One seed at a time: How an urban community gardening program promotes prosocial development in youth

Date

2019-05

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Abstract

The Growing Recruits for Urban Business (GRUB) is a youth development program in Lubbock, Texas. The mission of the program is to provide at-risk youth with leadership opportunities, encouraging life and job skills. As adolescents navigate an often-challenging period of fundamental developmental, researchers have argued that youth residing in low-socioeconomic communities are more prone to engaging in antisocial behaviors (Allen, 2008; Trinidad, 2009). Antisocial behaviors can lead to negative outcomes including drug use, violence, delinquency, and early sexual activity (Flannery, Singer, & Wester, 2001; Jessor, Van Den Bos, Vanderryn, Costa & Turbin, 1995; Loeber, 1990). These youth are also prone to psychosocial risk-factors such as low self-esteem, hopelessness, exposure to trauma and associations with negative peer groups, which can lead to reduced educational and occupational opportunities (Flannery et al,2001). The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and opportunities that the GRUB program offers youth to develop prosocial decision-making. In addition, a grounded theory was created to illustrate the transition youth experience when easing antisocial behaviors and developing prosocial behaviors through participation in the GRUB program. This qualitative study resulted in a groundwork that explains four main antisocial constructs former GRUB youth possessed when they began the program and four main prosocial constructs former GRUB youth developed and sustained during and after participation in the GRUB program. The results yielded information regarding participants’ individual prosocial behavioral development. The results also provided examples of the long-term benefits experienced at a self and societal level a result of prosocial decision-making.

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Keywords

Community gardening program, Prosocial behavior, Prosocial decision-making, Youth, Youth development, Prosocial development, Positive youth development, Urban agricultural education

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