What Is The Circle of Courage?

The Circle of Courage (CoC)... 

is an educational lens used across the globe. Created by Dr. Larry Brendtro, Dr. Martin Brokenleg, and Dr. Steve Van Bockern at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, SD, the CoC has become a staple in a copious amount of settings. Its origin is tied back to the book Reclaiming Youth At Risk by the founders of the CoC. This book details the CoC and its expected impact. Its original implementation was to reach struggling students by identifying which basic needs were absent in their lives. The CoC comprises four basic categories: belonging, independence, mastery, and generosity. When these four needs are met, students are more engaged and have better outcomes in educational settings.

Dr. Larry Brendtro, Dr. Steve Van Bockern, and Dr. Martin Brokenleg...

were professors at Augustana University when they developed the Circle of Courage. Dr. Brendtro and Dr. Van Bockern were professors of education, and Dr. Brokenleg, a professor of Indigenous studies and psychology. Leaning into the wisdom of the First Nation’s child-rearing techniques, this team originally noted the importance of belonging, independence, mastery, and generosity as fundamental needs for youth development. From here, various publications followed including Reclaiming Youth at Risk, Schools that Matter, and Pebble Teaching. Reclaiming Youth at Risk and other publications remain a mainstay in the pedagogical arsenal for up-and-coming teachers. Since its origin in 1988, the CoC has been integrated into thousands of classrooms, community centers, juvenile justice systems, and other various settings. 

Brendtro et. al. published work... 

in the IJTDC in 2013 entitled The Circle of Courage: Developing Resilience and Capacity in Youth. This publication specifically addresses how the CoC and its implementation develop resiliency, motivation, and capacity for students—specifically those who have been marginalized. The core of their belief is the fact that for youth to thrive they must feel a sense of belonging, independence, generosity, and mastery. This work examines the intersection of brain psychology and the CoC citing research that connects the components of the CoC to psychological studies. This work reveals connections between the brain function of attachment, achievement, autonomy, and altruism to the quadrants of the CoC. 

With clear research... 

the CoC continues to be integrated into various settings, connecting theory, practice, and evidence. Its implementation can be implicit or explicit, but the understanding of these fundamental needs for youth development equips any professional in the field of youth development and beyond.