Circle of Courage

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The Circle of Courage is a model of youth development based on the principles of belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity. [1] The model integrates child development practices of tribal peoples and the findings of modern youth development research.

Contents

History

The Circle of Courage model portrays four growth needs of all children: Belonging, Mastery, Independence, and Generosity. This philosophy emerged from collaboration of Martin Brokenleg, a professor of Native American Studies, and Larry Brendtro, a professor in children's behavior disorders. They studied how traditional indigenous cultures reared children without resorting to coercive discipline. The Circle of Courage is illustrated as a medicine wheel with four directions.

In 1990, the Circle of Courage was outlined in the Solution Tree publication, Reclaiming Youth at Risk, by Larry Brendtro, Martin Brokenleg, and Steve Van Bockern who were then colleagues at Augustana College.

The model was adopted to youth services in South Africa during the administration of Nelson Mandela under the leadership of Minister Geraldine Moloketi and Lesley du Toit. This led in 2005 to the Response Ability Pathways (RAP) curriculum which provides training on applying the Circle of Courage to all who work with youth. [2]

The Circle of Courage provides the philosophical foundation for the work of Reclaiming Youth International (RYI), a 501(c)(3) non-profit company dedicated to helping adults better serve children and youth who are in emotional pain from conflict in the family, school, community, peer groups or with self.

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References

  1. https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/cardev/gr9_found/courage_poster.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  2. http://www.circleofcourageinstitute.org/content/our-history Archived 2010-11-19 at the Wayback Machine , retrieved July 13, 2010
  3. Brendtro, Larry K.; Brokenleg, Martin; Van Bockern, Steve (1990). Reclaiming Youth at Risk: Our Hope for the Future. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.
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  12. Brendtro, Larry K.; Seita, John R. (2005). Kids Who Outwit Adults. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.
  13. Brendtro, L., Ness, A., Mitchell, M. (2005) No Disposable Kids. Solution Tree, Bloomington, IN.
  14. Brendtro, L., du Toit, L., (2005) Response Ability Pathways: Restoring Bonds of Respect. Claremont, South Africa: Pretext Publishers
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  19. Brendtro, L., Mitchell, M., McCall, H. (2009) Deep Brain Learning: Pathways to Potential with Challenging Youth. Circle of Courage Institute at Starr Commonwealth, Albion, MI.
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  21. McDonald, T. (2010) Classroom Management: Engaging Students in Learning. Oxford University Press, Melbourne, Australia.
  22. Foltz, R. (in press) TherapyWise: Creating Courage from Within. Circle of Courage Institute at Starr Commonwealth, Albion, Michigan.