This report presents case studies of nine successful programs designed to reduce alcohol and substance abuse among American Indians and Alaska Natives. These case studies highlight effective solutions developed within tribal communities and combining Western and traditional approaches to build upon the strengths of the respective Indian…

This report focuses on the potential of Workforce Investment Act Youth Councils (YCs) to become proponents of and planners for coordinated youth services and to advocate for improved outcomes for in-school and out-of-school youth, whether a person qualifies for services under the act or not. The study reviews plans and strategies of YCs in these…

New Jersey's governor describes his state's response to the problems and needs of adolescents by creating the School-Based Youth Services Program. The program involves schools and community agencies in the provision of comprehensive services to teenagers, including mental health and family counseling, health services, and other interventions. (AF)

In this project, we used photo-interviews as a method to investigate the hopes and fears of urban adolescent girls who actively participated in their community organization. The photo-interviews were featured in a collaborative, creative arts program involving urban adolescent girls from a community organization and college students enrolled in a…

The International Child Development Initiatives (ICDI) promotes the wellbeing of children growing up in difficult circumstances. ICDI works to improve policies and practices affecting these children by doing research and training. ICDI believes in the power of children and young people, supporting their rights and addressing the underlying causes…

This book offers interested organizations suggestions, tips, and ideas to stimulate thinking for developing summer jobs programs in the community. It is a collection of workable summer youth jobs programs that are drawn from the over 100 locations in which National Alliance of Business (NAB) regional services offices provided technical assistance…

This guide offers a practical approach for operating summer youth employment programs that involves cooperation among private businesses and local organizations. A timetable provides a month-by-month schedule. Seven sections discuss management responsibilities. Program Planning covers scope, goals, and coordination. Program Management addresses…

Human service agencies, including public schools and institutions of higher education, are playing an increasingly dominant role in the lives of all citizens, especially the poor. The increasingly bureaucratic nature of these agencies has been contributing to the continued powerlessness and dependence of their growing clientele. The perception by…

Designed to assist local education agency representatives and prime sponsors of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) programs in initiating and implementing awarding of academic credit for work experience, this report reviews the issues evolving from the Youth Employment and Demonstration Projects Act of 1977. Three major sections…

Prepared to help rural communities meet the needs of troubled and delinquent youth, this booklet describes exemplary programs implemented in nine rural areas. The introduction outlines the specific problems faced by rural communities and small towns in providing youth services, i.e., limited resources to focus on youth problems, greater distances…

This commentary explores the relationship between mentoring and after-school, two fields that have garnered significant policy attention and momentum over the past several years. The question is not which makes more sense--mentoring or after-school--but how can we utilize both strategies to increase the likelihood that young people have the…

A study examined experiential education programs in terms of how they developed participants' personal agency, sense of belonging, and levels of competence. Personal agency empowers students to become change agents in their lives and communities; sense of belonging enables participants to see themselves as members of a community with rights and…

On every hand one hears youth asking: "Where can we find work?" Many young people of this generation have never had a steady job, have never experienced the pleasure that comes from contributing their share toward satisfying human needs. Some of them have spent several years in preparing themselves for definite kinds of work, but cannot now find…

Offers two strategies for addressing student fitness needs, focusing on students' outside-of-class participation in physical activities. The first strategy is an approach to identifying community resources; the second involves a set of terms and a student log for meeting a contracted commitment to being active outside of class. (SM)

Compares 20 African-American rites of passage programs for adolescents, and considers the place of such rites for African Americans and their communities in current and future society. The adolescent rite of passage is a supervised developmental and educational process to assist young people in becoming adults. (SLD)