Reclaiming Youth at Risk

Based on the Circle of Courage

This training is grounded in Circle of Courage principles which have been researched and refined across three editions of Reclaiming Youth at Risk. This book launched a global movement which sparked scores of other publications building on this reclaiming tradition. The authors drew on wisdom of Native American and First Nations peoples who reared children in cultures of respect by embracing values of Belonging, Mastery, Independence, and Generosity. These principles have been validated by modern research on resilience, neuroscience, and positive youth development. Reclaiming Youth at Risk is transforming schools, residential treatment, juvenile justice, and youth work. This training provides core concepts and practical strategies for reclaiming our most vulnerable youth. Two-day certification for all who are concerned with raising resilient children.

A Two-Day Training

The struggles of children and youth are not unique to impoverished communities but are found in city, suburban, and rural settings. Family instability, substance abuse, delinquency, school issues, racism, and cultural disconnection are all symptoms of broken communities. Children who are not attached to adults fail to learn the values of respect for self and others. Hungry for acceptance, they become prisoners of peer approval. Unmotivated in school, they fail to develop their potentials. Striving for power, they challenge authority. Many mask their spiritual emptiness by reckless pursuit of pleasure. Their disruptive behaviors are signals of distress. Beneath their defiance, indifference, or reckless bravado, these youth are swimming in rivers of pain. But when their behavior bothers others, they are likely to be dealt more pain by punishment
or exclusion.

This 2-day training puts the Circle of Courage principles of Belonging, Mastery, Independence, and Generosity into action with practical tools for providing support and guidance to youth in conflict. Drawing wisdom from Native American and First Nations traditions, the Circle of Courage values emerged from cultures that deeply respect and value children and youth and have been validated by youth pioneers in the Western tradition and recent research on brain science, trauma, resilience, and positive youth development. Reclaiming Youth at Risk is the foundation training to other specialized trainings which are based on these universal Circle of Courage values and needs. Participants in this strength-based course gain practical tools to foster resilience in all youngsters and implement restorative strategies for reclaiming youth at risk.

University Credit

Participants can enroll for graduate workshop university credit in either Psychology or Special Education. Registration forms will be provided at the training. A course syllabus is available at reclaiming.org/grad-credit. There is a $300 USD tuition fee (for 3 credits) in addition to the training registration fee. Payment for university credit is made to Reclaiming Youth at Risk and given to the instructor onsite at the training. Credit is offered through Reclaiming Youth at Risk and Augustana University, a fully accredited university located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, USA.

Related Courses

Moccasin Paths and Other Trails

Draw together Indigenous knowledge and contemporary research to build strengths in Native American and First Nations youth, families, schools, and communities.

Planning Restorative Outcomes

Also known as "PRO Assessment," this course reframes problems as opportunities for learning with children and youth at risk.

The Three Pillars of Transforming Care

Not another trauma training for therapists, this training addresses those working directly with traumatized youngsters in foster care, residential care, schools, youth justice workers, and the family.

About the Course Authors & Trainers

Larry Brendtro, PhD

Larry K. Brendtro, PhD, earned a doctorate from the University of Michigan specializing in children with emotional and behavioral challenges. He is director of Reclaiming Youth at Risk which provides research, publications, and training in strength- based approaches to youth, families, and communities. He is president emeritus at Starr Commonwealth in Michigan where he piloted the evidence-based Positive Peer Culture model which builds cultures of respect in education, treatment, and juvenile justice settings. He has wide experience as a youth worker, educator, and psychologist, and has taught at the University of Illinois, The Ohio State University, and Augustana University. The author of 18 books and over 200 articles, Dr. Brendtro joined with Lakota psychologist Martin Brokenleg and educator Steve Van Bockern to develop the Circle of Courage model which combines traditional Indigenous wisdom with emerging science of positive youth development. He trains professionals world-wide and is currently consulting with the Office of Refugee Resettlement on applying the Circle of Courage with children and youth from Latin America.

Steve Van Bockern, EdD

Steve Van Bockern, EdD, is Professor of Education at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He has been a teacher and principal and developed experiential alternative education programs for gifted students and those with emotional and behavioral problems. He helped establish the annual Black Hills Seminars and formerly directed Reclaiming Youth International. Extending his earlier research on Reclaiming Youth at Risk, his new book, Schools that Matter, applies Circle of Courage principles to create powerful learning environments where all students can thrive. He and Mark Freado have been active in strength-based assessment with youth in the justice system and those being excluded from school. Dr. Van Bockern has trained educators and youth workers in many nations.

Mark Freado, MA

Mark Freado is founder and Director Growing Edge Training Associates of Westerville, Ohio. He has been Director of the International Training Network for CF Learning, President of Reclaiming Youth International, Executive Director of the American Re-Education Association, and State Director (WV & OH) with Pressley Ridge. Freado’s 40-year professional career encompasses contributions to the mental health field, public education, social services, program development, leadership, consultation, and training. He is a master trainer of Life Space Crisis Intervention (LSCI) and has trained more people in this skill-based course than anyone in the world. He is the co-creator of training, The Art of Kid Whispering: Reaching the Inside Kid. Freado is also a master trainer of Planning Restorative Outcomes: Transforming Assessment, a master trainer of Three Pillars of Transforming Care: Trauma and Resilience in the Other 23 Hours, and a certified trainer of Situational Leadership II with the Ken Blanchard Company. He has worked with private providers, public agencies, and schools throughout the United States as well as Canada, Europe, Australia, South Africa, and Asia, speaking, consulting, and delivering training services. He specializes in program development, leadership skills, and interventions for children and adolescents who have experienced trauma, and their families. Freado holds master’s degrees in Forensic Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, and in Counseling from West Virginia University.

Our Success at a Glance

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Mission Statement

The mission of Reclaiming Youth at Risk is to provide research, training, and consultation to build strengths in children, families, schools, and communities. For thousands of years, American Indian cultures nourished respectful and courageous children without employing punitive discipline. Drawing from these little-understood resources, we provide a holistic approach to reclaiming youth at risk. Courage for the discouraged — for youth and for professionals as well!

Our Core Values

Our core values are grounded in the Circle of Courage philosophy, emphasizing belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity as essential to holistic development.

Our Philosophy

At Reclaiming Youth at Risk, we believe that every child has the innate capacity for positive growth. Our philosophy is rooted in the principles of the Circle of Courage, which asserts that the fulfillment of universal growth needs — belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity — is crucial for the development of all young people. By integrating these values with the latest in psychological research and practical application, we strive to create environments that promote resilience and thriving, not just for youth but for the communities that support them.