Describes a school program, developed in partnership with a treatment facility for troubled youth, that is committed to surrounding difficult students with the support and controls they need to succeed. Focuses on the Behavior Intervention Support Team in which teachers, counselors, and administrators respond with grace and not punishment. (RJM)

Tennessee's Three-Star Program for Community Economic Preparedness helps rural communities sell themselves as desirable locations for industry. The program emphasizes community planning and improved quality of life; features include adult leadership programs, community action projects, after-school and extracurricular programs for children and…

A survey of 166 youth in the California Conservation Corps (CCC) examined the use of the CCC for career development. Thirty percent of those surveyed had not completed high school. About one-fourth of respondents hoped CCC would lead to a permanent career, but most had joined to develop their job skills and explore career opportunities. (TD)

Believes that the drop in urban teenage crime can be attributed to the change in how communities meet the needs of children and teenagers. Compares the U.S. cities with successful youth programs to ones that lack resources. Recommends that suburban and rural communities should also adopt programs to combat youth crime and violence. (CMK)

Discusses the use of law-related education as an alternative to formal court in Kentucky's juvenile justice system focusing on the Court-Designated Worker (CDW) Program that processes public and status complaints on individuals under 18 years old. Encourages practitioners in similar settings to pilot a law-related education program. (CMK)

This article describes several initiatives in which Creative Problem Solving, in combination with career exploration and mentoring, has been used successfully to identify and develop the talents of "at-risk" populations. During the past decade, the Lost Prizes project helped turn around the lives of talented but troubled high-school…

Children cannot be reduced to an illness. They are not things, objects, or diagnoses. They are human beings who can grow and change. Rather than focusing on fixing children, care givers must transform themselves and the environments offered children. Establishing a change-oriented therapeutic milieu is essential in our work with reclaiming…

Comprehensive community care principles emphasize the importance of positive community-based activities for children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), and caregivers frequently indicate the need for recreation and after-school programs. This study examined the involvement of children with EBD in positive youth development programs and…

Educational researchers have paid little attention to "critique"--an activity young artists routinely use to assess and advance their creative projects. It is an activity from which they have a lot to learn, particularly in the context of community-based arts collaboratives. In school classrooms where teachers emphasize group projects…

Teachers and other school staff are overwhelmed with myriad concerns. As a result, many view positive youth development as just "one more thing" to add to an already full plate. This article assists educators in understanding how positive youth development (PYD) is inherent in good educational practice, and does not have to be one more thing.…

Evidence that youth programs have real benefits has prompted efforts to get young people in the door of out-of-school-time (OST) programs. Once youth are enrolled, attendance plays a key role in the participation equation. Children and youth will not benefit unless they attend programs regularly, and evidence is emerging that those who attend more…

Through the American Legacy Foundation's Statewide Youth Movement Against Tobacco Use (SYMATU), programs aimed at empowering youths to take action against tobacco use were funded. It is believed that the activities these groups undertake result in changes at the community level. This article examines the relationships between community support of…

Servant leadership represents a significant departure from hierarchical systems of leadership often employed in educational and social service programs. The premise of servant leadership is deeply rooted in the leader's priority of serving others, to ensure that other people's highest priority needs are being served before one's self. The servant…

Young people report being both emotionally and cognitively engaged in youth activities in ways they are not in other parts of their lives. Research has identified six developmental processes that categorize youths' growth experiences in their activities. These include identity work; developing initiative; learning, emotional competencies;…

"After School: Connecting Children at Risk With Responsible Adults to Help Reduce Youth Substance Abuse and Other Health-Compromising Behaviors (After School)" helped develop intermediary organizations in Boston, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area in order to create citywide systems of after-school programs. The…