This study examined the negative adult characteristics and practices that prohibit connection between youth and nonparental adults. Racially/ethnically diverse youth from five community-based out-of-school-time programs participated in focus groups on youth-adult relationships. Analyses revealed that the following adult characteristics and…

Background: After-school approaches offer a viable solution to the current challenge of physical inactivity among many adolescents; however, availability, cost, transportation, and interest limit many youths' choices during non-school hours [Roth, Brooks-Gunn, Murray, and Foster 2003. "Youth Development Programs: Risk, Prevention and…

Leadership and developmental scholars have highlighted the need to enhance youth leadership skills. Yet, research that explains youths' perceptions of how and when role models influences their leadership growth processes is limited. To address these gaps and begin to develop an understanding of youths' perspectives, we employed a qualitative,…

This article reports the results of an evaluation of the YA4-H! Youth Advocates for Health--Teens as Teachers program. Consistent with previous research on the impact of teen teaching, the teens participating in the program gained confidence and skill with regard to teaching younger youths. The program also affected the teens' understanding that…

What affect does female participation in the Training Future Scientist (TFS) program based on Vygotsky's sociocultural theory and Maslow's Hierarchies of Needs have on female adolescents' achievement levels in science and their attitude toward science and interest in science-based careers? The theoretical framework for this study was developed…

Cross-sectional studies suggest that assets are associated with youth abstinence, but whether these relationships are constant across developmental age groups has not been shown. Data for this study were obtained from two independent datasets collected across a 2-year period using in-person, in-home interviews of youth (52% female; 44% Caucasian,…

The term resiliency is used to describe the "human capacity and ability to face, overcome, be strengthened by, and even be transformed by experiences of adversity." Native American culture provides a framework for fostering resiliency. The Lakota Sioux society identifies four core needs that foster resiliency and motivate individuals to reach…

This study investigated the ways in which youth organizations support families, highlighting the role of youth organizations in strengthening youth and their families; what youth organizations need to know and do to enhance their prospects for successfully supporting/strengthening youth and their families; and the type of external supports and…

Planned mentoring programs, which purposefully link disadvantaged youth with someone older and more experienced, have become a popular means of providing adolescents with adult contacts, counselors, and role models. Mentoring programs vary widely in their objectives, and in the duration, frequency, and intensity of the planned relationship. The…

This collection of articles is one of several published by public television's "One PLUS One" project, a special media emphasis on mentoring and its effectiveness in helping young people. The articles reflect the belief that providing youth with adult support and guidance can strengthen their self-esteem and encourage them to achieve. The…

A dialogue is presented, which highlights the meaning of success as a Black man. C. Lee's Black Manhood Training Model is discussed, which was developed as a group counseling experience in a school setting for 13- to 17-year-old Black boys to address the challenges of Black male development. (SLD)

This study analyzes the effects on 14- and 15-year-old black teenage girls of entering and participating in a specially designed work program. The girls were provided with supports in their work settings, well-defined tasks, supervisors as well as regularly scheduled peer interaction groups led by a young black woman considered to be an…

This descriptive study examines the operation of youth mentoring programs in New York City. In particular, the study maps the experiences of developing and operating youth mentoring programs as articulated by the organizers or directors of 21 such programs; reviews and analyzes the research and descriptions of mentoring programs nationally to…

This paper discusses the use of outdoor education activities with adolescent at-risk girls. Many young women in this age group unconsciously adopt stereotypical female roles and perceive their identities in terms of their relationships to males. A women-only group provides space in which girls and young women can search for their identities,…

This paper examines the mentoring of African American youth, critiques the accepted theoretical basis for most programs, and offers an alternative framework. Following an introduction in section 1, section 2 describes conventional mentoring and contains two case studies of programs in the San Francisco Bay Area (California). A key finding of the…