Summer Program: Fostering Youth Development Through Performance and Creative Imitation

• In Event: Play, Learning, and Development Across Activity Settings

Abstract

This study analyzes a three-week summer program for 32 teenagers based on Vygostkian inspired performance approaches to foster youth development. The summer program included simulations, case studies, presentations by senior executives, roundtable discussions, work in groups, and workshops to develop interviewing and public presentation skills. The summer program is a low cost activity for sponsoring organizations because it is implemented by volunteers (parents and spouses). The case study reveals that performance and creative imitation create leading-learning development environments where teenagers simultaneously learn and apply their learning to create something new. In addition, the summer program reinforced the cultural role of parents as mentors and organizations as social responsible entities that offer meaningful learning opportunities for youth.

Author

• Armando Justo, The George Washington University