problem solving not be seen as a negative process. In an insightful discussion of “the problem with problems” Panzino [1] cautions against overwhelming youth (who already doubt their own abilities) with excessive criticism in the guise of assigning problems. The focus must not be on every trivial flaw in a person but on self-defeating patterns of problem behavior that can be surmounted. Furthermore, embodied in most problems is s