Harnessing Resistance in Interventions with Young People

Abstract

This article draws on the findings from the qualitative phase of a New Zealand longitudinal study concerning vulnerable young people’s transitions to adulthood. The young people, aged between 12 and 17 at the time of the first interview had sustained exposure to harm (abuse, violence, addictions, disengagement from school and mental health issues) and were clients of statutory and non-governmental services including: child welfare services, juvenile justice services, remedial education services and mental health services. Qualitative interviews explored young people’s experiences of services, their key transitions, their coping capacities, and the strategies they used to locate support and resources to mitigate the effects of harmful events and environments. There were three stages to the qualitative phase of the study; this article draws on the interviews from stage one and two. It explores the idea of resistance which emerged as a key theme in the data analysis. Three thematic clusters are presented: the nature of young people’s resistance; practitioner responses to resistance; and harnessing resistance in interventions. The article concludes with a discussion of how social workers and other practitioners can understand resistance and build more responsive and meaningful relationships with vulnerable youth.

Keywords:

• young people
• resistance
• support
• relationships

Acknowledgements

The authors thank all the young people and others who participated in the research. They acknowledge the contribution of the Donald Beasley Institute, Kapiti Youth Support (KYS), Youthline Auckland, and all the researchers and organisations that helped with the research.

Notes

¹ Pseudonyms are used.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Robyn Munford

Robyn Munford is based in the School of Social Work, Massey University, New Zealand. She co-leads (with Jackie Sanders) two large national studies of vulnerable young people. These studies: Pathways to Resilience and Successful Youth Transitions, examine patterns of risk and resilience in the lives of young people and the ways in which formal and informal systems of support assist them in the processes of growing up. She maintains a national network of professional relationships with statutory and non-governmental organisations to translate research findings into practice. She has published nationally and internationally on disability studies, social and community work, families, children and young people. [email: [email protected]]

Jackie Sanders

Jackie Sanders is based in the School of Social Work at Massey University, New Zealand. She co-leads (with Robyn Munford) two large national studies of vulnerable young people. These studies: Pathways to Resilience and Successful Youth Transitions, examine patterns of risk and resilience in the lives of vulnerable young people and the ways in which formal and informal systems of support assist them in the processes of growing up. She maintains a national network of professional relationships with statutory and non-governmental organisations to translate research findings into practice and has published nationally and internationally on this research. [email: [email protected]]