What Are the Six Cs?
As the field of youth development has gradually moved away from deficit-focused notions of adolescence, new frameworks for understanding positive youth development have emerged. One of these frameworks, arguably the most well-supported by research, is the Five Cs model. The five Cs have been defined thusly (Bowers et al., 2010):
Caring – A sense of sympathy and empathy for others.
Character – Respect for societal and cultural rules, possession of standards for correct behaviors, a sense of right and wrong, and integrity.
Competence – Positive view of one’s abilities in domain specific areas including social, academic, cognitive, and vocational.
Confidence – An internal sense of overall positive self-worth and self-efficacy; one’s global self-regard, as opposed to domain specific beliefs.
Connection – Positive bonds with people and institutions that are reflected in mutual exchanges between the individual and peers, family, school, and community in which both parties contribute to the relationship.
(The sixth C—Contribution— is frequently added to the original model as scholars have recognized the importance of youth engagement in family, civic, and political life.) This model suggests that youth experience positive development when their strengths in these areas are aligned with positive opportunities to grow.
Why Are the Six Cs Important for Young Men of Color?
Young men of color disproportionately face negative perceptions about their attitudes, skills, and behaviors. These perceptions are reflected not only in institutional policies/cultures (e.g., school discipline, police brutality) but also in the beliefs and actions of their teachers, employers, and even peers. Too often, these perceptions are also unintentionally manifest in the actions of youth-serving organizations designed to help young men of color. The Six Cs provide a framework that focuses on building and reinforcing the inherent strengths that young men of color possess. Rather than preventing “problem behavior,” the Six Cs model focuses attention on developing attitudes, skills, and behaviors that help youth thrive.
To date, the Six Cs are the best indication of thriving within the field of youth development. The domains are interrelated and reinforce one another. So, as youth strengthen various sub domains of each C, they are more likely to attain others as well. Further, experiencing success in each of the Cs makes youth, particularly young men of color, more likely to achieve longer-term outcomes that position them for success in adulthood. For example, young people who form positive relationships with neighbors (Connection) are better able to develop empathy for those neighbors (Caring). Empathy combined with a belief in one’s own ability to effect change (Confidence) and specific skills to act (Competence) lead to greater social and civic engagement down the road (Contribution). Similarly, long-term educational success is a reflection of academic engagement (Connection), a positive view of one’s future (Confidence), and the academic skills to succeed (Competence).
How Does Hip Hop IllumiNation Contribute to the Six Cs?
Hip Hop IllumiNation’s lessons use examples from hip hop music where one or more sub domains of the Six Cs is demonstrated. Youth are prompted to identify how each positive asset is demonstrated in the music, reflect on how they can relate to the artist’s experience, and discuss how they might further cultivate the positive asset in their personal life. Adults are prompted to facilitate this process of discovery, reflection, and discussion. They are also encouraged to follow up with and support youth to ensure appropriate opportunities for cultivation are in place.
We believe that young men of color will be motivated to emulate the positive qualities of hip hop artists with whom they can relate. Hip Hop IllumiNation provides the platform and structure for them to not only identify the positive messages in hip hop music but also to see how those messages relate to their own lives and access opportunities to cultivate the same qualities in themselves.
Hip Hop IllumiNation 