ED 402 402 UD 031 426 TITLE Reconnecting Youth & Community ... · 1/23/1996 · intervention...

DQCUMENT RESUME

ED 402 402 UD 031 426

TITLE Reconnecting Youth & Community. A Youth DevelopmentApproach.

INSTITUTION Johnson, Bassin, and Shaw, Inc., Silver Spring, MD.;National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth, SilverSpring, MD.

SPONS AGENCY Administration for Children and Families (DIMS),Washington, DC. Family and Youth Services Bureau.

PUB DATE 96

CONTRACT 105-92-1709NOTE 58p.

PUB TYPE Guides Non-Classroom Use (055)

EDRS PRICE MF01/PC03 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS *Child Development; *Community Programs;

*Cooperation; Intervention; Partnerships inEducation; Policy Formation; Prevention; ProgramDevelopment; Program Evaluation; *Social Services;*Youth Programs

IDENTIFIERS *Family and Youth Services Bureau; *Youth DevelopmentModel

ABSTRACTThis primer on youth development is intended to help

communities rethink youth services in the context of the largercommunity. It offers guidance about the changes necessary to plan forand accept new ideas. The youth development approach advocated by theFamily and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) suggests that helping youngpeople achieve their full potentials is the way to prevent theirinvolvement in risky behavior. Focusing on strengths rather thanfailings is the underlying principle of the youth developmentconstruct operationalized by the FYSB in its programs over thelasttwo decades. The three key philosophical components of a youthdevelopment approach are viewing youths and their families aspartners in the effort, giving them access to prevention andintervention services, and offering opportunities to developrelationships with caring and supportive adults. Organizationalchanges may be required to implement a youth development approach,and a shared vision for youths and the community is a necessity.Education for service providers, policymakers, families, andcommunities is required, as is developing effective ways to evaluateprograms and their impacts. The ultimate goal, regardless of thespecific approaches tailored to communities, is to implement anapproach that supports and values young people in the context of thelarger community. Appendixes present assessment measures forleadership and organizational qualities. A list of 53 youthdevelopment programs is included. (Contains six references.) (SLD)

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Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be madefrom the original document.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICESAdministration for Children and Families

0 Administration on Children, Youth and FamiliesFamily and Youth Services Bureau

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOffice of Educational Research and Improvement

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERIC)

sk.This document has been reproduced asreceived from the person or organizationoriginating it

0 Minor changes have been made to improvereproduction Quality.

a Points of view or opinions stated in this docu-ment do not necessarily represent officialOERI position or policy.

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2 BEST COPY AVALABILE

Reconnecting Youth& Community

A Youth Development Approach

July 1996

Prepared by theNational Clearinghouse on Families & Youth

3

Reconnecting Youth & Community: A Youth Development Approach was developed by Johnson,Bassin & Shaw, Inc., for the Family and Youth Services Bureau; Administration on Children, Youthand Families; Administration for Children and Families; U.S. Department of Health and HumanServices; under Contract No. 105-92-1709 to manage the National Clearinghouse on Families &Youth.

Table of Contents

Foreword

About the Family and Youth Services Bureau vii

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 Shifting the Focus to a Youth Development Approach 3

Chapter 2 Youth Development at the Local Level: Collaborating for Change 11

Chapter 3 Rebuilding Communities: The Key to Youth Development 19

Chapter 4 Reconnecting Youth and Communities: Designing a YouthDevelopment Campaign 25

Chapter 5 Conclusion 33

Appendices

Appendix A Leadership: A Self-Assessment 35

Appendix B Implementing a Youth Development Approach: An OrganizationalAssessment Questionnaire 39

References 43

Youth Development Publications 45

5 iii

America was built on challenges, notpromises. And when we work togetherto meet them, we never fail. That is thekey to a more perfect Union. Our indi-vidual dreams must be realized by ourcommon efforts.

President William Jefferson ClintonJanuary 23, 1996

Foreword

Crime, violence, poverty, and neighborhood disintegration often are cited as the top concerns of

Americans today. Each day, newspaper headlines, television news, and talk shows trumpet theincreasing distress of many citizens. As a result, there is a growing sense of hopelessness about our

ability to address key problems and rebuild America's communities. Policymakers and practitionersalike, therefore, have focused renewed efforts on tackling the serious issues facing the Nation. Key

to most of those efforts is the growing recognition that we need to help all young people develop

their full potential.

The Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) has long been in the business of strengthening com-

munities by funding services designed to promote the positive development and self-sufficiency of

young people. One of the goals of FYSB's Runaway and Homeless Youth Program, for example, is

to help young people decide a course of action for their future. Through that program, FYSB fundstransitional living services for older homeless youth. These services provide youth support and

access to developmental opportunities for moving toward self-sufficiency. Through its Youth GangDrug Prevention Program, FYSB supports local efforts to provide positive alternatives for young

people at risk of involvement with gangs or drugs. And late in fiscal year (FY) 1995, FYSB began

funding consortia of community agencies to offer programs for youth in the nonschool hoursthrough the Community Schools Youth Services and Supervision Grant Program. Each of FYSB's

programs is based on the concept that with care and nurturing, youth can become valued and pro-

ductive members of the community.

As neighborhoods across the country struggle to rebuild a sense of community, FYSB grantees con-

tinue their efforts to ensure that youth are viewed as resources in the rebuilding process. Through

this report, FYSB renews its commitment to a youth development approach to helping young peo-

ple achieve their full potential. We believe that by focusing on young people's strengths and talents,while reconnecting them to the larger community, we can begin to draw on all our resources to

create a brighter tomorrow for America.

Olivia A. GoldenCommissionerAdministration on Children, Youth and Families

7v

About the Family and YouthServices Bureau

The mission of the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) is to provide national leadership onyouth issues and to assist individuals and organizations in providing effective, comprehensive

services for youth in at-risk situations and their families. The goals of FYSB programs are to providepositive alternatives for youth, ensure their safety, and maximize their potential to take advantage of

available opportunities.

FYSB, a Bureau within the Administration on Children, Youth and Families; Administration for

Children and Families; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; encourages communities tosupport young people through a youth development approach. The youth development approachsuggests that helping all young people achieve their full potential is the best way to prevent themfrom becoming involved in risky behavior. Youth development strategies focus on giving youngpeople the chance to build skills, exercise leadership, form relationships with caring adults, andhelp their communities. Further, the youth development approach acknowledges that youth areresources in rebuilding communities and that helping young people requires strengthening families

and communities.

FYSB administers three grant programs that support locally based services to runaway and homeless

youth. The Basic Center Program funds shelters that provide emergency shelter, food, clothing, out-reach services, and crisis intervention for runaway and homeless youth. The shelters also offer ser-vices to help reunite youth with their families, whenever possible. The Transitional Living Programfor Homeless Youth (TLP) assists homeless youth in developing skills and resources to promoteindependence and prevent future dependency on social services. Housing, services, and counselingare provided for up to 18 months for youth age 16-21 who are unable to return to their homes.The Drug Abuse Prevention Program for Runaway and Homeless Youth (DAPP) provides additionalresources to organizations serving runaway and homeless youth for services aimed at reducing orpreventing illicit drug use, such as outreach, counseling, referral to treatment, and aftercare.

Further, FYSB supports two other programs providing services to youth. The Youth Gang DrugPrevention Program funds demonstration projects to assist State and local efforts to prevent youthin at-risk circumstances from involvement with gangs and drugs. The Community Schools Youth

Services and Supervision Grant Program funds community-based, nonprofit organizations to provide

academic, tutorial, entrepreneurship, or work force preparation activities during nonschool hours for

youth living in areas with a high incidence of poverty and juvenile delinquency.

FYSB also funds research and demonstration projects to advance our knowledge of runaway andhomeless youth issues; provides information through its National Clearinghouse on Families &Youth; supports the National Runaway Switchboard, a confidential, 24-hour, toll-free hotline for run-away youth; and funds training and technical assistance through a regional system of providers.

8 vii

Acknowledgments

youth development is not an approach that was created through the pages of this report. Rather,it has been designed, discussed, reconfigured, and renamed by various youth services profes-

sionals at the national and local levels during the past 30 years. We acknowledge the work of allthose who have contributed to, and continue to promote, a youth development approach to helpingall young people transition to adulthood.

We also would like to especially acknowledge the contributions of the individuals who participatedin the Family and Youth Services Bureau's May 1995 Forum on Youth Development:

Cynthia DiehmNational Clearinghouse on

Families & YouthSilver Spring, Maryland

Chris ErdNational Network for YouthWashington, D.C.

Marita IrbyPresident's Crime Prevention CouncilWashington, D.C.

Frances KunreutherHetrick-Martin InstituteNew York, NY

Robert C. MecumLighthouse Youth ServicesCincinnati, OH

Norm MonroeMultnomah County Board

of CommissionersPortland, OR

Ray O'BrienAcademy for Educational DevelopmentCenter for Youth Development

and Policy ResearchWashington, D.C.

David OkimotoAtlantic Street CenterSeattle, WA

Angela PerezNetworking Project for Young Adults

With DisabilitiesYWCA of the City of New YorkNew York, NY

Mary Pharis, Ph.D.Austin, TX

Mildred WurfGirls IncorporatedWashington, D.C.

9ix

All this will not be finished in the firstone hundred days. Nor will it be finishedin the first one thousand days, nor inthe life of this Administration, nor evenperhaps in our lifetime on this planet.

But let us begin.

John F. KennedyJanuary 20, 1961

Introduction

The problems confronting this country todayare in many ways overwhelming, both in

number and complexity. When facing suchstaggering issues as crime, poverty, racism, andviolence, it is critical to develop strategies forchange that are based on logic. That logic, how-ever, must be tempered by an understanding ofthe human condition.

Unfortunately, the path to social change increas-ingly has been filled with rhetoric, partisan poli-tics, fear, and the need to debate rather than dis-cuss the issues. In the absence of real dialogue,people look for panaceas or one-step solutionsto problems.

There are no simple solutions to this country'sdifficulties. Challenging problems demand analy-sis, a willingness to develop comprehensivestrategies, and the courage to allocate resourcestoward an investment in the future.

The youth services field has for many yearsunderstood the need to explore options forinvesting in the potential of young people.Youth are resources, both for enhancing thequality of community life today and for buildingstrong communities for the future.

Out of that understanding has emerged a philos-ophy about helping youth called the youthdevelopment approach. It is a concept first pro-moted by the Family and Youth ServicesBureau's predecessor agency more than 20 yearsago; today the movement to reinvent youth ser-vices in the youth development mode is gainingsteam. Organizations such as the Academy forEducational Development, the Child WelfareLeague of America, and the National Networkfor Youth are working to create a framework for

youth development that communities across thecountry can adapt locally.

The task is not easy. Adopting a youth develop-ment approach requires the subtle shifting of notonly how we think about youth services but alsohow we think about, and behave toward, youth.

Simply put, the old strategies for helping youthin at-risk circumstances are insufficient today;the new solutions require freeing youth servicesprofessionals to shift the paradigm about howthey do business. And that type of change sim-ply does not happen overnight.

This primer on youth development, therefore, isintended to help communities begin rethinkingyouth services in the context of the larger com-munity. It raises questions and offers guidanceon the type of change necessary before a youthagency, or the larger community, can begin toplan for and accept new ideas.

Reconnecting Youth & Community: A YouthDevelopment Approach does not provide all theanswers because how a youth developmentapproach is implemented is best determinedwithin each community.

FYSB's goal in producing and sharingReconnecting Youth & Community is to assistyouth services professionals in thinking abouthow they can help communities shift from aproblem-focused approach to serving youth to acommunity-youth involvement model designedto capture the talents, abilities, and worth ofevery young American. Through that approach,communities can create caring pathways ofaccess to opportunity for youth and harness thetalents of a new generation of young people.

1

Optimism is the faith that leads toachievement. Nothing can be donewithout hope and confidence.

Helen Keller

1.2

Chapter 1Shifting the Focus to a YouthDevelopment Approach

Wen we examine the history of the world,ilt becomes clear, and frightening, how

much easier it is to sell hate or promote fearthan to educate people about the complexitiesof the personal development process or how todevelop caring interpersonal relationships. Manysocial movements, both those productive anddangerous, have built agendas around anenemy, whether individual, organizational, orconceptual. In Hitler's Germany, a horrific move-ment was born through the subjugation ofJewish people, a group characterized as threat-ening the country's financial security. Positivemovements also have identified an enemy thatpeople could rally against, including such suc-cessful social-change efforts as the MothersAgainst Drunk Driving campaign.

Obviously, adopting this approach for promotingpositive social change, such as an overall reduc-tion in drunk driving, can be effective. Yet whenapplied to certain social-justice movements, suchas improving services to young people, the con-cept falters. In such efforts, focusing on anenemy, such as academic failure or teen preg-nancy, detracts from the ability to view youngpeople in a holistic fashion as individuals withproblems, strengths, hopes, and dreams.

The categorization of young people's problemsalso has resulted in categorical funding streamsthat often bind the hands of youth servicesproviders. Flexibility in tailoring services to meetthe needs of individual young people has beenidentified as a critical factor in most successful

13

youth services approaches. Without flexibility,program staff often are forced to offer youngpeople services that may not address their realneeds or provide them the range of supportsnecessary for adolescent development. Staff alsoexpend their creative energy struggling to findways to help young people within rigid systems.

The youth development approach to youth ser-vices work avoids the pitfalls inherent in cate-gorical youth services programming. Throughthis approach, services are available to all youngpeople. Yet the primary focus of the youthdevelopment model is not simply on providingservices. Rather, it emphasizes offering youngpeople a complement of services and opportuni-ties. The youth development approach enablesyouth to develop leadership skills and interactwith other young people from various back-grounds and in different stages of maturation.Moreover, the youth development model pro-vides chances for youth to become involved intheir communities in ways that build on youngpeople's strengths and give them hope for thefuture.

Youth Development:Focusing on the PositiveFocusing on young people's strengths ratherthan their failings is the underlying principle ofthe youth development construct that has beenthe driving force behind the U.S. Department ofHealth and Human Services' (DHHS') youth-related programs for over two decades. As far

3

Reconnecting Youth & Community:A Youth Development Approach

back as 1970, the Youth Development andDelinquency Prevention Administration(YDDPA), the Family and Youth ServicesBureau's (FYSB's) predecessor agency, devel-oped a delinquency prevention strategy basedon why most young people stay out of trouble.In other words, the agency looked at what keptthe "good kids" on track and identified fouringredients necessary for youth to develop in apositive way:

A sense of competenceA sense of usefulnessA sense of belongingA sense of powers

Over the past 20 years, FYSB has maintainedYDDPA's focus on the youth development modelfor several reasons. First, FYSB recognizes that itis crucial that positive developmental opportuni-ties be available during adolescence, a time ofrapid growth and change. Adolescents needopportunities to fulfill developmental needs in thephysical, intellectual, psychological, social, andmoral and ethical areas. They benefit from experi-ential learning, need to belong to a group whilemaintaining their individuality, and want adultsupport and interest. They also need opportuni-ties to express opinions, challenge adult assump-tions, develop the ability to make appropriatechoices, and learn and use new skills.

When young people are not given positive out-lets for growth, they may find potentially damag-ing alternatives. Gang membership, for example,may address adolescent needs for safety andmembership in a group, development of closefriendships, and opportunities for exercisingdecision-making skills and responsibility.Involvement in gangs, however, also placesyoung people at high risk for drug use andexposure to violence and crime. In contrast,positive developmental opportunities meet

4

adolescent needs while decreasing their expo-sure to destructive influences and reducing theirinvolvement in risky behaviors.

Second, a rapidly changing society and adecreasing sense of community have reducedopportunities for many young people to receivethe support necessary to move to self-sufficiency. Programs with a youth developmentfocus offer young people the skills and knowl-edge they will need to function effectively asadults in an increasingly competitive world.

Third, increasing poverty, violence, and hope-lessness in many neighborhoods threaten youngpeople's welfare and make developmentalopportunities scarcer for several reasons. Crimeand violence affect young people's ability tomove about their neighborhoods safely to partic-ipate in after-school activities. Dehumanizing liv-ing conditions affect their ability to see them-selves as valuable and important contributors tosociety who have a range of choices regardingcareers, beliefs, and lifestyles. Inadequate educa-tional opportunities discourage learning, pre-venting them from developing the ability to rea-son and to solve problems. In such environ-ments, a commitment by communities tocreating programs and services that meet youngpeople's developmental needs is critical.

Youth development is designed to focus on thepositive outcomes we desire for young people,not the negative outcomes we hope to prevent.The distinction may appear subtle, but it is con-spicuous in practice. Youth development shiftsthe dialogue from one that focuses on youthwith problems to one in which communities canbegin defining what youth need to grow intohealthy adults.

14

A New Look at an Old ConstructIn recent years, there has been a resurgence ofinterest in the youth development approach toworking with young people. FYSB, other Federalagencies, and the youth services field currentlyare building on the youth development concept.

Many of FYSB's Runaway and Homeless YouthProgram grantees, for example, are workingclosely with the National Network for Youth tomore clearly define the Community YouthDevelopment (CYD) construct. CYD focuses oncreating supportive communities for young peo-ple and empowering youth to actively engage intheir own development while contributing to thelarger community.2 In addition, through its YouthGang Drug Prevention Program, FYSB has fundednumerous planning groups and consortiadesigned to involve key community leaders andyoung people in developing positive opportuni-ties for youth at risk of gang or drug involvement.

In fiscal year (FY) 1995, FYSB also began admin-istering a new grant program legislated throughthe Violent Crime Control and Law EnforcementAct of 1994 (P.L. 103-322). This initiative, theCommunity Schools Youth Services andSupervision Grant Program, funds community-based, nonprofit agencies to provide after-school, weekend, and summer activities toyoung people through local centers. Applicants

for Community Schools funding were asked todevelop a community vision for youth and topropose strategies for addressing the develop-mental needs of young people.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and DelinquencyPrevention ( OJJDP), U.S. Department of Justice,also provides communities with significantresources to help keep young people out oftrouble. OJJDP has focused for years on prevent-ing and intervening in youth violence. Recently,OJJDP has emphasized the importance ofstrengthening youth and community connections

15

Chapter 1Shifting the Focus to a Youth Development Approach

by involving the entire community in violenceprevention efforts and ensuring that youth arean important part of the process, and therefore,of the community.3

Further, a number of national foundations arefunding efforts to define the youth developmentapproach and to enhance the youth servicesprofessional's understanding of it. Foundationfunding is being used by organizations such asthe Academy for Educational Development andthe Child Welfare League of America to trainsocial services providers on the youth develop-ment approach.

These activities affirm the work of youth devel-opment proponents, who for more than 30 yearshave advocated for strengthening community

Beyond Academic or JobCompetency: What YoungPeople Need . . .

A sense of personal safety

Structure

A sense of belonging or membership

A sense of self-worth that is predi-cated on achievement and character

Mastery of skills

Access to learning opportunitiesbeyond the classroom

Responsibility

Spirituality

Self-awareness

Support and guidance from caringadults

5


involvement with, and support for, youngpeople at all stages of adolescent development.In fact, many youth services agencies have longoffered core developmental services to youngpeople under the guise of addressing specificproblems for which there was funding available.

Shifting to a YouthDevelopment ApproachRequires . . .

Becoming knowledgeable about thechallenges and benefits of movingtoward a youth development approach

Helping policymakers, practitioners,and community members valueyouth as cultural and economicresources

Accepting that youth input is notyouth involvement or empowerment

Focusing on systemic changes inyouth policy

Becoming flexible in thinking aboutnew strategies and applying existingresources in new ways

Partnering with other youth agenciesto design new ways to solicit fund-ing, provide services, and developand promote improved policies foryoung people

Viewing youth, families, and commu-nities as partners in change, workingtoward common goals

Reengineering or reinventing, ratherthan simply reorganizing, the busi-ness of youth work

6

Why then, if the youth development conceptappears to be so widely accepted, has it notbeen more universally applied?

Reengineering Youth ServicesKey organizational development experts stressthat applying old strategies in new circumstancesis ineffective even if the strategies worked in thepast. New conditions call for new strategies. Anddeveloping new strategies, rather than just reor-ganizing old ones, requires helping people thinkin new ways.

For any number of reasons, too many of thestrategies applied to social services systems,including youth services, have been simply reor-ganized rather than reinvented. Limitedresources and staff turnover hamper the abilityof many agencies to shift gears quickly or effi-ciently. Short-term funding and dramatic swingsof the public policy pendulum also limit agencyflexibility in carrying out long-range planning.

As a result, the youth development approach hassuffered the same fate as many social servicesconstructs. It has been reorganized to fit withinthe existing youth services framework. Reorgan-ized, the approach fails because its philosophyis broader than the system in which it now mustsurvive.

The youth development approach can survivethis reincarnation. All that is necessary is forenough youth services agencies to provide lead-ership, plan for the future, and collaborate to"re-create" youth policies and programs undera new paradigm.

To successfully implement the youth develop-ment approach, communities must rethink youthpolicy, tossing out the often self-imposed struc-tures or boundaries that limit creativity. Thatprocess requires leadership, especially withinthe broader community.

16

A Commitment to LeadershipAn old adage says that leaders are born, not cre-ated. Yet, far more often than not, people findthemselves in leadership positions through hardwork, timing, and connections to people inpower, not simply through talent or predisposi-tion. Appointment to a leadership position,however, does not guarantee that one will findthe wisdom or courage to lead.

Throughout history, many great leaders haveemerged by providing strong guidance and asense of security during chaotic times. Leader-ship, however, can bloom in quieter times whenpeople step outside themselves to work for thegreater good.

In every youth services agency across the coun-try, there exists the opportunity for leadership,both within the organization and the broadercommunity. Young people have long beentouted as this Nation's most valuable resource.Today, youth services professionals must exer-cise the leadership necessary to ensure thatcommunities match those words with action.

The old paradigms of social services systemsmay be in question, but not the long-reveredcharacteristics of great leaders:

Leadership requires courage. Most truly chal-lenging situations demand not only imagina-tive solutions, but also the tenacity to carrythem out.

Leadership is not easy, although the resultsof true leadership make future efforts easierover time.

Leadership requires the ability to listen, aswell as an openness to, and respect for,diversity and difference of opinion.

17


Leadership can feel demanding and isolating,but results in a sense of belonging and com-munity.

Leadership requires the ability to put asidepersonal bias or desires in decision-making.

Leadership is the ability to make decisions,live with the consequences, accept theblame, share the credit, and learn from theexperience.

Most important, true leadership ensures organi-zational or community growth. Leadership pro-vides vision and direction; it does not seek tocontrol. When leaders are strong and confident,they empower others to think creatively andthey are open to trying new ideas.

Leadership Versus ManagementRemember that leadership and management arevery different roles within an organization.A leader also may manage and managers maylead in certain situations. The two functions,however, are different:

Leaders...Provide a vision orsense of mission

Offer inspirationand motivatepeople towardloftier goals

Focus on the bigpicture and long-term growth of theorganization

Managers...Provide a structurefor carrying outthat mission

Control workflowand focus on details

Handle day-to-dayoperations

7


Management is a critical function and necessaryas support to leadership. Management, however,is not leadership. Leadership requires the capac-ity to set a course toward a goal and then drawothers along the same path through persuasion,influence, and power. Leadership is the abilitynot only to convince others of the potency of aparticular vision, but to draw on their talents,skills, and energy in making that vision a reality.

8

Leadership and vision are key elements ofimplementing the youth development approach.The youth development philosophy is more avision for young people than an actualapproach. Developing a framework for translat-ing that vision into practice at the local levelrequires a commitment by organizational leadersto assess their own capacity to lead and theorganization's capacity to work collaboratively

Key Philosophical Elements of a Youth Development Framework

Adolescence is a turning point in theoverall life development process andtherefore an opportunity for communi-ties to support young people in positivedirections.

Adolescent development is natural,evolving, and complex.

Youth development does not occur inisolation from family, community, andcountry.

Young people's maturation process isinfluenced by their surroundings andaffected by relationships with keypeople, such as parents, teachers,and peers.

The youth development approachincludes services, opportunities, andsupport for all young people.

Young people's development is sup-ported through involvement with peo-ple or places that offer intellectual,spiritual, and emotional nurturing.

Young people can and should beginto take charge of their destiny throughlearned decision-making, and an en-hanced understanding of the choicesavailable to them. They also should beprovided the support necessary to dealwith the consequences of those choices.

Even adults struggle in some develop-mental areas. Each young person hasdifferent skills and abilities and maturesat a different pace.

Not all young people start at the sameplace developmentally because of eco-nomic circumstances, family problems,or personal differences.

Developmental activities must be tailoredto meet the needs of young people whoare in disadvantaged circumstances sothat they receive the resources necessaryto address the limitations in their lifecircumstances.

Youth development is dependent onfamily and community development.

18

with the community. Both dynamics are neces-sary for translating youth development policyinto practice.

Leadership, Youth Development, andCommunityStrong and confident leadership is a critical ele-ment for organizations implementing a youthdevelopment approach, both within the agencyand the broader community. Agency leadersinterested in adopting the youth developmentapproach can begin the process by assessingtheir own willingness to serve as a leader forimproving youth policy within their agency,community, or State.

The leadership assessment questionnaire thatappears in Appendix A provides a tool for orga-nizational leaders interested in assessing theircapacity to provide leadership on shifting to ayouth development approach to working withyoung people. Thinking about the questionsbegins the process of developing a framework forimplementing a youth development approach.


In many ways, the basic tenets of leadership andthe youth development approach are analogous.Both require analysis that is based on soundprinciples and that recognizes that problems andachievements do not occur in isolation; they areinterrelated. Most important, both leadership andthe youth development approach are based onthe fundamental premise that change does notoccur simply through the provision of assistance.Real and lasting change occurs through theinvolvement of youth and adults in proactivelyrebuilding their communities.

Without principled leadership, today's socialproblems likely will not be resolved. A growingsense of hopelessness intensifies the already sig-nificant problems facing most communities.Those conditions, compounded by reductions inresources, present significant challenges to pro-fessionals seeking to support young people andcommunities. They also, however, present newopportunities for youth services professionals torefocus the way they do business.

19 9

We must shift from a fundamentalparadigm of individual fear of lossto one that focuses on our collectivehope of gain.

Robert H. Harrison

Chapter 2Youth Development at the Local Level:Collaborating for Change

he "abundance philosophy" suggests thatthere is more than enough opportunity for

everyone if society would focus its efforts oncollective rather than individual gain. To do sorequires an inclusive community-buildingprocess, with a special emphasis on involvingyoung people at the core of that effort.

The youth development approach offers a stra-tegy for creating communities in which youngpeople are active and valued contributors. Eachprogram and community must define youthdevelopment in its locale, adapting the approachto fit youth needs and the program or commu-nity structure. There are, however, three keyphilosophical components of a youth develop-ment approach:

Viewing young people and families as part-ners rather than as clients, and involvingthem in designing and delivering programsand services

Giving all youth access to both preventionand intervention services and programs thatmeet their developmental needs

Offering youth opportunities to develop rela-tionships with caring, supportive adults

Within that philosophical understanding, thereare several fundamental principles that youthagencies must consider when beginning to cre-ate a youth development framework for youthservices within their community:

21

Implementing a youth developmentapproach may require organizationalchange. The youth development approach isbased on the paradigm that youth, parents,and communities are partners in developingand delivering services and opportunities foryoung people and in strengthening communi-ties. Many youth agencies believe in this para-digm; operationalizing that belief system to itsfullest extent, though, often requires thatorganizations reexamine their mission, struc-ture, and decision-making procedures.

Youth development requires creating ashared vision for youth and community.Determining and agreeing upon what com-munities want for all young people is theunderpinning of a youth developmentapproach. Youth services providers, in con-junction with their professional collaborativepartners, youth, parents, and communitymembers, should develop not only a sharedlanguage that includes definitions of adoles-cent ages and developmental stages but alsoa shared understanding of what that lan-guage means. They must decide what youthneed to develop into healthy, self-sufficient,and involved adults and how those needscan best be met by the larger community.Through that collaborative process, theycan begin discussing the youth developmentframework and how it might translate intoa vision for young people within their com-munity.

11


Youth development requires collabora-tion. No single community organization canprovide the range of developmental, preven-tive, and intervention programs and servicesrequired to give young people the experi-ences they need to mature into successfuladults. Rather, creation of such programsrequires collaborative planning by a commu-nity's youth-serving agencies, other socialservices and educational institutions, policy-makers, community leaders, and youngpeople.

Advocating for all young peopledemands that youth agencies pay consid-erable attention to creating positiveimages of youth in the media and thecommunity. Media images and societal atti-tudes profoundly affect both the resourcesthat are dedicated to young people and theway that services and programs aredesigned. Too often, media messages conveynegative images of unintended pregnancies,drug use, crime, and violence. There is aneed for news stories that focus on outstand-ing young people, positive contributions ofyouth to communities, and creative pro-grams. Youth agencies might dedicateorganizational resources to publicizing posi-tive news about young people. They canwrite press releases or hold press confer-ences directed to local news outlets on suchtopics as young people's involvement incommunity service, youth-designed initia-tives, and outstanding programs for youngpeople. (See Chapter 4 for more informationon developing a media campaign to promotepositive images of young people.)

Shifting to the youth developmentapproach requires educating serviceproviders, policymakers, families, andcommunities. Adolescent development is

12

part of the overall human developmentprocess. Such life passages often receive lit-tle focus in a society that emphasizes aca-demic or professional achievements overpersonal introspection or growth. Youthservices professionals interested in shiftingtheir organizational focus to youth develop-ment will need to educate families and thecommunity about adolescent development.Helping young people achieve positive out-comes during adolescence is key to a life-time of continuing personal growth.

Evaluation indicators of youth develop-ment must be designed. Before discussinghow to move to a youth developmentapproach, agencies need to define the goalsof such an approach for the young peopleserved. On the basis of these goals, theycan develop measurable outcomes that areclearly linked to youth development pro-gramming. Agency staff, accompanied byan experienced evaluator, might begin bydiscussing behavioral changes that indicatepositive development among young people.These might include, for example, improvedinterpersonal skills or goal development.Agencies also can include young people andfamilies in designing outcome measures byconducting focus groups, individual inter-views, or surveys, for example.

Adopting a Youth DevelopmentApproachBecause we have focused for so long on youngpeople's problems rather than their strengths,the greatest challenge in implementing a youthdevelopment approach is shifting the perspec-tives of staff, board members, volunteers, andthe youth themselves. Youth services agenciesare in a unique position to advance the youthdevelopment perspective because many of their

22

programs already are based on two key con-cepts underlying this approach: valuing youth,and working in partnership with young peopleand communities. Agencies interested in movingtoward or enhancing their youth developmentapproach can begin by answering the followingquestions:

1. How do we define youth development, bothgenerically and in this community?

2. What are our objectives in implementing ayouth development approach?

3. What are the benefits of implementing ayouth development approach?

4. What are the possible negative consequencesof implementing a youth developmentapproach?

5. Is there support for the approach within thecommunity? If yes, how can we effectivelyleverage existing support? If no, how can webegin to build that support?

6. What systems already exist that operate on ayouth development approach, and how canwe access the resulting expertise and experi-ence or build on those efforts?

7. Within the organization, should we imple-ment the youth development approachthrough existing programs and services orconsider a new structure?

8. What will we need to do to move the orga-nization from its current focus to a youthdevelopment approach without losing thesuccessful elements of the current structureor operation?

9. How will we involve youth and the commu-nity in moving to a youth developmentapproach?

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Chapter 2Youth Development at the Local Level

10. How will we assess if the new approachtruly benefits young people and the commu-nity?

Developing the FrameworkThere is no "correct" youth development modelthat should be applied in all communities. Thevery premise of the approach defies that type ofapplication. The youth development approachmeans assessing the needs, strengths, andresources in each community, with a specialfocus on young people. In each community, thatassessment process will be unique because itwill be governed by the youth and adults whocomprise the community.

Implementing a youth development approachrequires more effort than simply creating a newstrategy for dealing with one of the myriadproblems facing young people, families, andcommunities today. It requires creating an orga-nizational learning community in which proac-tive change is the positive norm and new ideasare rewarded.

Implementing a youth development approach,therefore, requires rethinking and then, if neces-sary, re-creating existing community systems toensure that they reflect a fundamental philoso-phy of valuing and supporting young people.The central premise for implementing a youthdevelopment approach, consequently, is theneed to reconnect youth and community.

Community/Youth Partnerships:A Promising ParadigmRebuilding communities is central to reinventingyouth services. One way to ensure that youngpeople have access to what they need todevelop positively, for example, is to create

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youth-empowering environments that offer youngpeople the opportunity to do the following:

Experience feeling a part of a supportivecommunity

Meet their needs for mastery of skills andtasks

Feel involved in determining their ownfuture, while recognizing society's need tocontrol harmful behavior

Contribute to the community4

The last point is important. If there is one lessonlearned through years of attempting to resolvedifficult social issues, it is that the growth andwell-being of youth and communities are inter-connected.

The best solutions for assisting young people atrisk focus both on helping individuals andstrengthening communities. Today's young peo-ple are looking for a way to contribute to thecommunity and meet their need to be a part ofthe larger social fabric. Far too often, theyreceive little guidance as they attempt to navi-gate the complexities of life. They also increas-ingly are living in communities that do not offerthe safety or structure that young people needto grow and thrive.

Rebuilding communities, therefore, is a keyingredient in regaining the ability to provideyoung people with direction and a sense ofresponsibility during their formative years.

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Community leaders can begin redefining youthpolicy in a youth development framework byempowering individuals to work collectively torebuild communities.

Youth services professionals can support thatprocess by examining how their organizationfunctions, as well as how it works with commu-nity leaders and young people and their fami-lies. Agency leaders may use the questionnairein Appendix B to begin assessing organizationalreadiness to implement a youth developmentapproach that tackles the greater challenge ofcommunity building.

Reconnecting Youth and CommunityThe ultimate goal is to implement an approachthat supports and values young people in thecontext of the broader community. In somecommunities, valuing and involving young peo-ple will come naturally; in others, the processwill take time as community members rediscovereach other. In either case, it is critical for organi-zational leaders to maintain a communityempowerment focus, through which thestrengths and resources of neighborhoods areacknowledged and built upon.

More important, organizational leaders must con-tinually refocus attention on youth, promotingtheir strengths and talents and advocating foropportunities through which they can becomereconnected to the larger community.

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Chapter 2Youth Development at the Local Level

Adopting a Youth Development ApproachIdeas to Get You Started

1. Review the organizational or programmission, and program policies and pro-cedures to ensure that they provide avision and structure for promoting youthdevelopment.

2. Explore how the agency can best servethe needs of youth and the communitythrough a youth development approach.

3. Develop a strategy for enhancing theorganization's process for involving youthand the larger community in designingprograms that build on young people'stalents and existing community resources.

4. Reinvent the organization as a "learningcommunity" in which life is viewed as adevelopmental process, people areencouraged to raise issues and to offersuggestions for change, and every newactivity is valued as an opportunity fororganizational growth.

5. Educate staff about the natural course ofadolescent development to ensure thatthey understand normal youth behavior,including individuation, that occurs asyoung people strive for independence.

6. Put staff through a problem-based intakeprocess to help them experience thenegative effects of a system that focusesentirely on their weaknesses. Thendevelop program intake processes andinstruments that also identify youngpeople's strengths, skills, and contribu-tions.

7. Promote respect for diversity by educat-ing staff, the board, youth, and the com-munity about differences, including thoseof race and ethnicity, sexual orientation,gender, physical capacity, regional per-spective, age, and personality type.

8. Provide opportunities for the staff andboard to learn about themselves and howto transfer that learning process to youngpeople, families, and the community.

9. Develop responses to negative youthbehaviors that help young people under-stand their behavior and its effects onothers and that require restitution informs that draw youth back into thecommunity with renewed responsibility.

10. Place youth in supported leadership posi-tions that enable them to build socializa-tion, communication, and other skills.

11. Refine programs and services to ensurethat the organization offers opportunitiesfor young people to acquire or strength-en their sense of competence, usefulness,belonging, and power, the four keyingredients of youth development.

12. Include language about valuing youthand the need to provide them with posi-tive opportunities in all organizationalwritten materials, especially subcontractsor agreements with other agencies.

13. Work to promote a community culture ofvaluing, supporting, and involving youngpeople.

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Measuring Youth Development

In this era of accountability, advocates forthe youth development approach mustestablish agreed-upon, and measurable,developmental outcomes for all young peo-ple. They might begin by asking the broadquestion, "What do young people need tobe prepared for successful adulthoodtoday?" Outcome measures might includethe following:

Academic competence

Social or interpersonal competence

Creative competence

Vocational competence

Healthy eating and exercise habits

Participation in age-appropriate school,work, recreational, and social activities

Involvement in activities that benefitothers while providing them skills andexperiences

Yet it is difficult to define what is normaladolescent development or the positive out-comes that further that developmentalprocess. It is, for example, easier for doc-tors to define illness by a series of symp-toms than it is for them to describe ahealthy person. The range of "normalcy" inthe culture is broad, and policymakers mustbe careful not to define "positive youthdevelopment" in ways that exclude certainpopulations.

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Young people's development is, in fact,determined by a number of factors. Theseinclude individual personality, familial tiesand supports, access to education andopportunities, socioeconomic status, gen-der, racial or ethnic background, and physi-cal capacity. These factors must be consid-ered in developing systems for measuringyouth development approaches to workingwith youth.

In addition, when developing outcomes toassess the effectiveness of the youth devel-opment approach, it is critical to rememberthat adolescent development is not linear,but contextual. It is defined within the con-text of the community, and by the reality ofyoung people's lives.

Academic achievement, for example, maybe the positive developmental model formany youth. It should not, however, be theonly standard by which young people'sprogress is measured. Nor should the lackof compliance with a particular measuremark young people as failures. Manyhomeless youth who have been abused byadults form supportive networks on thestreets. They care for one another underthe most difficult of circumstances, behaviorthat clearly denotes positive emotional andinterpersonal development. Yet such posi-tive outcomes may be overlooked in assess-ing the academic or vocational achieve-ments of this youth population.

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We need to give our children somethingthat they may not be able to hold in theirhand, but that they can most definitelyhold in their heart. Hope. A future.Communities to belong to.

Vice President Albert GoreAugust 16, 1994

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Chapter 3Rebuilding Communities:The Key to Youth Development

?Today, people frequently bemoan the loss ofcommunity, the sense of neighborhood, the

comfort of being among others who know andcare about them. For young people and adultsalike, this diminished feeling of belonging oftenleads to risk-taking behaviors to soften theirsense of loss. These include drug or alcohol useor involvement in illegal activities that provideimmediate financial gratification. As connectionsbetween people disappear, community disinte-gration escalates, resulting in greater potentialfor crime, violence, and other negative out-comes.

In our culture, the reaction to community deteri-oration has been to respond to those negativeoutcomes. This strategy has led to an overre-liance on programs and policies that addresssymptoms rather than underlying causes. Ourresponse to youth crime, for example, is to buildadditional detention facilities rather than investin prevention and early intervention services foryouth in at-risk environments. That approachoccasionally provides some temporary relief. Thecomplexity and interrelatedness of the factorscontributing to crime, violence, and other socialproblems, however, require a commitment tolooking beyond superficial solutions.

One solution that is gaining increasing popular-ity emphasizes rebuilding communities by simul-taneously supporting youth, strengthening fami-lies, and improving local conditions. The task ofrebuilding communities is formidable because a

variety of forces contribute to the disintegrationof neighborhoods and to our inability to recon-nect people:

Our culture's focus on individualism,competitiveness, and singular achievement

Increasingly hectic lifestyles driven by a soci-etal emphasis on achievement and financialpower

Our history of proud self-sufficiency, result-ing in fear of the perception of being needy

An increasing percentage of the populationliving in poverty and despair

Our continuing difficulty in including andvaluing all people regardless of race, ethnic-ity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, religious beliefs, or physicalcapacity

An unwillingness to invest in long-term solu-tions to complex problems

A growing propensity toward developingsocial policy and programs through debaterather than consensus building

Confronting such complex and interrelated fac-tors is a challenging undertaking. The difficultyof the task is compounded by our desire to viewproblem solving as a short-term process endingin victory or failure rather than a long-termprocess that offers opportunity for individuallearning and community growth.

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Yet the essence of American history is aboutpioneering change, conquering seemingly insur-mountable odds, and reaching back to drawothers along difficult paths. Underneath thesuperficial overlay of quick fixes to problemsis a tradition of working together in communityfor positive social change.

Rethinking CommunityThe breakdown in community networks andneighborhoods has forced policymakers andpractitioners to revisit how the social linkages ofyesteryear were maintained. While some of thefactors contributing to community building aresituational and therefore may be inapplicable incertain areas, some key elements are transferableto any setting. Community building requires thefollowing elements:

kshared purpose

An inclusive planning process

Leadership development rather than servicedelivery

Financial stabilization

Opportunities for community empowermentthrough a learning process

Strategies for reconnecting people of all gen-erations and backgrounds

The best strategy for rebuilding communities is acommunity empowerment approach that viewscommunity members as partners in the rebuild-ing process. This "community as partners"approach is known by various names acrossthe country, but its philosophy is based on thefollowing principles:

Community members are in the best positionto develop effective strategies for dealingwith neighborhood problems.

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Even communities with concentrated povertyand serious crime comprise individuals andorganizations with tremendous strengths andtalents.

The community empowerment process offersthe best chance for lasting, positive change.

Clearly, the community empowerment strategyand the youth development approach sharecommon themes of participation, empowerment,and accountability. Both accentuate the positiveattributes of communities and young people.

Combining the community empowerment andyouth development models, therefore, offersyouth services agencies tremendous opportuni-ties to effect positive, long-lasting change. Thecommunity empowerment approach ensuresmore permanent social change, which can onlycome from within the community and must bebased on the self-assessed needs, values, andgoals of the community. Involving youth in theempowerment process strengthens their skillsand their ties to others. Through that process,neighborhood leaders are investing in bothimmediate personal growth among youngpeople and long-term community change.

Developing Youth ... EmpoweringCommunitiesOrganizational leaders who view their agenciesas vehicles for creating positive social change onbehalf of youth and communities typicallyalready have adopted a youth developmentapproach to serving youth in at-risk circum-stances. In such organizations, the delivery ofservices is considered a safety net for helpingyoung people at risk because of family difficul-ties and community disintegration. The overarch-ing mission of agencies using a youth develop-

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ment/community empowerment model is three-fold:

To work with communities to improve localconditions

To strengthen individual and communityawareness of the positive attributes and con-tributions of young people

To offer adolescents the opportunity todevelop their strengths and talents in a cul-ture that cares about their safety and valuestheir potential contributions

Further, these three goals must be viewed asinterconnected. Improving local conditions iskey to being able to offer young people oppor-tunities. Involving young people in activities thatimprove local conditions provides them withnew skills and gives them a chance to feel use-ful within their community. Young people's par-ticipation in community-building activitiesincreases public awareness of, and appreciationfor, their capacity to contribute. Creating anenvironment in which young people are valuedensures the continued provision of opportunitiesfor youth to be involved in, and supported by,the greater community.

The interconnected nature of the goals alsorequires that youth agencies think and operatecollaboratively. Improving local conditionsrequires the cooperation of organizations focus-ing on issues as diverse as economics and theenvironment. Providing young people withopportunities, services, and other supportrequires the involvement of leaders from busi-ness and industry, education, and religiousinstitutions. The youth development approachdemands that the entire community agree onthe value of working with youth as an invest-ment in the future.

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Chapter 3Rebuilding Communities

The youth development/community empower-ment approach also...

Concentrates energy on young people'sstrengths rather than their problems whileproviding them with a safe place to dealwith the typical issues and concerns ofadolescence, as well as difficulties specificto their lives

Emphasizes social change over situationalchange, while valuing individual develop-ment

Establishes a balance between youth, family,and community responsibility for young peo-ple's actions and supports youth, family, andthe community simultaneously

Acknowledges that in the American culture,young people tend to have less privilege orstatus, and offers them opportunities to con-tribute

Protects against "youth empowermentmodels" that provide young people withsituational leadership opportunities but donot teach them how to exercise that leader-ship or how to handle the associated respon-sibility

Focuses more on positive youth and commu-nity outcomes and less on program processes

Involves young people in activities thatenable them to access opportunities to learnand grow while building relationships thatstrongly root them in the community

Partnering With CommunitiesImplementing such an approach is challenging.Rebuilding communities as a means of helpingyouth requires resources often perceived asunavailable to local youth-serving organizations.

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Most funding sources focus on direct service deliv-ery projects; few support social-change endeavors.The necessary resources, however, are available inmost communities since human capital is thegreatest asset in community-building projects.

Youth-serving programs that work in tandemwith community members to address socialproblems, rather than simply act as purveyors ofservices, know and draw upon those resourcesregularly. In fact, many agencies consider advo-cating for positive social change as critical to thework they do on behalf of youth. Those agen-cies have learned that there are key steps toinvolving youth in rebuilding communities,including the following:

1. Position the organization to take a lead-ership role in implementing a youthdevelopment approach by involving staffand board members in the following:

a. Revisiting the agency's mission to deter-mine if youth development and commu-nity empowerment efforts fall within thescope of that mission or if the missionneeds to be expanded or refined

b. Creating an organizational environment inwhich those affiliated with the agencyview themselves as supporting the com-munity in solving problems and achievingpositive change

c. Learning more about neighborhood poli-tics, the local systems (informal and for-mal), the powerful players, and the politi-cal or social factions and their agendas

d. Understanding the difference betweenbeing a facilitator and a leader; true com-munity developers build leadership withinthe community

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2. Enhance the organization's visibility in,and involvement with, the communityby involving staff and board members inthe following:

a. Assessing how to heighten communityawareness of the organization, especiallywith regard to viewing the agency as partof the community

b. Creating linkages with political and reli-gious leaders and other agencies workingwithin the community

c. Establishing methods for ensuring ongo-ing communication with communitymembers to build a partnership throughwhich the community sets the agenda forchange according to its needs

3. Operate out of a position of principle-centered leadership, including thefollowing:

a. Being willing to let community memberstake the lead, while the agency remainsresponsible for the outcomes

b. Establishing a social-change process thatcreates opportunities for youth and adultsto work together

c. Setting realistic, short-term goals that pro-vide the community with opportunitiesfor success, and long-term, dramatic goalsthat give people hope

d. Helping community members prepare tolose more often than win and to under-stand the value of the social-changeprocess, the incremental nature ofchange, and the victories that occureven in "losing"

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e. Being prepared to deal with the responseto change since not everyone may fullyunderstand the change for which theorganization is advocating

f. Helping communities celebrate and buildon their successes

The rationale for proactively linking communitybuilding and youth development is simple.Young people can be this country's most valu-able resource or its greatest problem. The out-come is determined by the investment.

Chapter 3Rebuilding Communities

Adopting a community-building approach toyouth development undoubtedly requires agreater initial investment from program staff andboards. That commitment, however, is no morethan that expected from young people growingup in at-risk environments who must overcometremendous odds to achieve success. Focusingon the youth development/community empower-ment approach also increases the likelihood thatpositive changes in youth policy will be bothsystemic and lasting. This focus requires a com-mitment to exercising principle-centered leader-ship within the organization and the community.

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Never doubt that the efforts of one per-son can change the world.... Indee4 it'sthe only thing that ever has.

Margaret Mead

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Chapter 4Reconnecting Youth and Communities:Designing a Youth Development Campaign

Today in many communities, the publicimage of young people, much of which is

created by the media, primarily consists of youthinvolved in delinquent behavior or with fewinterests other than personal financial gain. Inreality, over three-fifths of all teens age 12-17are involved in service to their communities.They are making positive contributions throughvolunteer work in the areas of public health, theenvironment, and public safety.5

In addition, far too many messages for youngpeople are directed at reducing negative behav-iors, such as the prevalent antidrug campaigns.While messages discouraging risk-taking behav-ior are important, young people need to seethemselves portrayed as more than a series ofproblems to be prevented or addressed.

An important piece of any effort to reconnectyouth and communities, therefore, is the devel-opment of a process for providing new mes-sages about young people. Youth-servingorganizations can take a lead role in developingpublic-education campaigns that share positivethemes about youth, promote youth asresources, and encourage community membersto become actively involved in supportingyoung people.

The San Francisco agency, Coleman Advocatesfor Children & Youth, for example, launchedthe "Kids 51 Good Campaign" to reverse the

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trend of negative public and media opinionabout youth. Just before Christmas 1993, theorganization presented to the city's media andpublic officials 100 youth from around the citywho were involved in community service pro-jects. Coleman Advocates staff also shared somepositive statistics about youth in San Francisco:in 1993, 98 percent of young people did notcommit a violent crime or participate in gangactivity; 94 percent of young people were notdetained at the juvenile hall; and 97 percent didnot drop out of school.

The Christmas media event was just one pieceof the Coleman Advocates campaign; the organi-zation continues to explore other options forsharing good news about young people. Using avariety of vehicles for promoting positive youthimages is key to any public-education campaign.

Public-education campaigns also should be inte-grated into the organization's overall programsand services. The direct messages shared throughsuch campaigns must match the indirect mes-sages conveyed by organizational activities. Forthat reason, before launching a public-educationcampaign promoting youth development, youth-serving organizations should undertake an inter-nal planning process. This process should clarifythe role of the organization with regard to youthand the community, identify a communicationsexpert to design the campaign, and help the

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organization plan a campaign that will reconnectyouth and community.

Organizational leaders can begin planning apublic-education campaign promoting youthdevelopment using the following process:

1. Defining the Role of the Organization inReconnecting Youth and Community. Afirst step in developing a public-educationcampaign is defining the role of the organi-zation in relation to youth and the communi-ty and examining how the organization hasimplemented the youth development con-struct. Key avenues to explore include thefollowing:

What is the organizational mission orvision, and how has it been articulated toyouth and the larger community in thepast?

What services, programs, and activitiesdoes the organization offer to youth andthe community, and how have they beenreceived to date?

How has the organization involved youthand the community in developing andrefining its programs and services?

How do those programs and services pro-mote youth development?

What do the organization's staff andboard know about the strengths, talents,and needs of young people in the com-munity that they can share with others?

What do the organization's staff andboard know about the strengths, talents,and needs of the community that mightbe key to developing a message aboutreconnecting youth and communities?

How has the organization contributed tothe well-being of young people, families,

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and the community? How will the newcampaign extend those contributions?

What prior collaborations with otherorganizations or individuals might pro-vide a foundation for building a strongcommunity-wide campaign?

What other community resources (individ-uals, businesses, leadership organizations,and social or educational institutions) canbe tapped during the campaign develop-ment and implementation? What types ofroles can those individuals or agenciesplay?

What other youth-related public-relationscampaigns previously have been con-ducted in the community? What were themessages and the results? Can the newcampaign build on prior campaigns?

2. Choosing a Communications Expert.Selecting the right communications profes-sional is one of the most critical steps indeveloping a public-relations campaign.Youth-serving agencies bring a wealth ofknowledge about youth and communitiesthat must form the core of any successfulpublic-relations campaign. Yet much of thelanguage of the youth services field, such asyouth development, has little meaning tothose outside the profession. A communica-tions expert can help translate a youth ser-vices organization's vision for young peopleinto catchy, understandable messages.

Youth services agencies should look forpublic-relations professionals with thefollowing qualifications:

Prior experience developing communica-tion strategies, working with the media,and producing community-wide cam-paigns with a targeted social-changemessage

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Experience working on youth or socialservices issues

Documented results of prior campaigns

Willingness to consult with and listen tothe organization's leaders, staff, board,and youth participants

Ability to translate social services conceptsinto jargon-free messages, as demonstratedthrough previously developed campaigns

Knowledge of the community, the typesof messages that will be acceptable andunderstandable, and the best methods forsharing those messages

Connections in the community, such aswith the local media, that will facilitatethe campaign's implementation

Many youth agencies can tap into the probono services of a large public-relations firmto help them develop a community-widepublic-relations campaign. Other optionsinclude soliciting support from foundationsor local businesses (which have a naturalconcern for ensuring a quality labor force inthe future and can provide publicity for thecampaign and assist in other ways), poolingresources with a number of local nonprofitorganizations interested in jointly developingthe campaign, or adding creative individualswith public-relations skills to your staff andboard.

Keep in mind that a free communicationsconsultant may not be better than nothing.The messages emanating from the organiza-tion through a public-relations campaign arecritical to helping people see youth in a pos-itive light. The work of consultants who arenot able to understand the organizationalmission and vision, or who are unwilling towork closely with organizational leaders to

Chapter 4Reconnecting Youth and Communities

Thinking Positively About Youth

Every generation, as far back as Socrates,points a woeful finger at the next.Promoting the youth development modelrequires helping adults to shift their par-adigm about adolescence, including thefollowing:

Understanding the "challenges" ofdealing with adolescents, which maybe less related to actual adolescentdifficulties and more the result ofadults' inability to allow adolescentsto think and question rather thansimply follow

Acknowledging the strengths andattributes of adolescents

Understanding that each generationexperiences a very different worldthan the preceding generation andthat the developmental process isaffected by the external environment

Addressing fear of youth behavior,which may be out of proportion tothe actual circumstance

Accepting that each generation ofyoung people must express its"uniqueness" through music, dance,clothing, and interests that are differ-ent from the preceding generation

translate that vision for public dissemination,may be counterproductive to the organiza-tion's long-term goal of strengthening youthand community connections.

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3. Designing the Campaign. Once the com-munications expert has been selected, theorganization can begin planning the public-education campaign by hosting a kickoffmeeting that brings together organizationalleaders, the communications expert, andyouth and community members (individuals

Getting People Started

One of the key barriers to implementinga youth development approach is thegeneral feeling of helplessness about theproblems facing this country. One strat-egy for helping people move ahead is tooffer them small, concrete steps to takethat will result in modest, but important,improvements for youth, families, andthe community.

A media campaign promoting positivemessages about young people is onestrategy for reconnecting youth and com-munities. The campaign can shift peo-ple's attitudes about youth and energizecommunity members to get involved inworking with young people or in help-ing to shape improved youth policy.

A campaign also can share the results ofhow everyday people create positivechange in the lives of young people bysimply volunteering 1 hour per week,writing 1 editorial, calling 1 public offi-cial, or attending 1 public hearing.People are drawn to activities that reallymake a difference. So let people knowwhat works.

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or organizational representatives) who will beinvolved in the campaign. The purposes of thekickoff meeting are the following:

Review the information collected in step1 to determine which messages the orga-nization wants to share during differentstages of the campaign. An organizationmight first promote its programs and ser-vices, and then share positive images ofyoung people. Once these stages havegenerated public support, the campaigncan shift to promoting youth develop-ment.

Set a goal for the campaign based on theorganization's primary mission and theaction that the organization would likepeople to take.

Describe how the program(s) currentlyhelps the community. Think in terms oftangible program outcomes, and then out-line clear messages under each.

Select a central campaign theme based onthe work of the organization, the informa-tion the organization would like to shareabout young people and the community,and the campaign goal(s).

Identify target audiences (for example,the community at large, policymakers,or young people), and select the bestvehicles for reaching them, includingbrochures, billboards, posters, videos, factsheets, special events (such as fairs orpress conferences), and television andradio public-service announcements.

Work with the communications consultantto translate the campaign theme intocrisp, short messages that will capture the

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public's imagination. The messages mayvary by target audience and communica-tion vehicle chosen.

Conduct focus groups with youth andcommunity members and other socialservices providers to ensure that themessages are appropriate for the rangeof people living in the area, with specialregard to racial and ethnic, gender, andsexual-orientation issues.

Develop a process for assessing thecampaign's effectiveness and outcomes,including midpoint reviews to allow foradjustments.

Set a schedule for launching the cam-paign that takes into consideration com-munity cycles of activity (for example,political elections, the school year, andlocal and religious holidays) and specialevents such as Child Abuse PreventionMonth. The most effective time to initiatepublic-awareness activities will vary bycommunity.

Make sure the organization and the staffare ready for the public scrutiny that apublic-awareness campaign will generate.Develop a plan for handling any crisesthat might occur during the time whenthe organization is the focus of themedia's and the community's attention.

Chapter 4Reconnecting Youth and Communities

Prepare to handle the communityresponse to the campaign, both positiveand negative. Train all staff to handlegeneral calls for more information oroffers to volunteer with young people.Assign a senior, experienced staff personto respond to media calls. Prepare factsheets and "quotable quotes" on the mostfrequently asked questions about youthand the organization prior to implement-ing the campaign so that staff canrespond quickly to requests for additionalinformation.

Think through how the organization canbest reap the benefits of the campaign tofurther its efforts to help youth and thecommunity.

The next step, launching the campaign, will bedifferent in each community on the basis of thecampaign style, target audience, and communi-cation vehicles selected. A professional commu-nications expert should assist in launching thecampaign, including making connections withthe media, helping to monitor the results, pro-viding feedback to the organization, and offeringsuggestions for future action.

Public-awareness campaigns are not withoutrisk, and a communications expert can help anorganization maintain a pulse on the communityreaction. Remaining proactive throughout the lifeof the campaign and beyond can ensure thegreatest benefits to the organization, the commu-nity, and young people.

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Promotional Strategies for Reconnecting Youth and Community

Cultivate good relations with the localmedia to ensure that the organization'spositive efforts receive coverage.

Connect with other youth-serving agen-cies to collaborate on strategies for pro-moting positive youth images.

Hold focus groups with young peopleto get their input on strategies for pro-moting positive youth images and forencouraging the community to workmore proactively with youth.

Conduct special community forums toeducate community members, localpolicymakers, and funding sourcesabout the need to shift from fundingcategorical, problem-focused youthservices to funding developmentalopportunities for young people.

Conduct local press conferences toshare positive information about youngpeople.

Organize events at which youth are visi-ble in the community in positive ways,such as volunteering.

Involve young people in developingpositive images of youth, and displaythese images in the community throughflyers, newsletters, billboards, and spe-cial events.

Provide information to parents thatenables them to support their adoles-cent.

Create and distribute a weekly volun-teer fact sheet that alerts adults toopportunities to work hand-in-handwith young people to improve the com-munity.

Network with local television and radiostations to obtain donated air time foryouth-developed community or public-service announcements.

Identify local newspaper columnistswho are likely to be sympathetic to andknowledgeable about youth issues.Encourage them to write regularlyabout positive youth activities.

Assist youth in developing a newsletterthat highlights the positive work ofyoung people. Persuade local businesspeople to finance the publication anddistribution of the newsletter.

Meet with young people to discuss thecommunity needs that they are capableof responding to, such as street, park,and stream cleanups or minor homerepairs and yard work for senior citi-zens.

Involve young people in local planningboards through which they can lead"youth issues forums" that solicit inputabout how to strengthen the connec-tions between youth and community.

Assist youth in developing a leadershipcaucus to organize youth developmentactivities in the community.

30 39

No more prizes for predicting rain.Prizes only for building arks.

Louis V. Gerstner, Jr.

40

Chapter 5Conclusion

Americans' fear of crime and violence isrising while the resources to deal with the

country's problems are diminishing. In such atime, it is imperative that we look for solutionsthat are comprehensive, that address real prob-lems rather than symptoms, and that revitalizecommunities. Developing solutions to our socialproblems that have the potential for profound,positive change requires the commitment of theAmerican public to financing prevention and tolistening to experts' recommendations ratherthan political sound bites. Most important, itrequires a commitment to investing ourselves inrebuilding communities.

Rebuilding communities requires that we movebeyond even the progressive approach of "build-ing arks rather than just predicting rain." Gone isthe time for a reactive approach to solving thisNation's social problems. Today's circumstancesdemand comprehensive, collaborative, andproactive methods that address problems at theircore.

The youth development/community empower-ment approach enables youth services organiza-tions to mobilize communities to focus on theroot causes of social problems and to stopyoung people from becoming entangled. It isprevention, early intervention, and communityand youth empowerment in the very best senseof the words.

And it is hard work. Change is a complex phe-nomenon, and efforts to effect long-term changemust be comprehensive and involve all compo-nents of the community. The youth develop-

ment/community empowerment model doesexactly that. It draws on the collective strengthsof youth and adults. It recognizes that the wholetruly is greater than the sum of its parts.

To implement such an approach requiresrethinking some basic cultural assumptions. TheAmerican culture is predicated on a competitiveenvironment in which, far too often, winning ismore important than learning, the route to aquick dollar beats involvement in meaningfulwork, and the personal takes precedence overthe political.

Today, with disintegrating cities, a deterioratingenvironment, overpopulated prisons, and empty-ing classrooms, however, it is clear that thepolitical is personal. Real change requires actionby entire communities, communities of peoplewho are connected, caring, and committed.

Communities also comprise all types of peoplewith differing backgrounds, needs, and desires.Yet there is common ground: the need to feelcompetent, useful, and powerful, and, mostimportant, to belong. At the core of rebuildingcommunities, therefore, is the challenge ofinvolving youth and community members inmeaningful work that reconnects them to others,that employs their talents, and that providesthem with the satisfaction of contributing to thegreater good.

Too often in the past, efforts to help young peo-ple have been fragmented by funding streams,ideological differences about prevention andpunishment, and plans that continually focusedon restructuring programs rather than redevelop-

4133


ing communities. Over the past decade, we havelearned that prevention is less costly than inter-vention and that instilling a sense of accomplish-ment and accountability in young people is moreproductive than punishment. Further, we knowthat efforts to stop crime and violence are mosteffective when designed by the community.

Today, we need to begin applying those lessonsto ensure that the next generation shares a set ofpositive, normative adolescent experiences. Weneed to listen to communities in need and toeducate the larger community about the bestapproaches to providing young people withopportunities to develop into healthy, contribut-ing adults.

We also must educate policymakers about whatit takes to implement a youth developmentapproach. Youth development is not just offeringmidnight basketball or dance classes to inner-city young people. Youth development meansusing those recreational events to engage youthin situations that connect them to caring adults

34

and enable them to feel useful, competent, andpowerful. The activities are simply a means toan end: reconnecting youth and community.

And reconnecting youth and community also is ameans to an end: building peaceful communi-ties. In this case, however, the means themselvesneed no justification. Youth development pre-sents far-reaching possibilities for producingchange in other arenas, such as creating eco-nomic stability, strengthening families, andimproving the environment. By using a youthdevelopment/community empowermentapproach, communities can take control of thecircumstances of today and can work in tandemwith young people to build a stronger tomorrow.

There are three ways of trying to win the young.There is persuasion, there is compulsion andthere is attraction. You can preach at them, thatis a hook without a worm; you can say 'youmust volunteer," and that is of the devil; and youcan tell them, "you are needed," that appealhardly ever fails 6

42

Appendix ALeadership: A Self-Assessment

The following leadership self-assessment contains questions under four sections: (A) leadershipstyle, (B) leadership in relation to staff and board members, (C) leadership in relation to youth

and community, and (D) leadership in action. Answering the following questions will help agencyleaders contemplate their own leadership style. More important, they can begin to think about howto most effectively exercise their leadership to ensure that new youth policies meet the needs ofyoung people and communities.

A. Leadership Style

1. Do I consider myself a leader or a manager, and how do I define those different roles?

2. What do I consider to be the key characteristics of a strong leader, and how many of thosecharacteristics do I possess?

3. How do I define my leadership style, and through what means do I obtain feedback abouthow that style affects the growth and success of individuals and organizations?

4. How would I rate my willingness to continually rethink old processes and ideas?

5. What are my greatest fears when I think about collaborating with others (for example, lossof power, adverse effect on the agency or young people, time constraints)?

6. What methods do I use to handle my fear of loss of power or other personal fears whenmoving to a "power sharing" method of collaboration within or outside the agency?

7. What would I be willing to give up (power, funding, credit) to ensure that youth receivethe best possible care in my community?

8. What is my learning style, and how does it differ from the learning styles of the peoplewith whom I work most directly (staff, board members)?

9. Do I worry about who will get the credit for a new idea or initiative within the agency orthe community?

43 35


10. Am I willing to admit being wrong?

11. Do I view mistakes, mine and those of others, as opportunities to solve problems andcreate new systems?

12. Is my approach primarily reactive or proactive?

B. Leadership in Relation to Staff and Board Members

1. What decisions do I choose to involve staff in making, and what process do I use toensure their full involvement?

2. How would staff and board members rank my willingness to involve them in continually"reinventing" the organization to better serve youth and the community?

3. How open am I to accommodating the different learning styles of others? What methodshave I used to help my staff and board explore their learning styles?

4. Do I continually ask questions of staff and board members, and do I really listen to theiranswers?

5. Do I use my mistakes as opportunities to model learning through experience with my staff?

6. Do I encourage my staff to take leadership on specific tasks?

7. Do I model proactive leadership with my staff or board?

C. Leadership in Relation to Youth and Community

1. What process do I use for periodically reviewing the organization's mission statement todetermine its continuing value and applicability to young people and the community?

36

2. What values, beliefs, and paradigms about youth and community do I hold? Which areimportant to me, and which am I willing to rethink?

3. What methods do I use to keep in touch with the changing needs of young people and thecommunity?

44

Appendix ALeadership: A Self-Assessment

4. What decisions do I choose to involve youth and the community in making, and whatprocess do I use to ensure their full involvement?

5. How would youth and community members rank my willingness to involve them in devel-oping new services or advocating for new policies?

6. Do I continually ask questions of youth and community members, and do I really listen totheir answers?

7. Do I provide opportunities for youth and community members to take on leadership roles?

8. Do I model proactive leadership with youth or community members?

D. Leadership in Action

1. What actions have I taken recently to build my leadership capacity?

2. What actions have I taken recently to build leadership or management skills among mystaff and board? youth and community members?

3. Do I have people upon whom I can rely to serve as an honest sounding board with regardto my new leadership ideas?

4. How often do I step back from my day-to-day work to reexamine the appropriateness ofthe organization's mission and my effectiveness in leading the agency toward that mission?

5. How often do I schedule time for planning, both short- and long-term, and who do Iinclude in the planning process?

6. What process do I use for planning?

7. What proactive steps have I taken in the past 6 months to enhance the organization'scapacity to improve youth services and policy?

4537

Appendix BImplementing a Youth DevelopmentApproach: An Organizational AssessmentQuestionnaire

The following questionnaire may be used by organizational leaders to begin assessing their orga-nization's readiness to implement a youth development approach to serving young people. The

assessment tool contains questions under four sections: (A) organizational development, (B) pro-grams and services, (C) outreach and education, and (D) collaborating with other youth servicesproviders, young people, and the community.

A. Organizational Development

1. What is the organizational vision or mission with regard to implementing a youth develop-ment approach? Who was involved in creating that vision or mission?

2. What has the organization done to ensure that all programs are based on a youth develop-ment rather than a problem-centered approach?

3. What will be necessary to help staff and board members shift their thinking about youthfrom a "deficit based" to an "attribute based" approach?

4. What is the staff and board members' understanding of the life development process, andwhat has the organization done to help them understand their own ongoing development?

5. How has the organization trained staff and board members about the adolescent develop-ment process?

6. What has the organization done with regard to examining conditions that exist within thecommunity, how young people experience those conditions, and how negative conditionsmight be improved?

7. What has the organization done to remove the barriers to healthy youth development thatexist within the neighborhood, community, and Nation?

46 39


B. Programs and Services

40

1. Does the organization offer young people programs that do the following:

a. Provide a full range of services and opportunities?

b. Enable young people to develop new skills?

c. Teach personal life skills, such as solving problems, making decisions, settingand achieving goals, and creating and maintaining harmonious interpersonal relation-ships?

d. Connect young people to caring adults (nonstaff) and then support those connections?

e. Support young people's educational experiences?

f. Provide academic and employment preparation and internships?

g. Enable young people to consider and plan for their future?

h. Address the general problems of adolescence or specific difficulties without labelingyouth as "troubled"?

i. Mix young people from various backgrounds?

j. Expose youth to new events, circumstances, opportunities, and locations?

k. Teach young people about what to expect from, or how to handle, real-life situationssuch as planning for the future, getting married, having children, maintaining employ-ment, developing hobbies or special interests, celebrating successes, or adjusting toloss?

1. Place young people in supported leadership positions through which they are exposedto the challenges and satisfactions of collaborating with others to explore options, make

decisions, and achieve positive outcomes?

m. Connect youth to the community through special projects or linkages to ongoingcommunity efforts or activities?

4I

Appendix BImplementing a Youth Development Approach

2. Does the organization offer guidance to youth about how to take advantage of services andopportunities (provided through the organization, through other agencies, and in the largercommunity)?

3. How does the organization address young people's need to take part in activities that arefunctional, educational, and fun?

4. What characteristics demonstrate that a youth development approach underlies programefforts?

5. How are the results of program efforts to support adolescent development measured andshared?

C. Outreach and Education

1. What is the prevailing youth policy (State or local), and how has the organization workedto inform the policy process with regard to youth development?

2. How has the organization worked with the community to create and communicate a visionof what is necessary for the positive development of young people?

3. How has the organization addressed the culturally based negative feelings about adoles-cents? How will it do so in the future?

4. How has the organization used the media to counteract the current projection of negativeimages about youth that shape public opinion and therefore public policy?

D. Collaborating With Other Youth Services Providers, Young People, andthe Community

1. How does the agency collaborate with other youth services providers to develop strategiesfor moving toward a youth development approach to helping young people within thecommunity? the State? the region?

2. How would other youth services providers characterize the agency's contributions toimproving youth policy and practice?

48 41


3. What has the organization done to truly involve youth, families, and community membersin designing and evaluating programs and developing strategies for rebuilding communi-ties?

4. What types of situations has the organization created in which young people are valuedand included?

5. How will the organization help the community to shift its thinking about youth from a"deficit based" to an "attribute based" approach?

6. How will the organization help the community to understand and value adolescent devel-opment as part of a lifelong developmental process?

7. What real outcomes have resulted from the organization's collaborative efforts in the past?

8. What real outcomes is the organization working toward through its current collaborativeefforts?

4942

References

1. West, D.D. 1974. Youth development: A new look at an old concept. Youth Reporter.December:5-8.

2. National Network of Runaway and Youth Services. [now the National Network for Youth]. 1993.Network News. Fall:1-11.

3. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. n.d. The Office of Juvenile Justice andDelinquency Prevention. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of JusticePrograms, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

4. Brendtro, L.K., M. Brokenleg, and S. Van Bockern. 1990. Reclaiming youth at risk: Our hope forthe future. Bloomington, IN: National Educational Service.

5. Knauft, E.B. 1993. America's teenagers as volunteers. Washington, D.C.: Independent Sector.

6. Hahn, K. Readings from the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School. 1991. Rockland, ME:Outward Bound.

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Youth Development Publications

Adolescence: Path to a productive life or a diminished future? Russell, A., ed. 1990. CarnegieQuarterly 35(1,2):1 +. (Available from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, PublicationsDepartment, 437 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022; 212/371-3200.)

Adolescent rolelessness in modern society (Working paper). Nightingale, E., and L. Wolverton.1988. Washington, D.C.: Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development. (Available from theERIC Document Reproduction Service, 7420 Fullerton Road, Suite 110, Springfield, VA 22153-2852; 800/443-3742.)

America's teenagers as volunteers. Knauft, E.B. 1993. Washington, D.C.: Independent Sector.(Available from the Independent Sector, 1828 L Street, N.W., Suite 1200, Washington, D.C.20036; 202/223-8100.)

An approach to youth participation. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; Officeof Human Development; Office of Youth Development; Division of Youth Activities. 1975.Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. (Available from theNational Clearinghouse on Families & Youth, P.O. Box 13505, Silver Spring, MD 20911-3505;301/608-8098.)

Bridging the gap: A rationale for enhancing the role of community organizations in pro-moting youth development (Commissioned paper). Pittman, K.J., and M. Wright. 1991.Washington, D.C.: Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development. (Available from the ERICDocument Reproduction Service, 7420 Fullerton Road, Suite 110, Springfield, VA 22153-2852;800/443-3742.)

Building assets together: 101 group activities for helping youth succeed. Roehlkepartain, J.L.1995. Minneapolis: Search Institute. (Available from the Search Institute, Thresher Square West,700 South Third Street, Suite 210, Minneapolis, MN 55415-1138; 800/888-7828.)

Building communities from the inside out: A path toward fmding and mobilizing a commu-nity's assets. Kretzmann, J.P., and J.L. McKnight. 1993. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University,Center for Urban Affairs and Policy Research. (Available from Northwestern University, Centerfor Urban Affairs and Policy Research, 2040 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208; 708/491-3518.)

Building supportive communities for youth: Local approaches to enhancing communityyouth services and supports (Commissioned paper). O'Brien, R., K.J. Pittman, and M. Cahill.1992. Washington, D.C.: Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development. (Available from theERIC Document Reproduction Service, 7420 Fullerton Road, Suite 110, Springfield, VA 22153-2852; 800/443-3742.)

This list comprises publications focusing on youth development; readers should not presume this list is exhaustive.Moreover, the points of view and opinions expressed in these publications do not necessarily represent the official posi-tion, policies, or views of the Family and Youth Services Bureau, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, orthe National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth.

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BEST COPY AVAILABLE45


Changing our course: Youth as resources. O'Neil, J., ed. 1992. Washington, D.C.: National CrimePrevention Council. (Available from the National Crime Prevention Council, Attention: Youth asResources, 1700 K Street, N.W., 2d Floor, Washington, D.C. 20006-3817; 202/466-6272.)

Changing perspeCtives: Youth as resources. National Crime Prevention Council. 1990.Washington, D.C.: National Crime Prevention Council. (Available from the National CrimePrevention Council, Attention: Youth as Resources, 1700 K Street, N.W., 2d Floor, Washington,

D.C. 20006-3817; 202/466-6272.)

Children, families, and communities: A new approach to social services. Wynn, J., J. Costello,

R. Halpern, and H. Richman. 1994. Chicago: University of Chicago, Chapin Hall Center forChildren. (Available from the University of Chicago, Chapin Hall Center for Children, 1313 East60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637; 312/753-5900.)

The community collaboration manual. Hickman, J.P., D. Blumenstock, S.W. Reponen, G. Raley,and L.W. Stern. 1991. Washington, D.C.: National Assembly of National Voluntary Health andSocial Welfare Organizations. (Available from the National Collaboration for Youth, 1319 FStreet, N.W., Suite 601, Washington, D.C. 20004; 202/347-2080.)

Consultation on evaluation of youth development programs: Report on the meeting(Conference proceedings). Task Force on Youth Development and Community Programs. 1992.Washington, D.C.: Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development. (Available from the ERICDocument Reproduction Service, 7420 Fullerton Road, Suite 110, Springfield, VA 22153-2852;

800/443-3742.)

Contract with America's youth: Toward a national youth development agenda. Halperin, S., J.Cusack, G. Raley, R. O'Brien, and J. Wills, eds. 1995. Washington, D.C.: American Youth PolicyForum et al. (Available from the American Youth Policy Forum, 1001 Connecticut Avenue,N.W., Suite 719, Washington, D.C. 20036-5541; 202/775-9731.)

Defining the fourth R: Promoting youth development through building relationships(Commissioned paper). Pittman, K.J. 1992. Washington, D.C.: Academy for EducationalDevelopment, Center for Youth Development and Policy Research. (Available from theAcademy for Educational Development, Center for Youth Development and Policy Research,1875 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20009-1202; 202/884-8267.)

Directory of internships in youth development. Helfgott, K.P., T. Boykin, and G.A. Raley.1995. Washington, D.C.: National Assembly of National Voluntary Health and Social WelfareOrganizations. (Available from the National Collaboration for Youth, 1319 F Street, N.W.,Suite 601, Washington, D.C. 20004; 202/347-2080.)

From deterrence to development: Putting programs for young African-American males inperspective (Commissioned paper). Pittman, K.J., and S. Zeldin. 1993. Washington, D.C.:Urban Institute Press; Academy for Educational Development, Center for Youth Developmentand Policy Research. (Available from the Academy for Educational Development, Center forYouth Development and Policy Research, 1875 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 800,Washington, D.C. 20009-1202; 202/884-8267.)

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Gender issues in youth development programs (Commissioned paper). Nicholson, H.J. 1992.Washington, D.C.: Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development. (Available from the ERICDocument Reproduction Service, 7420 Fullerton Road, Suite 110, Springfield, VA 22153-2852;800/443-3742.)

Given the opportunity: How three communities engaged teens as resources in drug abuseprevention. National Crime Prevention Council. 1992. Washington, D.C.: National CrimePrevention Council. (Available from the National Crime Prevention Council, Attention: Youthas Resources, 1700 K Street, N.W., 2d Floor, Washington, D.C. 20006-3817; 202/466-6272.)

Great transitions: Preparing adolescents for a new century. Carnegie Council on AdolescentDevelopment. 1995. Washington, D.C.: Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development.(Available from the ERIC Document Reproduction Service, 7420 Fullerton Road, Suite 110,Springfield, VA 22153-2852; 800/443-3742.)

A guide to resources on youth leaders and partners: Strategies, programs, and information.Ma, X., ed. 1994. Indianapolis: Indiana Youth Institute. (Available from Indiana Youth Institute,3901 North Meridian Street, Suite 200, Indianapolis, IN 46208; 317/924-3657.)

Healthy communities; healthy youth: How communities contribute to positive youth devel-opment. Blyth, D. 1992. Minneapolis: RespecTeen. (Available from the Search Institute,Thresher Square West, 700 South Third Street, Suite 210, Minneapolis, MN 55415-1138; 800/888-7828.)

The latency years: Building bridges to adolescence. Beck, I. 1990. Chicago: Family ResourceCoalition. Family Resource Coalition Report 9(1):10-11. (Available from the Family ResourceCoalition, 200 South Michigan Avenue, 16th Floor, Chicago, IL 60604-2424; 312/341-0900.)

Leadership development. Stoneman, D. 1988. Somerville, MA: Youth Build USA. (Available fromYouth Build USA, 58 Day Street, P.O. Box 440322, Somerville, MA 02144; 617/623-9900.)

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Reconnecting Youth & CommunityA Youth Development Approach

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Youth leadership training curriculum: A plan to include all youth as leaders in the commu-nity. Cummins, J., and E. Joyce. 1994. Falls Church, VA: U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services, Administration on Developmental Disabilities. (Available from The ARC of Northern

Virginia, 100 North Washington Street, Suite 234, Falls Church, VA 22046; 703/532-3214.)

Youth participation directory. Western States Youth Services Network. comp. 1992. Petaluma, CA:

Western States Youth Services Network. (Available from Western States Youth Services Network,

1309 Ross Street, Suite B, Petaluma, CA 94954; 707/763-2213.)

Youth participation in organizations. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; Office

of Human Development; Office of Youth Development; Division of Youth Activities. 1977.

Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. (Available from the

National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth, P.O. Box 13505, Silver Spring, MD 20911-3505;

301/608-8098.)

5650

The National Cilear'An house on TamalesCan Eielp Yo Find What You're Looking For

Youth...

Seeking solutions to the complex problems facing youth and families? TheNational Clearinghouse on Families & Youth (NCFY) is your resource.

The Family and Youth Services Bureau; Administration on Children, Youth andFamilies; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; established NCFY tohelp you make valuable contacts with other programs or find the answers toyour questions. The following are just a few of the ways NCFY can assist you:

Tailoring research to meet theneeds of your organization,program, or community

Q Linking you with others whoface similar challenges orwho have creative ideas aboutimproving youth practice andpolicy

All it takes is a phone call!

0 0

0, Updating you on FYSB'syouth initiatives and those ofother national organizations

Q Providing materials for distribu-tion at your conferences andtrainings or information onupcoming youth-relatedevents

National Clearinghouse on Families & YouthP.O. 'vox 13505

Silver Spring, MB) 20911-3505Tell. (301) 608-8098Fam (301) 608-8721

0 0 0

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National Clearinghouse on Families & YouthP.O. Box 13505

Silver Spring, MD 20911-3505Tel. (301) 608-8098Fax (301) 608-8721

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ED 402 402 UD 031 426 TITLE Reconnecting Youth & Community ... · 1/23/1996 · intervention...

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