Goals and gains of preventive youth care across the globe
Duration: 15 mins
DOI: 10.13056/acamh.13647
Description
Professor Geertjan Overbeek discusses the effectiveness of preventive measures in youth care compared to interventions for more ingrained criminal behaviors. He contrasts the potential for positive change in a 15-year-old adolescent involved in a minor act of vandalism with that of a hardened criminal deeply involved in violent crime and gangs, emphasizing the greater likelihood of successful intervention in the former case. Overbeek advocates for investing in prevention as the best cure, especially when implemented broadly and over a prolonged period. He argues that preventing early life risks from developing into full-blown clinical psychopathologies and diseases not only helps individual youths but also benefits society as a whole, reducing the burden on health institutions, prisons, and social welfare systems. The talk focuses on preventive youth care, exploring its main advantages, outcomes, and the challenges that need to be addressed in the future.
Learning Objectives
A. To understand what preventive youth care is and why it is important
B. To recognise the benefits of prevention over a curative approach
C.. To understand how specific social contexts of development (parents and peers) matter for youth development
D. To identify the main challenges for building stronger preventive youth care in the future