Possibility Development: A Model for Theorizing and Catalyzing Youth Development

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

Possibility development is the pursuit and actualization of life possibilities (Authors, 2006). Possibility development as a model of growth, change and accomplishment of goals brings along with it some key moral, psychological and sociocultural commitments which need explicit stating (Author, 2018; Author, 2021):
• First, possibility development takes into account struggle, and contextual factors of such. This could mean barriers by way of family limitations, structural factors such as poverty and systemic oppression, heritable differences individuals must manage, lack of social capital, and so forth.
• Second, possibility development is considered an interdependent process. Though individuality is honored and promoted, it is never fully independent. Multiple models of human development have espoused this contingent, contextual and interdependent character of life; many so-called indigenous theories from ethnographic studies attest to this, and have influenced Western scholars for centuries, modern examples being those of Maslow and Bronfenbrenner. All activities are interdependently caused, to varying degrees. As such, the pursuit and actualization of life possibilities requires support, guidance and an ethic of social responsibility, while also recognizing an individual for their unique gifts and efforts.
• Third, possibility development is iterative and entrepreneurial, while minimizing the negative consequences of failure. As studies of entrepreneurship in Nordic economies have shown, the robust welfare state is based upon the belief that there is no zero-sum relationship between risk and reward. Taking some of the risk away from experimentation promotes more experimentation, and therefore, more adaptability in the face of life's struggles.
The result in practice of this approach has typically been a more sustainable, individually fulfilling yet pro-social model of goal achievement in human development.
Possibility development model for application to mentoring and counseling comprises five steps: imagine, plan, gather support, act and evaluate.
This panel, continuing from CIES 2022, brings together possibility development researchers and practitioners to discuss theory development in this nascent area of research.
The first presentation will be by Author 1 of the Penn GSE, who conceived of the possibility development approach through his Project IF (Inventing the Future), will explain the basics of the concept, illustrated with historical and current research examples. Author gives a history of the concept, differentiates the concept from others in the field of youth development, such as positive youth development, and describes how the theory can be applied. A focus of upcoming research will be operationalizing possibility development variables and measuring the effectiveness of application of the model in youth development programs in more uniform ways to facilitate international and cross-cultural comparisons. This will require closer attention to cultural contexts and interrogating the integrity of the concept across those contexts: what does possibility development look like in widely varying situations; rejecting a colonialist approach to such cross-cultural comparison would demand an openness to the possibility development concept's revision in the face of such empirical stress tests. For example, how might possibility development be more compatible with certain existing norms and values and less with others? What could comparison yield in terms of defining "struggle", "achievement", or "success"?
Author 2 will follow some of these themes with an exploration of how social media use shapes youth horizons of possibility. Author will draw upon the most up to date research on social media use, as well as his own ethnographic and survey fieldwork in South Africa with upwardly mobile Black youth participants, in the setting of a semi-rural township, also home to a historically Black university, from 2005-2008. At the time, mobile phone use alone was an exercise in social agency, due to the scarcity of the devices and crucially, air-time. I discuss the mobile phone software MXit, which for the first time allowed users to chat in real time for a very small amount of money, the equivalent of two cents per minute. Being the "pre-smartphone" era, MXit was an example of text-centered real-time communication which opened up digital possibilities for youth. A key research finding from the time was MXit gave youth the power to experiment with language use, especially English, which offered both symbolic and practical semiotic benefits. What would a similar study today demonstrate? Newer technologies like smartphones and social media may be further closing "digital divides" (but not necessarily economic or class divides). What does recent research suggest about how the contemporary problem of "captology" (Author) run amok might be playing out in South Africa?
Author 3 will be presenting research on localizing labor for international manufacturing companies in the U.S. Global labor relations have shifted post-COVID-19. This study examines cross-border strategies and adaptive labor practices that global enterprises have employed to enhance sustainability and competitiveness. Leveraging a practice-based theory, I aim to propose a new framework for human development in the workplace, focusing on upskilling, workforce resiliency, and sustainable labor practices within international markets. His presentation also highlights the critical role that localizing labor practices can play in overcoming workforce challenges. This theoretical contribution looks at human development through the lens of the pragmatic approaches international manufacturing companies take to address labor shortages amid changing industry dynamics.
Author 4 will dive into her research focusing on refugee youth and the role of out-of-school time (OST) programs in cultivating opportunities for civic engagement and critical consciousness. She identifies the potential of OST programs to serve as an anchor for refugee youth, who lack familiarity with U.S. schools and communities.

Sub Unit

• Youth Development and Education SIG

Chair

• Andrew Babson, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania

Individual Presentations

• Making a Change! Exploring Refugee Youth’s Civic Engagement in Out-of-School Programs to Cultivate Critical Consciousness - Ashley Elizabeth Cureton, University of Michigan Ann Arbor

• Digital Possibilities: Testing the Concept through an Ethnography of Youth Mobile Phone use in mid-2000s rural South Africa - Andrew Babson, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania

• Possibility Development, The Psychological Core of Adolescence: Comparative International Perspectives - Michael Nakkula, University of Pennsylvania