Youth Development Resources

Youth Development noun. A process which prepares young people to meet the challenges of adolescence and adulthood through a coordinated, progressive series of activities and experiences which help them to become socially, morally, emotionally, physically, and cognitively competent. Positive youth development addresses the broader developmental needs of youth, in contrast to deficit-based models which focus solely on youth problems. (Approved by the executives of National Collaboration for Youth Members, March 1998)

This is an excerpt from the National Youth Development Center website.

General Information

National Youth Development Center

The Innovation Center

The Institute for Youth Development

Defining Youth Development

Elements of Youth Development

Positive Youth Development

What is Youth Development?

Youth Employment

Nat'l. Youth Employment Coalition

Solutions for America

US Department of Labor

A study, “Youth Development Needs and Capacities in the District of Columbia”, conducted by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in 2002 indicates there is a definite need for employment for older youth. The study also found that “mentoring has been shown to be an effective strategy against negative peer influences, unsupervised time, and lack of caring adults in a young person’s life."  Year-round youth employment was also cited as a major need by the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Children, Youth, Families, and Elders, and is part of their strategic 10-point plan to engage youth.  DC citizens expressed during the Citizen Summit IV they wanted “the District to offer more support for teenagers as they make the transition to adulthood…..top three suggestions were more mentoring, vocational training, and life skills programs."

Urban Alliance has been filling this void through a program model that addresses each of the criteria for effective practices as defined by the National Youth Employment Coalition.  In particular, our program:

• Fosters long-term mentoring relationships with supportive and caring adults

• Increases youths’ personal, academic, and financial independence, while supporting them to successfully meet their increased responsibilities through workshops on time management, financial literacy, and conflict resolution

• Exposes youth to a variety of careers through a summer speaker series and workshops on how to solicit and conduct informational interviews

• Supports active mentor participation sending mentors copies of our workshop materials and providing management tools such as our work journal and idea bank

• Documents students’ ongoing success and increased competencies by tracking each internship on a weekly basis and collecting tri-annual ratings from the mentors

Have a resource you would like to share? Click here!