Unit 1: Starting Out- Beginning and Becoming

As we journey on the road of life, we learn about ourselves, others, and the natural and constructed worlds. Childhood and youth lay the foundation for life, for learning and experiencing, for developing personal volition, for shaping identity and sense of self, and for health and well-being. The paths of childhood and youth are not the same for all, however. For some children and youth, it is a time of wonder, imagination, inquiry, discovery, play, experimentation, and innocence; for others, it is a time of neglect, abandonment, abuse, disillusionment, pain, exploitation, and innocence destroyed. Through relationships with the social, natural, and spiritual worlds, children and youth establish their identities among family members, caregivers, friends, peers, and others. Every culture celebrates or recognizes significant developments or rites of passage in children and adolescents; these milestones may be acknowledged formally or informally. Although the roles of, and attitudes about, children and youth have developed over time and varied across cultures, by examining the complex nature of childhood and youth, we have the opportunity to understand how childhood and youth contribute to who we are and who we would like to be.