Positive Perspectives on Minority Girls’ Development

The distinctive features of Leadbeater and Way’s (2007) book on the development of urban girls include its emphasis on the strength and resilience of girls, its interdisciplinary focus, and the fact that the studies described use a variety of methodological approaches. The first edition of this book was well-received, and this new edition published ten years later provides an interesting collection of 16 chapters contributed by a total of 43 authors. The book is organized into six different parts including a section introducing a positive model of development, a section discussing the influence of “safe spaces” on development, one concerning cultural influences, one on resistance, one on sexuality, and one concerning resilience in the face of extreme adversity. There was something interesting to learn in each section. In the first section of the book we are introduced to the “positive youth development” (PYD) perspective which stresses the resilience and resources associated with the development of urban girls. This approach is consistent with recent trends in positive psychology, and helps combat the stereotype that urban youth are doomed to live unhappy, unhealthy lives. Two developmental studies that employ the PYD approach are described in the first two chapters (the 4H Study of Positive Youth Development, Lerner et al. 2005; and Project Competence, Masten and Powell 2003), and data presented provide some support for the model. There might be insufficient detail about the studies and their findings presented in the chapters themselves to satisfy curiosity, but additional references are provided for seeking more information concerning these large data sets. In any case, it was interesting to learn about the PYD model that can certainly be tested in other populations. The chapters in the next section address the issue of creating “safe spaces” for girls that will allow them to develop critical consciousness to deal with various cultural pressures. I found Banister and Leadbeater’s chapter particularly compelling. They argue that traditional models of youth development are not applicable to urban girls. For example, urban girls cannot pursue autonomy as Erikson theorized because of the cultural challenges they face which include sexism, and classism, among other sources of discrimination. They discuss the importance of helping girls develop collectivist strategies for dealing with these issues, and examine how the school environment could be structured to create opportunities for cultural critique. Some of the interesting ideas that are discussed in these chapters include creating “homespaces” in schools and/or “community living rooms” as safe places for girls to question their experiences. One chapter discussed the role of “other mothers” in the schools; women who are available to help discuss important issues. Mentoring in general was discussed, and a study is presented about the use of mentoring to help girls develop healthy dating relationships. Some of the data presented questioned the issue of assigning mentors versus having relationships occur naturally. These authors concluded that girls should be taught techniques to recruit their own mentors for soliciting support. Finally, some researchers have created feminist focus groups for girls in the schools, and others have Sex Roles (2008) 58:290–292 DOI 10.1007/s11199-007-9331-0