Summary

Starting to summarise and re-write my WHAT, WHY, HOW, IF, in preparation for my synopsis...

How can young people be encouraged to develop their personal identities through creative critical reflection?

WHAT

Develop exercises that enable young people to discuss society, culture, values, hopes, dreams and aspirations, in a creative, positive and enjoyable way.

WHY

The physical, psychological and social changes experienced by adolescents are such that psychologists generally regard adolescence as a critical period for self and identity development (Erikson, 1968; Marcia, 1987).  These workshops could encourage young people to be confident individuals, enjoy learning, progress, achieve, and become responsible citizens  who make a positive contribution to society.  They could also be used to help reduce the youth gang culture mentality that can evolve from family breakdown (which leads to crisis in cultural and personal identity).  Although there has been some recent interest in the development of social identity (e.g., Bennett & Sani, 2004), most research has been conducted with children, and researchers have assumed adolescents to be equivalent to adults (Ruble et al., 2004; Sani & Bennett, 2004).

HOW  

They discuss themselves, their relationship, their society and their environment, and how all these components affect sense of self.  Key themes are Personal identities, Healthy lifestyles, Risk, Relationships, and Diversity.  

These themes are developed and explored through creativity and reflection:

CREATIVITY Producing artefacts, experimenting with ideas, materials, tools and techniques, taking risks and learning from mistakes.
REFLECTION Exploring the visual, tactile and other sensory qualities of their own and others’ work, identifying how values and meanings are conveyed, developing views and expressing reasoned judgment, analyzing and reflecting on their work and the work of others.

IF

These workshops could lead to developments in the field of personal identity in adolescences, currently this is a non-statutory component of the national curriculum, but I would love to see the use of workshops in schools and youth groups.