Promoting Post-Traumatic Growth through Running and Mentorship-Based Diversion

Background and Purpose:

The disproportionate policing, arrest, and formal processing of minority youth, coupled with stigmatized race and offender labels often ascribed to youth in the juvenile justice system and the reduced educational and employment opportunities they experience thereafter, increases the likelihood of re-offending and initiates a cycle of trauma and system involvement that can follow youth into adulthood. Community-based diversion programs informed by positive youth development principles provide developmentally focused contexts where youth can form positive relationships, shed their labeled status, cognitively reconstruct a sense of self, and reduce subsequent crime.

However, there remains limited exploration of the individualized experiences of racially minoritized youth in community-based diversion, indicating a need to examine the underlying mechanisms of posttraumatic developmental growth and adaptive responses to trauma among youth of color in this context.

Methods:

This case study explores MileUp, a mentorship and long-distance running diversion program developed by Students Run Philly Style in partnership with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. Participants (ages 11-17) work towards program milestones and eventually have their charges dropped, restitution fees paid, and record expunged. MileUp provides peer mentorship employment opportunities upon program completion. The primary source of data was generated through 10 ‘preseason’ and 8 ‘postseason’ focus groups, and 2 ‘postseason’ interviews that collectively engaged 27 MileUp participants and 6 peer mentors across 3 program cohorts. Focus groups and interviews elicited participant’s perspectives on the program’s influence on their futures, the role of program mentors, and student self-perceptions before and after participation. Student reflections were also analyzed to enhance methodological triangulation (n=19). The coding process took a deductive-inductive hybrid approach using sensitizing concepts from the counterspaces framework.

Findings:

Data analysis revealed that a lack of supportive resources in schools and communities, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, led to a loss of normalcy among youth and contributed to low self-worth and an unclear sense of self. In response to their arrest, some youth viewed diversion as a ‘fresh slate', while others saw it as a “means to an end” within a confusing legal system. Many participants initially expressed resistance, distrust, and skepticism towards new social and institutional encounters, and avoidance or apathy towards their circumstances. However, throughout the program, youth experienced progress, accomplishment, and personal growth. The challenge of running long distances, coupled with building community through friendships and the genuine presence of mentors helped youth feel understood and gain confidence and perspective about their futures. Youth identified the program as an outlet to release stress and ultimately viewed it a positive space for vulnerability, emotional development, and personal growth.

Conclusion and implications:

Findings deepen our understanding of how intentionally designed community-based diversion can begin to break the cycle of oppressive systems and spaces for marginalized youth that have been arrested. They provide insight into the mechanisms through which combined physical activity and positive emotional support can provide a space where adolescent self-concept and identity development can be reconceptualized, protected, and enhanced to promote feelings of self-worth and ultimately improve long-term developmental outcomes and well-being.