ABSTRACT
This chapter provides critical background on the use of paternalism in the scholarly literature to crystallize the term's relevancy in the discussion of inequality in youth development. It also provides evidence related to the need for a sense of urgency to address paternalism, and offer practical strategies to mitigate its effects. The chapter focuses primarily on the field of youth development and others that impact youth such as the nonprofit sector, philanthropy, and K-12 and higher education. Addressing paternalism within youth development forces programs and systems to consider key questions such as: who is being served; who is being paid to provide services; who is designing intervention strategies; and what perspectives are dominating the discussion and strategies used to address the needs of youth in community. The flaw in the current system of paternalism is that the majority of resources used to address inequality are, for the most part, immediately transferred to organizations.
