Links for Youth Development Professionals

Government

• The Administration for Children and Families
  The Administration for Children and Families, within the Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for federal programs which promote the economic and social well-being of families, children, individuals, and communities. Site content includes fact sheets, program overviews, and current news.
  

• Board on Children, Youth, and Families
  The Board on Children, Youth, and Families addresses a variety of policy-relevant issues related to the health and development of children, youth, and families. It does so by convening experts to weigh in on matters from the perspective of the behavioral, social, and health sciences. The Board's Forum on Adolescence focuses attention on critical national issues of importance to youth and their families.
  

• National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
  The book Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Beliefs, and Behaviors Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools provides researches and prevention specialists with a set of tools to evaluate programs to prevent youth violence. The book is available at this site to read on-line.

Organizations

• Austrailian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies
  The Austrailian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies provides information products and services for those working in the youth field and for anyone with an interest in youth. Site content includes publications, searchable databases, internet links, and current news.
  
  
• Institute for Youth Development
  The Institute for Youth Development is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that promotes a comprehensive risk avoidance message to youth. Site content includes current news, advice for parents and teens, publications, and internet links.
  
  
• Internships in Youth Development Agencies
  The National Youth Development Information Center contains information on over 1,100 paid and unpaid internships with non-profit human service organizations nationwide. The database is searchable by city and state.
  
  
• The National Assembly
  The National Assembly of health and human service organizations is an association of national non-profit health and human service organizations bound by a common concern for the effective delivery of health and human services to the American people, especially those in need. Site content includes a directory of members, public policy information, and a listing of internships/jobs.
  
  
• Search Institute
  Search Institute is an independent, non-profit, nonsectarian organization whose mission is to advance the well-being of adolescents and children by generating knowledge and promoting its application. Site content includes research, articles, and program information.
  
  
• Youth Organizations & Projects
  This site offers links to national youth organizations within the United Kingdom. Other links include non-UK youth organizations, international youth organizations and links to other directories.

• Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs
  Maintained by the National Network for Health, the Alcohol, Tobacco and, Other Drugs website addresses issues concerning youth and their use of alcohol, tobacco, and, other drugs. Site content includes statistics, references, and internet links.
  
  
• Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence
  The Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence works from a multi-disciplinary platform on the subject of violence and facilitates the building of bridges between the research community and the practitioners and policy makers. Site content includes research literature, searchable databases, and evaluative and developmental program assistance.
  
  
• Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP)
  The CSAP aims to provide national leadership in the Federal effort to prevent alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug problems. Site content includes background information on CSAP, fact sheets, and internet links.
  
  
• Channing Bete Company
  Channing Bete translates current research findings into programs and services for promoting the healthy development of children and families in communities. Site content includes information on DRP programs and services, research references, and solutions for being effective.
  
  
• National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center
  Resources for professionals, parents and youth working to prevent violence committed by and against young people.
  
  
• Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
  The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion works to strengthen the disease prevention and health promotion priorities of the Department within the collaborative framework of the HHS agencies. Site content includes publications, fact sheets, and internet links.
  
  
• Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
  A user-friendly, online portal to scientifically tested and proven programs that address a range of issues across the juvenile justice spectrum. The Guide profiles more than 175 prevention and intervention programs and helps communities identify those that best suit their needs. Users can search the Guide's database by program category, target population, risk and protective factors, effectiveness rating, and other parameters. Juvenile justice practitioners are encouraged to take advantage of this helpful resource.
  
  
• Preventing Crime — What Works, What Doesn’t, What’s Promising
  This report to the United States Congress evaluates crime prevention programs. Programs in effect by communities, families, schools, labor markets, places, police and criminal justice are examined.
  
  
• Prevention Primer
  The Prevention Primer is a reference tool for prevention practitioners. Site content includes issue and strategies summaries, a brief history of prevention efforts, and an overview of key topics, issues and principles.
  
  
• Prevention Research Center
  The Prevention Research Center aims to promote the well-being of children and youth and to reduce the prevalence of high-risk behaviors and poor outcomes in children, families, and communities. Site content includes publications, current projects, and internet links.
  
  
• Prevent Teen Pregnancy
  The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy provides a national presence and leadership to raise awareness of the issue and to attract new voices and resources to the cause of reducing teen pregnancy. Site content includes fact sheets, statistics, publications, and resources.
  
  
• SAMHSA Model Programs
  The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention’s Model Programs are for everyone involved in preventing substance abuse and creating positive change in the lives of youth. Site content includes model program overviews, fact sheets, publications, and internet links.
  
  
• Virginia Youth Violence Project
  The Virginia Youth Violence Project conducts and disseminates research on the understanding and reduction of violent behavior, and provides education, consultation, and training for educators, psychologists, and other colleagues in the social, legal, and human services professions. Site content includes research reports, advice for parents, and internet links.
  
  
• VT Office of D&A
  The Office of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Programs was established to help Vermonters prevent, reduce and/or eliminate alcohol and other drug related problems. Site content includes prevention, treatment, and statistics.
  
  
• Violence Prevention
  Blueprints gives very practical descriptions of effective violence prevention programs. The site allows states, communities, and individual agencies to assess which program will best fit their needs and restrictions.

• The Bureau for At-Risk Youth @ 1-800-99-YOUTH
  The Bureau for At-Risk Youth is an educational publisher and distributor of programs, videos, publications, and products for youth at-risk and their caregivers. Site content includes statistics, forums, and an at-risk directory.
  
  
• Building Blocks for Youth
  Building Blocks for Youth is a comprehensive effort to protect minority youth in the justice system and to promote rational and effective juvenile justice policies. Site content includes fact sheets, research reports, and current news.
  
  
• Four-Fold Youth Development Model
  The Four-Fold Youth Development Model is a model for the design and evaluation of youth development curriculum and programs. The site provides evaluation instruments and data analysis services to help measure the impact of youth development programs.
  
  
• Helping At-Risk Youth: Lessons from Community-Based Initiatives
  This report draws on the experiences of such initiatives to distill findings and suggestions that may benefit other communities seeking to introduce or already in the process of implementing such efforts. It addresses the topics of service integration and case management, parental involvement, using volunteers for tutoring and mentoring, fund-raising and marketing, and monitoring program outcomes.
  
  
• International Youth Week
  International Youth Week is a global network of local and international youth movements in a unique, youth-for-youth, collaborative project. Site content includes an overview of International Youth Week, newsletters, participant materials, an idea book, and registration information.
  
  
• Mentoring
  The National Mentoring Partnership is an advocate for the expansion of mentoring and a resource for mentors and mentoring initiatives nationwide. Site content includes advice on how to find a mentor and how to be a great mentor, resources, legislative updates, and internet links.
  
  
• Peer Education
  The Bacchus and Gamma Peer Education Network is an international association of college and university based peer education programs focusing on alcohol abuse prevention and other student health and safety issues. Site content includes research and statistics, a network directory, and publications.
  
  
• Spin180.org
  Spin 180 is devoted to promoting asset building for youth. Site content includes a "By youth, for youth" page, developmental asset information, and internet links.
  
  
• YouthBuild
  YouthBuild offers job training, education, counseling, and leadership development opportunities to unemployed and out-of-school young adults through the construction and rehabilitation of affordable housing in their own communities. Site content includes newsletters, legislative update, news, and internet links.
  
  
• Youth At-Risk Program Information
  The Youth & Youth At-Risk Programs website offers a definition of Youth At-Risk as well as statistics and information on youth intervention programs in Washington state. Site content includes references, documents, and internet links.

• California Healthy Kids Survey
  The California Healthy Kids Survey is a comprehensive youth health and risk behavior data collection support system for school districts. Site content includes information about the survey, instructions for administering the survey, and the survey itself.
  
  
• Four-Fold Youth Development Model
  The Four-Fold Youth Development Model is a model for the design and evaluation of youth development curriculum and programs. The site provides evaluation instruments and data analysis services to help measure the impact of youth development programs.
  
  
• Risk and Resiliency Factors
  A World of Prevention is a directory of programs, research, references, and resources dedicated to the prevention of child and adolescent problems and the promotion of youth development in families, schools, and communities. Site content includes articles, research, and internet links.
  
  
• Youth At-Risk Screening
  The Youth At-Risk Screening Questionnaire provides a way to evaluate the behavior of youth and determine if they are At-Risk. The Site features a 51 question survey that ranks behaviors to indicate a youth’s approximate level of risk.

• Positive Coaching Alliance
  The Positive Coaching Alliance believes the realm of youth athletics presents a tremendous opportunity for athletes to develop life skills that will serve them well beyond the playing field. Site content includes an on-line workshop, a "toolbox" for improvement, and program initiatives.
  
  
• Citizenship through Sports Alliance
  The Citizenship through Sports Alliance is a joint effort by the school-college community and professional sports organizations to promote the values of citizenship that are realized through sportsmanship and ethical play in athletics. Site content includes an action "toolkit," articles, and program initiatives.