Taking responsibility

A key indicator of youth thriving is a pro-social orientation—values of respect, responsibility, honesty, caring and helping others. 

Encouraging young people to contribute to their communities helps them develop shared values and prosocial behaviors. 

When young people can think beyond themselves and recognize the ripple effects their actions have on others, it enables them to see a connection between the good they do and the good they are. 

This ability to think beyond the self is global citizenship—”a mindset of being responsible for people, places and things around the world and believing that your actions impact others." 

Foster a sense of responsibility 

But what are our common responsibilities to each other? How can we foster a sense of responsibility in young people that drives them to share the good that they are?

The InterAction Council has an 18-article "Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities," signed by former leaders from around the world and used to help guide them in creating action proposals for world leaders. 

Founding Forward advocates a bill of responsibilities that shows how they see freedom and responsibility as mutual and inseparable. In 2018, Ford Foundation’s President Darren Walker adapted President Roosevelt’s address to Congress in 1941:

• With the freedom of speech comes the responsibility to listen.
• With the freedom of belief comes the responsibility to accept.
• With the freedom from want comes the responsibility to serve.
• And with the freedom from fear comes the responsibility to act.

We can foster a sense of responsibility in youth by encouraging them to think critically about their role in the community, using guidelines such as the above to shine a light. 

Ask critical thinking questions

For instance, you can ask in your youth programs:

• If a chair falls off a pick-up truck and into the middle of the road, or if someone is being bullied, even if they haven't asked for help, what is their responsibility?
• If there is a pandemic and misinformation is spreading through social media — what, if anything, is their responsibility?
• What is their responsibility for being a positive role model to a younger sibling?
• What is their responsibility to household chores, and what’s the impact on others if they shirk those responsibilities?
• What if they're having a really, really bad day? Does the responsibility to others change?
• If they’re a good listener, accept others' beliefs or serve others selflessly, does that actually make a difference?

There’s obviously no clear answer to any of these questions, but that’s the point of asking them. 

In your youth programs, try using every opportunity to ask youth to reflect on their behavior, their values and the impact they have on other people. Doing this forces them into a mental space where they can begin to understand themselves and make decisions about how they want to be in the world. 

If we can get them into the habit of thinking about what is morally right or just in a given situation, then we will have fostered a type of introspection that will have real impact on them, their relationships, their communities and ultimately, the world.