Exercising Power from the Bottom Up: Co-Creating the Conditions for Development with Youth at an Urban High School

Abstract

Young people in poor urban communities often feel powerless in the face of degradation, crumbling buildings, failing school systems, and ways of being related to that suggest little hope for the future. The experience of powerlessness has been identified as a key risk factor for poor physical and mental health. This article presents Let's Talk About It (LTAI), a school-based mental health program that provides opportunities for young people to exercise their power. Power in LTAI is understood as the process of collectively creating conditions for development. The methodological underpinnings of LTAI are discussed, followed by practice vignettes and implications for youth–practitioner collaboration in social work practice.