Rap Room is a peer counseling service which combines self-help, peer help, and professional guidance to develop supportive relations in the midst of a generally depersonalizing and growth-stifling institution. (Author/AM)

There are two basic trends in alcohol education--one aiming at containment and control, the other envisioning a society in which alcohol is morally neutral, its use integrated into activities that reflect social solidarity, and in which drinking is not associated with social hazard. (JD)

On September 18th 2003, the director of the Human Creativity youth arts program at Central Falls High School in Central Falls, Rhode Island, and four of its youth leaders enter Lincoln Center in New York City. They are there to present their program's work at a national forum held by the Arts Education Partnership (AEP). The forum is one of three…

This report describes work by Public/Private Ventures to mount a faith-based initiative that would produce credible evidence and lessons concerning the capacity, limits, and practices of faith-based organizations in working with high-risk youth. Organizations in 15 cities agreed to participate in the National Faith Based Initiative for High-Risk…

In 2000, a study entitled "Youth in Decision-Making: A Study on the Impacts of Youth on Adults and Organizations," examined organizations that actively involved youth in decision making roles and found that adults and organizations had experienced significant positive changes as a result. Building on focus groups and interviews conducted…

This second issue in P/PV's "In Brief" series focuses on the San Francisco Beacon Initiative and P/PV's recently released evaluation results. The Beacon Initiative established after-school programs in eight public schools in low-income San Francisco neighborhoods. P/PV's 36-month evaluation examined key developmental and academic outcomes.…

Public libraries that engage and employ teenagers can realize mutual benefits, including meaningful activities for young people and strengthened ties between libraries and their communities. This report summarizes both the potential benefits and challenges learned from Wallace's Public Libraries as Partners in Youth Development initiative. The…

This digest examines features of both process and impact evaluations to help officials of youth programs assess the programs for which they are responsible. With proper planning, evaluation can be part of a program without having to compete for attention and resources with the services the program is trying to provide. A process evaluation…

This booklet discusses law-related education and its role in helping young people become better citizens. The booklet describes the "Youth for Justice" program, a unique national initiative that uses the power of active learning about the law to build upon the vitality of young people and to address the risks of being young today. Youth…

This bulletin describes the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's efforts to fight juvenile gun violence. The Office awarded four community demonstration grants to implement "Partnerships To Reduce Juvenile Gun Violence." Partnership goals include increasing the effectiveness of existing strategies by enhancing and…

This book presents lessons learned after 4 years of Promising and Effective Practices Network (PEPNet), a project of the National Youth Employment Coalition that identifies and promotes criteria of effective practice in youth employment and development. The book, which provides a cumulative summary of all PEPNet programs, is a resource that brings…

Law-related education is an educational program designed to educate citizens about the law, legal processes, and principles fundamental to a democracy. According to the Center for Prevention of School Violence, school resource officers fulfill essentially three roles in schools: (1) as law enforcement officers, (2) as law-related counselors, and…

Community Drama with Youth is an as yet marginalized practice in the larger drama education field. Yet Community Drama with Youth, and other community youth arts, are fueling a burgeoning after-school youth arts movement. This paper considers federal policies which have shaped youth arts in the last several decades, and the ways in which these…

This publication is part of a toolkit that examines systemic barriers to achieving economic self-sufficiency for court-involved adolescents. It introduces the issue of workforce and youth development for juvenile offenders, discussing exemplary programs and policy initiatives that help court-involved youth become economically self-sufficient. To…

This publication is part of a toolkit that examines systemic barriers to achieving economic self-sufficiency for court-involved youth. It highlights 19 exemplary policy initiatives that fall into the following five categories: innovative approaches, new ways to allocate funds and develop resources, ways to promote collaboration among various…