This monograph examines ways in which state level policies have facilitated the orderly planning and delivery of transition services for youth with serious emotional disorders. It describes the categories of policies (legislative acts and interagency agreements) and analyzes six categories of policy content. Nine components necessary in a…

This paper reports on an experiment to test youth employment as a tactic for delinquency prevention. Features of jobs that should cause young people to develop a stake in doing well are described. Three elements of the bond to work that enable the work experience to reduce delinquency are identified: commitment, attachment, and belief. Various…

Thirteen teenage editors of "Children's Express" investigated the dropout crisis by talking with teenagers who had quit school, with those who had returned to give it a second chance (back-to-schoolers), and with others who were fighting at all odds to hang in there (hangers-in). Hundreds of youth from five American cities--Newark, Boston, Kansas…

This document contains the National One to One Mentoring Partnership kit, designed to help users better understand what mentoring is and how they can support it in its many variations. The National One to One Mentoring Partnership is described as a new coalition mobilized to provide mentoring opportunities to youth, with the goal of giving every…

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…

Early, unplanned childbearing is often harmful for young fathers as well as for young mothers, their children, and society. The development of policies and programs for males who are at risk of becoming or who have already become fathers to children of teenage mothers should recognize and address the needs of young males as well as those of women,…

"Peer resource" refers to any program that uses children and youth to work with or help other children and youth; programs such as youth service, cooperative learning, peer tutoring, cross-age tutoring, peer helping, peer mediation, peer leadership, and youth involvement. This paper advocates the adoption of a peer resource model of…

The California Conservation Corps (CCC), comprised of both residential and non-residential centers, was established in 1977 to conduct useful conservation work and provide youth between the ages of 18 and 23 with valuable work experience. This report uses data from 1983 and 1984 to assess the value of the work done by the CCC. It contains the…

This document contains the final report from the Michigan Early Adolescent Survey, a study undertaken to: (1) develop a profile of Michigan early adolescents that focused on out-of-school time and included biological, psychological, and sociological information; (2) develop a profile of families which included early adolescents; (3) assess the…

This exit report chronicles the last 20 months of the 3-year demonstration phase of the New York City Volunteer Corps (CVC), whose members worked in teams at various sites to either provide human services or do physical work. These final months were characterized by the following factors: (1) a change in Corps leadership; (2) concern about…

Law-related education (LRE) seeks to improve the citizenship skills and attitudes of young people by providing them with an understanding of law, the legal process, and the legal and political systems. This brochure describes five national law-related education projects supported by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in the…

This booklet presents practical ideas and suggestions intended to help adults develop and support alcohol abuse prevention projects for youths. The first of five major sections considers the following topics: realistic goals for a prevention program; effective prevention approaches; key factors in achieving a working relationship with teenagers;…

A growing portion of Minneapolis youth are dropping out of school before they are prepared for a job. At the same time employers face a growing labor shortage. The city must identify the at-risk youth and intervene early in preparing them for the work world. The common denominator of all factors that increase a youth's risk of chronic unemployment…

State governments, school systems, and local communities are increasingly aware that social problems must be addressed in the context of education reform since many of these problems limit students' ability to learn. Unchecked, these problems have a high social and financial cost in that they prevent young people from becoming self-sufficient…

A survey of major United States cities assessed the severity of youth unemployment problems and effects that cuts in the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) will have on those problems. Information was received from 125 cities (72%). Three of four cities reported overall youth unemployment rates of 11-30%. Minority youth unemployment rates were…