The authors introduce the RALLY (Responsive Advocacy for Life and Learning in Youth) approach. RALLY is a school- and afterschool-based approach addressing academic success, youth development, and mental health for youth. Based on developmental and relational principles, RALLY's main goals are to promote students' resiliency, development, and…

This study focuses on two girls' experiences in one youth leadership organization during a period of 3 years. Relying on an embedded case study design, the authors examine the links between leadership development and programmatic structures and supports. Specifically, the development of leadership capacities are analyzed along three dimensions:…

This research was conducted to explore the impact of participation in an international education program on youth leadership development and how youth can more effectively engage in civic and community issues. The findings and recommendations offer international education programs, educators and youth workers strategies and best practices to…

The purpose of this study was to demographically describe 4-H volunteer leaders' competencies for effective delivery of 4-H youth development programs. As a subset of the data, occupation, level of education, college major of the volunteer leaders, staff and faculty were gathered as the primary focus of the article. The study was descriptive and…

This report explores two questions: (1) What can be done to recover and reconnect young people to opportunities for building useful lives in work, family, and citizenship? and (2) Who is doing what, and where, to reengage out-of-school youth while working to strengthen the communities in which they live? Focusing on the positive, the American…

The Department of Education has issued final rules underscoring that school districts must accommodate the Boy Scouts of America and certain other youth groups that ask to use schools for meetings and recruitment. Schools risk loss of their federal education aid if they do not comply with the requirement included in the No Child Left Behind Act.…

This study examines the cultural and contextual factors that influence Latino participation in youth programs. Although youth programs are increasingly recognized for their positive influences, little is known about the factors that influence a young person's decision to participate. In this study, 67 Latino youth were asked about the reasons…

To make the transition to adulthood, youth must learn to function in the complex and unpredictable "real world" of adult life. This is an intensive case study of an urban arts program that sought to provide youth with experiences that prepared them for the real world of arts careers. We conducted 75 interviews with 12 youth and their adult leader…

The youth development movement represents a broad trend toward promoting opportunity and resilience over preventing delinquency and failure. While the topic of youth leadership is clearly relevant to this movement, the connection between the two topics remains for the most part unexplored and undefined. With this chapter we examine the ways that…

The original goals of youth sport were based on virtues of sportsmanship, fun, and friendship. In order to re-establish these principles and develop generations of youth devoted to the benefits of sport, we must revolutionize the way we administer and manage youth sports. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the usefulness of the Justplay…

The so-called "digital divide"--unequal access to information technology--is one of many social inequalities faced by individuals who are low-income, ethnic minorities, or immigrants. Surprisingly, the digital divide is even larger for young people than it is for adults, with African-American and Latino young people, as well as…

This chapter provides an international perspective on the promotion of positive development and the prevention of risky behavior among youth. We discuss some of the specific challenges that youth face in low- and middle-income countries and identify six key evidence-based policies and programs that aim to promote positive youth development and…

A study used a three-tiered process to identify the range of available aftercare programming in 52 correctional boot camps. The process included a telephone survey, creation of boot camp and aftercare program summaries, and site visits. Existing research indicated that boot camps were not necessarily lowering rates of recidivism, but this…

During the past several years, national attention has focused increasingly on the many problems facing youth. The Federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act of 1974 was passed to address this growing problem. The Act stipulates that every Federal agency that administers a juvenile delinquency program must produce a juvenile…

The Male Adolescent Program for Positive Sexuality (MAPPS) is involved in the assessment and treatment, both individual and group, of adolescent sex offenders throughout Victoria (Australia). MAPPS clients comprise a heterogeneous group in relation to type of offence, backgrounds, denial, and individual development. To achieve a match between the…