TOWARD A BLUEPRINT
FOR YOUTH:
MAKING POSITIVE
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
A NATIONAL PRIORITY
A collaboration to promote
and support young people
as resources and leaders
for our communities
and country
This statement of principles for the positive
development of
America's youth reflects the combined thoughts and
support of youth-serving program officials in a broad
range of Federal Departments, non-profit organizations,
advocacy organizations, intergovernmental associations and
others, many of whom collaborated directly on this document.
(A complete list of supporting organizations is at the end.)
WHAT IS POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT?
Positive youth development is an approach toward
all youth that builds on their assets and their potential and helps counter
the problems that may affect them. Growing up can be tough for everyone, but
young people are far more likely to succeed if they are active participants
in decision-making that affects their lives and their communities.
Key elements of positive youth development are:
- Providing youth with safe and supportive environments.
- Fostering relationships between young people
and caring adults who can mentor and guide them.
- Providing youth with opportunities to pursue
their interests and focus on their strengths.
- Supporting the development of youths' knowledge
and skills in a variety of ways, including study, tutoring, sports, the arts,
vocational education, and service-learning.
- Engaging youth as active partners and leaders
who can help move communities forward.
- Providing opportunities for youth to show that
they careabout others and about society.
- Promoting healthy lifestyles and teaching positive
patterns of social interaction.
- Providing a safety net in times of need.
THE TIME IS RIGHT
Today's young people are living in an exciting
time, with an increasingly diverse society, new technologies, and expanding
opportunities. To help ensure that they are prepared to become the next generation
of parents, workers, leaders, and citizens, government agencies, national youth-serving
organizations, foundations and the business community are working together with
a shared vision for the youth of our Nation:
Every young person's contributions will be valued
today, and he or she will grow up with the hope, opportunity and support needed
for successful adulthood.
No one sector, acting alone, can ensure that all
young people acquire the competencies, character, and protection they need to
seize the opportunities that lie ahead. The time is right to make youth development
a national priority, and the organizations that helped develop this publication
pledge to do their part. They are committed to working together to:
- Spread the message within their own work and
throughout the country that young people are resources and assets in our communities;
- Make their existing youth development efforts
more well-known and accessible;
- Explore ways to provide more positive youth
development opportunities; and
- Invest in our Nation's most important resource:
our young people.
HOW POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT MAKES A DIFFERENCE
Reflections from Young People
"The program helped me with the toughest issueknowing
who I am and what I am."
"You brought out the best in me when I didn't
know there was a best. So now when I imagine how big is my future, I know it's
as large as your love."
"I realize now that the program did not just
offer me services and funds; it offered me a life."
"I am proud to say that I will be returning
to school in the fall to finish my high school education. I'm not saying I don't
make mistakes, but it's good to know that I have support when I do."
"If it wasn't for you guys, I wouldn't be
here right now."
WHY SHOULD I SUPPORT POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT?
- Positive youth development helps young people
become independent and engaged citizens.
- Young people add tremendous value to dialogues
on various issues in the community, offering different perspectives and new
ideas.
- Research is beginning to show that the brain
undergoes change during adolescence and may be affected, both positively and
negatively, by experiences.
- Positive youth development encourages resilience,
focusing on youths' strengths to overcome challenging situations.
- Positive youth development helps young people
resist negative influences.
- Positive youth development programs can provide
prevention services that reach youth identified as at risk in particular communities
and that can serve to reduce the incidence of behaviors such as teen pregnancy,
drug and alcohol use, dropping out of school, delinquency, and youth violence.
- Providing opportunities for young people to
become independent is a good investment, avoiding potential problems that
could be expensive to deal with later.
- Young people are future decision-makers and
will become the leaders of our communities.
HOW CAN I SUPPORT POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT?
- Encourage and assist all children and youth
to focus on educational and developmental opportunities leading to lifelong
learning. (Educational opportunities include guiding young people to master
reading in the early grades; math in middle school; and rigorous courses in
high school which prepare them for college, other post-secondary education,
and employment. Developmental opportunities include a progressive series of
activities and experiences that build cognitive skills and help young people
become socially, morally, emotionally, and physically competent.)
- Work with community-based organizations and
schools to build a seamless web of support, services, and opportunities that
are culturally sensitive and address the full range of youth needs.
- Engage youth as full partners in community-building,
including active roles on boards and in program design, implementation, and
evaluation.
- Encourage public awareness about the positive
contributions of youth within communities.
- Engage local businesses to establish mentoring
programs, apprenticeships, job training and employment opportunities for youth.
- Spread the word about positive youth development.
PROMOTING POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
SOME EXAMPLES:
Safe
Schools/Healthy Students Initiative:
This unprecedented joint effort among the U.S. Departments of Education, Justice,
Labor, and Health and Human Services helps communities design comprehensive
educational, mental health, social, and juvenile justice services for youth.
The services help young people develop the social skills and resilience necessary
to avoid risky behaviors.
Girl
Power!: This national public education
campaign is sponsored by HHS and helps encourage and empower 9- to 14-year-old
girls to make the most of their lives, providing positive messages, accurate
health information, and support for girls and those who care about them.
21st
Century Community Learning Centers:
The U.S. Department of Education and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation have
entered into a partnership to keep inner city and rural public schools open
after regular school hours for enhanced learning and developmental opportunities.
Schools, members of the National Collaboration for Youth, and other community-based
organizations work together on this initiative.
4H
Clubs: Sponsored by the U.S. Department
of Agriculture through the Cooperative Extension System, since 1902 the 4H Clubs
have offered activities and opportunities for growth, learning, and community
involvement to youth in every county of the Nation.
Youth
Opportunity Movement: Sponsored by
the U.S. Department of Labor, the vision is to ensure that all youth acquire
the necessary skills and work experience to successfully transition into adulthood.
National
Youth Network and National Organizations for Youth Safety:
With support from the U.S. Departments of Justice and Transportation, these
groups give youth an active role in the formulation of policies affecting them.
AmeriCorps:
Of the more than 40,000 AmeriCorps members, most are young and in organizations
focused on serving youth or engaging young people themselves to serve others.
A special partnership between the Corporation for National Service and America's
Promise supports 500 AmeriCorps Promise Fellows to give leadership to the Promise
campaign in communities across the country.
Neighborhood
Networks: This project of the Department
of Housing and Urban Development provides nearly 1,000 multi-service computer
technology community learning centers in public and low-income housing nationwide
to teach computer literacy for 21st Century careers.
Child
Care and Development Fund (CCDF):
Nationwide, 35 percent of children receiving child care subsidies through the
CCDF are school-aged. This program, funded by the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, also supports quality improvement activities such as professional
development initiatives for staff in after-school programs.
ORGANIZATIONS ENDORSING THESE PRINCIPLES:
America's
PromiseThe Alliance for Youth
Casey
Family Programs
William T. Grant
Foundation
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Council
of State Governments
National League of Cities
U.S. Conference of Mayors
IYF-US,
International Youth Foundation
National Alliance of Business
National Campaign to Prevent
Teen Pregnancy
National
Collaboration for Youth
including the:
Alliance
for Children and Families
American
Camping Association
American
Red Cross
Association
of Junior Leagues International
Big
Brothers Big Sisters of America
Boy
Scouts of America
Boys
& Girls Clubs of America
Camp
Fire USA (formerly Camp Fire Boys and Girls)
Campaign
for Tobacco-Free Kids
Child
Welfare League of America
Citizens'
Scholarship Foundation of America
Coalition
for Juvenile Justice
Communities
in Schools
Families,
4-H and Nutrition
Girl
Scouts of the USA
Girls
Incorporated
Hostelling
InternationalAmerican Youth Hostels
Joint
Action in Community Service
National
Alliance for Hispanic Health
National
Crime Prevention Council
National
4-H Council
National
Mental Health Association
The
National Mentoring Partnership
National
Network for Youth
National
Urban League
The
Salvation Army
Save
the Children
United
Way of America
Volunteers
of America
WAVE,
Inc.
Women
in Community Service
YMCA
of the USA
Youth
Law Center
YWCA
of the USA
National Organizations for Youth Safety
National
Training Institute for Community Youth Work
Search Institute
Young Adult
Library Services Association
YouthBuild USA
Youth Service America
Corporation
for National Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture
U.S. Department of Education
U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development
U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Department of Labor
U.S. Department of Transportation
published by
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Administration for Children and Families
Family and Youth Services Bureau
For more information about youth and positive youth
development, go to the following web site: /programs/fysb/youthinfo
November,
2002
|