Youth Liberation Army (YLA) is a youth-led grassroots organization advocating for school abolition and addressing issues most concerning young people in schools and communities. YLA utilizes adult ally trainings to invite educators to work toward liberatory education. The transformative organizing practices of YLA are examined through a youth…

As obtaining education funding becomes increasingly competitive, family literacy programs must communicate their message of success to receive public and private funding and support. A critical component of educational excellence is parental engagement, but how do communities and schools effectively implement parent engagement and family literacy,…

For this study, the authors look specifically at cultural maps that the youth created in Student Involvement Day (SID), a program committed to youth empowerment. In these maps, youth identified spaces in their schools and communities that are open and inclusive of their cultures or spaces where their cultures are excluded. Drawing on critical…

The study explores the civic identities of Romanian youth. Children born after 1989 have no memory of the communism; yet, they are the children and students of those who were educated under communism. Data sources were small group interviews with 21 youth and results indicate that participants believe "civic engagement is possible and…

This study examines a non-profit foster care program's ability to teach youths ages 14 to 21 independent living skills. The agency, located in the northeastern United States, near a major urban area, did not have a successful transition of its youth to a Supervised Independent Living Program (SILP), which provides young men and women the…

Sierra Health Foundation is embarking on a new initiative to promote youth development practices among those who serve 'tweens and teens--youth who are ages 10 to 15. The initiative seeks to engage youth in a variety of contexts, including internships, service, social justice, and advocacy. A major part of the initiative focuses on expanding…

In this applied research project, the tendency for Youth Workers to treat admissions as a sudden procedural event was problematic at a treatment program. Literature from (brief) constructivist therapies, youth care work, and interviews with administrators, youth workers, and youths at a treatment program were used to solve the problem. The Context…

The New Leaders Academy (NLA) is a national leadership training program aimed at ensuring the continuity of effective leadership of, and improved practices within, youth employment and development programs. The first NLA residential training session, held at Gallaudet University (Washington, DC), enrolled and trained 31 participants (called "New…