Independence

David, Darci, Ryan's page

The Circle of Courage, is a model of youth empowerment supported by contemporary research, the heritage of early youth work pioneers and Native philosophies of child care. The model is encompassed in four core values: belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity. The central theme of this model is that a set of shared values must exist in any community to create environments that ultimately benefit all.

What Independece Is.

Independence refers to the need of individuals to feel in control of themselves and their lives. That is, the need to take responsibility for their behavior and learning, to have meaningful choices, to set their own goals, to problem solve around their choices and goals, and to advocate for themselves. Individuals who are independent or autonomous are also referred to as being “self-smart”. Characteristics of people who are independent or self-smart include: a) having a good sense of their own strengths and weaknesses; b) learning from personal successes and failures; and c) having a good sense of self-direction (set own goals and self-evaluate). They are generally confident, assertive, self-disciplined, make their own decisions, and demonstrate leadership. On the other hand, individuals without a good sense of autonomy generally lack confidence, are easily lead by others and feel helpless. Feelings of powerlessness can result in some individuals fighting against it by resisting authority and bullying. In Native American culture, there was a deep respect for each person’s individual freedom (Brendtro et al., 2002). From early childhood Native American culture fostered self-discipline by providing choices and encouraging decision making, problem solving and demonstrations of personal responsibility. Native American culture believed that autonomy must be balanced with social controls. Native Americans gave children plenty of choices but also provided them feedback and many opportunities to learn to respect and value elders, and to acquire the values, and self-discipline necessary for good decision making. Traditional mainstream approaches to teaching children are based on controlling them. However, research has shown that providing students with choices and control improves motivation and decreases negative behaviors (Dunlap, et al., 1994). Autonomy has also been identified as a central protective factor in the development of serious emotional disturbance (Glasser, 1992). Achievement of independence is operationalized in environments wherein there are meaningful choices and individuals are taught/supported to set goals, make healthy choices, organize and manage their time, communicate their needs and emotions, assess their own strengths and needs, and problem solve.