MENTOR's cornerstone publication, the "Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring[TM]", details research-informed and practitioner-approved Standards for creating and sustaining quality youth mentoring programs and consequently, impactful mentoring relationships. This Fourth Edition, released in 2015, reflects the most up-to-date…

Out-of-school time (OST) settings are powerful contexts for youth development when programs and services are intentionally designed. "Youth Development Principles and Practices in Out-of-School Time Settings" increases the capacity of students and professionals to facilitate youths' optimal transition to adulthood through maximizing the…

Children of immigrants are an important and growing part of American society, and they have an increasingly vital role to play in the future of this country. Those arriving in the U.S. as immigrants or refugees, as well as those born here to at least one immigrant parent, currently make up more than 20% of all children and youth in this country.…

This planning guide contains tools for youth development programs, schools, and youth aged 11-21 years from all backgrounds who are working on team projects in their communities. The tools are designed to help young people structure and implement successful projects and provide a means for them to recognize and assess what they have learned…

Youth development programs are designed to ensure that young people experience healthy development, success in school, and smooth transitions to adulthood. However, ensuring that adolescents participate in these programs is a continual challenge, especially as they age. Exploring key issues related to recruiting and retaining involvement in youth…

This brief summarizes the importance of professional development, identifies core competencies for youth workers, highlights professional development training delivery models, and sets fourth next steps for professional development that can benefit youth programs. Programs often attribute their success to effective youth workers, and research…

For every librarian who seeks to better serve the new and unique young adult market, this completely revised edition presents 30 library programs as examples of this service. By studying the examples set by award-winning initiatives around the country, librarians should be able to answer these questions for their young adult programs: What is the…

This report reviews the current research and literature on Out of School Time (OST) programs especially with regard to their effectiveness. It also explores the range of OST programs and activities as employed by the various youth-serving sectors; considers the untapped possibilities of OST programs to meet the needs of young people, including…

This handbook was developed as a resource for individuals involved in the planning and implementation of evaluation activities related to programs for neglected or delinquent youths. The handbook is organized into eight sections. Section 1, Program Evaluation and Overview, discusses a wide range of evaluation purposes, ranging from accountability…

This guide was developed for educators, juvenile justice practitioners, and others in youth-serving organizations to increase awareness of conflict resolution education and its potential for the peaceful settlement of disputes. Conflict resolution programs can help schools promote both the individual behavior changes necessary for responsible…

A three-step process for developing a program to help youth learn independent living skills is described. The steps are: (1) identifying and ranking specific skills; (2) developing curriculum packages; and (3) involving adults from the local community to help teach those skills to youth. A list of 20 independent living skills is offered along with…

Funded by the Library Services and Construction Act, the 1997 Florida Library Youth Program is an extension of the successful and long-running Florida Summer Library Program to help librarians provide year-round programs for elementary school-aged children. The goal of the program is to introduce children to the library and its services, and to…

Panda bears are the theme of this guide which includes many reading-related activities, crafts, and programs on a broad range of topics, and which can be expanded to other theme approaches such as endangered species, bears in general, and the concept of black and white. The program begins with a general definition and discussion of goals,…

Designed for media specialists and educators, this issue includes five articles on innovative museum film programs. The first article describes a successful film program conducted at the Staten Island Children's Museum. The second article describes inventive children's programs at the Delaware Museum of Art. The programs use films and activities…

This manual is designed to help youth services specialists in libraries in Texas customize their Reading Club efforts for their communities. A successful reading club requires careful thought, extensive planning, and willing and eager participants. Attracting and engaging these participants is of primary importance, as is the reason for the…