Friday, July 18, 2008

Resources for Working with CSE Youth

Please follow these links for a few resources I have found very helpful to working with commercially sexually exploited youth. One thing I have had to repeatedly emphasize to people is that our services and approach need to be youth-centered. People don't respond well to being forced to do something, even for their own health. Change needs to come from within, and our role as people working with youth, is to help youth to articulate and understand the goals and dreams they have for themselves and assist them in developing thier own plan to achieving their dreams. Often, especially in the case of CSE youth, this means that changes will need to be made, but if we are patient and skilled and refrain from inserting our own agendas, emotions or expectations, we will be able to assist the youth in recognizing and acting on this change for themselves - in their own way and with their own agenda.

This is the Positive Youth Development philosophy that is a hot catch phrase right now to describe "Youth Participation", a concept that has been prioritized in the fight against CSEC since the the First World Congress Against the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Sweden in 1996. Motivational Interviewing is one tool that can be used to help facilitate that process. There are many other resources available through a simple google search. Here are some that I have found useful:

Positive Youth Development Toolkit 2008
Motivational Interviewing Assessment: Supervisory Tools
The Psychosocial Rehabilitation of Children Who Have Been CSE
The Psychosocial Rehabilitation of Children Who Have Been CSE - Study Guide

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