Michael E. Parker identifies 5 ways to inspire youth to aspire and succeed, helping to create crossroads in the minds of youth. Visit MichaelEParker.org to learn more.

1. C R E AT I N G
C R O S S R OA D S I N
T H E M I N D S O F
O U R YO U T H :
5 WAY S TO I N S P I R E
YO U T H TO A S P I R E
& S U CC E E D
M I C H A E L E . PA R K E R

2. Grant Autonomy
By offering young people self-directed freedom and moral
independence, teenagers access an actionable level of
responsibility. Psychological studies have determined that the
more trust you place in someone, the more he/she will behave
in the way you’d like them to. Autonomy is a tool that
encourages a mind-shift and pushes young people to become
motivated change-makers.

3. Show Empathy
When someone feel misunderstood, they’ll rarely
try to be understanding. Empathy can be a
decided pathway to successfully reaching out to
misunderstood individuals, especially young
person. By putting yourself into the shoes of a
young person or being a good listener, you’re
demonstrating that you’re on their side.
But more than that you’re proving that you’re
willing to cry with them, laugh with them, and
celebrate with them, and they’ll understand the
importance of being empathetic & understanding.

4. Lead By Example
Young people don’t always listen, and the reason for
that isn’t psychological, but biological. Instead,
youth are more likely to imitate the behavior around
them. If they witness their parents striving for success
or attempting to stride toward glory, they’ll attempt
to do the same --mirroring and mimicking that
behavior.

5. Recognize Their Efforts
Validation and recognition are valuable to young
people and adults alike. It’s a priceless motivator
that pushes individuals to recognize their worth. If
a young person can’t see the impact of their
contribution, they’ll begin to ask, “why am I
contributing?” For that reason it’s important to
communicate with young people, informing them
of their importance --and it’s best to do this on a
one-on-one basis.

6. Identify the Purpose
Help a young person to understand incentive,
motivation, and purpose --that will be
instrumental for helping young people to
participate in community service, deal with
critical physical and psychological issues, cope
with depression, and identify a valuable
purpose.

7. Interested in learning more?
Vist MichaelEParker.org!