Tuesday, July 23, 2013

New Fact Sheet on How Teen Brains Work

OMNI Institute’s Regional Prevention Services (RPS) has created a brief fact sheet on adolescent decision-making and how to incorporate this knowledge into the positive youth development framework.


Tips the fact sheet to help adolescents develop decision-making and problem solving skills from include:
  • Teach young people about how their emotions may influence their thinking and behavior,
  • Encourage young people to search for new information when making decisions and helping them to avoid overestimating their knowledge and capabilities,
  • Provide accurate information to teens about actual behaviors versus misperceptions of norms in their communities and peer groups,
  • Utilize concrete situations and decision problems that reflect young people’s interests and have relevance to their lives.  This can be achieved through role playing, team problem solving, or games,
  • Assist young people to recognize their own biases,
  • Provide adolescents with opportunities to practice and rehearse decision-making skills in safe environments, and
  • Help young people understand how their choices affect others.

The RPS Project provides dedicated training, consultation, and support to Colorado agencies, communities, and coalitions working with children, youth, and families. This includes community groups that contribute to prevention efforts locally and statewide that are funded by or partnering with the Colorado Office of Behavioral Health.