Center for Youth Development and Policy Research

1. National Leadership Summit on Improving Results Building a Youth Development Infrastructure Bonnie Politz September 18, 2003 INFRASTRUCTURE Center for Youth Development and Policy Research

2. Four Realities • Fixing Youth • Global Economy • Television and Computers • Time INFRASTRUCTURE Center for Youth Development and Policy Research

3. How Do Youth Spend Their Time? INFRASTRUCTURE ?-21% Asleep-38% 3,285 Hours 1,200 Hours 2,355 Hours 1,920 Hours Ideally with Family- 27% In School-14% Source: A Matter of Time: Risk and Opportunity in the Non School Hours, Carnegie Council 1992 Center for Youth Development and Policy Research

4. Addressing Youth Problems is Critical... Center for Youth Development and Policy Research

5. But, Problem Free is Not Fully Prepared INFRASTRUCTURE Center for Youth Development and Policy Research

6. Common Core of Prevention Strategies Pregnancy INFRASTRUCTURE Delinquency Core Supports & Opportunities Violence Dropouts Substance Abuse Center for Youth Development and Policy Research

7. Common Themes in Prevention Programs INFRASTRUCTURE • SKILL BUILDING- building social skills, problem-solving skills and communication skills • PARTICIPATION- engaging youth through offering real opportunities for participation (e.g. youth led discussion, real choices), leadership (e.g. youth as peer counselors, tutors, contributors) • MEMBERSHIP- creating a sense of membership within the group and/or a sense of commitment to school, culture, community • NORMS AND EXPECTATIONS - establishing new norms and expectations for behavior that are sanctioned by the group • ADULT-YOUTH RELATIONSHIPS- establishing deeper and different ways for youth and adults to relate through the creation of different structures for interaction and specific training for adult leaders • INFORMATION AND SERVICES- providing problem-specific information and services or access to services Source: Adolescents at Risk, Dryfoos 1990 Center for Youth Development and Policy Research

8. Traditional Views of Youth Services Music/Art Creative Writing Community Service Leadership Training Outdoor Education Career Guidance Pregnancy Prevention Tutoring Counseling Drug Prevention Mentors Pregnancy Prevention Tutoring Counseling Drug Prevention Mentors Vocational Education Violence Prevention Remedial Education Crisis Intervention Gang Prevention Center for Youth Development and Policy Research

9. Youth Development is … • the ongoing process in which all youth are engaged in attempting to: • meet their basic personal and social needs to be safe, feel cared for, be valued, be useful and be spiritually grounded; and • build skills and competencies that allow them to function and contribute in their daily lives. INFRASTRUCTURE Center for Youth Development and Policy Research

10. What Opportunities Do Young People Need? • To learn and build skills, test and explore ideas • To express themselves and be creative • To experience a sense of group membership • To contribute and be of service to their communities • When appropriate, to learn about working and to be employed INFRASTRUCTURE Center for Youth Development and Policy Research

11. Seven Elements of a Youth Development Infrastructure Participatory Strategic Planning for Public/Private/Nonprofit Sectors INFRASTRUCTURE Identifying, Redirecting and increasing Financial Commitment to Youth Development Information Development and Dissemination of Baseline Youth Development Data Supporting and Increasing the Number of Direct Service and Capacity Building Organizations at the Local Level What it Takes Building an Informed Constituency Through Civic Participation and Advocacy Increasing the Amount of and Access to Public/Private Space for Youth Research, Documentation and Evaluation of Best Practices and Lessons Learned Center for Youth Development and Policy Research

13. Lack of Easily Accessible Information “On any given Saturday night in a major city, we can generally find out in a matter of moments how many young people were arrested, their age, their gender, their ethnicity, where they live, etc. However it would take weeks, if not longer, to know this kind of information about young people who attend a youth organization on any given Saturday night.” (Source: A Matter of Money: The Cost and Financing of Youth Development, 2001) INFRASTRUCTURE Center for Youth Development and Policy Research

14. “Dangerous Information” • It is dangerous to not have enough information. • It is dangerous to have wrong information. • It is dangerous to have irrelevant or out of date information. • It is dangerous to have too much information. INFRASTRUCTURE Center for Youth Development and Policy Research

15. COMMUNITY YOUTHMAPPING (CYM) www.communityyouthmapping.org The CYM strategy involves young people gathering information by locating and documenting in a given locality, "places to go and things to do.” This Website allows communities to easily map, sustain and manage data as well as make data accessible to the entire community. Center for Youth Development and Policy Research Database Driven PROMISING PRACTICES IN AFTERSCHOOL (PPAS) www.afterschool.org The PPAS System is a process to identify and disseminate promising practices that underlie quality afterschool programs. This Website provides a searchable database of practices, links to resources and discussion forums for program directors and other key stakeholders in afterschool. WEBSITES TRANSFORMATIONAL EDUCATION (TED) www.TEDWeb.org The TED initiative is designed to document and foster discussion on educational practices with significant implications for the education, positive development and successful outcomes of young people. This Website is designed to share the knowledge and expertise of practitioners and advocates that work directly with youth.

16. New Youth Development Community Indicators INFRASTRUCTURE Draft Draft Center for Youth Development and Policy Research

17. Youth Development “Bumper Stickers” • Problem free is not fully prepared. Preventing high risk behaviors, even if achieved, is not the same as helping young people prepare for the future. Preparation requires an equal commitment to helping youth understand life’s challenges and responsibilities and to teach the necessary skills for success. • Preventing problems does not necessarily promote development and is usually not enough to fully prepare youth for adulthood. A young person’s not getting pregnant, using drugs, or joining a gang does not mean that person has the skills, knowledge, or attitudes to “make it.” • Youth development (such as working towards developmental outcomes) is the best strategy for problem prevention. Striving for more positive goals that promote development often gives youth the skills and motivation they need to adopt healthy life styles. • Youth development is the best strategy for achievement. Striving for more positive goals that promote development often gives youth the skills and motivation they need to achieve milestones, such as high school graduation and employment. • The goal is not to fix youth but to develop them. Adults often work from a deficit or problem prevention mode. The result is that young people get clearer messages about what they should not do, think, or become than what they should do. INFRASTRUCTURE Center for Youth Development and Policy Research