New_Zealand_2009_Youth_Programme_Review

Youth Development and its Emergence as a Field of Human Endeavour
Broadly speaking, ‘youth development’ refers to the developmental process associated
with adolescence; the period one enters as a child and emerges from as an adult, ideally
able to avoid the choices and behaviours that limit future potential and more or less
equipped with the skills, attitudes, competencies and values needed to successfully
navigate adult life.2 What constitutes ‘necessary skills, attitudes, competencies and
values’ is the focus of a great deal of attention in the literature and is conceptualised,
confusingly, in a multitude of ways.