Despite increased popular and research interest in youth development and outdoor education, very little research has focused upon the design principles that enhance the effectiveness of these programs. This article presents a scoping review of the literature discussing youth development activities occurring in outdoor environments, in order to…

As the COVID-19 crisis exposed inequities in civic, funding, and programmatic policies -- often grounded in systemic oppression and White Supremacy -- community based, youth-focused organizations, such as Creative Youth Development (CYD) programs, were catapulted into unplanned changes in order to survive. In this tumultuous environment,…

MENTOR's newest resource takes the cornerstone best-practice guide for mentoring, the "Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring™," and offers research-backed and practice-based tips specifically for STEM mentoring programs. "The STEM Supplement to the Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring™" provides additional…

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…

In December 2011, the Sierra Health Foundation board of directors approved a framework for a new youth development initiative. The framework built upon the foundation's recently concluded REACH Youth Development Program and incorporated findings and recommendations from the highly regarded "Healthy Youth/Healthy Regions" and…

As a strategy for helping young people succeed in school, work and life, mentoring works. It helps give young people the confidence, resources and support they need to achieve their potential. The fact is this: these positive outcomes are only possible when young people are engaged in high-quality mentoring relationships. The "Elements of…

The growing interest in youth development, prevention, and assessment has challenged professional practices relative to the design, implementation, and evaluation of youth development programs. This article sheds light on the need for continuous training and staff development in the areas of program development and documentation, using the…

The YDP started in 1971 with a grant to establish guidelines for institutional change which would help disaffected students who had feelings of alienation, rejection, and powerlessness. Article considered two of its successful programs. As well student involvement in decision making was discussed. (Author/RK)

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…

What is needed to strengthen youth policy in the states? In this Research and Policy Report, co-authored by the Forum for Youth Investment and the National Conference of State Legislatures, learn concrete ways that states are addressing key challenges to creating better aligned and more effective youth policy. (Contains 26 notes and 2 figures.)

What are the common tasks facing cities committed to saturating their city with high quality out-of-school opportunities, available to every young person? While no list is definitive or complete, we identify ten critical tasks. (Background and Contact information is appended. Contains 5 footnotes and 9 figures.)

While states have put in place scores of youth polices, no state can claim to have a single, coherent youth policy that serves as a lens for assessing and planning individual policies. However, across the country, states are working to develop more coordinated approaches to youth policy. This paper highlights the work that states are doing to…

This manual for youth in the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) provides an overview of the program, information about program rules and pay procedures, and tips on behavior and handling money. It consists of eleven sections. Section 1 provides a brief overview of the manual. The purpose and format of SYEP is outlined in sections 2 and 3. Work…

This manual for supervisors in the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) provides background on SYEP and tips on program supervision. Section 1 is a brief introduction. The history and purpose of SYEP are presented in section 2. Section 3 contains nine SYEP supervisor work rules (concerning time records, safety, accidents and illness,…

This booklet is designed to give Peace Corps country directors, staff, and volunteers ideas and examples of how they can assist youth-at-risk through government agencies and private organizations working with youth in their host countries. It begins with an overview of the problems of youth-at-risk, followed by six scenarios. Each scenario is…