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Empowerment Theory: The Role Of Homeless Youth In America

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Homeless Youth Group Journal
Homeless youth are an unseen population in our society. They may go unnoticed because they have been forgotten about. Teachers and others may not even know these youth are homeless. They are not easy to identify since they do not have permanent housing. They may stay with friends and move from place to place or couch surf. Numerous homeless children and teens have left home for countless reasons. They may have nowhere to go, lack familial support, they may have suffered abuse at home, or they might show defiance with the rules at home and strive to experience more independence and autonomy. There are “1.8 million homeless youth in America” (Leoni, 2015).
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Empowerment theory can be used to lead or participate with homeless youth groups in order to understand this social problem. Kirst-Ashman (2014) describe empowerment theory as a theory that can be used to improve the lives of people who are disadvantaged and who are in situations that are serious enough to require the use of services and resources. Empowerment theory works by increasing the group’s power to gain access to those resources. By using social justice, groups can be formed to advocate for change. Advocates for homeless youth groups can come together to prepare recommendations, brainstorm for ideas, problem solved, and offer support. Consciousness raising allows the use of critical thinking to link connections of the social injustices they live in and takes away self-blame. Homeless youth groups can work towards identifying their strengths. They can link other factors such as poverty and abuse to some of the causes for their homelessness. Group members can help empower each other through mutual aid. Mutual Aid includes supporting each other and providing encouragement by establishing trust and identifying with each other. A multitude of homeless youth may bond together as a result of all having something in common. They might meet each other’s needs in terms of belonging. Within empowerment theory, power is defined as the ability to move the group to the desired direction of the ultimate goal. Multicultural socialization includes the examination of diversity within the group and takes into consideration biases and differences. It allows for cultural education of values and beliefs by group members in order to dispel stereotypes of homeless youth (Kirst-Ashman, 2014). According to Vaughn Heineman (2010) several homeless youth have experiences with being judged and thought of as lazy and

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