The youth development approach is predicated on the understanding that all young people need support, guidance, and opportunities during adolescence, a time of rapid growth and change. With this support, they can develop self-assurance in the four areas that are key to creating a happy, healthy, and successful life:

• A sense of competence: being able to do something well
  
  
• A sense of usefulness: having something to contribute
  
  
• A sense of belonging: being part of a community and having relationships with caring adults
  
  
• A sense of power: having control over one's future

If these factors are being addressed, and basic needs are being met (food, clothes, health care, safety, and security), young people can become fully prepared to engage constructively in their communities. 

To learn more about how your community can promote positive youth development, check out the resources on youth development available through the Family and Youth Services Bureau's (FYSB's) National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth.

You also may wish to link to the YouthInfo Web site, which FYSB maintains.  The site includes information on the Blueprint for Youth, a collaborative effort of Federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, advocacy organizations, intergovernmental associations, and others.

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Last revised: March 2003