True self-esteem for black children must mean more than teaching them to feel good about themselves. It must be based on an understanding that self-respect is earned through effort. Unrealistic self-esteem can impair the ability to improve one's life. (SLD)

In spite of prevailing opinion, U.S. cities are alive and well and continue to play a major role in the nation's social fabric. The federal policies of recent years must be reversed to keep cities functioning as the place where the United States reimagines itself and learns to manage difference. (SLD)

There is little likelihood of significant new funding for cities. The future may require real decentralization in the ways we live, with fundamental restructuring of political and economic institutions. A system of communities structured locally around new institutions and supported by regional planning might sustain a different culture. (SLD)

Discusses and illustrates some of the systemic obstacles that youth, particularly urban African-American and Latino youth, confront, focusing on the dynamics of Puerto Rican families and youth. Information on health and housing; elementary school, secondary school, and higher education; and unemployment and the labor force is presented. (SLD)

Rather than viewing youth as an isolated and alienated subculture, it is more useful to view the needs of youth as largely determined by where and how they live, and to recognize that they differ from one another just as adults do. Professionals and volunteers in community youth programs need to understand how the youth they work with experience…

This paper compares and analyzes features of the models represented in five efforts to provide coordinated services for children and families located in five cities in an effort to determine how best to study these programs in the future. The programs are: (1) the Minneapolis Youth Trust (Minnesota), a city-wide partnership of member…

This report focuses on poverty and social inequality in San Francisco (California), presenting basic demographic information on the socioeconomic conditions of Latinos, African Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders, and Whites in San Francisco, based on an analysis of U.S. Census data for 1970, 1980, and 1990. Although it presents comparative…

Social Skills Training (SST) has become a popular and effective means of prevention and intervention with adolescent populations exhibiting behavioral difficulties. Early in their development many African-American youth are exposed to homicide, crime, and interpersonal violence. The acquisition of social skills is critical to the development of…

The seven short stories in this collection portray the lives of Puerto Rican children and adolescents in the South Bronx (New York City). The hopelessness of many Puerto Rican and Black youth is vividly depicted in stories dealing with drug use, discrimination, unwanted and early pregnancy, and a host of other urban social ills. Titles of the…

This pamphlet offers a profile of the Puerto Rican community and other Latinos in New York City based on recent census statistics. Noting the continued low socioeconomic conditions of this population, the pamphlet also points out recent gains in political representation. A discussion of population changes from 1980 to 1990 in New York City…

A study on family structure and values among the poorest of all welfare recipients, homeless families found that not only has the traditional family structure broken down, but that there are stark contradictions between the reality of the lives of homeless women and the values they hold. The traditional family may actually be obsolete for this…

This report presents 28 conference papers, which represent different thematic and scientific perspectives designed to create an educating city theory. The translated titles of the articles include the following: (1) "Foreword" (P. Maragall); (2) "Introduction" (J. Trilla Bernet); (3) "Conceptual Itinerary Through the…

This publication contains summaries of six papers presented at a conference on community and policy strategies for Latinos in Massachusetts. Each summary follows an executive summary format by briefly describing the project or argument and highlighting and summarizing major findings or recommendations. The papers are as follows: (1) "An…

This position paper was prepared by the New Futures Collaborative, a group of community leaders concerned with improving outcomes for at-risk youth and families in the Dayton (Ohio) community. It is evident that for some individuals, there has been a value shift and devaluation of human life. A small but growing number of youth are committing…

How ethnic identity and gender figure in building the embedded identities of youth in different contexts is examined, focusing on the self-concepts of inner-city youth. The voices of urban youth argue that their embedded identities, or multilayered self-conceptions, represent far more than simple labels of ethnic or racial membership. After an…