Positive Youth Development Worksheets for Transgender Youth of Color

Positive Youth Development is a powerful method of restructuring an individual's perspective in a way that encourages them to focus on the strongest parts about themselves, rather than the aspects about themselves that they dislike. This has been proven to be an effective method of improving the lives of many youth ever since it was introduced in the 1980s, but there are some valid concerns that have been raised.

The topic at discussion in this page is going to focus around the "Six C's" approach, which encompasses competence, confidence, character, caring, compassion, and contribution. These are aspects of counseling which have been tested and employed rigorous for youth, and have been proven to provide youth with an effective and consistent way to improve their internal opinion of themselves and encourages them to be more resilient to negative stimuli. However, much of the research done on this approach have been with largely white, middle-to-upper class youth, which has raised concerns about the general effectiveness of the method as it applies to more specific groups of people and minorities. 

In order to provide a more targeted approach to provide a more accurate and helpful application of the "Six C's", we have included a worksheet that will incentivizes reflection on minority groups. Understanding the client's individual needs, their gender and racial identity, and, perhaps most importantly, the holes that they feel that society has given to them. In order to properly apply this style of adjusted counseling, it is important that the counselor engages with an open mind and provides the client with ample time to make their own decisions. For many trans youth of color, they have reported feeling obligated to fit themselves into one or multiple boxes that they do not personally resonate with in order to be accepted into society. This worksheet hopefully allows them to begin the journey of breaking down these societal barriers in a safe and encouraging environment.