Q&A

In February, the Guttmacher Institute released “Facts on American Teens' Sexual and Reproductive Health,” a survey of over two-dozen recent studies and publications on the topic of adolescent sexual behavior. This is the first such survey from the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit that promotes sexual and reproductive health, since 2009.
Births among African American teens have fallen a whopping 47 percent since the early 1990s. Still, half of all African American girls in the United States will get pregnant at least once before their 20th birthdays.
Each year thousands of young women run away from home. To survive, some girls steal. Some sell their bodies for money or a place to stay. Many use drugs and alcohol to cope with life on the streets. Eventually, many girls end up in the juvenile justice system. NCFY spoke with Lawanda Ravoira, director of the National Girls Institute, about how to keep homeless young women out of trouble, out of...
In California’s Fresno County, teens who need a safe place to go have 263 options. The county participates in the Safe Place program, a national initiative that gives youth ages 11 to 17 somewhere to get help when they can’t go home. Local businesses, schools, libraries, fire stations, busses and other locations open their doors and connect young people to the nearest shelter and...
Plans to open a new drop-in center for homeless youth in the picturesque waterside town of Poulsbo, WA, have brought concerns and criticism from some citizens and enthusiastic support from others. We spoke with Dave Frederick, executive director of The Coffee Oasis, the youth-serving group that will operate the center.
Each year, thousands of youth come to the United States illegally without a parent or guardian. Many of them wind up in immigration court without a lawyer to help them navigate the system. To find out what youth workers can do to help these young people, NCFY spoke with Megan McKenna, who directs communications and advocacy for Kids in Need of Defense, or KIND, a Washington, DC, nonprofit...
A new report released in October by Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition paints a grim but thorough portrait of the dangers facing Native women involved in prostitution.
Youth workers believe that what they do every day makes a difference in the lives of young people. But policy makers, donors and the public want to see hard data that shows youth programs work.
Recent allegations of child sexual abuse in a youth-serving organization founded  by a coach at Pennsylvania State University highlight the confusion that often surrounds state "mandated reporter" laws. These laws require certain professionals to report instances of suspected abuse. To tease out what youth-serving organizations need to do – both legally and ethically...
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