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Positive Youth Development - Demonstrated and Model Programs
The following programs are based in research and have been evaluated for effectiveness. The list, however, is by no means exhaustive. Please note that these are examples of programs using the Positive Youth Development philosophy. The National School-Age Care Alliance has developed a set of standards for quality school-age care that are consistent with this Positive Youth Development philosophy. 1
Beacons (School-Community partnership)
The Beacons are school-based centers for disadvantaged young people, ages 4-19, which stresses youth development rather than youth deficit. Young people are viewed as central players in their own lives. Managed by community, nonprofit organizations in 41 New York City neighborhoods, the Beacons draw more than 30,000 New Yorkers (including parents, teachers, and other adult community members) each year. Activities vary across sites but include recreational, educational, health and community services. By engaging youth in various activities and a continuity of supports, the Beacons allow them to develop caring relationships. The centers set high expectations and clear standards and provide opportunities to engage in high quality activities and make a contribution. Youth also sit on Community Advisory Councils, which plan and assist in the implementation of Beacon activities. The NYC Department of Youth Services founded the Beacons in 1991. Plans are underway for replication in 6-8 other cities.
Key Contact: Jennie McIntosh
Assistant Commissioner
The City of New York
Department of Youth and Community Development
156 William Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10038
Phone: (212) 676- 8255
Fax: (212) 227-5629
Big Brothers, Big Sisters
Big Brothers, Big Sisters of America (BBBS) is a 93-year-old program using autonomously funded local affiliates to support one-on-one mentoring matches between volunteer adults and young people. Outside evaluation by the Public/Private Ventures demonstrated that participants in this program were 46% less likely to initiate alcohol use and minority Little Brothers and Sisters were 70% less likely to initiate drug use. Little Brothers and Sisters were also 27% less likely to hit someone. The following are key components that assist with the development and maintenance of BBBS quality matches:
1) Stringent guidelines for screening volunteers by professional program staff to eliminate applicants who pose a safety risk, are unlikely to keep a commitment, or are unlikely to form positive relationships with a young person;
2) An orientation for volunteers to learn program requirements and rules, with some sites providing more extensive training on sexual abuse, developmental stages of youth, communication and limit-setting skills, tips on relationship-building and other issues;
3) A matching process which takes into account adult volunteers, youth and parental preferences, geographical proximity of adult volunteer and youth, gender, race, and religion (most matches are made within gender, and staff try to make same-race matches); and
4) Supervision to support effective matches, including required monthly telephone contact by agency case managers with the adult volunteer and the youth and/or parent.
Key Contact: Thomas M. McKenna
National Executive Director
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
230 North 13th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107-1538
Phone: (215) 567-7000
Fax: (215) 567-0394
www.bbbsa.org
Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program
In the United States, the school dropout rate among Hispanic youth is exceedingly high, and at 33%, it continues to be one of the nation’s highest. In response to this phenomenon, the Intercultural Development Research Association in 1989 developed the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program. The program strives to prevent Hispanic students with limited English proficiency, ages 12 to 21, from dropping out of school by training them as tutors for elementary school students. Central to the program is the belief that students can be prevented from failing and dropping out. With the proper role models and support to improve their sense of worth, they can excel. Since the program began, over 4,300 young people have been trained as tutors, and more than 12,900 students have been tutored. The dropout rate of tutors has dropped significantly, and they have posted higher English and math scores. The U.S. Department of Education has cited the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program for its effectiveness.
Key Contact: Dr. Maria Robledo, Executive Director
Intercultural Development Research Association
5835 Callaghan Road, Suite 350
San Antonio, TX 78228
Phone: (210) 684-8180
Fax: (210) 684-5389
http://idra.org/ccvyp
Mobility International, USA (MIUSA)
About one in ten people in the world have some form of disability. To foster the leadership abilities of disabled youth and assist them in becoming active members of society, MIUSA was created in 1981. An affiliate founded in England, MIUSA works to eliminate barriers, which have traditionally prevented people with disabilities from participating in exchange programs and other cross-cultural learning experiences. Since its creation, it has helped young people from the United States and 15 other countries gain a cross-cultural perspective in foreign settings. Each year, MIUSA organizes as many as four leadership exchanges with young people, ages 15 to 25. MIUSA’s programs mix disabled and able-bodied youth to foster greater understanding among youth who do not regularly interact. Youth visiting the United States take part in a month-long leadership program in Oregon, and engage in recreation, community service projects, and seminars on topics such as disability rights and discrimination. Youth participating in the program report that MIUSA has helped them overcome feelings of isolation and highlighted what they can achieve.
Key Contact: Mobility International USA (MIUSA)
Susan Sygall, Executive Director
PO Box 10767
Eugene, OR 97440
Phone: (541) 343-1284
Fax: (541) 343-6812
E-mail: exchange(at)miusa.org
www.miusa.org
Self Enhancement, Inc. (SEI)
Self Enhancement, Inc. (SEI) has designed a comprehensive program that bolsters every environment in which inner-city children learn, live and grow into adults. Self Enhancement, Inc.’s Youth Program provides structured, goal oriented personal development and violence prevention services to over 1,500 2nd through 12th grade inner-city Portland children and youth each year. Program services: School Day Program – case management and advocacy for SEI participants within their schools and within the community, tracking scholastic achievement and behavior. After School and Weekend – supervised, task focused education, recreation and performing arts activities that provide safety and options typically unavailable to inner-city children and youth. Summer Program -- all day expansion of school year program. Self Enhancement, Inc. was recognized in 1993 by the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention as a national model of youth violence prevention.
Key Contact: Mr. Richard Fortson
Youth Services Manager
Self Enhancement, Inc.
3920 N. Kerby Avenue
Portland, OR 97227-1255
Phone: (503) 249-1721, Ext. 292
Fax: (503) 249-1955
www.selfenhancement.org
YouthBuild USA
In the USA, approximately 5.4 million young people have dropped out of school. There are over two million homeless people and countless government owned properties in need of rehabilitation. These crises prompted the establishment of YouthBuild USA. Youth commit to a 12 to 18 month program that alternates training in construction with academic instruction. At least 89% of participating youth are high school dropouts who also want to obtain their high school equivalency diploma. As part of their training, participants rehabilitate abandoned buildings to provide affordable permanent housing for the homeless or those with low incomes. In addition to the supervised construction work –for which they are paid a weekly stipend – youth participate in counseling, leadership development, and academic and job skills training. Statistics collected annually since 1993 show that 85% of YouthBuild graduates go on the college or obtain jobs in construction. YouthBuild has been replicated in 165 cities and counties.
Key Contact: Dorothy Stoneman, President
YouthBuild USA
PO Box 443022
Somerville MA 02144
Phone: (617) 623-9900
Fax: (617) 623-4331
E-mail: Ybinfo(at)YouthBuild.org
www.youthbuild.org
Youth as Resources
Youth as Resources (YAR) is an initiative of the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), a private, nonprofit organization whose principal mission is to empower people to prevent crime and build safer and more caring communities. YAR was started in 1987 in three Indiana communities with initial funding from the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment. The success of this program led NCPC and the Indiana Department of Corrections to introduce YAR as a special initiative in five Indiana juvenile correction facilities. YAR encourages youth engagement in communities by providing small grants to youth-designed and youth-implemented projects that address social problems and contribute to positive community change. Young people work as partners with adults in all levels of the program, including governing boards responsible for awarding the grants and developing program policies. To support YAR’s expansion, the Center for Youth as Resources (CYAR) was created in 1995 as a separately incorporated area of the NCPC. Youth participants ranged from 11 to 25 years of age.
Key Contact: Usha Vatisa, Training Manager
Center for Youth as Resources
1700 K Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20006-3817
Phone; (202) 261-4168
Fax: (202) 785-0698
www.yar.org
Positive Youth Development
1 For additional information on demonstrated and model programs, two volumes, entitled Some Things Do Make a Difference for Youth and More things That Do Make a Difference for Youth –are available from the American Youth Policy Forum. These compendiums of evaluations of youth programs and practices can be purchased by writing AYPF, 1001 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 719, Washington, DC 20036-5541. The International Youth Foundation web site also has excellent model program information at http://www.idra.org/ccvyp/
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