Exploring community stress and empowerment among stakeholders and youth in an urban community |
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| Authors: | Brad Forenza David T Lardier Jr Robert J Reid Pauline Garcia-Reid Autumn Bermea |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy, Center for Child Advocacy and Policy, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJforenzab@mail.montclair.edu;3. Department of Individual, Family, and Community Education, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM;4. Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ |
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| Abstract: | ABSTRACTCommunity-level stress, such as pervasive substance abuse and violence, can yield negative health and mental heath outcomes for youth from disadvantaged communities. Community empowerment is a process whereby community members work together to increase control in their community. This qualitative inquiry analyzed in-depth interviews with adult stakeholders (n = 17) as well as focus group interviews with token youth (n = 85) to explore perceptions of community stress and empowerment in one disadvantaged locale. Each of the 102 total participants helped interrogate the research questions: What does it mean to live in a stressed community? How might youth and adults perceive themselves capable of impacting a stressed community’s quality of life? Emergent themes, which include a nod to the utility of coalition building, are explored. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are also discussed. |
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| Keywords: | Community empowerment community stress substance abuse primary prevention coalition building |
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