YES 03: Prevention 3.0: Perspectives & Design

Course goals

Please note:
Tests and assignments are in English, unless the course manual explicitly states that a test or assignment may be taken in Dutch.

The Prevention 3.0 course works towards the following course aims:
Relationship between assignments and course goals
The first four course goals are assessed in an individual exam. Students are asked during a 3-hour assignment to show their acquired knowledge and skills in analyzing a given youth issue by prevention 1.0 as well as by prevention 2.0 perspectives and to propose a balanced prevention design based on both perspectives (prevention 3.0). All course goals are further assessed in the group assignment. The design assignment consists of designing an innovative intervention for a youth issue in a local context, using students’ knowledge of the different perspectives on prevention. Students collaborate in groups of 4-5 students. For this assignment students need to conduct at least one semi-structured interview with a relevant stakeholder. A draft version of the assignment will be provided with feedback based on an assessment rubric. The assignment will prepare students for the individual exam. When the assignment is finished students have to present their design via a pitch as well as a group presentation to pursue “a virtual grant” in a group contest.

Content

This course deals with the question of how educational, community and psychological perspectives on prevention, and empirical knowledge can be integrated in a new prevention framework; Prevention 3.0. To that end, we will present two different perspectives on prevention. Students will learn to apply these approaches to social youth policies or perspectives on prevention.

Prevention 1.0: focuses on developing academic perspectives and empirical knowledge of prevention strategies, based on classic ‘prevention science’ – an academic field with its own conceptual framework (i.e., at-risk model) and empirical knowledge base. We will also consider evidence-based preventive interventions.

Prevention 2.0: primarily concentrates on demedicalisation and alleviating burdens, promoting well-being instead of reducing risks, emphasizing the 'strengths of the individual', positive psychology, and the importance of the ‘pedagogic civil society' (De Winter, 2011). A significant addition here is collaboration between family members, volunteers and professionals (i.e., needs assessment).

Prevention 3.0: The Prevention 1.0 and 2.0 perspectives each have their own strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, the challenge is to link both perspectives to each other and to develop preventive interventions, supported by the academic empirical knowledge gained in Prevention 1.0, within a specific social/cultural and legislative context and by taking into account the basic principles examined in Prevention 2.0.

This course was designed to fill a growing need for academic professionals with thorough knowledge of effective application of prevention in the youth domain. For example, in the Netherlands many municipalities have not succeeded in reducing the demand for specialistic youth care by employing easily accessible and preventive care. In addition, youth professionals may lack expertise with regard to effective prevention, which inevitably leads to the development of ineffective interventions. At the same time many preventive interventions are not successfully implemented, for example, because developers did not take into account the needs of the implementers. To deal with these issues we need youth professionals who can work on developing a pedagogical infrastructure focused on prevention, and who can (re)develop, adjust and evaluate new appropriate preventive interventions using a systematic approach.

In this course, you will learn how to apply the perspectives of Prevention 1.0 and Prevention 2.0 to a currently relevant societal youth issue in the field of prevention, as well as how to combine different perspectives on prevention.

In sum, this course is about the targeted prevention of problem behavior (e.g., aggression, depression), of social problems (e.g., dropping out of school, delinquency), and risk behavior (e.g., substance abuse, unhealthy behavior) and the encouragement of a healthy lifestyle. Scientifically proven methods for identifying risks, parenting support and preventive interventions are available for this. However, many youth problems emanate from the way in which society has organized care for and the approach towards children and young people. For example, what facilities are arranged by local authorities to help children develop talents, how are young people involved in their local living environments, how do you promote integration, and what is being done about exclusion? These kinds of issues are influenced by youth policies which need to be taken into account when developing innovative interventions from a Prevention 3.0 perspective.

With the help of scientific literature, policy memoranda, and a series of six lectures, this course offers an in-depth examination of the options for prevention and how they are organized in different countries. In an assignment, students apply this knowledge into the design of an innovative preventive intervention for a concrete currently relevant youth issue.