GoodSport is an after-school program for grades 3-6 that uses traditional and nontraditional sports, adventure activities, reading, writing, and group discussion to promote character development in the areas of teamwork, perseverance, responsibility, respect, and fair play. Two sample activities involving group discussion and problem solving are…

A Toronto (Canada) outdoor program enables disadvantaged urban youth to connect with nature locally. Incrementally, participants take on increasing responsibility and more challenging tasks. An annual canoe race takes place within the city. A planned leadership and environmental center will provide experiences to reconnect Canadians to their…

The Native American Fish & Wildlife Society helps over 200 tribes and Alaska Native villages implement best management practices, informs them about wildlife issues, provides hazardous materials training, trains game wardens, and conducts a summer practicum for Native youth on environmental issues and careers in natural resource fields.…

Summer Activities Initiatives is a U.K. program that uses outdoor adventure activities to prevent dropouts and help at-risk young people re-engage with services that offer them further education, training, or employment. This preliminary look at a program evaluation discusses the target group, recruitment, staffing, residential programming,…

Cognitive interventions have been shown to promote learning and confront behavioral challenges among youth. Many programs report to reduce violence and aggression among youth. Positive interventions with a solid evidence base offer the most promising strategies to address behavioral problems with youth. Six model evidence-based interventions…

Objective: To explore 2 major components of health behavior research, etiologic research and action research. To argue that action research is both an artistic as well as scientific process. Methods: Review of the development process of effective health behavior programs with youth. Review of literature on art as part of the scientific process,…

This article describes a bi-national project planned with Interreg (European) funding involving communities in Kent and Nord Pas-de-Calais. The focus is on "at risk" youth and training and supporting personnel, and action to address the needs of this client group. The differences in the two systems mean that the forms of the project are…

In this article, the author discusses the "Digital Underground Storytelling for Youth" (DUSTY), a collection of after-school, evening, and summer programs that is a university-community collaborative aimed at closing the "digital divide." At DUSTY the goal is to position participants to tell stories about self and community, and to use those…

Whether staff members are working in urban, rural, or suburban branches, for many years national organizations have been committed to preparing them to work effectively with young people. Over the past couple of decades, national organizations have sought and received strong funding to develop targeted, comprehensive professional development…

As a formal observer of youth development work for the last fifteen years, the author is pleased to say that the field in the United States has made great progress in creating and institutionalizing the basic elements of a mature professional development system and in becoming purpose-driven. Topics such as youth worker competencies, links to…

Drawing on experience in developing and administering alternative settings, the author describes a strength-based approach for reaching students who too often fall through the cracks. The North Star psycho-educational model addresses academic, behavioral, clinical, career, and spiritual needs of troubled youth. This article defines the research…

Quality is fast becoming a policy priority in states and localities around the country. As a result, formal and informal networks of youth organizations are seeking and developing strategies to help them assess and improve performance. This report takes a close look at efforts underway in three networks and provides a preliminary framework for…

The Forum for Youth Investment has partnered with Corporate Voices for Working Families to support a Youth Transitions Task Force charged with identifying and promoting the corporate and public policies necessary to ensure that young people ages 14-21 have the opportunities to develop the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in work and in…

The Center for Summer Learning examined various summer program models and found that there are nine characteristics that provide a framework for effective summer programs. In this chapter, the authors demonstrate how effective practices lead to positive results for young people. The nine characteristics of effective summer learning programs are…

Years of youth development research have yielded consensus by researchers, practitioners, and government representatives regarding what young people need for healthy development. Both environmental and social factors are now seen as critical elements for youth development programs. Addressing these factors creates a foundation for the development…