Позитивные изменения. Том 4, №1 (2024). Positive changes. Volume 4, Issue 1 (2024) - Редакция журнала «Позитивные изменения»

2. Control: an individual’s belief that struggle can influence outcomes, even if the influence is not absolute and success is not guaranteed.

3. Challenge: a person’s conviction that everything that occurs aids their development through the knowledge extracted from experiences, regardless of whether they are positive or negative.

4. The overall resilience score is the cumulative sum of the scores on the three scales.

Descriptive statistics of the resilience indicators are provided in Table 1. The data are distributed normally, which permits the utilization of the variance analysis procedure to assess the training’s efficacy. Given that the data were gathered through paper surveys and a portion of the surveys lacked responses to all the questions, a varying number of respondents is observable in the table, ranging from 24 to 27.

Table 1. Cescriptive Statistics

To ascertain the effectiveness of resilience training, an analysis of variance was performed using Student’s t-test for dependent samples. Pre- and post-program testing revealed significant (.03 < p <.008) enhancements in engagement, risk-taking, and overall resilience scores with a moderate effect size (Cohen’s d ranging from 0.5 to 0.6). Nonetheless, no significant improvements were noted in the control indicator, as initial control scores were already medium or high. Detailed results are provided in Table 2.

To gauge the effectiveness of the “Graduate’s Home“ initiative, staff conduct regular (monthly) monitoring of the actual living standards of the graduates based on criteria such as:

1. Social status (education, employment).

2. Livelihood (scholarship, salary, savings account, social benefits).

3. Marital status (married/single, family composition, psychological atmosphere).

4. Law-abiding behavior (legal offenses, alcoholism, substance abuse, etc.).

5. Housing and living conditions (housing state, property security, utility bill payments).

6. Relations with blood relatives.

7. Additional information (psychological profile).

Table 2. Results of Variance Analysis by Student’s T-test for Dependent Samples on Resilience Indicators

Additionally, annual qualitative interviews with “Graduate’s Home“ participants are conducted to evaluate its impact. As an illustration, consider feedback by Lera, a student at Armavir State Pedagogical University:

“Upon my arrival at the Graduate’s Home, my life underwent significant changes. Before the program, my life was a palette of only gray tones. It was a repetitive cycle of partying, financial and academic debts, and apartment issues (utility bill debt). I shared my troubles with the project’s specialists, and they extended their help. Vibrant hues started to feature in my life’s tapestry. It was as if I was learning to live anew: managing finances and confronting challenges. The pain and the drabness dissolved away. Over the summer, I found a job and then got admitted to university, where I was elected to the student council. Now, I am an active participant in the life of Armavir State Pedagogical University and the ’Graduate’s Home’ project. I now have the confidence to tackle anything that comes my way.“

Overall, the lives of the young individuals involved in the “Graduate’s Home“ project are changing; they have become more open, discussing their challenges with boldness, inquiring, and engaging actively in making significant group decisions (such as life in the social hotel at the center “Graduate’s Home,“ rules, and interaction protocols). According to a semi-structured interview with 30 “Graduate’s Home“ participants conducted by psychologists, 85 % of participants (25 individuals) speak openly about their futures and make long-term plans, tackling educational, work, and health-related matters independently. 25 % of graduates (7 individuals) have attained secondary vocational education, with three graduating with honors. A pivotal social outcome of the project is that these young people have grown to believe in themselves and their potential. 30 % of participants (9 individuals) have resolved to pursue further education at universities within the Krasnodar region upon completing their technical or vocational training.

A milestone for 20 % of the participating graduates (6 individuals) was receiving the keys to their own apartments. The project’s legal team has been instrumental in ensuring graduates acquire housing on time, including via legal action when necessary.

Consequently, throughout the implementation of the “Graduate’s Home“ project, substantial qualitative outcomes have been realized. The youngsters, through their involvement in the project’s trainings and activities, have not only enhanced their resilience but also honed their self-reliance, responsibility, and the aptitude for seeking assistance, listening to, and understanding one another. As illustrated by the regular semistructured monitoring interviews with “Graduate’s Home“ participants and staff, there is an upsurge in proactive youth initiating projects and activities, proposing novel ideas for leisure and psychological sessions.

Fostering positive development in youth is a contemporary strategy for providing support to young individuals in challenging life situations, drawing simultaneously on intrinsic and environmental resources. Reflecting on the experience shared by the Victoria Charitable Children’s Fund, it is plausible to affirm that programs anchored in the philosophy of positive youth development can efficaciously support youngsters with orphanage backgrounds. And it is noteworthy that the effects, as demonstrated by the study, are measurable. The effectiveness of this approach is substantiated by the research outcomes — an increase in the participants’ personal resources such as resilience, a rise in their active engagement in the project, and other benefits.

Thus, positive youth development is a framework that facilitates the effective planning, implementation, and assessment of the impact of programs aimed at fostering the personal potential of young individuals in challenging life situations.

1. Borzov, S. (2020). Case Work Methodology.

2. Wasserman, L.