Skip to Navigation

Positive Youth Development

If you want to know what youth engagement looks like, just visit the Neutral Zone in Ann Arbor, MI. The afterschool drop-in center for high-school-age youth offers 21 weekly programs in music, education, literature, visual arts and leadership—almost all planned and facilitated by teens with support from adult advisors.
Young people in your program who are outgoing and intellectually curious could benefit from an intensive research experience. Pauline Jivanjee and Don Schweitzer say to screen opportunities according to three main criteria:
David Moore didn’t have any professional academic or scientific experience, but when the then-23 year-old heard about a job opportunity to assist with a research project on youth homelessness, he thought he could contribute. “I’d never done that kind of work before,” Moore says, “but I had a bit of experience with the subject of the work. I could relate.” 
​In 2011, the Detroit public school board approved an anti-bullying policy written by a group of homeless youth identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning.
Are you and your youth ready for Youth Service America's Global Youth Service Day, or GYSD, the only day of service dedicated to children and youth?
As grantees shift to evidence-based practices, the Family and Youth Services Bureau recommends they map out a “theory of change.”
To truly change the life of a young person, to set them on a course for success, you must understand their needs deeply and bring all your experience to bear as you pick the strategies and interventions that seem to make the most difference. When something doesn’t work or stops working, you adjust or try something else entirely.
Over the past several decades, there’s been a sea change in youth work. Through the dedicated efforts of service providers and researchers, we now know a lot more about the building blocks young people need to manage the challenges of adulthood. Lately, the field has been moving toward applying what’s been learned in youth programs across the country.
The Mitsubishi Foundation is accepting applications from programs that help youth with disabilities move toward stronger leadership and employment opportunities. Grants range from $10,000 to $75,000 over one to three years. Learn more about this opportunity.
“Beyond a Bed: Support for Positive Development for Youth Residing in Emergency Shelters” (abstract). Children and Youth Services Review, Vol. 35, No. 2 (February 2013). 
Syndicate content
National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth | 5515 Security Lane, Suite 800 | North Bethesda, MD 20852 | (301) 608-8098 | ncfy@acf.hhs.gov