Almost any youth program has the potential to be hollow busywork or a vibrant learning experience. Research has documented important features of supportive environments, choice and flexibility, balancing youth and adult-driven stances, and the centrality of relationships. The challenge for practitioners is to construct and carry out youth…

Community development partnerships for youths offer valuable resources for school improvement. Unfortunately, these resources may not be tapped because school leaders have not been prepared to understand these partnerships. The evaluative research reported partnership-related understanding, aiming to prepare leaders to contribute to, and benefit…

Sustainability is a critical issue for out-of-school programs. Time-limited grants, narrow categorical funding streams, and difficult economic conditions leave program leaders in a continual struggle to find a stable base of resources to continue their program over time. In the face of these challenges, many out-of-school initiatives have…

Information is presented to help individuals and groups translate their concerns about youth into concrete, constructive action in the community. At the heart of the guide is a step-by-step process for action. The first section deals with taking individual action, exploring ways that the individual can make a difference. The second part of the…

City Year is a community-service program based in Boston (Massachusetts) that has frequently been praised as a model for other service programs. In City Year, young people of all races and from differing backgrounds work together for 9 months on public service programs ranging from physical labor to tutoring. Volunteers receive a small stipend and…

This guide describes the many ways to teach bias reduction and violence prevention in order to help schools, community and religious leaders, and parents decide which project is best for their children. Some projects concentrate on changing behaviors, while others concentrate on changing attitudes as a prelude to changing behavior. Some projects…

This book describes a project, the Bede Detached Youth Work Project, that was designed to combat racism in a community in London (England). It also presents information that should be useful to community workers and activists, teachers, and others involved in antiracist work with young people. An introduction provides an overview of the project…

Texas ranks among the top 10 states for school dropouts with an annual dropout rate of about 30%. Some dropout prevention programs are incorporating community service components as a means to counter the alienation and low self-esteem frequently seen among dropouts and at-risk students. Significant adults other than school personnel provide youth…

Alcohol use is three times greater among Indian youth than among adolescents in general. Research suggests that an adolescent's decisions concerning substance abuse may be tied to self-esteem and to peer associations and activities. This booklet examines three types of programs that have been successful in building positive self-concepts and peer…

This publication describes a program of policy research sponsored by the Office of Youth Development, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. The purpose is to determine how the federal government can best support state and local community efforts in administering coordinated programs for youth development and delinquency prevention. A…

This publication describes some of the issues and problems dealt with by Involvement of Mexican-Americans in Gainful Endeavors (IMAGE), a national, non-profit organization aimed at improving the social and economic conditions of Mexican-Americans. One of the main sources of concern for this group is the high dropout rate of Mexican-American…

This paper reviews service learning definitions and principles to illustrate common threads connecting service learning philosophy across contexts. Although there is general agreement that service learning occurs in school-based and community-based categories, it cannot be universally defined. Definitions from K-12, higher education, and adult…

Explored counselor ratings of 10- to 13-year-old Ss (N=132) in three therapeutic camping trips. Results indicated a significant difference between boys and girls from third-trip comparisons on unstructured dependence. Reliable counselor ratings were found, and boys were perceived by the counselors to change, while girls were not. (Author/JAC)

The need of American youth to be responsible and contributing members of society has led to the rise of "youth participation" projects across the country. Various programs have been established to enable young people to participate in meaningful activities. (JN)

It is vital to include youth in national-service plans. Basic approaches include putting young people on the team; putting youth on the national-corporation board; getting administrators into national-service; creating youth forums; and letting young people make decisions. (SLD)