Reclaiming Youth at Risk

“In this new edition, the authors have masterfully retained the enduring wisdom of the Circle of Courage while more fully presenting practical strategies for putting it into practice. In this small book, the science and heart of being human come together. It will make you a better carer, teacher, and advocate—and perhaps a better person.”

“As I read Reclaiming Youth at Risk—mentally punctuating one clear, profound point after another—I hoped I might recall them forever. From parents, guardians, and educators to social workers and probation officers, anyone who interacts with youth can benefit from this book. The repeated emphasis on asking what has happened to troubled youth, not what is wrong with them, rolls like thunder.”

“In this new edition of their brilliant book, Brendtro, Brokenleg, and Van Bockern update and amplify their inspiring message for reaching and transforming distressed young people. A modern fusion of Indigenous traditional knowledge and scientific psychology, the approach contained in Reclaiming Youth at Risk deserves serious consideration wherever troubled youth (and their vexed caretakers) may be found.”

“Firmly planted in research, the third edition of Reclaiming Youth at Risk offers updates, insights, and wisdom. We are in a time when our interventions for troubled youth focus on disorders and the suppression of symptoms. Yet Brendtro, Brokenleg, and Van Bockern energize an optimistic vision for the future of our youth through the importance of cultivating strengths, establishing vital relationships, and keeping a balanced perspective about our current efforts. This is a must-read for educators, clinicians, and policymakers.”

“This user-friendly book has become a classic among those whose mission it is to reach and teach youth at risk. By sometimes subtly nudging against preconceived assumptions, and on other occasions vigorously shaking the pillars of traditional deficit-focused approaches, Brendtro, Brokenleg, and Van Bockern have led the movement toward strength-based interventions for connecting with relationship-resistant young people. While maintaining the essence of their original work, with this third edition, they have broadened the scope to show how their theory and practice can and should be applied more widely to build linkages, identify possibilities, and develop the talents of all youth.”