Some youth have never considered the possibility of positive outcomes. Expose them to some by asking them to write you a letter describing their lives as though it was 25 years from now. Students who cannot or will not write, can draw, or make an audio or video tape. Many discouraged students will create responses that you would never have guessed they had the capacity to ever imagine. Students who resist can work with a friend, with each friend creating a letter for the other.
Some youth persistently cling to negative goals especially if confronted directly.
Instead, use humor to ease the rigidity. The youth may grin and give a response that is a lot more likely than yours'. It can truly seem like nothing will work to reverse the negativity of some young people. A great thing to keep in mind is that if a youth was truly completely without hope, they would probably not still be alive. If they are alive, then there are probably some things they care about at least a little.