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The White House Conference on Teenagers:
Raising Responsible & Resourceful Teens
May 2, 2000
10:15am
Morning Session/East Room
Opening Video
Remarks by the President and First Lady
Keynote
Panel I Who are today's teens and what do they need?
Panel II What can parents do to help teens? What can communities do to help
teens and parents?
Closing Remarks by the First Lady
12:30pm
Luncheon/State Dining Room
2:00pm
Breakouts/White House Complex
Family Time
The New Media
Education
The Village
Closing the Gap
Youth as Resources
A Healthy Start
3:30pm
Closing Reception/Indian Treaty Room
WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON TEENAGERS: RAISING RESPONSIBLE AND
RESOURCEFUL YOUTH
May 2, 2000
MORNING SESSION
10:15 a.m.
Following opening video, President and Mrs. Clinton make remarks and
introduce keynote speaker, Ben Casey of the Dallas YMCA. President
departs following keynote's remarks.
The East Room
10:45 a.m.
Mrs. Clinton moderates Panel I:
Who are Today's Teens and What Do They Need?
The East Room
Speakers:
Dr. Jacqueline Eccles, University of Michigan; Dr. Jay Giedd, National Institute
for Mental Health; Dr. Angela Diaz, Mt. Sinai Center on Adolescence; Karen
Pittman, International Youth Foundation; Emily McDonald, teen involved in
community service, Clarkrange, Tenn.; actors Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman,
After School Alliance.
11:25
Mrs. Clinton moderates Panel II:
What Parents and Communities Can Do to Raise Successful Teens
The East Room
Speakers:
Laura Sessions Stepp, author, Our Last Best Shot; Edd and Edwin Speaker, father
and teen son, Los Angeles; Dr. Robert Blum, University of Minnesota; Ellen
Galinsky, Families and Work Institute; Bob Davis, Lycos, Inc.; Susan Bales,
Frameworks Institute; Geoff Canada, author, Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun; Jay Engelin,
1999 Principal of the Year; Dr. Katherine Newman, Harvard University; Rev. Jeff
Brown, Ten Points Coalition; Gabriella Contreras, teen activist, Tucson, Arizona.
12:30 p.m.
Morning Session concludes
White House Conference on Teenagers
Break-Out Sessions
May 2, 2000
Breakout 1/ The Jackson Room in the White House Conference Center
Family Time: What can we do to make it easier for parents and teenagers to spend time
together?
Moderators: Director Janice LaChance, Office of Personnel Management
Member of Congress
Panelists:
Stanley J. Botts, Bell Atlantic
Ken R. Canfield, National Center for Fathering
The Malone Family (Donnie & Fonda)
Laurence Steinberg, Temple University
Amy Swisher, First Day Foundation
Breakout 2/ The Eisenhower Room in the White House Conference Center
The New Media: How is the information age shaping youth today?
Moderators:
Deputy Director Donald Vereen, Office of National Drug Control Policy
Member of Congress
Panelists:
Zoë Baird, Markle Foundation
Jim Browne, GetNetWise.org
Robert J. Davis, Lycos, Inc.
Judith A. McHale, Discovery Communications, Inc.
Kathryn C. Montgomery, Center for Media Education
Justin Newland, National Campaign Against Youth Violence
Breakout 3/ The Truman Room in the White House Conference Center
Education: How can we build school climates that work for teenagers?
Moderators:
Secretary Richard Riley, U.S. Department of Education
Senator John Kerry (D-MA)
Panelists:
Sarah Austin, Decatur High School, Atlanta, GA
Gene Bottoms, Southern Regional Education Board
Jay Engeln, MetLife/NASSP National Principal of the Year
Susan Gaddy Greene, I.S. 218, New York City
Larry Hurt, 1999 Indiana Teacher of the Year
Robert S. Rivera, Project GRAD
Breakout 4/ The Lincoln Room in the White House Conference Center
The Village: How can the community better support parents and teenagers?
Moderators:
Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder
Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA)
Panelists:
Jeffery L. Brown, Ten Point Coalition
LaToya Gardner, Maplewood Comprehensive High School, Nashville, TN
Kenneth L. Gladish, YMCA of the USA
Milbrey W. McLaughlin, Stanford University
Katherine Newman, Harvard University
Breakout 5/ Eisenhower Executive Office Building 476
Closing the Gap: How can we provide positive opportunities for all teenagers?
Moderators:
Secretary Alexis Herman, U.S. Department of Labor
Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX)
Panelists:
Peter L. Benson, Search Institute
Talmira L. Hill, Annie E. Casey Foundation
Lan-Ahn Phan, Woodrow Wilson High School, Washington, D.C.
accompanied by Sandra Hoa Dang, Asian American LEAD
Dorothy Stoneman, Executive Director, YouthBuild USA
accompanied by Ameir Ramadan, Youthbuild USA
Kathleen Sylvester, Social Policy Action Network (SPAN)
Breakout 6/ Eisenhower Executive Office Building 472
Youth as Resources: Can teenagers be resources in their own development and for their
peers?
Moderators:
Harris Wofford, CEO, Corporation for National Service
Member of Congress
Panelists:
Kathleen Lee, Turner Middle School, Philadelphia, PA
Michael Preston, Gila River Youth Council
Robert D. Putnam, Harvard University
Nicole Salinas, Antonian High School, San Antonio, TX
Andrew Shue, Do Something
Gary Walker, Public Private Ventures
Breakout 7/The Roosevelt Room
A Healthy Start: How can we help teenagers stay healthy?
Moderators:
Secretary Donna Shalala, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)
Panelists:
Sarah S. Brown, The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
Brandi Chapple, Trinity College, Washington, D.C.
Harold S. Koplewicz, NYU Child Study Center
Carole Morris, Mt. Vernon Neighborhood Health Center
Michael D. Resnick, University of Minnesota School of Medicine
OJJDP
PARENTING R
SOURCES
for the 21st Century
www.parentingresources.ncjrs.org
Parenting Resources for the 21st Century
The Parenting Resources for the 21st
puts you in touch with the information you
Century online guide links you with answers
need to meet the challenges of raising a
to these questions and many more in a user-
child today.
friendly and easy-to-access format. Just go
to www.parentingresources.ncjrs.org (online
Find out:
June 2000) and find the parenting informa-
How to find child care for your
tion you need by choosing any one of the
newborn.
site's eight categories:
What to do when your child
Family Dynamics
misbehaves.
Health and Safety
How your child can benefit from
Child Care and Education
playing organized sports.
Family Concerns
Who can help when you suspect
your teenager is using drugs.
Youth Development
Where to find information on
Out-of-School Activities
college scholarships.
Resources
What's New
This Web site has been developed in cooperation with
and support from the Office of Juvenile Justice and
Whether you're a parent, a grandparent,
Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and the Coordinating
or any other person who cares for-or
Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
about-children, this Web site will
Those without Internet access can learn about the
provide the resources you need.
resources featured on the Web site by calling OJJDP's
Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse (800-638-8736) for
additional information and assistance.
Community Counts
HOW YOUTH
ORGANIZATIONS
MATTER'FOR.YOUTH+,
DEVELOPMENT
PUBLIC
EDUCATION
NETWORK
THIS REPORT IS DEDICATED TO JOHN W. GARDNER,
WHO HAS NURTURED THIS WORK FROM ITS BEGINNING.
HIS LEADERSHIP AND VISION INSPIRE COMMUNITIES
TO COUNT FOR ALL OF THEIR CHILDREN AND YOUTH
Communities and their youth seem to
be growing apart just at a time when they need to be pulling together. Troubling
signs are everywhere that youth of all descriptions-not just so-called disad-
vantaged youth-find insufficient supports in their communities to be able to
move confidently and safely toward adulthood. Many schools lock up tightly at
3 p.m., sending children and youth into empty houses, barren neighborhoods,
street corners, or malls. Youth interpret a local landscape void of engaging
things for them to do as adult indifference. For instance, when we asked one
youth how his midwestern community sees him, he replied, "They don't. I feel
invisible." We heard a version of this assessment from youth everywhere. But
in a number of communities nationwide, adults are working to develop and
sustain youth organizations that provide youth placement and opportunity,
breathing new life into their communities as a result.
The impressive accomplishments
of these people
diverse communities
around warrant community action.
interviewer
What's it like to grow up in this community?
Youth
it's boring, boring, boring There's nothing to do and nowhere to go
interviewer
How do you see kids in this community?
Police officer
Kids are different today They have no respect They don't want to work hard
Most adults are familiar with some version of teenagers'
years for moral development, these youth miss oppor-
complaints of boredom. In some cases, such complaints
tunities to find satisfaction in work for the good of their
reflect little more than an adolescent's contrarian cast of
community. Society loses out when youth fall through
mind. But for many, if not most, of America's youth, this
the cracks in institutions that could prepare them for a
assessment of the dearth of interesting things to do in
productive future. Community counts-for better or
their community reflects reality. And. in the absence of
worse-in its response to these institutional gaps and
organized activities and inviting youth-focused places,
youth's unmet needs for support, care, and opportuni-
young people make haphazard choices for themselves.
ties for healthy development.
Many teachers, law enforcement officers, social service
The odds are high that a young person growing up in
workers, and other adults believe that today's youth are dif-
one of the county's troubled urban communities will do
ferent from yesterday's. They are widely perceived to be less
poorly in school. For example, in some urban centers, up
engaged, less motivated, and more likely to get into trouble.
to 60% of African-American boys will not graduate at
Have kids changed, or has the society changed? Well,
all.¹ The odds are high that a young person growing up
both. Communities have changed, families have been trans-
in one of America's struggling rural communities will
formed, and workplace demands are fundamentally differ-
move onto welfare rolls, rather than into productive
ent from what they were a quarter of a century ago. Because
employment. The odds are high that youth with nothing
families, friends, communities, and religious or civic
positive to do and nowhere to go will find things to do
groups no longer assume primary responsibility for making
and places to go that negatively influence their develop-
connections, a gap forms in society's supports for its youth.
ment and futures.
Youth lose out. Young people with nothing to do
This institutional discontinuity exists for young people
during out-of-school hours miss valuable chances for
of all social backgrounds. Even in well-to-do suburban
growth and development. During the most critical
communities, many youth find themselves adrift.
2
Some youth are lucky enough to have someone who can
provide ways to spend free time in ways that contribute
pay for fee-for-service activities and shuttle them back
significantly to their learning and their social develop-
and forth. Other youth are fortunate enough to live in a
ment. In this way, these organizations, in youth's views,
community with sufficient engaging, worthwhile activi-
were not "typical" of the other organized opportunities
ties in the afternoons, on weekends, or during the
that may also be available in their communities-activi-
stretch of summer months.
ties youth judged as uninteresting, not appropriate for
But for too many youth, the odds seemed stacked
them, or otherwise off-putting.
against hopeful futures when their communities offer
Neither are the youth we came to know in these
few resources for them. For the majority, there are no
community-based organizations (CBOs) "typical"
adults around for sustained active learning opportunities
American youth, either in terms of the schools they
during their nonschool hours. Moreover, many commu-
attend, the communities they inhabit, or their family cir-
nities lack supervised, educational places to go when
cumstances. We found in these CBOs engaged youth who
school is out. In one community we came to know, youth
are typically hard to reach, designated "high risk," and
noted with irony that the only public facility open in
often most isolated from community. Almost without
their community was the county jail. In another urban
exception, the urban youth we got to know came from
community, the neighborhood was so barren and dan-
low-income, high-risk family and neighborhood settings.
gerous that, said one youth, "even the pizza man won't
Young people we met in these mid-sized towns were typ-
deliver." Young women growing up in urban neighbor-
ically of lower-middle or lower class and, like their urban
hoods like this one told us that they stay inside locked
counterparts, they came from families struggling with
apartments after school for fear of violence on the
unemployment and social disruption. The rural youth
streets. Young women in some midwestern towns did
who participated in our research were generally from
not feel much more secure. In response to our question
poor families and wrestled with the unique aspects of
about what advice she would give a newcomer to her
their rural communities.
midwestern town, one said: "Don't trust anybody. Don't
Our research reports numerous accomplishments
talk to anyone. Mind your own business. Be careful."
and successes of active young people engaged in commu-
Community organizations can make a powerful,
nity organizations. Of greatest importance for society is
positive difference in youth's lives. A decade of
the compelling evidence from the experiences of these
research looking into the contributions of community
youth that CBOs can play a critical role in meeting the
youth-based organizations in challenging settings pro-
needs of today's young people. They can fill the gap left
vides evidence that community-in the form of the
by families and schools that are stretched to capacity to
organizations and activities it supports-can help
provide supports to young people. One of the most
youth beat the odds associated with gaps in traditional
appealing aspects of these CBOs is that they give young
institutional resources. In our ten years of research,
people the opportunity to engage in positive activities,
this research team has come to know the rhythms and
to develop close and caring relationships, and to find
work of approximately 120 youth-based organizations
value in themselves-even in the face of personal dis-
in 34 different cities, from Massachusetts to Hawaii,
ruption, poor schools, and neighborhoods generally
that constructively involve young people in their non-
devoid of supports.
school hours.
The impressive accomplishments of these young
We wanted to learn about "effective" community
people from diverse communities around the country
based-organizations, and relied on youth to define those
warrant community action. Community-based organiza-
terms. They led us to diverse organizations they identified
tions offer a means for reaching youth and they can have
as good places to spend their time. These organizations
a significant impact on the skills, attitudes, and experi-
engage young people in challenging but fun things to do,
ences youth need to take their places as confident, con-
offer a safe haven from often dangerous streets, and
tributing adults.
Community Organizations
Youth participating in these CBOs accomplish more
ACADEMICS
than many in society would expect of them and, in fact,
To the majority of the youth we met in effective com-
more than most citizens would ever think possible. Their
munity organizations, their local schools fall short both
achievements and triumphs are of many different kinds-
as learning institutions and as places where they feel safe
formal and informal, social and academic. Each of these
and valued. Compared to most American youth, the
achievements matters to youth's journey through adoles-
youth in this study are more likely to experience vio-
cence to the futures they can contemplate and claim.
lence in their schools, to encounter drugs, to have
Academic success-in terms of high school gradua-
something stolen from them, and to feel personally
tion, participation in rigorous courses, and good
threatened at school.*
grades-plays a major part in a young person's ability to
Yet, compared to American youth generally, young
land a satisfying job, or even find employment at all. Even
people who participate in the community organizations
in today's economy, paths to all but the most menial jobs
we came to know achieve at higher levels and hold high-
are closed without a high school diploma.
er expectations for their academic careers. For example,
But a measure of academic success alone is not
youth participating in the community-based organiza-
enough to motivate youth to tackle challenges, succeed
tions we studied are:
on the job, or effectively navigate the institutions of
26% more likely to report having received recognition
mainstream society. Young people need life skills as well.
for good grades than are American youth generally, and
Those skills and attitudes include a sense of personal
youth with high levels of participation (several davs a
worth, a positive assessment of the future, and the
week or some) are more than two times more likely to
knowledge of how to plan for it. They also include atti-
report recognition for good grades
tudes of persistence, reflection, responsibility, and relia-
nearly 20% more likely to rate their chances of grad-
bility. Self-confidence and a sense of efficacy are critical
uating from high school as "very high"
if youth are to strive for success in school and society.
20% more likely to rate the likelihood of their going
Enhancing these life skills, in addition to supporting
to college as "very high."
more traditional academic outcomes, is at the center of
In other words, despite the challenges they face at
the youth organizations we studied. Many of these orga-
school, in their neighborhoods, and often at home, teens
nizations, besides benefiting young people, also have a
who participate in the CBOs we studied generally
positive long-term effect on the community. The young
achieve more in school than typical American youth.
people express high levels of civic engagement and a
Further, higher levels of participation in community-
commitment to getting involved. They intend to be assets
based organizations are associated with greater likeli-
to their communities and examples for others to follow.
hood of academic success.
4
SELF-CONFIDENCE AND OPTIMISM
young people participating in community-based orga-
Cynicism about the future is a commonplace attitude
nizations are:
among youth in communities where local job markets
significantly more likely to report feeling good about
are unstable, where the institutions intended to support
themselves;
their development are of poor quality or lacking alto-
significantly more likely to indicate higher levels of
gether, or where there is little to suggest that they could
self-efficacy;
do other than collect unemployment or settle for a dead-
8% more likely to "strongly agree" that they are per-
end job. The youth we studied stood out even in the most
sons of worth. More notable, those with high levels of
distressed settings by expressing hope for their futures
participation in CBOs are nearly 15% more likely to
and talking animatedly about their plans.
view themselves as worthy persons;
Significant numbers of the youth not only had pos-
significantly more likely to report higher levels of per-
itive ideas about what the future would hold, but they
sonal agency and effectiveness. For example, they are
also had gained the knowledge and confidence to plan
significantly more likely to "strongly disagree" with the
and reach for it. In contrast to the self-destructive
statement that "chance and luck" are "very important"
assessments of many other youth from difficult envi-
to getting ahead;
ronments-who say things like "the future be dead" or
nearly 13% more likely to feel that the chance they
doubt the value of trying to succeed because it's "no
would have a job that they enjoyed was "very high."
use"-young people engaged in CBOs hold markedly
Youth who participated in these CBOs, in other words,
different views from their peers, and even from typical
express a sense of personal value, hopefulness, and
American youth.
agency far greater than peers in their community, and
Youth participating in these CBOs say that they
greater even than youth growing up in more representa-
expect to have a job they will enjoy, that they can do
tive American circumstances. These youth generally feel
things as well as others, and that plans they make will
proud of what they can do and believe they can construct
work out. Compared to the typical American youth,
a positive life.
CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY
pating in these CBOs are more than two and a half times
These youth generally feel they want to "give back" to
more likely to think it is "very important" to do com-
their communities, moreover, that it is their responsibil-
munity service or to volunteer. Youth work to make
ity to do so. In contrast to youth alienated from their
youth-friendly and safe communities.
community, these youth acknowledge the important role
In particular, youth active in community organiza-
that community, in the form of their CBO, played in
tions expect to work to "correct economic inequalities"
enabling their positive development, and they intend to
or to make life better for children and youth growing up
help provide the same opportunities for other young
in their communities. Especially in urban areas, where
people. For the majority of the youth in our study, com-
most of the young men in our study have been or are still
munity service has become a habit-one they expect to
involved with gangs, this commitment to enabling a dif-
keep throughout their lives.
ferent, safer path for children, youth, and families finds
Youth active in the community-based organizations
passionate expression. In fact, this commitment to bet-
involved in our research are significantly more likely
tering their community is the reason why many urban
than typical American youth to believe that it is impor-
youth say they intend to stay in their community and
tant to do community volunteer work. For example,
make it better, rather than move away.
compared to American youth generally, youth partici-
These attitudes of civic responsibility and benefits of
community service are most apparent in those organiza-
tions that feature community service as its focus or as an
SENSE OF EFFICACY
important aspect of another activity. Youth who have high
AM ABLE TO DO THINGS
levels of participation in community service activities-
AS WELL AS OTHERS"
as part of arts programs, sports, leadership initiatives,
dedicated community service projects such as "Weed and
Seed," work with elderly residents, or rehabilitation
50%
efforts-are eight times more likely to respond that it is
very important to get involved with community than
were representative American youth.
40%
Youth active in community service clearly derive
benefits that magnified those associated with participa-
tion in a CBO. They bask in the praise of neighbors who
30%
appreciate their clean-up activities, bright murals, or
inviting community gardens. This was the first time many
of these youth have received positive feedback from
20%
adults. In fact, many told us it was the first time they felt
valued by their community and that this regard fueled
STRONGLY AGREE
their self-confidence and optimism about the future.
10%
These youth provided detailed descriptions of the ways
they grew personally as a result of their involvement in
figure :
community service activities. They stressed how their
0%
experience changed their attitudes about personal
High CBO Participation
Typical Youth
responsibility. One said, for example,
It gives me a sense of responsibility, like what you've got to be
[when you have a job]. You've got to be there on time, work
hard at it, and get done what needs to get done. That's why I
am part of this [program] because I needed that responsibility.
Such comments about personal gains from commu-
they would. They own small businesses such as a sports
nity service are strong and find consistent support in
park concession stand or carpet cleaning enterprise. They
survey responses. Youth with high levels of participation
work in local park and recreation facilities. They are
in community service activities are nearly twice as likely
engaged parents. They often continue with the arts or
to "strongly agree" that they feel positively about them-
sports activities that engaged them as teens.
selves. Those with high levels of participation in commu-
Would these youth have made it anyway? Would they
nity service are nearly two and a half times more likely to
have accomplished all of these things without the com-
"strongly disagree" that they lack enough control over
munity organization that nourished and challenged them
their lives. in consequential ways, the benefits of commu-
in their free time? Little doubt exists in their minds that
nity service go in both directions-to the community
the CBOs where they spent time after school, on week-
that receives it and to the youth who provide it.
ends, or in the summer months played a critical role in
nurturing their development and in mediating the risk
factors in their schools, neighborhoods, and often their
PATH TO SUCCESS
families and peer groups. These effective community
We have maintained contact with nearly 60 of the youth
organizations, in the words of one urban youth worker,
who were part of our original research in three urban
help youth "duck the bullet," or beat the odds of early
communities. We have had a chance to examine how they
pregnancies, futures lost to drugs, street violence, or
fared over a decade. Contrary to predictions that they
derailed by school failures. These CBOs provide com-
would be "dead or in jail" before they left adolescence,
munity sanctuaries and supports that enable youth to
the great majority of these young men and women, now
imagine positive paths and embark upon them. These
in their 20s, are firmly set on positive pathways as work-
community organizations are learning environments
ers, parents, and community members. A few went on to
that boost the success of many youth in school, but just
higher education and are proud college graduates. Most
as important, teach youth many life skills-without
got some kind of training after high school. With few
which academic success would mean little. Without
exceptions, these young adults are employed and active
these community resources, they too could have faltered
members of their communities, giving back as they said
on their journey through adolescence.
Effective Youth Organizations Are
Intentional Learning Environments
What kinds of CBOs enable these positive outcomes
INTENTIONAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
for youth? The community-based organizations associ-
The quality and effectiveness of the community-based
ated with these successes differ in nearly every objec-
youth organizations we studied are not happenstance. In
tive way possible. No one type of program, facility, or
fact, these positive outcomes are not found in most youth
organizational affiliation was consistently associated
organizations or in other organizations that look similar
with positive youth development. We found similar
on paper. Too many community-based opportunities are
outcomes across a broad spectrum of type, location,
"gym and swim" recreation centers, tutoring efforts, or
and size of CBO. Adult leaders-both paid and volun-
drop-in centers set up primarily to "keep youth safe and
teer-came from various personal and professional
off the streets." While many of these programs make an
backgrounds. Some have been in the military service.
effort to provide young people with quality activities,
Others have been teachers. Many have worked in
others merely provide a place to go and a collection of
church groups or with athletic teams all their lives.
things to do.
Funding for the organizations' activities came from a
On a casual visit to a youth organization that attracts
wide range of sources: national sponsoring organizations,
and sustains youth involvement, a visitor might sense its
block grants from local cities, federal job-training
relaxed atmosphere and apparently informal relation-
monies, regional foundations and local donors, youth
ships among youth and adults. However, the activities,
fundraisers, and the pockets of adult leaders. Most of
environments, and relationships in the youth organiza-
the organizations live a hand-to-mouth existence, with
tions where we found these positive outcomes for youth
few resources in equipment and personnel. Given
are deliberate, distinguishing them from casual drop-in
these differences, however, the CBOs are similar in
centers in both the content of their activities and the
several ways.
environments adults create and insist upon.
DIMENSIONS OF A LEARNING
ENVIRONMENT
COMMUNITY
KNOWLEDGE CENTERED
YOUTH-CENTERED
ASSESSMENT-CENTERED
figure 2
8
Community-based organizations with an emphasis
Contrary to a "fix then teach" approach (that assumes
on learning are alike in some critical ways. The core ele-
youth cannot learn something new or engage in a posi-
ments of an effective youth organization correspond
tive activity until a problem has been remedied), these
directly to the core elements of an effective learning
programs aim to identify what the youth do well already
environment as described by learning theorists. As dif-
and develop those skills. Problem behaviors that may
ferent as they may seem on the surface, the CBOs youth
exist or concerns about school achievement are
led us to are remarkably similar in their values and goals
addressed within this positive context.
across different agents, spaces, settings, and activities. All
This positive approach contrasts with what youth
are youth-centered, knowledge-centered, and assess-
encounter in many communities and their organizations.
ment-centered.
Many youth feel that adults do not care about them, do
Youth-Centered. The CBOs that enjoy the confidence,
not acknowledge their needs or worth, and do not like
loyalty, and participation of youth put youth at the center.
them. "Everyone thinks of us as being bad," said a young
Adults hold the youth in their vision for the organization
person in rural America. "But it is not our fault." A police
and the community. They know youth's interests and what
officer in a mid-sized town underscored his community's
they bring to the organization. They know about their lives
tendency to notice the negative, rather than build on the
at home, in school, and in the neighborhood. The CBO's pro-
positive. "You have to be bad to be noticed-the 'good
grams reflect this youth-centered focus.
kid' doesn't get any attention." An urban social worker
Respond to diverse talents, skills, interests. Adults make an
observed, "Youth in this community aren't valued, and
ongoing effort to make activities both accessible and
they have few occasions to demonstrate their value."
challenging for all youth. Effective youth organizations
Effective youth organizations notice the strengths of
offer activities in ways that make them appropriate and
young people and build on them.
inviting to youth with a diverse range of talents, inter-
Choose appropriate materials. Youth-centered organiza-
ests, and skill levels. Adults take the time to suggest
tions tailor their activities to the interests and strengths
activities that are appropriate to diverse skill levels and
of the youth with whom they work. For example, lead-
break activities down into parts to allow youth with all
ers of Girls Inc. in the Southwest revised materials they
skills to participate. For instance: A theater group brings
received from the national office to connect with the
in novice thespians as props managers, stage hands,
Latinas in their organization. The leader of a Girl Scout
wardrobe tenders, and other roles that allowed those
troop carefully reviewed national programs and curricu-
beginners to watch, learn, and play a vital role in the
la from the perspective of her high-poverty girls. "It's
organization. A sports team devotes special coaching to
easy to make assumptions," she said. "Many of our girls
less-experienced athletes, and like the theater group,
don't have alarm clocks or even telephones at home, so
includes novices in the excitement of games as important
some of the things we get that assume such things in the
supports for their team members. A literacy program
home aren't appropriate for them."
that takes up most of a church's basement with newspa-
Provide personal attention. Adults in effective youth
per production buzzes with activities from writing lead
organizations are contemptuous of what one called "herd
articles, to interviewing sources, to laying out pages. In
programming," where youth move in large groups from
each of these examples, there are multiple ways a young
activity to activity, with little personal attention or con-
person can join in, regardless of skill level. Adults in
nection. This description unfortunately applies to many
effective CBOs pay close attention to what the youth can
after-school efforts that provide a safe place for youth to
do and introduce them to engaging activities that chal-
gather at the end of the day but have insufficient resources
lenge them to stretch their skills.
to do any more than that.
Build on strengths. Youth-centered programs identify
Reach out. Youth-centered organizations actively
and build on the youth's strengths. Programs do not aim
reach out into the community to let youth know about
to remedy weaknesses or deficiencies in youth before
their-programs. Youth workers in effective CBOs do not
providing opportunities for leadership and risk-taking.
simply put a notice in a newspaper and sit back to wait
DANCE 'TIL YOU DROP: TWO AFTER-SCHOOL DANCE LESSONS
David, the dance teacher, is about 30-he is tall, black, dreadlocked. "These are my babies," he tells us. "I was just like them. I come from the same place
they come from." The small room buzzes with energy and body motion as dancers pour in, peel off their dark blue and white uniforms and throw on bright
T-shirts and stretch pants. When David finally shuts the door, there are 18 dance students-all African American, nearly all girls. The three boys maneuver to
the front and wiggle for attention. David moves nonstop and works up a dripping sweat. The group sails through an hour of stretching and shoulder pop-
ping, leg raises and sit-ups. A few dancers slip into dance moves they are familiar with, and David gently redirects them into the routine of the moment He
keeps them all in view, breaking his routine to squeeze a shoulder or reshape a pose. All eyes are focused intently on him until they coast to an exhausted
but exhilarated halt. Ms. Velez dances professionally in the city's well-regarded dance troupe. She spends several afternoons a week teaching dance to inner-
city African American youth. She has the intensity and high expectations of a professional, and she keeps her class focused and busy. Her directions are clear
She dances with the students, modeling steps, sequences, and style. The group splits in two upon invisible command, and facing each other, they move
through a fast-paced, lively hip-hop style dance. After a set of tough moves, Ms. Velez stops the group. "That was better but you must give me-BOOM!"
Her chest pops out and her back arches pretzel-like. Students take in the ferocious move. Soon they are "popping" for each other. All students wear kneepads
because, as one student explains, "This is serious stuff!" The line of dancers gradually breaks until there are just youth moving in space. It's 3:30, and they've
been dancing nonstop for 45 minutes. A girl looks winded. "Five more and then we'll get a drink of water-five, six, seven, eight. Ms. Velez keeps them
moving past the promised time, encouraging, "Let's take it from the top, and then we'll get a drink." The young dancers seem happy to do what she says.
They have an important performance coming up.
-OBSERVATION NOTES
for youth to show up. They know that most youth do not
opment are knowledge-centered. They point to learning
read the newspaper. They understand that many youth
as a reason why youth should get involved, and they take
might feel, on the basis of past experiences, that the pro-
steps to provide the relevant knowledge.
gram would not include activities that interested them.
Clear focus. Having a clear program focus is vital to a
These adolescents are accustomed to programs in which
knowledge-centered organization. Each of the effective
they're treated as children, or that views them as a prob-
organizations we examined is about something in particu-
lem. Most of the effective organizations we came across
lar. They are clearly and intensely about sports, arts, entre-
actively reach out to draw youth in. Adults and partici-
preneurship, community service, or athletics. These central
pating youth seek out other young people to join. Not
"topics" provide a common purpose and make it possible
surprisingly, youth themselves are among the most effec-
for the members to express their own emerging identities
tive ambassadors and recruiters for their organizations.
as artists, athletes, or young entrepreneurs. Club programs
Feature youth leadership and voice. Youth voice and
that appeal to youth similarly offer an assortment of
points of view help define youth-centered organizations.
focused, tightly organized activities that may vary accord-
Youth provide leadership and direction, taking a central
ing to the interests of youth, but typically include sports
role in designing activities, establishing and enforcing
teams, community service, and something arts-related,
formal and informal rules for members. In some organi-
such as teen drama. These efforts are not merely loosely
zations, each year begins with a process of members
organized activities to do with sports or arts or leadership
looking over last year's rules, throwing out unwanted
that a young person can dip in and out of; they are concen-
ones and adding new ones. Youth input into rules adds
trated programs that aim to deepen skills and competence
legitimacy and salience to effective CBOs.
through intense engagement in a specific area.
Knowledge-Centered. Community-based organiza-
One generic activity will not fit all youth. Adolescents
tions that motivate youth and contribute to their devel-
are clear about wanting to be part of an organization that sup-
10
ports their individual interests. As anvone who has worked
extend these skills. For example, an arts program asks
with a teenager understands, she wants to be just like every-
youth to research their cultural history. Young painters
one else, but she also wants to pick her own identity.
learn a good deal of history, gain pride in their back-
Quality content and instruction. Clear focus is not enough
ground, and gain skills in mural making. A dance teacher
to hold on to youth, however, if they feel an activity lacks
encourages her students to keep journals and often starts
quality. Not every arts program, sports team, or leader-
dance sessions by having students read their writings
ship club is able to attract the interest of young people.
aloud. These dancers pick up habits of writing and read-
Striking among the CBOs where youth spend time is their
ing while learning to hip-hop or double tap. Or in a pro-
high evaluation of skill-building activities. Youth are the
ject focused on child care in the community, youth read
first to notice that good instruction motivates them.
news articles on the topic and study various issues relat-
Exemplary teaching and committed teachers show all stu-
ed to child care. They read in textbooks about "stages of
dents they are learners of promise and a value to society.
play" and create write-ups based on their observations as
High-quality content and instruction propel youth to
classroom aides.
accomplishments beyond those they imagined possible.
Even hard-driving sports organizations find ways to
Embedded curriculum. How that focused activity is con-
broaden the perspectives and competencies of youth. For
ceived and carried out also matters enormously. We see
example, it is common in many organizations for team
youth in effective organizations almost always engaged in
members to come to practice early to work with volun-
activities that deliberately teach a number of lessons. The
teers on homework, study for exams, or fine-tune
adults within a successful CBO recognize the many kinds of
specialized units related to their sport. Many coaches work
knowledge and skills their youth need to succeed in school
academics into topics of great interest to their young
and life, and they deliberately try to provide them.
athletes, such as nutrition and weight training. One year a
Embedded within the organization's programs are
basketball team had six-week units of study on the follow-
activities that build a range of academic competencies
ing topics: finances of the National Basketball Association,
and life skills. Youth leaders take every opportunity to
physics in the sport of basketball, and neurophysiology.
LEARNING LIFE SKILLS THROUGH SPORTS
The Rockets is a winning inner-city basketball team made up of African-American youth from one of the city's most impoverished neighborhoods. The coach
sees his goal as getting youth ready for life and uses basketball expressly to that end. Students are put in charge of coaching each team. In addition, the
coach pays explicit attention to involving all students; better players pass to less skilled players even when they could have taken shots themselves. The coach
and players work intensely on developing skills and executing plays. There is no referee-students must take responsibility for monitoring themselves. The
post-game wrap-up focuses on questions of sportsmanship and personal growth. "Can anyone name something good another player did in practice?" the
coach asks. "William passed a lot today," an eighth grader who was coaching replies. After discussing various players' performance, the program director
says, "It's time for self-evaluation. Get ready with thumbs up or thumbs down." The director then states different criteria, and the participants evaluate them-
selves: "Controlling body and mouth?" Most youth put their thumbs up. A few put thumbs down. "Teamwork? Coachability?" the coach continues. Half
the thumbs are up, the other half down. "Helping others?" One boy who has his thumb down mutters, "I didn't do anything to help someone today."
Finally, the coach asks, "Outside of the gym, doing things to improve yourself?" Again, a mixed result. The young men take this reflective exercise as
seriously as their passing drills and practice at the foul line.
-OBSERVATION NOTES
11
LEARNING TO BE A LEADER
Darryl, coordinator of the high school mentor program, starts the session with a game. Students divide into groups of three and each team picks a leader.
He whispers the rules of the game to the leaders, and tells them to return to their group. Groups get active, but after a short time Darryl stops everyone
and reminds them that each leader was supposed to brief his or her team. The game starts over. Now some team members lose their ability to speak, oth-
ers lose the use of their hands or their eyes. But the team has to communicate well enough to build a block tower together. Eventually the tallest tower
wins, and Darryl "debriefs" the groups about their process. "What did it feel like to be a leader? What was it like working with someone who couldn't see?
What made it easier to work as a team? Harder?" One student said, "Everyone can do a job and be important to the team." Another said, "It was easier
when someone told us what to do." They talk about feelings. Someone said, "I felt all alone, like it was all on me." Another said, "I felt pressure." Darryl
related the building game back to the group process, and the students' eventual work mentoring young students attending the after-school arts program
classes. "Communicate with the artists and teachers if you are feeling pressure-ask them for help. You are joining a team." A student says, "I really
didn't know I was feeling pressure when I was building. I just got really quiet and focused on what I was doing." The students are attentive and listen
closely to Darryl, and to each other. At the end of the discussion the young people record in their journals what they learned that day about
themselves and about leadership.
-OBSERVATION NOTES
Each of these units included original research, problem
Multiple "teachers." In knowledge-centered CBOs we
sets, discussions of ethics, and decision-making. For exam-
found many adults acting as teachers. Senior citizens are
ple, the unit on the NBA covered costs of health insurance,
there as teachers. Peers teach each other. Community
uniforms, travel, income from ticket sales, taxes on play-
members help out with homework, bring snacks, or
ers' salaries, and using probability theory to illustrate the
coach teams. The most visible teachers we observed are
youngsters' chances of making it to the NBA. The neuro-
those with formal teaching roles in the organization-the
physiology unit discussed steroids, heart rate under exer-
coaches, directors, consultants, organizers, and peer
tion and under heat dehydration, and myths surrounding
tutors, among others. But these leaders frequently identify
"chocolate highs" and "carbohydrate loading."
other adults and youth within and outside the organiza-
Just as important to the development, competence,
tion as advisors and mentors. Peers are particularly
and confidence of the youth, however, are the life skills
powerful teachers in high-quality youth organizations,
woven into their activities. A basketball coach debriefs
and youth leaders know it. Accordingly, they provide dif-
his team after every game on sportsmanship. Talk of per-
ferent opportunities for youth to link with adult and peer
sonal responsibility and teamwork always come before
teachers, selecting different "teachers" at different times.
talk about winning strategies. On the way home from
Assessment-Centered. "How'd I do?" "How's this?"
performances, a gymnastics coach made a point of stop-
"What d'ya think?" Learning and development requires
ping for a restaurant meal "so the guys can learn some
ongoing feedback. Assessment in such varied forms as
table manners." The director of a Boys and Girls Club
coaches' comments, public performances, a teacher's
instituted an annual formal dinner, complete with table
gentle correction of a dance pose or mural technique,
service. The purpose of this evening was to introduce
peer reviews, game outcomes, or self-reflection are con-
youth to social situations they will encounter and, as he
stant in activities that challenge youth, stretch their skills
put it, "to give the boys some models of how to treat
and experience, and return benefits of pride and personal
young women-hold out their chairs, things like that."
growth. In these youth-centered environments, evalua-
12
tion is not about competition or one-upmanship. It is can-
in ways other than formal performances. A youth hard
did, supportive feedback on how a youth did and how she
at work in an inner-city garden and park project said,
ler.
could do better next time.
for example:
one
Cycles of planning, practice, and performance. Because
th-
cycles of planning, practice, performance, and assess-
This is how you show responsibility, and for me, I'm
ver
ment characterize most of the effective youth organi-
doing something for the community which everybody gets
e?
to see. I can show people I'm doing it. They can just
zations we studied, the activities found there are not of
sier
walk past and see me doing it. So that just builds up my
rryl
the "pick up" variety. While many club programs have
self-esteem.
am
opportunities for youth to stop by and shoot some
ally
pool, have a swim, or find a game on the basketball
An arts organization sends its members to meet with
ten
court, joining the club's basketball team commits
the business community to negotiate a contract to paint
out
youth to regular practices and games. Community ser-
murals in a corporate office. A YMCA dispatches young
vice programs valued by youth also require careful
men affiliated with the gang prevention effort to meet
planning, consistent involvement, and follow-through.
with local politicians and present proposals for funding.
ES
One girls' club was concerned with medical services to
A literacy effort assigns youth to solicit advertisements
the elderly. They studied costs and availability of ser-
to support its community newspaper. Each of these
vices within nursing homes, assisted living programs,
assignments requires youth to plan what they will do and
and the homes of people who received homebound
evaluate alternative strategies. Each provides immediate
care. They volunteered in nursing homes, made visits
feedback on their choices and presentation of self.
with residents in assisted living, and organized distrib-
These culminating events and public displays are
ution of food and gifts to the homebound for the holi-
more than important goals and rewards for youth. They
ve
days. Throughout the activities, youth met with adults
also provide opportunities for youth and adults in their
re
and peers to reflect on their experiences and devise
community to see each other in new ways. Such perfor-
new strategies for work with the elderly. Or, youth
mances go a long way toward strengthening relationships
or
involved in an inner-city rehabilitation project
among adults and youth in their neighborhoods.
designed and built a model home and had the thrill of
As the interlocking rings in Figure 2 suggest (see
ie
seeing their plans, calculations, and decisions about
P. 8), the elements of an effective community youth
er
construction and design standing proud in their neigh-
organization are mutually reinforcing. Because adults
borhood in the form of attractive housing.
focus on youth, the knowledge they provide fits youth
Feedback and recognition. Organizations where youth
interests and needs as defined in local terms. Because
ly
accomplish at levels that make them and their commu-
adults assess youth's progress on an ongoing basis, they
S,
nity proud devise activities that culminate in celebra-
are able to tailor activities to stretch, but not intimidate
tion and performance. Adults find any number of ways
youth. Continued assessment also lets adults know about
er
to showcase the talents of their youth. Ms. Velez stages
the merits of their own program choices. Is the program
5.
an annual dance recital to show off the accomplish-
engaging? Too hard? Too easy? A youth-centered envi-
ments of her young dancers (see sidebar, p. 10).
ronment must be flexible-responsive to changing tastes
es
Moreover, says the coordinator of the dance program,
of youth and to changes in local labor markets, opportu-
as
the pride attached to that annual performance spills out
nities, and resources.
into the community. She notes the special case of a home-
Effective youth organizations take a broad view of
less family whose, "mother comes to class and stands
essential competencies. As they dance, balance the
-
there beaming with pride because she's watching her
books, or rebound, youth acquire skills of leadership,
Is
daughter dance across the stage. That's why we're in this
organization, problem-solving, and persistence. Young
community."
people working in their community or lobbying for
Youth find feedback and pride of accomplishment
support for their organizations learn political skills and
13
valuable lessons about how to move through, and with,
personal accountability. They learn that their actions and
the "system." As their peers, youth leaders, and the
their inactions matter. They acquire a critical sense of
public assess their products and performances, youth
agency and realism. They learn that they can make
come to understand that quality evolves, and they learn
important contributions to their group and their com-
about the importance of revision, attention to detail,
munity. They learn they can accomplish socially valued
and pride of effort.
goals. And they form assessments of their future and how
The social processes of reflection and evaluation
to reach for it. This sort of learning about self, commu-
teach youth about alternative explanations of outcomes
nity, and futures occurs through action.
and how to deal with them in constructive ways. They
Essential to this learning, however, is the presence
learn how to move beyond stereotypes, for example,
of an accepting community within the organization.
rather than launching into heated debate. Under the
Supportive, caring community is the essential elc nent of
watchful eye of the adults in these organizations, youth
an effective youth organization.
learn elements of social etiquette. They learn how to pre-
Caring Community. High-quality youth organizations
sent themselves to the community and employers, both
are first or second families for many participating youth.
in person and on paper. Given meaningful roles in their
For some youth, these CBOs serve as a primary source of
organizations, youth learn about trust, responsibility, and
relationships and support. The youth organizations provide
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
SCHOOL AND AFTER-SCHOOL - SETTINGS
YOUNG MEN'S VIEWS
YOUNG WOMEN'S VIEWS
4
strongly agree
4
strongly agree
3
3
2
2
SCHOOL
AFTER SCHOOL
SCHOOL
AFTER SCHOOL
1
strongly disagree
1
strongly disagree
Enjoy Being There
Feel Respected
Feel Comfort/Trust
Feel Support
Enjoy Being There
Feel Respected
Feel Comfort/Trust
Feel Support
figure 3.1
figure 3.2
14
"family-like environments"-environments that provide
rules as well as strict expectations. If a player stops
many of the supports that, ideally, a family would.
going to school, he cannot play. Missing two practices
Safety. Youth feel safe in these organizations. Urban
means the bench for the next game. Not showing up in
youth, especially, put security at the top of the list of
uniform means the bench plus push-ups. Youth were
requirements for a community-based youth organization
adamant about having and enforcing such rules. For
they would attend with confidence. Adult leaders of the
example, a basketball coach had a lot of explaining to do
urban youth organizations we studied understand that the
when he called a benched player into the game against a
"boundaries" most significant to their members are not
tough opponent. The coach reasoned, wrongly, that the
census tracks or attendance areas but gang boundaries.
team would consider winning the game more important
They take special care to ensure the safety of their mem-
than sticking to rules. As they told him in angry recrim-
bers. One obtained a van with tinted glass to transport
inations after the game, "rules are rules" and even if it
their youth the three blocks across so-called "Death Wish
meant a loss, they should be applied consistently.
Park." Another established clear rules about hours of
Other critical rules involve expectations for how
attendance for rival gang members in the same neighbor-
members treat each other. "Nothing negative." Members
hood. As a result of this close attention to safety, many
are expected to be supportive, fair, and keep close watch
youth report feeling safer and more respected in the "fam-
on the safety of the group. In groups with a span of ages,
ily" of their youth organization than they do in school.
youth care for, mentor, work with, and induct younger
Trusting relationships. Effective CBOs where youth
members into the organization just as older sisters and
congregate provide more than a safe haven, however.
brothers might.
They focus on building relationships among youth,
We noticed other things about the rules at work in an
adults, and the broader community.
effective youth-based organization. They are, in youth's
Many youth in these organizations talk about the sense
assessment, fair and key to the sense of trust and safety
of unconditional support they find in the organization and
they felt there. The rules are youth-centered in their flex-
how this sense of belonging fostered the trust and confi-
ible application. We were stunned, for example, to watch
dence they needed to accept new challenges. Youth contrast
the coach of a baseball team quietly retrieve a youth's
their experience in these youth organizations with other
mitt from the train tracks, where it had been hurled in a
experiences where they felt they were being treated as
silent rage and in direct affront of the club's rules about
problems that needed remedy. Youth growing up in the
equipment. In response to our unasked question about
harsh corridors of urban communities are particularly
rules, the coach told us about a night of particular
adamant in stressing the importance of being taken-
violence in the young man's home, how the youth needed
without judgment-as they are and helped to move on to
to,
"get
it
out.
We'll
talk
about
it
later."
more positive places. Effective community organizations
Responsibilities for the organization. Youth also have
for youth focus on building relationships and undergird
responsibilities of place. Everyone picks up, shares, and
those relationships with unqualified acceptance.
takes responsibility at high-quality CBOs. One adult
Clear rules. However, the conditions of unqualified
leader explained how he wanted to keep a home-like
acceptance themselves are qualified. Features of safety,
atmosphere going that depended on members actively
trust, and acceptance are supported by a number of clear
thinking of the youth facility as a place where they
rules and responsibilities. An essential set of agreements
belonged. "This is their house. There are no 'Boys' and
and understandings involves the rules of membership.
'Girls' signs on the bathroom doors here any more than
Many facilities make it known that no gang colors,
there would be at home. They should know or ask. They
weapons, drugs, foul language, or alcohol may come
should treat this place like their own house. Keep
it
through the door. Almost all of the effective youth orga-
clean and know that what they do will determine to a
nizations we studied set clear expectations for members'
great extent how people see us. If their house is a pig pen,
attendance and participation at meetings, practices, or
then that's how people are going to perceive us." Part of
other group sessions. Several athletic groups have specific
this responsibility involves taking care of the group's
15
equipment. Young people in these community organiza-
some of whom regularly camp out in his apartment when
tions are in charge of everything from the team's basket-
the going gets too tough at home.
balls, to expensive audio equipment, to the club van, to the
A common finding of research into the resilience of
scrapbooks that chronicle an organization's performances.
youth at risk-and one that the policy community
Likewise, CBOs that attract and keep youth engage
knows but keeps rediscovering-is the crucial role of
them in the day-to-day realities of operating the organi-
one adult in enabling a young person to manage the
zation. For example, youth often have to raise extra
treacherous terrain of dysfunctional neighborhoods and
money and help decide how to spend the group's
families, inadequate institutional supports, and peers
regular budget. Athletic organizations playing teams
headed in negative directions. Our research adds anoth-
outside their neighborhood hand over travel plans
er voice to that refrain. A caring adult can make all the
to older team members. These members decide mode,
difference in the life of a youth. Thus, effective youth
route, departure times, pick-up arrangements, and
organizations pay particular attention to sustaining
spending money. The responsibilities themselves teach
connections with youth.
youth important lessons about leadership, responsibility,
Social capital. Effective CBOs also build relationships
trust, and decision-making. Beyond that, stronger
among youth, their community, and society-they
engagement in running the youth organization means
provide youth social capital in such forms as introductions
more intensive ties to the group. Shared problem-solving
to community leaders, tips on jobs, meetings with local
builds community.
businesspeople, and contacts in policy and service
Constant access. As in the ideal family, adults provide
systems. Adults in these youth organizations work with
caring, consistent, and dependable supports for youth
youth on job applications, call friends to set up inter-
and are available as needed. In reality this usually means
views, and arrange transportation. Youth in a number of
that these adult staff open their lives to youth and are
organizations shadow adults to learn more about their
available to them anytime. In the youth organizations we
work and to establish personal relationships with some-
studied, we found blurred boundaries between adults'
one outside the immediate community. Effective commu-
professional and personal lives. Organizations with facil-
nity organizations provide particular relational resources
ities provide access to adults and spaces to meet daily and
that foster links across an otherwise often-unbridgeable
often in the evenings and on weekends. In many of these
gulf between youth and society's institutions.
places, youth come and go at all hours. Many youth sim-
Figures 3.1 and 3.2 illustrate significant differences
ply come to the youth organization after school, curl up
in how youth see the environments of school and their
on the floor or worn furniture, do homework, talk with
youth organization (see p. 14). These differences are par-
friends, and wait for rehearsals or practice to begin.
ticularly significant for African-American adolescents,
Some come to work on special projects connected with
who often experience school as a hostile environment
a show or product development.
and their neighborhood streets as dangerous. Effective
For those groups with no facilities, adults usually
youth organizations involving African-American males
hold other jobs and meet with the young people only
seem to provide an especially valuable and rare resource
several times each week, usually when borrowed space is
for their development and safe passage through adoles-
available or when the weather allows meeting in an open
cence in urban America.
field or at a park. Nonetheless, these adults make them-
selves accessible to youth by giving out their work and
Adults tend to think of us as trouble they just want to get us
off the streets and out of sight, throw us somewhere just let
home phone numbers and being available outside the
them 'do something,' throw them a ball, you understand what
formal activities of the youth organization. One coach of
I am saying? Nobody seems to give a shit about what would
a winning inner-city basketball team has to schedule
help us find a good path
formal meetings of the team around his job as a high
school social studies teacher. But hardly a day goes by
These youth organizations where young people
that he does not have contact with a team member-
imagine, plan, and achieve care deeply about the quality
16
Adults tend to think of us as trouble. they just
want to get as off the streets and out of sight,
throw us somewhere. just let them 'do something,'
throw them a ball, you understand what I am saying?
Nobody seems to care, about helping us find a good path
of opportunities for youth. For reasons of fiscal and
people knows that no one answer can respond to all
organizational capacity, or conceptualization, these
questions, and no one program will meet the needs of
organizations are the exception in their communities
those between the ages of 8 and 18. Yet some principles
and around the country. Youth led us to programs and
of design are evident. The community organizations
organizations they considered "best." The social, acade-
that encourage and enable these positive outcomes are
mic, and civic outcomes we found within those organi-
environments deliberately created to engage youth in
zations celebrate their many tastes.
ambitious tasks, to stretch their skills, experiences, and
Waiting lists also tell of the special features of these
imaginations. The work of an effective youth organiza-
youth organizations. Most of the effective organizations in
tion is neither easy nor merely just for fun. These
this study are overflowing, with waiting lists of eager
organizations are communities of learning and care,
youth. Some of the small groups-such as those featuring
aimed at enriching the individuals-youth and adults-
sports, the arts, or a leadership initiative-have appli-
who belong to them.
cants numbering more than two times their available
Community-based organizations of the kind we
slots. Perhaps the most dramatic was the high-demand,
describe here may be the institution of last resort for
high-performance urban tumbling team that reports a
youth in depleted inner-city environments-where fail-
waiting list of 3000 young people. However, in these
ure is perceived as insurmountable and young people feel
same communities, other youth organizations go empty
paralyzed by their lack of belief in themselves. Youth
and resources unused because young people assess their
organizations can provide bridges to other paths and
programs as uninspired and their settings impersonal.
opportunities to find self-value and success. In all com-
They head instead for the streets or empty homes. Youth
munities, youth-based organizations that create engaging
will not migrate to just any organization. Content matters.
learning environments for young people comprise
Anyone who has worked extensively with young
critical resources for youth in out-of-school hours.
17
cessary Support
From
What does it take to foster and sustain more of these
who saw the position as a responsibility to manage rather
community organizations where youth can find interesting
than a mission to achieve.
things to do, security, and accomplishments that equip
The prominence of passion in effective youth orga-
them for productive lives? These youth organizations we
nizations signals the need to identify and back that
studied are unusual resources for kids-too many orga-
penchant and energy in the community. In addition
nized programs for youth look quite different in what
to supporting established organizations, policies that
they offer, how they interact with youth, and the kind of
effectively support youth organizations seek out and
environment they construct. It's not surprising that the
underwrite committed individuals and enable their work
effectiveness of these organizations differs in important
with young people. Policies in support of passion for
ways, too. Moreover, these differences in program histo-
youth get the word out that funds are available for adults
ries and supports run counter to some conventional ways
in the community who have enthusiasm for working with
of funding and assessing youth organizations. In order to
young people.
make community count for youth, communities need
Yet, most local policies encourage established insti-
to rethink strategies for their youth-directed CBOs.
tutions as carriers of public interest and investments in
youth. This strategy may defeat the type of fundamental
rethinking urged here. The risk for policy resides in new
LEADERSHIP AND PASSION
forms of accountability, untried relationships, and the
Each of the programs we studied build from an individ-
loss of leverage that accompanies relations based in con-
ual's passion-a passion for kids, an activity, or a com-
tracts with organizations. Communities need to back
munity's well-being. This is true even for local affiliates of
these possibly risky investments. Youth's unwillingness to
national organizations such as the YMCA or Boys and
get involved in the usual offerings bears witness to the
Girls Clubs. Effective programs are led by adults deeply
low return on more conventional strategies.
committed to young people and their futures.
These youth organizations are not established pri-
marily for purposes of safety, providing youth someplace
COMMUNITY CONTEXTS
to go, or as a strategy for addressing an academic, health,
Guiding principles underlie effective youth organiza-
or social problem. The enthusiasm of adults associated
tions, but there are no cookie-cutter practices. The
with the organization brings essential beginnings and ele-
work of a high-quality youth organization is thoroughly
ments of stability. In instances when we saw a vital youth
local and therefore unique. Surface similarities among
organization evolve into the dull fare that youth reject,
communities mask differences that matter to youth and
we saw a change of leadership. A leader motivated by
the organizations that nurture them. Every community
passion and commitment was replaced with an individual
has similar institutions, but they are understood and
18
operated in distinctive ways. Schools in urban areas,
programs will not transfer intact from one location to
for instance, are sometimes seen as agents of the sys-
another, nor can they be "taken to scale" by simply
tem and hostile to youth and their families. Schools in
repeating what works in one community.
urban areas often are impersonal and disconnected
from the community, since few if any of the profes-
sionals working inside them know much about the
COMMUNITY "MENU"
neighborhood or the people who live there. Rural
If one were to judge youthful ideas about individuality
schools, on the other hand, provide conspicuous con-
merely from their choice of clothing, one might con-
trast to these urban observations. Schools in rural areas
clude that all young people want to be the same. The
often form the hub of the community. They gather all
baggy pants, oversized T-shirts, and backward-turned
generations of community members, and school staff
hats seem a virtual uniform for American youth at the
know not only the children and youth in their care but
end of the twentieth century. Yet the choices and voices
also their extended families. Although urban schools
of the youth we came to know advise that individual pref-
ther
make a difficult and not always appropriate partner to
erences matter enormously. Youth's evolving sense of
youth-serving community organizations, rural schools
identity and competence call for programs suitable to
rga-
are natural collaborators.
them. The young woman who brightened her neighbor-
that
Moreover, within communities of similar descrip-
hood's spirits with her cheerful murals would not likely
tion
tions, institutions may mean different things to residents.
join a local basketball team. The youth hard at work
that
We found significant differences among urban communi-
planting, tending, and selling their vegetables probably
and
ties, in particular, in youth's perceptions of the local school.
will not be attracted by membership in a drama troupe.
vork
Youth who rate their schools as hostile or unsupportive are
The youth living on one side of "Death Wish Park" will
for
less likely to stay there for after-school functions than are
not participate in activities with youth who live on the
lults
youth who find their schools a comfortable, safe environ-
other side, even though the physical distance between
with
ment. School may not be safe after school-largely due to
them is only a few blocks. A necessary strength of the
the realities of street life rather than the school itself.
CBOs attractive to youth in a community is their variable
nsti-
Questions of where to locate after-school activities need
offerings. Opportunities for youth of different tastes, tal-
ts in
to be answered by the community, not resolved by stan-
ents, and peer affiliations make up a menu of learning
ntal
dardized policy directives. Program location can make a
from which youth can choose.
new
vital difference in youth's involvement.
A surprise early in our research was the dearth of
the
Communities around the country also have different
opportunities for young women. We found only a hand-
con-
issues or shortcomings with which to contend. Urban
ful of programs for them. Public and philanthropic dol-
back
areas find space for youth activities in short supply,
lars often focus on the non-school hours of young men,
SS to
while mid-sized towns and rural areas generally count
especially African-American boys in the inner-cities
the
space as an asset. Rural and many mid-sized towns
who are thought to be most "at-risk" and most threat-
struggle with inadequate libraries or other cultural
ening to society's goals. In many coeducational settings,
resources, resources that most urban areas can build
especially formerly boy-serving organizations gone
upon. Problems of inadequate transportation frustrate
coed, girls seem like afterthoughts as plans are made for
plans for youth activities in rural communities where
equipment or activities. In too many club programs, for
iza-
youth live miles apart down country roads. Urban youth
example, an afterschool activity for girls involves stand-
The
organizations confront not a lack of transportation but
ing around watching the boys play pool rather that one
ghly
its cost and safety.
constructed specifically for and by the young women.
long
Therefore, most initiatives to build effective CBOs
We found both an absolute level of underservice to
and
need to be based in local knowledge and conditions.
girls overall in communities, and too many instances of
nity
Those hoping to replicate effective youth organizations
girls being treated as second-class citizens in coeduca-
and
nationwide must work within local contexts. These
tional programs.
19
An effective youth organization must be able to
overlooked among these accomplishments is the impor-
attend to these differences and provide occasions for
tance of moving beyond the domination of so-called
youth to engage as active learners. What one youth
experts, both in response to unique resources of other
leader termed "herd programming"-taking in large
adults and to community doubts about outsiders' exper-
numbers of youth-will not provide effective environ-
tise. In urban areas especially, distrust of public institu-
ments for learning and development. It is unfortunately
tions and their representatives runs deep. Community
the case that fiscal and other constraints in many com-
organizations have a vast resource of community mem-
munities apparently preclude support for the intentional
bers from which to draw if they don't limit themselves to
learning environments we describe here. While these are
so-called experts.
well-meant efforts, and may be better than nothing for
An additional challenge to developing expertise and
young people in depleted neighborhoods, communities
extending the work of CBOs is the need to provide sup-
must be clear that they cannot foster the youth outcomes
port for the many roles staff are playing in employment
we document here.
counseling, job-training, and business development.
This prescription for varied programs and occasions
These adults need different kinds of training for these
for learning runs contrary to such policy virtues as cost-
efforts to succeed consistently. One impediment is that
effectiveness. Funding and overseeing a few larger youth-
many adults in these youth organizations have no profes-
based programs without question is a simpler task than
sional identity. Structural shifts that affect institutions
supporting a variety of smaller ones. But the strength of
typically come from a constituency that has a nationally
the effort lies in its suitability from a youth perspective.
acknowledged role. Teachers, administrators, and par-
Choice and attention to individual differences are key.
ents can push for school reform. Welfare workers and the
A menu from which youth can choose also asks a commu-
business community can speak to welfare-to-work issues.
nity to address its diversity-to acknowledge the cultural
No such identifiable cadre of supporters currently repre-
and gender differences in interests that shape youth
sents youth organizations-neither the adults who work
preferences and developmental needs.
there, nor those who advocate on behalf of non-school
learning environments. Adults who work in these orga-
nizations have no professional recognition beyond the
DIVERSE EXPERTISE
doors of their organization. Adults who come into these
What matters in the successful organizations we studied
organizations do so through their sense of potential in the
is a commitment to young people, to a community, and
youth and in the organization's mission. Established com-
honest engagement with both. Adults having these quali-
munity stakeholders like local education funds can take
fications sometimes have credentials of an obvious
the lead in providing training for adult volunteers. LEFs
sort-as teachers, youth workers, social workers. But
work daily with volunteers, parents, and community
many-especially insiders with a passion for helping create
leaders. They have much to teach these fledgling groups
better environments for youth than they grew up in-
about managing a CBO and its volunteers.
have no such credentials. Some lack a high school
How then might the policy community and those
diploma. Yet, as one youth leader put it, these caring and
institutions granted authority to credential rethink pre-
competent staff have a "Ph.D. in the streets." Youth lead-
requisites and programs of study to include these young
ers in many organizations point to the critical knowledge
adults and adults who fall outside the conventional certi-
these volunteers bring to the organization. Their experi-
fied pathways? How might communities move beyond
ence lies not only in understanding families, but also in
either/or discussions of the merits of lay or professional
ways to get adults involved-how to engage seemingly
roles to embrace and legitimize the contributions of
unavailable community resources. A dilemma for policy-
both? Here, too, LEFs are critical. Local education funds
makers and funders is how to "certify" these talented
are currently working to change the face of professional
individuals in an era of credentialism and legitimate con-
development within schools across the nation. If the
cerns about who works with youth. A lesson not to be
learning community is expanded beyond schools, the
20
ed
er
r-
u-
tv
n-
to
id
P-
nt
t.
se
at
is
ns
ly
These community based environments for learning
r-
ne
matter as much.for youth as do schools
S.
c-
and other institutions an in many cases, more so.
ol
Yet, communities generally do not provide
a-
sufficient support for their youth in nonschool hours
ne
se
10
--
<e
Fs
tv
os
ig
i-
d
al
of
THE
Is
al
ie
ie
MADE
21
lessons LEFs have learned in assessing training programs
sheer will, constantly scrambling for funding. They wrestle
for teachers are applicable to training programs for all
with broken pipes, crumbling floors, and inadequate space
adults involved in supporting increased youth learning.
and supplies. Their adult leaders have to spend an inordi-
nate amount of time searching for funding and thinking of
new ways to make their tried and successful work match
LISTENING TO YOUTH
the latest "flavor of the month" requests from foundations
Youth learn quickly about the supports and constraints of
or other grantmakers.
their communities. Organizations often fail because they
Moreover, much of the funding for youth organiza-
have incorrect information about the lives of the young
tions supports start-up activities, not ongoing opera-
people they serve. This lack of youth perspective leads
tions. As a result, many youth organizations live from
adults to make wrong assumptions about such important
three-year grant to three-year grant, often directing sig-
things as "safe" streets, welcoming organizations, or pos-
nificant staff resources away from work with youth to
sible partners. A lack of input from youth sometimes
grant writing. Funding for growth and sustainability
leads adults to wrong conclusions. For example, the
means funding the work these organizations currently do
well-intentioned adult mentor in an urban setting was
and extending the time frame within which funds may be
furious when youth from the organization he sponsored
used. It also means general funding for less glamorous,
failed to keep appointments he had arranged for them.
day-to-day duties such as background checks for staff,
What he didn't know, however, was that the young men
snacks for participants, and T-shirts and other symbols of
did not know how to read or use the city's bus schedule
membership so important to youth.
to get downtown. An adult might view a youth's poor
Funding for youth organizations often comes from
school performance or attendance as a sign of apathy,
multiple sources. One organization in our research, for
while youth might explain it differently-in terms of a
example, received funds from over 100 separate sources.
violent school setting, indifferent teachers, or boring
Paperwork multiplies accordingly and can strangle small
classes. Adults may explain teen pregnancies in terms of
organizations with scant time, resources, and expertise
insufficient information about safe sex or lack of disci-
to manage it. The great majority of the effective youth
pline. But the young women we talked to referred to
organizations we profile here fit into that category-a
"having someone to love." Or, one young woman living in
grassroots group getting by on sheer will and persistence
a home for pregnant teens in the Midwest told us, "It's
but with few administrative resources. Many of the agen-
boring. What can you do? You can join a gang, use drugs,
cies that fund CBOs have similar goals but separate
or have sex. We chose sex. It's free, and it's not danger-
applications, timelines, and requirements. Private foun-
ous." A youth-centered community listens to the nature
dations run grant programs appropriate for youth
of problems and about positive responses. As long as a
organizations through multiple program areas (e.g.,
community ignores the opinions of youth or sees itself as
youth development, community development, and edu-
detached from them, opportunities for youth develop-
cation). Public funders similarly operate multiple funding
ment are unlikely to change.
streams out of different offices. A state department of
education, for instance, might administer funds to youth
organizations through service learning and community
SUPPORT FOR CORE ACTIVITIES
service initiatives, after-school programs, school-linked
Communities need to invest in resources to engage youth's
services, safety programs, or drug prevention programs.
free time and attention. These community-based environ-
These uncoordinated good intentions turn into a morass
ments for learning matter as much for youth as do
of paperwork and confusing requirements for youth
schools and other institutions-in many cases, more so.
organizations. A more supportive system of funding for
Yet, communities generally do not provide sufficient
quality CBOs would work with the community to coor-
support for their youth in nonschool hours. Research and
dinate funding requirements, technical assistance, and
experience tell us that many youth organizations run on
schedules to minimize the time youth organizations spend
22
estle
on administrative work and fundraising and maximize the
the local budget rather than one contender in annual
pace
time they spend working directly with youth. Burgeoning
budget battles. Local education funds are well-versed in
ordi-
bureaucracies and compliance-based contracts are incom-
analyzing budgets-and in educating the community on
ng of
patible with the trusting relationships that matter for
how to read budgets and request changes. Doing so
atch
communities and their local organizations.
doesn't necessarily require financial acumen. But it does
tions
require a desire to advocate for youth. Over the past
decade of navigating local politics, local education funds
niza-
MAKE YOUTH A LINE ITEM
have earned a reputation as an impartial advocate for
era-
We asked leaders in vastly different communities about
youth and youth programs.
from
local priorities for youth. Responses to our question
sig-
were consistent across region and community. Yes, youth
h to
are a priority for the community. But somehow there
ESTABLISH MEANINGFUL MEASURES
bility
are always more pressing items, like police protection
OF ACCOMPLISHMENT
y do
and road repairs, on the community agenda. Youth
Youth organizations, like other community agencies, are
ly be
services frequently fall to fourth or fifth on a list of
often held accountable for achieving outcomes that are
ous,
community priorities, but budgets accommodate only
specified by agents outside the community. These desig-
taff,
the top three. In local budget struggles, youth have inef-
nated outcomes are frequently unrelated to what they do
Is of
fective voice and claim upon community resources.
day-to-day. Or they call for indicators that make little sense
Implicit are assumptions that youth are the responsibility
in the context of an organization's program. The experi-
rom
of schools and families, not of the entire community.
ences of the effective youth organizations we studied offer
for
Communities serious about making community count
a number of suggestions for more meaningful evaluation.
ces.
for youth will bolster supports for youth organizations.
Effective organizational processes-as well as more
mall
Communities serious about supporting youth in their
locally defined youth outcomes-should be considered.
rtise
non-school hours will make that support a line item in
Some organizations start in places with few guides or
outh
ence
gen-
rate
oun-
outh
:.g.,
:du-
ding
t of
outh
nity
ked
ms.
rass
outh
for
or-
and
end
23
supports. Just opening their doors and getting youth
evaluations, especially those of the checklist variety.
involved marks a major accomplishment.
Evaluations that emphasize such items as participation
Meaningful measures acknowledge that many out-
rates or stated program objectives rather than students'
comes important for youth to achieve-confidence,
experiences and their assessments of value cannot help
agency, leadership, responsibility-are difficult to assess,
funders or staff members identify strengths or areas for
especially in the short run. "Process is Product" in a qual-
improvement.
ity youth organization. Meaningful measures gauge the
Youth leaders consistently point to problems of "fit"
environment for youth development-to what extent is
between what funders ask them to count as outcomes
it youth-centered? Knowledge-centered? Assessment-
and the goals they aim to achieve. Many of the outcomes
centered? Does the organization embody a respectful,
for which youth organizations are held accountable can
affirming community of adults and youth?
take a significant amount of time and effort to change.
Looking at espoused organization goals provides
Some CBOs are asked about the impact they have on
insufficient evaluation. Short-term projects cannot teach
school grades when they might be more accurately
concentration, revision, and persistence. Programs that
judged by their progress along interim measures such as
are merely "fun" cannot challenge youth to learn new
development of leadership skills, emotional competen-
things, imagine futures, or achieve goals. Moreover, we
cies, and attitudes of responsibility.
saw how programs that appeared the same on paper were
Outcomes might not capture success because they
in practice different opportunities. Accordingly, mea-
tend to be static rather than developmental in terms of
sures of these organization qualities and actual offerings
the organization. When a youth organization first opens
are important indicators of their potential for enabling
its doors, it might be forced to provide a range of unfore-
positive outcomes for youth. Yet these meaningful mea-
seen services in an effort to be accessible and relevant to
sures typically are not captured in grant applications and
its neighborhoods. When youth organizations first start
24
to work with youth, some outcomes might show initial
strategies, assistance with evaluation and program
ion
gains then level off and/or decline as more difficult chal-
design, or occasions for youth to work with community
its'
lenges rise to the surface.
members on issues of constructing and connecting com-
elp
Adults working with community-based organizations
munity supports for youth. Adults working in youth-
for
particularly resent the negative frame of many required
based organizations express a sense of disconnection and
evaluations. Some youth organizations are asked to track
"going it alone" that could be ameliorated by resources
'fit"
deficits in youth (for example, reductions in incidence of
dedicated to connection and shared goals. These individ-
nes
vandalism, school failure or poor attendance, or teen
uals, like the youth they work with, need an intentional
nes
pregnancies) rather than note and appraise the positive
learning environment-one that is centered on their
can
youth accomplishments. Many, if not most evaluation or
needs, focuses on their learning, and provides opportu-
ige.
accountability structures, are based in a "pathology reduc-
nities for invention, reflection, and feedback.
on
tion" frame rather than one of positive youth develop-
tely
ment, in direct contradiction to the character essential to
as
an effective youth organization. Youth leaders in the effec-
COMMUNITY YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
en-
tive organizations we studied agree that "problem-free
Youth development means community development.
does not mean fully prepared. Young people are sold short
A community bereft of adults who care about and pro-
hey
when sights are set so low. Adults must state positively
vide activities for youth can provide only rocky and
of
what their goals are for young people."
inadequate support for youth development and healthy
ens
As a consequence of these ill-fitting evaluations,
learning environments.
re-
some CBOs feel pressure to change course in order to
Seeing youth development as community develop-
t to
satisfy funders: to provide more direct academic time or
ment refocuses policy and practice beyond the specifics
tart
to focus on reduction of high-risk behaviors, even if those
of opportunities provided for youth to the community
are contrary to the "best practices" of effective CBOs.
relationships that nurture and sustain those opportuni-
ties. In many of the community-service programs we
came to know, for example, the relationships among
GROWING YOUTH-BASED RESOURCES
adults engaged in the program continued beyond the
The community organizations we studied are exception-
specific activity to benefit them and youth. Some of these
al and generally not part of any self-conscious association
benefits to adults are direct, as in the church-based liter-
of resources for youth. The majority of the effective
acy program that hires local residents as receptionists,
organizations we came to know were "home grown" and
aides, or general supervisors for after-school programs.
isolated elements in an uncoordinated voluntary, youth-
Many organizations involve community members as
based non-school sector. But these organizations need
volunteers. In more than one instance this volunteer
not be exceptional and rare, and dependent on the pres-
work and the evidence of reliability and talent it estab-
ence of an exceptional leader. Evidence exists around the
lishes gives adults the confidence to seek paid jobs. These
country that effective youth-based organizations can be
extended relationships fostered in many CBOs illustrate
built by engaging community members and staff in
the "strength of weak ties"-the ways in which social
vision-building activities for youth development, con-
networks can contribute to personal success and well-
necting them to "best practices," inviting genuine youth
being. These ties are community development at its core,
participation in assessing needs, designing programs, and
and they make up an essential web of mutual account-
evaluating their contributions.⁷ Public policymakers and
ability and responsibility for young people.
private funders can realize significant benefits for youth
Understanding youth development in terms of com-
and their communities though investments in capacity-
munity development raises new challenges for policy.
building efforts and organizations. These investments
One challenge is building on community assets-
might underwrite networks for youth organizations and
strengthening those features of community that already
youth workers, organizations dedicated to sharing ideas and
contribute to the well-being of youth and families.
25
Strength-based strategies aim to honor and extend
if a vital context for their growth is to be constructed.
community strengths, so that they can be sustained and
Yet, schools, the so-called "universal institution" for chil-
stable after the life of the grant-too often the case
dren and youth, typically are left out of both community
when initiatives are intended only to repair or respond
and youth development efforts.
to community deficits.
This omission sometimes is by design and sometimes
As sensible as a strategy that starts from community
by default. In most urban communities, and in many
strengths might sound, it can pose challenges to funders
mid-sized towns and rural areas, schools and communi-
and policy makers. In many communities, important
ties have grown apart. In urban areas, schools and com-
assets sit in faith-based institutions, institutions precluded
munities often operate in a climate of mutual mistrust
from public support by First Amendment guarantees
rather than one of collaboration. In rural areas, policies
of separation of church and state. Moreover, in many
that have consolidated smaller schools into larger region-
communities, norms resist spending public dollars on
al high schools have fractured the spirit of place many
organizations or activities with any ideological stance. Yet
schools held for their communities.
faith-based organizations are often among the most avail-
Positive school-community connections are unusual,
able and sustaining resources for a community's youth and
and as one youth advocate put it "there is an abundance
adults. Economic pressures and a growing sense of
of arrogance and ignorance on both sides." Adults
urgency are bringing churches and schools together in
working with youth organizations frequently believe that
pursuing a common goal of nurturing healthy children.
school people do not respect or value their young
Not only are religious organizations regularly the heart
people. Educators, for their part, generally see youth
and center of communities, they often furnish the only
organizations as mere "fun" and as having little to con-
coherent system of positive values in the distressed con-
tribute to the business of schools. Moreover, educators
texts of poor neighborhoods. Navigating the legal and
often establish professional boundaries around learning
normative terrain that separates public support from
and teaching, considering them the sole purview of
faith-based organizations poses a hurdle for communities
teachers. Yet adults working in community organizations
aiming to build on their assets.
know that youth have many teachers and that learning
One particularly ironic challenge to strategies for
does continue in non-school hours.
youth development lies in the call to see youth as
In many ways, both are right. We heard many
resources. The typical "youth as problem" stance of policy
accounts from adults working in youth organizations
has been identified as a dead-end strategy, yet alternatives
about the damage done in school to the young people
have proven difficult to support. The idea of youth as a
they cared for. "I need to spend two hours after school
constructive agent rather than a "target" often discomfits
making up for what happens to my kids in school," said
officials and others worried about losing control. Yet the
one. "They are made to feel they're no good and can't
experiences we relate here make evident that youth are
accomplish anything." Educators, commenting on youth
resources to their peers and to their community-and
organizations, say that many of the activities available to
effective community organizations intentionally cast them
young people in their non-schools hours are insubstan-
as such. The successful outcomes we detail are based on a
tial, lacking in opportunities for learning.
deep and articulated faith in the capacity of young people
Yet fostering more creative efforts of cooperation
to be resources for the community and energetic agents
between schools and youth organizations is critical. Few
in their own positive futures. Advice to fundamentally
of the groups we studied could entertain this idea, how-
rethink the value and roles of youth may be difficult to
ever, for when they had done so, they ran into bureau-
sell, however, especially in violence-plagued urban areas.
cratic snags. In one urban community, school regulation
Still other barriers exist to approaching youth devel-
precluded cooperating artists from using the spaces they
opment as community development as a matter of policy
needed. Barred from the gym or hardwood floored hall-
and support. Youth-based community development must
ways because of insurance provisions, the dance program
engage all of the institutions through which youth move
struggled on a concrete lunchroom floor. Provided no
26
d.
The outcome.
il-
ty
are based the " deep
es
and culated n.m capital propres
ny
ni-
be for he Community
n-
ist
sheir! shergetic diganis To her owe
GAMELIN
ies
STATE
n-
ny
al,
ce
assistance from the school's janitors, a mural artist des-
those at the city level. Opportunities for youth are
Its
perately mopped up after her young artists so teachers
shaped-for better or worse-by larger political and
at
would not return to floors marked with finger paints,
regulatory contexts. We encountered many examples,
ng
sticky paper, or other evidence of youthful creation. By
generally negative, of how youth organizations are affected
ith
the artists' reports, school officials were deaf to requests
by their settings. In one urban area, for example, youth
n-
to talk about ways the after-school program and the
were disappointed and finally angered by the failure of
ors
school could collaborate in the interest of youth.
the city to fulfill its promise of resources for their com-
ng
The waste of precious resources deprives youth of
munity-service project. Their anger was over more than
of
valuable opportunities to learn, practice, and achieve.
just scuttled plans. It expressed their reinforced belief
ns
Schools are repositories of spaces and materials to sup-
that the system had no respect for poor, African-
ng
port learning. Communities, on the other hand, offer
American youth. They believed that "the suits" did not
fertile resources that can extend the classroom into the
honor their pledge and could not be trusted. Belief in
ny
non-school lives of youth. More effective school-com-
adults, constructed within the nurturing environment
ins
munity connections must resolve these turf battles.
of the organization "family," is easily eroded by mixed
ple
Creative efforts also require grounding in expanded
signals and broken promises.
ol
notions of teaching and learning opportunities. These
Individuals and organizations with compelling public
aid
new understandings await conversations among educa-
voice will have to become convinced of the need for,
n't
tors and community members, discussions that cannot
and the effectiveness of, these youth-based organizations
ith
even begin without suspension of their mutually held
and their potential for creating positive climates for
to
arrogance and ignorance. Communities need to attack
young people. Those interested in education, civic
n-
this culture of distrust and bring schools to the table. The
responsibility, and creative approaches to working with
challenge for schools is to think about what happens
youth will have to step forward to acknowledge youth-
on
outside the classroom and consider resources for teach-
based organizations and the youth they embrace as
'W
ing and learning in the community. The challenge for
powerful, positive allies in community development.
W-
communities is to think about ways they can support
Effective community youth organizations such as
u-
what happens in the classroom in nonschool hours.
those featured here go a long way to answer the concep-
on
In addition to these largely horizontal relationships
tual challenge of how to make community count for
ey
among community institutions and their youth, effective
youth. A more difficult challenge is a political one: how
11-
community organizations also must depend on vertical
to mobilize advocates with diverse perspectives into more
im
relationships to support their goals-that is, relation-
productive relationships around youth development and
no
ships between activities at the neighborhood level and
opportunities for young people.
27
Recommendations for Communi
Youth Organizations,
Schools, Funders, and Policymaker
How can communities count for youth development?"
following is an attempt to translate the previous argu-
Support for effective youth organizations will require
ments and findings into action steps. The long-term
a coordinated effort across sectors and interests. City
strategies indicate the support youth organizations
councils need to get involved. Schools need to act, as
need to make community count for youth. The short-
do diverse community groups, funders, and youth. The
term strategies suggest beginnings.
28
MEANINGFUL MEASURES OF YOUTH OUTCOMES
LONG TERM
SHORT TERM
COMMUNITY
Develop local capacity to assess the needs
Involve youth and community in identifying,
of youth on a regular basis.
documenting, and assessing opportunities for
Develop a local database of resources for
youth and supports for youth development.
youth development and concrete evidence
of consequences for youth competencies
and attitudes.
Make information on youth needs and
community resources for their development
a central element of deliberations
on budgets and policies affecting youth.
YOUTH
Document and share what you do specifically
Document your successes with youth in
ORGANIZATIONS
as it relates to learning outcomes. This does
terms that are meaningful to you as well
not only mean expanding the academic supports
as funders, schools, and other potential
you provide, but studying and understanding
collaborative partners.
how the work you already do with youth con-
Conduct an inventory of opportunities to
tributes to their performance in school.
record work with youth as part of the regular
day-to-day operation of the organization.
SCHOOLS
Include the role of youth organizations in
Help youth organizations access the public
your assessments of what contributes to the
information you have on the school perfor-
performance of certain youth in school.
mance of the youth with which they work.
Recognize/reward youth for their participa-
This will help them document outcomes
tion in youth organizations. For example,
for the youth they serve.
consider awarding community service credit
for community service performed through
youth organizations.
FUNDERS AND
In evaluations and other reporting require-
Fund the development of evaluations and
POLICYMAKERS
ments for youth organizations that you fund,
evaluators who can work in youth organizations.
give credit for process as well as outcomes.
Help grantees negotiate evaluations and out-
Ensure the outcomes that you measure are
come measures that are perceived to be useful
meaningful measures of the performance of
to the organization.
youth organizations, and ask for strengths-
Conduct an inventory of data already available at
based outcomes.
youth organizations and other organizations that
Establish channels for ongoing dialogue with
serve your neighborhood youth. Consider these
your youth organizations and other grantees
sources of available information first when
about what outcomes you should reason-
choosing evaluation and reporting requirements.
ably expect a youth organization to achieve
Support collaboration between communities
after certain periods of time.
and universities to develop local capacity
to document and assess youth needs and the
outcomes of CBOs.
29
SMARTER FUNDING AND POLICY STRATEGIES
LONG TERM
SHORT TERM
COMMUNITY
Offer a diverse "menu" of organizations
Identify assets for youth within the community
and programs for youth.
in terms of caring adults, spaces for programs,
Provide a web of reinforcing supports
and expertise that can assist youth organizations.
for youth that includes all the institutions
that affect youth development.
Develop a local action-base for youth.
Make youth a line item in the community
budget.
YOUTH
Develop environments that are youth,
Access resources needed to provide high-
ORGANIZATIONS
knowledge, and assessment-centered.
quality programming. This may include
Establish systems within the organization
formal professional training, visits to other
to document and share promising work.
youth organizations, and joining professional
Important documentation includes
associations.
day-to-day practices, outcomes for youth,
Familiarize funders and schools with the
and actual program budgets.
organization's work. Invite them to open
houses, tours, and performances by youth.
Conduct an internal assessment of points
in the day-to-day operation of the
organization where work with youth
can and should be documented.
Expand board membership to include youth,
school principals, school district personnel,
foundation program officers, and
representatives of city/county government.
Begin to establish relationships with the
schools your youth attend and other
eligible recipients of state and federal after-
school funds.
SCHOOLS
Include youth organizations as integral parts
Include youth organizations and other
of strategies to improve learning.
community organizations in assessments
Provide incentives for teachers to learn about
of resources for learning.
their students' work in youth organizations.
Establish a dialogue with youth organiza-
For example, support professional development
tions in the neighborhood.
time and stipends or credits to visit youth
Participate in community meetings.
organizations and other non-school settings
See schools as providers of last resort for
where youth learn.
after-school programming.
Develop curricula that integrates community
Encourage students to share their work in
resources for learning and teaching.
youth organizations during the school
day. Publicize the work of students in youth
organizations. Consider devoting a regular
portion of your newsletter and school bulletin
boards to news of local youth organizations
Offer space to youth organizations for perfor-
mances, art shows, sports, and other activities
30
SMARTER FUNDING AND POLICY STRATEGIES
LONG TERM
SHORT TERM
FUNDERS AND
Fund people, not just programs. This may
Make a pool of private funds available as
POLICYMAKERS
mean restructuring funding streams around
grants or loans to draw down public funding
S.
fellowships for youth workers and directors,
Learn about youth organizations in
and/or making funding more discretionary.
the community/jurisdiction. Participate
Fund intra- and inter-city networks of youth
in community meetings.
workers and youth organizations.
)
Identify intermediary organizations and other
Support development of alternative
potential convenors of youth workers
pathways of training and credentialling
Set broad goals for after-school programs and
for youth workers.
policies. For example, be flexible on the number
Reframe policy debates around after-school
of youth served, hours of operation, and type
programming This may include making
of activities provided. The main criterion for
community-based organizations eligible for
funding should be that applicants demonstrate
federal and state after-school dollars typically
that their approach to after-school
reserved for schools.
programming matches the needs, resources,
Ensure that community-based organizations
and contexts of the youth they intend to serve.
are aware of and applying for available
In grant applications, ask youth organizations
after-school funds.
and their partners to conduct an assessment
Fund ongoing operations, not just start-up
of their community needs and strengths related
costs. This may involve educating youth
to these goals. Ask the youth organizations,
organizations and other CBOs about how
schools, and other community agencies how
they can access existing funding streams
they will build on these strengths and address
in education and other areas.
some of these challenges.
Work with funders of similar programs to
Make planning grants or other funds available
streamline or otherwise coordinate grant
to schools and youth organizations to conduct
application procedures and eligibility requir-
community assessments.
ments. Pursue the feasibility and usefulness
Actively collect information on what youth
to applicants of releasing joint requests
organizations do to support learning.
for funding.
Put representatives of youth organizations
Create a local education fund to advocate
on your advisory boards for your programs
for school and community improvements at
in education, as well as community develop-
the public policy level.
ment and youth development.
Research and make connections to other
grantmakers and policymakers with similar
goals and applicants.
31
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Community Counts draws upon work supported by grants from the Spencer Foundation to Milbrey McLaughlin and
Shirley Brice Heath from 1987-1999. Shirley Heath has been my close colleague and collaborator ever since we first
discovered our shared interest in the role of youth-based organizations. Her commitment to understanding their con-
tributions suffuses every page of this report. I The body of our research has been shaped and informed by many
talented individuals over the years. Merita Irby and Juliet Langman were our original site workers, and immersed
themselves in our three urban sites in the first half of our research. Their work was aided by a crew of "junior ethno-
graphers," youth who participated in the organizations we studied. Chad, Dinesha, Felicia, Izzy, Johnny, Manuel,
Marvin, and Peggy played an especially central role both as research collaborators and by planning a conference for
youth. As our sites expanded, so did the research team that made this far-flung research possible. It included (in
chronological order of involvement with the project) Steve Balt, Jennifer Massen Wolf, Shelby Anne Wolf, Ali
Callicoatte, Melissa Groo, Kim Bailey, Arnetha Ball, Brita Lomdardi, Mailee Ferguson, Sara DeWitt, Shama Blaney,
Monica Lam, Adelma Roach, Emma Leuvano, Joe Kahne, Ann Davidson, and Adriel Harvey. A substudy that focused
on one urban neighborhood was directed by Joe Kahne and involved James O'Brien, Theresa Quinn, and Andrea
Brown The "boxed" vignettes used in this report are drawn from their observation notes and writing. Greg Darnieder
and the Steans Family Foundation provided direction and support for that substudy. Rebecca Barr at the Spencer
Foundation was encouraging and supportive through it all. Julie Cummer, our Stanford University Project
Administrator, was a brilliant strategist in figuring out ways to take often-bizarre requests for reimbursement through
the university system and helping in so many ways to keep our "distributed project" together. I Other individuals
made contributions specific to this report. Haggai Kupermintz and Ken Ikeda provided assistance with statistical
analyses of the survey data. Meredith Honig contributed ideas and text to the section on recommendations. Michele
Cahill, Sarah Deschenes, Meredith Honig, Della Hughes, Ken Ikeda, Peter Kleinbard, Morva McDonald, Jane Quinn,
and Sylvia Yee read drafts of this report and it is stronger for their comment. I None of this work would have been
possible without the cooperation, trust, and openness of the youth and adults who invited us into their lives and
organizations over the years. Their generosity, deep belief in youth and community, and commitment to a civil
society are impossible to capture in words. I The partnership of Wendy Puriefoy and the board and staff of the
Public Education Network in preparing, publishing, and disseminating this report is gratefully acknowledged.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Milbrey McLaughlin is the David Jacks Professor of Education at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California
32
NOTES
1. For example, see L. Scott Miller (1995), An American
Imperative: Accelerating Minority Education Advancement. New
Haven: Yale University Press.
2. The research reported here was supported by the Spencer
Foundation in grants to Shirley Brice Heath and Milbrey W.
McLaughlin, from 1987 through 1999.
3. The precise numbers of youth who participated in some
way in our research over the past decade are difficult to calcu-
late. We estimate that the youth who participated in the more
than 120 specific projects or activities we studied number more
than 1000. Many of these activities, however, were associated
with a larger organization. For example, we spent a great deal of
time with about six young men associated with a gang preven-
tion project, sponsored by the YMCA. A city mural project team
of about 10 young artists was part of a Boys and Girls Club. A
tally of the youth who nominally belong to all of the sponsoring
nd
organizations included in this research sums to around 30,000 -
irst
based on membership figures provided to us. However, all youth
on-
members affiliated with these organizations were not part of this
iny
research. This report is based on the experiences of this smaller
ed
subset of youth.
10-
4. Data that enable us to compare the attitudes, behaviors
lel,
and outcomes of youth participating in community-based orga-
for
nizations with those of American youth generally are based on
(in
responses to National Educational Longitudinal Survey question-
Ali
naires. The National Educational Longitudinal Survey [NELS:88] is
ey,
a longitudinal study of 8th graders whom the National Center
sed
for Educational Statistics followed from 1988 through 1994. The
rea
design of NELS:88 permits examination of the role of schools,
der
teachers, community, and family in promoting positive outcomes.
cer
The NELS:88 sample is constructed to be representative of
ect
American youth generally. We administered a questionnaire con-
gh
taining a subset of NELS:88 items to youth involved in the com-
als
munity-based organizations we studied (N=364). We then com-
cal
pared the responses from these youth with those from youth par-
ele
ticipating in the 1992 NELS:88 Second Follow-Up (N=21,188).
nn,
These comparisons allow us to make statements about the cir-
en
cumstances, attitudes and outcomes of youth involved in this
nd
research compared to "typical" American youth.
ivil
5. Figure 1 shows data from a second project-specific
the
survey of approximately 175 youth in a particular inner-city
neighborhood.
6. Karen Pittman (1992), Defining the Fourth R: Promoting
Youth Development Through Building Relationships.
Commissioned Paper #5. Center for Youth Development, Academy
for Educational Development: Washington, D.C.
7. Michele Cahill offers as an example the experience of the
Networks for Youth Development.
8. John Kretzman and John McKnight (1993) popularized the
term "assets-based strategies" and ideas about "assets mapping."
(Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding
and Mobilizing a Community's Assets. Center for Urban Affairs and
Policy Research, Northwestern University: Evanston, IL)
9. Meredith Honig provided the inspiration and content for
this section.
EDITOR: HOWIE SCHAFFER. DESIGN: CARTER COSGROVE COMPANY
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visit the Clinton Presidential Library's Research Room.
Reducing the Risk:
Connections That Make a
Difference in the Lives of Youth
Y
D
YMCA
We build strong kids,
strong families, strong communities.
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE, Tuesday, May 2, 10:30 a.m. (ET)
YMCA SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS TEEN-PARENT COMMUNICATION GAP
Teens still rely on parents, despite limited quality time
WASHINGTON, May 2- A new poll released today contains troubling news about the quality of
communication between American parents and their young teenage children. The poll, released by
the YMCA of the USA at a White House Conference on teenagers, concludes that the vast majority
of teens still turn to their parents in times of trouble. But it also reveals that parents and teens have
differing views on the ways they interact and even on the topics of their conversations.
The survey polled teenagers aged 12 to 15 and parents. Among its findings are that many families
do not eat meals together and that parents significantly underestimate the time their teens spend in
front of the television or computer. The poll also shows that young people list inadequate family
time as one of their greatest concerns.
In the area of communication, the poll makes clear that, while many parents believe they are
discussing issues like sex, violence, and drug and alcohol abuse with their children, their children
have a different perception. For example, 61 percent of parents say they talk frequently to their
children about values and beliefs, but only 41 percent of children report such conversations. A
greater percentage of parents than teenagers also reports having conversations about sex, violence,
and drug and alcohol abuse. The communication disconnect also exists over whether parents and
their teens share the same values and beliefs, with 62 percent of parents saying they do, compared
with 46 percent of children.
"The good news is that families are still spending time together," says Kenneth L. Gladish, Ph.D.,
national executive director, YMCA of the USA. "The bad news is that children may not be hearing
what we parents think we're saying. Our kids deserve our best efforts, and we must not fail them."
- more -
YMCA of the USA
Public Policy
1701 K Street, N.W., Suite 903
Washington, D.C. 20006
202-835-9043
toll-free: 800-932-9622
fax: 202-835-9030
http://www.ymca.net
YMCA mission: To put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit. mind. and body for all.
Gladish made his remarks at the White House during the day-long White House Conference on
Teenagers: Raising Responsible and Resourceful Youth. The conference was co-sponsored by the
YMCA of the USA, a major national child and family advocacy group.
While families share an average of 80 minutes together each day, young teenagers expressed a
desire for more time with their parents. A quarter of all parents report eating no more than four
meals a week with their teens.
Education and family time are the top teenage concerns, according to the poll. By contrast, the poll
found, parents worry most about drug and alcohol abuse.
Parents also seem to have different notions of the way their teenage children spend their time.
Nearly half of all teenagers said they spend their free time with friends, while only about one
quarter of parents believe that to be the case. Among the poll's most striking findings is that 71
percent of parents say they frequently monitor their children's Internet use, while only 24 percent
of teenagers say their parents supervise them.
Talking with Teens: the YMCA Parent and Teen Survey was performed by the Global Strategy
Group. Inc. of New York and Washington, which conducted 200 random telephone interviews with
children and 200 with parents during the period April 11-20. The margin of error is +/- 6.9%.
The YMCA of the USA is the national resource office for the 2,393 independent YMCA
associations in the United States. Collectively, America's YMCAs are the nation's largest provider
of child care. YMCAs across the country are at the heart of community life and offer a variety of
programs such as family activity nights, juvenile delinquency prevention programs, volunteerism
and mentoring. and welfare-to-work initiatives. YMCAs serve nearly 17 million people, including
9 million children during non-school hours.
###
For further information, contact: Kristin Hurdle (202) 835-9043 /(202) 669-5661 (cell)
Arnold Collins (202) 835-9043 /(202) 669-5661 (cell)
Julie Mulzoff (312) 269-0579
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Global Strategy Group, Inc.
611 Broadway
1424 16THStreet, nw
[email protected]
Suite 206
Suite 400
www.globalstrategygroup.com
New York, NY 10012
Washington, DC 20036
212.260.8813 Voice
202.265.4676 Voice
212.260.9058 Fax
202.265.4619 Fax
Talking With Teens: The YMCA Parent and Teen Survey
Final Report
I.
Key Findings
The good news is that most teens (78%) turn to their parents in times of need.
Boys are more likely than girls to say they turn to their parents for advice (84% VS.
72%).
Reliance on parental advice increases from 67% to 90% between the ages of 12 and
13, but then declines over the next two years. with 65% of 15 year olds turning to
their parents for guidance (65%).
Another positive finding is that teens and their parents appear to be talking and
spending time together. They report spending an average of about 80 minutes per
day talking to one another and eating an average of eight meals a week together.
Not surprisingly, younger teens report spending more time with parents than their
older counterparts (89 minutes a day for 12 yr. olds VS. 69 minutes for 15 yr. olds).
However, parents say they average over 80 minutes a day with all age groups.
FVCT White House Teen Study Research Findings April 2000
Children of single parents spend less time talking to their parents than those with
two adults at home (on average 67 minutes vs. 81 minutes per day).
Mothers spend significantly more time with their teens than fathers (on average 93
minutes vs. 78 minutes per day).
Although most families break bread together regularly, there are still a large
number who cannot find the time for family meals. One in four parents (24%) and
17% of teens report eating no more than four meals a week together as a family.
Disturbingly, 10% of parents report that they eat just one meal a week, or never eat,
with their teens.
"Not having enough time together" with their parents is the top concern among
teenagers today. Teens are three times more likely than their parents to say that
"not having enough time together" is their biggest issue of concern (21%). Family
time is tied with education for first place on the teens' list of concerns.
Teens of all ages are concerned by the lack of quality time with their parents.
Conversely, parents are far more concerned by outside threats such as drugs and
alcohol (24%) than they are about family time. Quality time comes in as the fourth
most important priority at 8%.
YVCI White House Teen Study Research Findings April 2000
A substantial percentage of parents and teenagers report that teens spend more of
their free time watching television and using computers than they do interacting
with their parents. Over one-third of all parents (36%) report that their teens
spend the majority of their free time in front of a computer or television screen.
Nearly three in ten teens (29%) agree.
Parents underestimate the time their teens spend in front of the television. Only
12% of parents believe their children watch TV during the majority of their free
time, while 20% of teens confess to being couch potatoes.
Parents often say that they frequently monitor their teen's time in front of the TV
and on the Internet, but their children don't agree. While 85% of parents say they
frequently monitor what their kids watch on TV (42% "all the time," 43% "often"),
61% of children say they are watching TV without any parental supervision (22%
"all the time," 39% "often).
Interestingly, younger teens are more likely to watch television unsupervised than
their older counterparts (66%, 12 yr. olds VS. 49%, 15 yr. olds).
Parents are even more naïve when it comes to Internet exposure. Nearly three-
quarters of parents (71%) assert that they frequently monitor their child's use of
the Web. However, 45% of teens say they surf the Web "all the time/often" without
a watchful parental eye.
EVCI White House Teen Study Research Findings Ipril 2000
Many parents feel the time they spend with their teens is inadequate. Only 30% of
parents say that they spend "more than enough time with their kids." Another 42%
are looking for more quality time with their teens (31% "have some time, but need
more," 12% "do not have nearly enough time").
Fathers have a bigger disconnect with their teenagers than mothers. Nearly half of
all dads (47%) are looking to spend more time with their teens, compared to 38% of
mothers who say they need more time.
Single parents (23%) are the most likely to maintain that they "do not have nearly
enough time" available to spend with their teens.
Both teenagers (34%) and parents (34%) blame parental work obligations as the
primary reason why families are not spending more time together.
Four in ten fathers (43%) blame work for coming between them and their kids.
Additionally, younger parents (37%, 25-44) are more likely than older parents (26%,
45+) to feel that their career keeps them from spending time with their teenagers.
Older teens (37%, 14-15) are somewhat more likely than 12 and 13 year olds (30%)
to blame their parent's work schedule for detracting from family time.
"Pressed parents," who are looking to spend more time with their teens (42% of
parents overall), suggest that the number one barrier to being together is work
(42%). Additionally, these parents face the problem of not being in the same place
as their teens at the same time (19%), and complain about a general lack of desire on
the part of the kids (14%).
YMCT White House Teen Study Research Findings April 2000
Hectic work schedules are not the only barrier families face when trying to spend
time together; some teenagers say they would rather spend time with their friends
than with their families. Teens are twice as likely to say prefer to spend time with
their friends than parents believe (25% vs. 12%).
Teenage boys are significantly more likely than girls to prefer spending time with
friends instead of family (31% VS. 19%).
The influence of friends is a recurring theme. Teens are almost two-and-a-half
times more likely than their parents to state that friends are a critical influence on
their values (26% vs. 11%). And over half of all teens (51%) turn to their friends as
a source of advice on life issues.
The impact peers have on forming values increases steadily as teens get older. Just
15% of 12 year olds report that friends are the biggest influence on their
values, while 37% of 15 year olds say the same. Likewise, teens become more
dependent on their friend's advice as they get older. Just 37% of 12 year olds cite
friends as a source of advice compared to 67% of 15 year olds.
Two in five teens who feel their parents do not have enough time to spend with them
(40%) turn to friends for guidance on values.
Children of single parents are more likely than those from a two parent home to rely
on their friends for advice (59% VS. 49%), as well as information concerning values
(38% VS. 24%).
TVC : White House Teen Study Research Findings April 2000
When families do spend time together, the communication is not getting through.
For instance, parents may think that they talk to their children about values and
beliefs on a frequent basis (64%), but teens are only hearing it 41% of the time!
Parents of 14 year olds reportedly are the most likely to frequently talk to their teens
about values and beliefs (68%). However, only 34% of this age group agrees that
they are having conversations about values on a frequent basis.
Teenage girls (44%) are more likely to speak with their parents frequently about
values than boys of the same age (38%).
Similarly, 62% of parents "strongly agree" that they share the same basic values as
their teens. However, only 46% of teens suggest that this is true.
Three-quarters of all mothers (75%) "strongly agree" that they share the same values
with their teens, compared to just 48% of fathers.
Over half of all teenage girls (52%) "strongly agree" that they share the same values
with their parents. Just 40% of teen boys feel the same.
EVCI White House Teen Study Research Findings April 2000
The same disconnect between parental and teenage perception can be seen on
important issues like sex, dating, drugs and alcohol, and future plans.
For example, according to 43% of parents, sex is a frequent topic of conversation in
their homes. However, just 26% of teens suggest their parents speak to them about
sex with any regularity. Likewise, while 34% of parents suggest they discuss dating
frequently, only one-quarter of teens (25%) say the same.
Interestingly, as teens get older, and are more likely to be sexually active, their
parents talk to them less about sex. Only 22% of 12 year olds report that their
parents "rarely/never" speak to them about the topic, while 58% of 15 year olds
do not speak to their parents about sex.
Similarly, parents are more likely to report that they speak to their teens
frequently about drugs and alcohol than teens state (51% vs. 35%).
Again, the older a teen becomes the less likely it is that parents will talk to them
about the topic. Just 30% of 14 and 15 year olds report that their parents speak to
them frequently about drugs and alcohol. In comparison, 41% of 12 and 13 year
olds have parents who talk to them regularly on the topic.
YMCH White House Teen Study Research Findings tpril 2000
II.
Methodology
Global Strategy Group (GSG) conducted a total of 400 telephone interviews nationwide
among children between the ages of 12 and 15 (200 interviews) and parents of children
between the ages of 12 and 15 (200 interviews), using experienced research interviewers.
Parental consent was obtained for the 200 minors who participated in the research.
The length of the questionnaire was approximately eight minutes and included a total of
21 questions.
Respondents were called from a nationwide sample of self-reported households with
children 11 to 15 currently living at home.
The sample was purchased strictly for the use of this study, and the interviews were
stratified by gender and age group.
The interviews were conducted between April 11 and April 20, 2000.
The survey has an overall margin of error of ±4.9% at the 95% confidence level.
The margin of error is ±6.9% among the 200 children interviews as well as the 200
parent interviews.
YMCA White House Teen Study Research Findings April 2000
Global Strategy Group, Inc.
611 Broadway
1424 16THStreet, nw
[email protected]
Suite 206
Suite 400
www.globalstrategygroup.com
New York, NY 10012
Washington, DC 20036
212.260.8813 Voice
202.265.4676 Voice
212.260.9058 Fax
202.265.4619 Fax
YMCA White House Teen Conference -- Teen Topline Data Report
200 interviews nationwide among teens 12-15 years old
Interviews were conducted between April 11 - - 20, 2000
The margin of error for this survey is ±6.9%
A.
Will you consent to your child's participation in this research?
100% Yes
B.
May I please speak to your twelve to fifteen year old son or daughter?
100% Yes
C.
Would you like to participate in this research?
100% Yes
Screener
1.
First, in what year were you born?
22% 1985 (15 years old)
36% 1986 (14 years old)
30% 1987 (13 years old)
14% 1988 (12 years old)
GSG~YMCA Parent and Teen Study April 2000
1
Concerns and Free Time
2.
Thinking about issues that concern you, what is the single biggest issue of concern for
your family today?
21%
Education
21%
Not having enough time together
15%
Violence
12%
Drugs and alcohol
3%
Sex
11%
Other
17%
DK/NR
3.
How do you spend the majority of your free time outside of school?
48%
Hanging out with friends
3%
Spending time with family
45%
Athletics/sports
2%
Listening to music
29%
Computers/TV
1%
At a religious organization
19%
Studying/reading
8%
Other
5%
Arts/music/painting
Time
4.
Which of the following best describes how much time you feel your parents have
available to concentrate on quality time with you? Would you say your parents ?
49%
Have more than enough time
31%
Have just enough time, neither too much nor too little
18%
Have some time but need more
2%
Do not have nearly enough time
-
DK/NR
5.
And, approximately how much time do you spend talking with your parents each day?
7%
Less than 30 minutes a day
MEAN: 78.5 MINUTES / DAY
37%
30 minutes to one hour a day
34%
One to two hours a day
21%
Two or more hours a day
1%
DK/NR
GSG~YMCA Parent and Teen Study April 2000
2
6.
Regardless of how much time your parents currently have available, what are some of the
barriers you encounter when trying to spend more time with your parents? Any other
barriers?
34%
They are too busy at work/spend too much time working
25%
Rather spend time with my friends
16%
Too tired or stressed
10%
No one is together at the same time
5%
They are never home
2%
I don't want to spend time with them
10%
Other
10%
DK/NR
7.
Approximately how often do you watch TV without any supervision from your parents?
22%
All the time
39%
Often
25%
Sometimes
12%
Rarely
4%
Never
-
DK/NR
8.
And approximately how often do you use the Internet without any supervision from your
parents?
18%
All the time
28%
Often
13%
Sometimes
14%
Rarely
10%
Never
18%
Do not have access to the internet
1%
DK/NR
Morals and Values
9.
Who or what do you believe has had the biggest influence in shaping or forming your
values?
56%
Parents
26%
Friends
12%
Religious organizations
4%
Teachers and school
1%
The media
1%
DK/NR
GSG~YMCA Parent and Teen Study April 2000
3
10.
Do you agree or disagree that you share the same basic values with your parents?
46%
Strongly agree
TOTAL AGREE:
91%
45%
Somewhat agree
4%
Somewhat disagree
TOTAL DISAGREE: 8%
4%
Strongly disagree
3%
DK/NR
11.
Who or what do you turn to when you need advice on something going on in your life?
Anywhere else?
78%
Parents
4%
School/Teachers
51%
Friends
3%
Church/Priest
14%
Relatives
3%
Other
I'm now going to read you a list of issues, and I'd like you to tell me how often your parents talk
to you about each one. I'd like you to tell me whether your parents talk to you frequently about
each issue, sometimes, only when necessary or if your parents never talk to you about each issue.
12.
Values and beliefs.
41%
Frequently
47%
Sometimes
9%
Rarely
3%
Never
-
DK/NR
13.
Sex.
26%
Frequently
34%
Sometimes
26%
Rarely
13%
Never
1%
DK/NR
14.
Violence.
34%
Frequently
42%
Sometimes
17%
Rarely
8%
Never
-
DK/NR
GSG~YMCA Parent and Teen Study April 2000
4
15.
Dating.
25%
Frequently
38%
Sometimes
26%
Rarely
13%
Never
-
DK/NR
16.
Drugs and alcohol.
35%
Frequently
44%
Sometimes
16%
Rarely
6%
Never
-
DK/NR
17.
Future plans.
46%
Frequently
43%
Sometimes
8%
Rarely
2%
Never
1%
DK/NR
Demographics
I only have a few more questions for statistical purposes only.
18.
During a normal week, approximately how many meals do you eat with at least one of
your parents?
2%
1
MEAN : 8.7 MEALS / WEEK
5%
2
6%
3
5%
4
4%
5
3%
6
3%
7
35%
8
8%
9
5%
10
30%
More than 10
-
DK/NR (DO NOT READ)
GSG~YMCA Parent and Teen Study April 2000
5
19.
Are your parents single and never married, married, widowed, or divorced?
84% Married
11%
Divorced
3%
Widowed
2%
Single
-
DK/NR
A.
CODE GENDER BY OBSERVATION
50%
Male
50%
Female
B.
CODE REGION AREA FROM SAMPLE
27%
East
(ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, CT, NJ, NY, PA, DE, MD, DC)
28%
South
(VA, KY, TN, NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, MS, LA)
24%
Mid-America
(WV, IL, IN, OH, MI, WI, MN, ND, SD, IA, MO, AR,
TX, OK, KS, NE, CO, NM)
21%
West
(AZ, CA, NV, UT, WY, MT, ID, OR, WA)
GSG~YMCA Parent and Teen Study April 2000
6
Global Strategy Group, Inc.
611 Broadway
1424 16THStreet, nw
[email protected]
Suite 206
Suite 400
www.globalstrategygroup.com
New York, NY 10012
Washington, DC 20036
212.260.8813 Voice
202.265.4676 Voice
212.260.9058 Fax
202.265.4619 Fax
YMCA White House Teen Conference - Parent Topline Data Report
200 Interviews Nationwide among Parents
Interviews were conducted between April 11- - 20, 2000
The margin of error for the parent survey is ±6.9%
Screener
1.
First, how many children between the ages of twelve and fifteen do you currently have
living at home with you?
77% One
19%
Two
4%
Three
1%
Four or more
Concerns and Free Time
2.
Thinking about issues that concern you, what is the single biggest issue of concern for
your family today?
24%
Drugs and alcohol
20%
Education
18%
Violence
8%
Not having enough time together
4%
Sex
19%
Other
9%
DK/NR
3.
How does your twelve to fifteen year old teen spend the majority of his or her free time
outside of school?
48%
Athletics/sports
3%
Listening to music
36%
Computers/TV
3%
Arts/music/painting
23%
Hanging out with friends
2%
Working
18%
Studying/Reading
1%
Volunteering/community service
9%
At a community/youth/religious
11%
Other
organization
1%
DK/NR
7%
Spending time with family
GSG~YMCA Parent and Teen Study April 2000
1
Time
4.
Which of the following best describes how much time you personally have available to
concentrate on quality time with your teens? Would you say you personally ?
30%
Have more than enough time
29%
Have just enough time, neither too much nor too little
31%
Have some time but need more
12%
Do not have nearly enough time
-
DK/NR (DO NOT READ)
5.
And, approximately how much time do you spend talking with your teens each day?
4%
Less than 30 minutes a day
MEAN: 85.8 MINUTES / DAY
34%
30 minutes to one hour a day
35%
One to two hours a day
28%
Two more hours a day
-
DK/NR
6.
Regardless of how much time you currently have available, what are some of the barriers
you encounter when trying to spend more time with your teens? Any other barriers?
34%
I'm too busy at work/spend too much time working
15%
They would rather spend time with their friends
13%
Kids don't want to spend time together
12%
No one is together at the same time
9%
They are never home
6%
Too tired or stressed
5%
I don't have that problem
5%
Other
15%
DK/NR
7.
Approximately how often do you keep track of what your teens' watch on TV?
42%
All the time
43%
Often
11%
Sometimes
3%
Rarely
2%
Never
-
DK/NR
GSG~YMCA Parent and Teen Study April 2000
2
8.
And approximately how often do you keep track of your teens' use of the Internet?
45%
All the time
26%
Often
9%
Sometimes
4%
Rarely
3%
Never
14%
Do not have access to the internet
-
DK/NR
Morals and Values
9.
Who or what do you believe has had the biggest influence in shaping or forming your
teens' values?
74%
Parents
11%
Friends
8%
Religious organizations
5%
Teachers and school
2%
The media
1%
Community organizations
1%
DK/NR
10.
Do you agree or disagree that you share the same basic values with your teens?
62%
Strongly agree
TOTAL AGREE:
94%
32%
Somewhat agree
2%
Somewhat disagree
TOTAL DISAGREE: 4%
2%
Strongly disagree
3%
DK/NR
11.
Who or what do you turn to when you need advice on an issue or concern you have with
your teens? Anywhere else?
34%
Parents
4%
Community groups/organizations
30%
Friends
3%
There's no where to go
28%
Relatives
2%
Magazines
22%
Church/Priest
2%
Other
9%
School/Teachers
4%
DK/NR
GSG~YMCA Parent and Teen Study April 2000
3
I'm now going to read you a list of issues, and I'd like you to tell me how often you talk to your
teens about each one. I'd like you to tell me whether you talk to your teens frequently about each
issue, sometimes, only when necessary or if you never talk to your teens about each issue.
12.
Values and beliefs.
64%
Frequently
33%
Sometimes
2%
Rarely
1%
Never
1%
DK/NR
13.
Sex.
38%
Frequently
41%
Sometimes
16%
Rarely
6%
Never
-
DK/NR
14.
Violence.
43%
Frequently
42%
Sometimes
12%
Rarely
3%
Never
1%
DK/NR
15.
Dating.
34%
Frequently
35%
Sometimes
17%
Rarely
12%
Never
3%
DK/NR
GSG~YMCA Parent and Teen Study April 2000
4
16.
Drugs and alcohol.
51%
Frequently
43%
Sometimes
4%
Rarely
3%
Never
-
DK/NR
17.
Future plans.
58%
Frequently
38%
Sometimes
3%
Rarely
1%
Never
-
DK/NR
Demographics
I only have a few more questions for statistical purposes only.
18.
During a normal week, approximately how many meals do you eat with your teens?
8%
1
MEAN: 7.4 MEALS / WEEK
6%
2
5%
3
6%
4
8%
5
7%
6
7%
7
26%
8
7%
9
9%
10
18%
More than 10
2%
Do not eat together
-
DK/NR
GSG~YMCA Parent and Teen Study April 2000
5
19.
How old is each teen, between the ages of 12 and 15, who currently lives at home with
you?
33%
12
MEAN AGE: 13
36%
13
30%
14
30%
15
-
DK/NR
20.
In which of the following categories does your age fall? (READ)
13%
25-34
61%
35-44
24%
45-54
2%
55-64
1%
Refused
21.
Are you single and never married, married, widowed, or divorced?
89%
Married
8%
Divorced
2%
Single
1%
Widowed
-
DK/NR
A.
GENDER
48%
Male
52%
Female
B.
REGION AREA
27%
East
(ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, CT, NJ, NY, PA, DE, MD, DC)
28%
South
(VA, KY, TN, NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, MS, LA)
25%
Mid-America
(WV, IL, IN, OH, MI. WI, MN, ND, SD, IA, MO, AR,
TX, OK, KS, NE, CO, NM)
21%
West
(AZ, CA, NV, UT, WY, MT, ID, OR, WA)
GSG~YMCA Parent and Teen Study April 2000
6
The White House Conference on Teenagers
Breakout Moderator Biographies
Administration Officials
ALEXIS M. HERMAN
Secretary
Department of Labor
Since she was sworn-in May 1, 1997 as the nation's 23rd Secretary of Labor and the first African
American to head the department, Alexis Herman has led the U.S. Department of Labor focusing
its work on three goals: a prepared workforce, a secure workforce and a quality workplace.
Before joining President Clinton's Cabinet, Secretary Herman served in the administration as
assistant to the President and director of the White House Public Liaison Office. In 1992, she
served as the deputy director of the Presidential Transition Office.
As founder and president of A.M. Herman & Associates, she advised state and local
governments, as well as private corporations during the 1980's. An expert on reducing and
eliminating formal and informal labor market barriers, she guided corporations on human
resources issues related to training, mentoring and reducing turnover.
Secretary Herman first joined government during the Carter Administration. Secretary of Labor
Ray Marshall recruited her to serve as director of the Women's Bureau, a Senate confirmed
position in which she became a trusted advisor to Secretary Marshall on workplace policy.
Previously, she was National Director of the Minority Women Employment Program of R-T-P,
Inc. in Atlanta, where she established programs to place minority women in white-collar and
nontraditional jobs.
A native of Mobile, Alabama, Herman began her career as a Catholic Charities social worker,
developing training opportunities for unemployed youth, unskilled workers and new entrants to
the Mobile labor force at Ingall's Shipbuilding, Inc., in Pascagoula, Mississippi. She graduated
from Xavier University in New Orleans in 1969.
RICHARD W. RILEY
Secretary
Department of Education
President Clinton chose Richard Riley to be Secretary in December 1992 after Riley won
national recognition for his highly successful effort to improve education in South Carolina.
During the President's first term, Secretary Riley helped launch historic initiatives to raise
academic standards, improve instruction for the poor and disadvantaged, expand grants and loan
programs to help more Americans go to college, prepare young people for the world of work and
improve teaching. He also helped to create the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education,
which today includes over 4,000 groups.
Secretary Riley's efforts were SO successful that President Clinton asked him to stay on in his
second term to lead the President's national crusade for excellence in education. He and the
President agree that education must be America's number one priority in the years ahead.
Already in the second term, Secretary Riley has helped win an historic ruling by the F.C.C. to
give schools and libraries deep discounts for Internet access and telecommunications services
and helped win major improvements in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Secretary Riley's goals now include helping all children to master the basics of reading and
math, making schools safer, reducing class sizes, modernizing and building new schools, helping
students learn to use computers and expanding after-school programs.
Secretary Riley was born in Greenville County, S. C., on Jan. 2, 1933. He graduated cum laude
from Furman University in 1954 and served as an officer on a U.S. Navy minesweeper. In 1959,
Riley received a law degree from the University of South Carolina. He was a state representative
and state senator from 1963-1977 and was elected governor in 1978 and reelected in 1982.
DONNA E. SHALALA
Secretary
Department of Health and Human Services
In Donna Shalala's seven years as Secretary, the Department has guided the welfare reform
process; made health insurance available to an estimated 2.5 million children through the
approval of 50 state and territory Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP); raised child
immunization rates to the highest levels in history; led the fight against young peoples' use of
tobacco; created national initiatives to fight breast cancer, racial and ethnic health disparities,
and violence against women; and crusaded for better access and better medications to treat
AIDS.
Secretary Shalala is one of the nation's foremost advocates for children and families, and has
made improving the quality of life for America's children her highest priority. Before joining the
Clinton Administration, Secretary Shalala served for more than a decade on the board of the
Children's Defense Fund, succeeding Hillary Rodham Clinton as chair in 1992. As a member of
the 1991 Committee for Economic Development, she contributed to bipartisan reports on the
basic health, welfare, and educational needs of our youngest children.
Throughout her career, Secretary Shalala has been a scholar, teacher, and a public administrator.
As Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1987-1993, she was the first
woman to head a Big Ten University and was named by Business Week as one of the five best
managers in higher education. During her tenure at UW, she helped to raise over $400 million
for the university's endowment and spearheaded a $225 million state-private partnerships
program to renovate and add to the university's research facilities for its world class scientists.
Prior to that, Secretary Shalala served as president of Hunter College for eight years, and as an
Assistant Secretary at the Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Carter
Administration. From 1975-1977, she served as Treasurer of New York City's Municipal
Assistance Corporation, the organization that helped rescue the city from the brink of
bankruptcy. An acknowledged scholar of state and local government and finance, Secretary
Shalala earned her Ph.D. from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse
University in 1970. She has also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Iran.
JANICE R. LACHANCE
Director
Office of Personnel Management
Janice R. Lachance is the Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). She was
sworn-in as Director by Vice President Al Gore on December 10, 1997, after a unanimous
confirmation by the U.S. Senate on November 9.
Prior to becoming the agency's Director, Ms. Lachance was appointed OPM's Director of
Communications in 1993 and its Director of Communications and Policy from 1994 to 1996.
Ms. Lachance subsequently served as OPM's Chief of Staff from 1996 - 1997. She was
appointed Deputy Director by President Clinton in August 1997 and served briefly in that
position before assuming the position of Acting Director.
From 1987 until she came to OPM, Janice Lachance served as the Director of Communications
and Political Affairs for the American Federation of Government Employees, AFLCIO, where
she directed the political, media and public affairs programs for the nation's largest federal
employee union. Her early career includes extensive Congressional experience, including
Communications Director for Congressman Tom Daschle (D-SD), Administrative Assistant to
Congresswoman Katie Hall (D-IN) and Staff Director and Counsel for the House Small Business
Subcommittee on Antitrust and Restraint of Trade.
Born in Biddeford, Maine, Ms. Lachance holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Manhattanville
College, Purchase, New York, and a Law degree from Tulane University School of Law, New
Orleans, Louisiana.
ERIC H. HOLDER JR.
Deputy Attorney General
Department of Justice
Eric Holder began his career of public service by joining the Department of Justice as part of the
Attorney General's Honors Program. He was assigned to the newly formed Public Integrity
Section in 1976 and was tasked to investigate and prosecute official corruption on the local, state
and federal levels. In 1988, Deputy Attorney General Holder was nominated by the President to
become an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
In 1993, President Clinton nominated Mr. Holder to become the United States Attorney for the
District of Columbia. Mr. Holder was confirmed in October of that year and served as the head
of the largest U.S. Attorney's Office in the nation for nearly four years. As U.S. Attorney, Mr.
Holder created a new Domestic Violence Unit, implemented a community prosecution pilot
project to work hand-in-hand with residents and local government agencies in order to make
neighborhoods safer, supported a renewed enforcement emphasis on hate crimes SO that criminal
acts of intolerance will be severely punished, developed a comprehensive strategy to improve the
manner in which agencies handle cases involving the abuse of children, launched a new
community outreach program to reconnect the U.S. Attorney's Office with the citizens it serves,
and developed "Operation Ceasefire," an initiative designed to reduce violent crime by getting
guns out of the hands of criminals.
On April 14, 1997, President Clinton nominated Mr. Holder to be the Deputy Attorney General.
As Deputy Attorney General, Mr. Holder is responsible for the supervision of the day-to-day
operation of the Department of Justice. He is now the highest ranking African American in law
enforcement in the history of the United States. Deputy Attorney General Holder is active in the
organization Concerned Black Men, which seeks to help the youth of the District of Columbia
with the problems they face.
Deputy Attorney General Holder received his undergraduate degree from Columbia College and
his law degree from Columbia Law School.
DR. DONALD R. VEREEN, JR.
Deputy Director
Office of National Drug Control Policy
Donald Vereen began duties as ONDCP Deputy Director on June 1, 1998. Prior to that time, he
served as Special Assistant to the Director for Medical Affairs at the National Institutes of
Health (NIH), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
During his tenure at NIH, Dr. Vereen worked on the development of new research strategies to
address public health issues like violence, drug abuse, and addiction. From 1992-1994 while at
the National Institute of Mental Health, he was charged with the development of community-
based research projects on violence. Dr. Vereen carried this interest over to the National
Institute on Drug Abuse where he worked on interdisciplinary research projects dealing with the
causes and consequences of drug abuse. This work lead to the development of research
partnerships within NIDA, NIH, and HHS as well as with other institutions, most notably the
Departments of Justice and Education. In addition, he was appointed to represent NIH on the
District of Columbia Task Force on Health Affairs and worked with the Mayor's Health Policy
Council.
Dr. Vereen was born on Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. After graduating from
Harvard College in 1980 with an A.B. in biology, he attended Tufts University School of
Medicine in Boston where he received his M.D. degree. He then completed an internship in
internal medicine at Salem Hospital, followed by a residency in psychiatry at Massachusetts
General Hospital where he was appointed Chief Resident. His post-graduate work included a
Masters in Public Health (M.P.H.) at the Harvard School of Public Health, an associate
fellowship in health services research at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and Hygiene,
and a research fellowship in "Clinically Relevant Medical Anthropology" in the Department of
Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Vereen has held membership and leadership positions in several professional societies. He
serves on the board of directors of a number of District of Columbia health organizations.
HARRIS WOFFORD
Chief Executive Officer
Corporation for National Service
Head of the Corporation for National Service since the fall of 1995, Harris Wofford has
dedicated much of his career to the goal of making citizen service a common expectation and
experience for all Americans. As a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania from 1991 to 1994, he
played a key role in both crafting and working to pass the trailblazing legislation that created the
Corporation with broad bi-partisan support.
Wofford's role in The Presidents' Summit for America's Future is in keeping with that bi-
partisan spirit. A national service summit was the brainchild of former Michigan Governor
George Romney, who shared his vision with Wofford shortly after Wofford was named as the
Corporation's CEO. Wofford and Points of Light Foundation President Bob Goodwin agreed to
enlist their organizations in initiating the unprecedented meeting. What has become the
Presidents' Summit was born. Romney did not live to see the realization of his dream, but he
died knowing that the Summit would go forward.
Since helping to launch the Peace Corps in 1961 under the Kennedy Administration, Wofford
has been in the forefront of the nation's service movement. In the 1970s, he formed and chaired
a panel to study the idea of national service, which in 1979 produced the landmark report Youth
and the Needs of the Nation In 1987, as Pennsylvania's Secretary of Labor and Industry, he
established and led Governor Robert Casey's Office of Citizen Service, which promoted school-
based service-learning and youth corps, and managed the Pennsylvania Conservation Corps.
In 1993, then-Senator Wofford worked with President Clinton's task force, headed by Eli Segal,
on both drafting and passing the National and Community Service Trust Act, which created
AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National Service.
Wofford played a key role in the civil rights movement with Dr. Martin Luther King. Under
President Eisenhower, he was counsel to the Rev. Theodore Hesburgh of Notre Dame on the
first U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. In the Kennedy years, he was a Special Assistant to the
President and chaired the subcabinet group on civil rights. While on the White House staff,
Wofford helped Sargent Shriver plan and organize the Peace Corps and in 1962, he became the
Peace Corps' Special Representative to Africa and director of its large Ethiopia program. In the
Johnson Administration, he took on the post of Peace Corps Associate Director.
Wofford has been both a law professor and president of two colleges, the State University
of New York at Old Westbury and of Bryn Mawr College. An alumnus of the University of
Chicago, and both Howard University and Yale Law Schools, he has also practiced law and
authored several books, including Of Kennedys and Kings.
Members of Congress
Confirmed (4/30/00)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA)
Currently serving his third term as United States Senator from Massachusetts, John F. Kerry has
consistently shown independence and leadership in challenging Washington to respond to the
concerns of all Americans.
Senator Kerry was born on December 11, 1943. He graduated from Yale University in 1966 and
then enlisted in the Navy, becoming an officer on a gunboat in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.
Among the decorations he received for his service are a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, and three
Purple Hearts. He also received two Presidential Unit Citations and a National Defense Service
medal. Upon his return home, he became an active leader of the Vietnam Veterans Against the
War and a co-founder of the Vietnam Veterans of America.
Senator Kerry graduated from Boston College Law School in 1976, then worked as an Assistant
District Attorney in Middlesex County. He was elected Lieutenant Governor in 1982 and elected
to the Senate in 1984. Over the years, Senator Kerry has worked to ensure that all Americans
have access to a good education, a clean environment, safe streets, and a decent wage that honors
hard work. He has fought to balance the budget responsibly, create a regulatory environment
friendly to small business, and prepare the United States to meet the new demands of
international economic competition.
Senator Kerry believes that government has a proper role in safeguarding vital services for our
neediest citizens, young or old. He also believes that any American working diligently day after
day to put food on the table should be able to earn a livable wage. In the last year alone he has
fought to protect Medicare, expand health coverage for children not covered by Medicaid, and
increase the Federal minimum wage from $4.15 to $5.25.
As a member of the Senate Commerce and Foreign Relations Committees, Senator Kerry is
deeply involved in the effort to develop better ways for American companies to access
international markets so they can create more jobs at home. He authored legislation to create
new incentives for investment in start-up companies and to promote advanced and
environmental technologies. He successfully pushed legislation for targeted preferential capital
gains treatment of permanent research and development tax credit. Since coming to the Senate,
he has sought prudent reform of U.S. export controls.
REP. RUBÉN HINOJOSA (D-TX)
Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX) was first elected to represent Texas' 15th Congressional District in
November 1996. Prior to his being elected to the 105th Congress, Congressman Hinojosa served
twenty years as President and Chief Financial Officer of a family-owned food processing
company, H&H Foods. With over 300 employees, H&H has received national awards of
recognition by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Small Business Administration.
The Congressman serves on two House committees, Education and the Workforce, and Small
Business. His Education Committee assignment and his appointment to chair the Congressional
Hispanic Caucus Education Task Force, were critical to the success of his first major legislative
initiative entitled "The Higher Education for the 21st Century Act." This bill secured an
increased authorized funding level of $62.5 million for Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs),
enhanced visibility of HSIs within the Higher Education Act, relaxed the restrictions for
institutional eligibility for HSI designation and improved the ways and financial means by which
HSIs strengthen curriculum development, academic instruction, mentoring, and college libraries.
As a member of the House Small Business Committee, Congressman Hinojosa has been very
active on the Tax, Finance, and Exports Subcommittee as well as the Subcommittee on
Government Programs and Oversight. He increased access to capital and loans for small
businesses, removed tax and regulatory burdens and promoted business growth and opportunity
in economically depressed areas through new and improved SBA government programs. He also
led a successful effort to create a Womens' Business Center at the University of Texas-Edinburg.
Born in Edcouch, Congressman Hinojosa attended Mercedes High School and earned a BBA and
an MBA from the University of Texas in Austin and in Edinburg, respectively.
REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE (D-TX)
Sheila Jackson Lee's swearing-in as a Member of the 106th Congress marks her
third term in the U.S House of Representatives where she continues to be an highly active
member of Congress, pursuing and successfully achieving a number of legislative objectives.
She has distinguished herself as a staunch defender of the Constitution, civil rights and
African-American interests.
Congresswoman Jackson Lee, a veteran of both corporate and private law practice, is a
member of the House Committee on the Judiciary where she serves on the subcommittees
on Crime and Immigration and Claims. She was recently appointed as the Ranking Member of
the Immigration and Claims subcommittee. This role establishes her as one of the key
policymakers on immigration matters.
In addition, the Congresswoman is also a member of the Committee on Science, where she
serves on the subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics. In recognition of her outstanding
contributions to Science, the National Technical Association (NTA) of Scientists and
Engineers honored the Congresswoman as one of their 1998 TOP Women in the Sciences.
During her tenure in Congress, Congresswoman Jackson Lee has served as a member of
the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues, the
Congressional Black Caucus, The Aeronautics and Space Caucus, and House Democratic
Caucus Task Forces on Hunger, Welfare Reform, House Internet Caucus, Economic
Renewal, Affirmative Action and Travel and Tourism. In addition, she is the founder and
chairperson of the Congressional Children's Caucus. This caucus continues to advocate on behalf
of children nationwide.
Before her election to Congress, she served two terms as one of the first African American
female At-Large members of the Houston City Council. Prior to her Council service, she was an
Associate Municipal Court Judge for the City of Houston.
Congresswoman Jackson Lee received her undergraduate degree from Yale University,
graduating from the Honors Program in Political Science. She went on to receive her Juris
Doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law.
REP. ELLEN TAUSCHER (D-CA)
Ellen Tauscher, a Democrat representing California's 10th Congressional district, launched her
career in public service by winning election in a Republican district in San Francisco's East Bay
suburbs. As a New Democrat and Blue Dog representing a key swing district, she has made her
mark as a moderate in California and in Washington, DC. Her fiscally responsible, bi-partisan,
independent brand of leadership was coined "Tauscherism" by Time Magazine. During her first
term in office, she was selected Co-Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign
Committee (DCCC) and currently is one of only two women to hold a leadership post among
House Democrats.
For those who have known Congresswoman Tauscher, her short path to leadership is nothing
new. At just 25 years of age, she was the youngest woman to hold a seat on the New York Stock
Exchange for Bache Securities. During 14 years on Wall Street, she also joined current SEC
chairman Arthur Leavitt as an officer of the American Stock Exchange.
Congresswoman Tauscher has used her leadership posts and her 20 years of private-sector
business experience to serve the working families and businesses in her district. An author and
advocate on child care issues before serving in Congress, she wrote the Democrats'
comprehensive bill to guarantee America's working families safe, affordable and accessible
child care. She also introduced the State Infrastructure Banks for Schools Act to provide
innovative approaches to rebuild our nation's aging schools and libraries. As the co-chair of the
NDC's Entitlement Reform Task Force, she participated in the White House Conference on
saving Social Security and has been appointed by her peers to co-chair the Democratic Caucus
Task Force on Campaign Finance Reform.
Congresswoman Tauscher earned a degree in Early Childhood Education from Seton Hall
University. A proud resident of Tassajara Valley, California, she has one daughter, Katherine.
After moving to California in 1989, she founded the ChildCare Registry -- the first national
research service to help parents verify the background of child care workers. She published her
first book, The ChildCare Sourcebook, to help working parents make informed decisions about
their own child-care needs.
Additional Members to be Confirmed
The White House Conference on Teenagers
Speaker Biographies
Morning Program and Breakouts
SARAH AUSTIN
Student
Decatur High School, Atlanta
Sarah Austin is a 15-year-old sophomore at Decatur High School, near Atlanta. She has served
as president of her school's Gay-Straight Alliance for two years and is also on the school
newspaper staff. She is involved in several community action groups, including the Gay, Lesbian
& Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and Youthpride Atlanta. Ms. Austin lives in Atlanta
with her mother and two sisters.
ZOË BAIRD
President
Markle Foundation
Zoë Baird is president of the Markle Foundation, an organization that works to realize the
potential of communications, media and information technology to improve the quality of life
for all Americans. The Markle Foundation pursues its goals through a range of activities,
including analysis, research, public information and the development of innovative media
products and services. Markle creates and operates many of its own projects - using not only
grants but also investments and strategic alliances with non-profits and businesses.
Ms. Baird was recently senior vice president and general counsel of Aetna Inc. She has also
served as associate counsel to President Jimmy Carter, attorney in the Office of Legal Counsel of
the U.S. Department of Justice and law clerk to U.S. District Judge Albert Wollenberg in San
Francisco. In 1993, President Clinton appointed her to the President's Foreign Intelligence
Advisory Board. Ms. Baird founded and currently chairs the nonprofit organization Lawyers for
Children America, which addresses the impact of violence on children.
Ms. Baird holds a law degree from the University of California at Berkeley's Boalt School of
Law and an undergraduate degree from Berkeley with majors in communications and public
policy and political science.
SUSAN NALL BALES
President
Frame Works Institute
Susan Nall Bales is president of the Frame Works Institute, a project of the College University
Resource Institute in Washington, D.C., which conducts communications research on social
issues. Current projects involve interdisciplinary teams of scholars working on public
perceptions and media portrayals of adolescence, global issues, violence prevention, gender
equity and other children's issues. This work is supported in part by the Annie E. Casey
Foundation, the Caroline and Sigmund Schott Foundation, the Aspen Institute and the W.T.
Grant Foundation.
Ms. Bales is a founder of the Coalition for America's Children and helped create the "Who's for
Kids and Who's Just Kidding?" campaign. She serves on the board of the National Funding
Collaborative for Violence Prevention, is a fellow of the Advocacy Institute, and is a member of
the Adolescence 21st Century Study Group of the Society for Research on Adolescence.
For six years, she served as director of Strategic Communications and Children's Issues at the
Benton Foundation, where she was the founding editor of www.connectforkids.org, an award-
winning website on children's policy issues. She is editor of Effective Language for Discussing
Early Childhood Education and Policy (1998) and Effective Language for Communicating
Children's Issues (1999). Ms. Bales received her M.A. degree from Middlebury College and
B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles.
PETER L. BENSON
President
Search Institute
Dr. Peter Benson is president of Search Institute in Minneapolis, a national nonprofit research
organization dedicated to promoting the well-being of children and adolescents. As a lecturer,
author, researcher and consultant, Dr. Benson's work focuses on strengthening communities,
social institutions and public policy on behalf of America's youth. His research and writing
have generated new thinking and action in hundreds of cities across the United States on how
communities can mobilize and unite to raise healthy, successful and caring children and
adolescents.
Dr. Benson is an adjunct professor in the Department of Educational Policy and Administration
at the University of Minnesota and is the author of nine books on children, adolescents and the
community forces that shape their lives. His books include Beyond Leaf Raking: Learning to
Serve, Serving to Learn; What Kids Need to Succeed; All Kids are Our Kids: What Communities
Must Do to Raise Caring and Responsible Children and Adolescents; and The Fragile
Foundation: The State of Developmental Assets among American Youth.
He received his B.A. at Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois; an M.A. from Yale University;
and both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in social psychology from the University of Denver. He
joined Search Institute in 1978 following academic appointments at Eastern Michigan University
and Earlham College, and has been president since 1985. In 1991, he received the William
James Award for career contributions to psychology from the American Psychological
Association.
ROBERT Wm BLUM
Director, Division of General Pediatrics & Adolescent Health
University of Minnesota
Robert Blum is director of the Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, and
director of the WHO Collaborating Center in Adolescent Health, both at the University of
Minnesota. He was co-investigator for the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health
(Add Health), a study of adolescents in grades 7 through 12, designed to measure the social
settings of adolescent lives, the ways in which adolescents connect to their social world and the
influence of these social settings and connections on health.
Dr. Blum was the 1998 American Public Health Association's Needleman Award recipient for
"scientific research and courageous advocacy for children." He is a past president of the Society
for Adolescent Medicine and currently serves as chair of the Alan Guttmacher Institute Board of
Directors and on the Scientific Panel of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Dr.
Blum's research interests include adolescent sexuality, chronic illness and international
adolescent health care issues. He has edited two books and has written over 180 journal articles
and numerous special reports.
In addition to his M.D. from Howard University College of Medicine, Dr. Blum has a Masters in
Public Health in Maternal and Child Health, and a doctorate in Health Policy, both from the
University of Minnesota. Dr. Blum also acts as a consultant to the World Health Organization,
Pan American Health Organization and UNICEF.
GENE BOTTOMS
Senior Vice President
Southern Regional Education Board
Gene Bottoms is director of the Southern Regional Education Board's High Schools That Work
program, the largest effort in the United States to improve high schools for career-bound
students. Currently, over 950 high schools in 22 states are participants in the program, and many
more are adopting the goals and key practices of the program.
Prior to his work with SREB, Mr. Bottoms served as executive director of the American
Vocational Association, where he emphasized academics in vocational education. He has also
served as director of Educational Improvement for the Georgia Department of Education, where
he oversaw improvement efforts in the same field. Mr. Bottoms has also been a local school
teacher, principal, and guidance counselor.
In 1995, Secretary of Education Richard Riley appointed Mr. Bottoms to the National
Educational Research Policy and Priorities Board. This board helps to create and evaluate a
national consensus with respect to a long-term agenda for educational research, development and
dissemination. In the same year, he received the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education, an
award presented annually to individuals who have made significant contributions to the
advancement of knowledge through education.
STANLEY J. BOTTS
Senior Specialist, Office of Ethics and Corporate Compliance
Bell Atlantic
Stanley Botts is a senior specialist in the Office of Ethics and Corporate Compliance of Bell
Atlantic. He began his career with C&P Telephone Company in 1981 as an account executive
and held positions in product management and external affairs prior to his current position at
Bell Atlantic. Mr. Botts has held various positions in the federal government and District of
Columbia Government, including 13 years in management positions at the Office of Personnel
Management and D.C. Government. He is involved in numerous company, community and civic
activities with local school districts, college alumni and local county leadership programs.
Mr. Botts received his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Central State
University in Ohio.
JEFFERY L. BROWN
Co-Founder
Ten Point Coalition
Reverend Jeffrey Brown is co-founder of the Boston Ten Point Coalition, which was started in
1992. The Ten Point Coalition is an ecumenical group of Christian clergy and lay leaders
working to mobilize the Christian community around issues affecting black youth--especially at-
risk youth issues such as violence, drug abuse and other destructive behaviors.
In 1997, Reverend Brown helped launch the national Ten Point Leadership Foundation, an
umbrella organization for churches interested in the Ten Point Plan. In 1999, Brown founded
Ten Point International, designed with the same mission and focus as its parent organization. It
serves as a technical resource entity for churches and faith-based groups around the world. In
addition, Reverend Brown created Positive EDGE in 1993, which provides city street advocacy,
court advocacy and outreach ministry for at-risk youth.
Reverend Brown is a Master of Divinity graduate of the Andover Newton Theological School.
He also attended Harvard Divinity School, concentrating in American Church History. He is a
recipient of numerous awards commending him on his dedication to the betterment and security
of his community including the national Lyndhurst Prize for Outstanding Leadership and
Community Service. He is the author of several articles on religion, youth and violence, a
columnist for the Cambridge Chronicle, and is currently writing a book on the importance of
innovative faith-based institutions in confronting violence and rebuilding community.
SARAH S. BROWN
Director
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
Sarah Brown is director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, a private and
independent initiative organized in 1996 to stimulate and support actions nationwide to reduce
adolescent pregnancy. Prior to joining the Campaign, she was a senior study director at the
Institute of Medicine, where she completed a major study on unintended pregnancy, resulting in
the report, "The Best Intentions: Unintended Pregnancy and the Well-Being of Children and
Families." While at the Institute, she directed other projects on topics related to maternal and
child health.
Ms. Brown serves on the boards of several organizations, including the Alan Guttmacher
Institute, and is a member of the Early Life and Adolescent Health Policy Working Group of
Harvard University. She is on several advisory councils, including Teen People Magazine, the
Division of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at the Institute of Medicine, the
Department of Maternal and Child Health at Johns Hopkins University and the Maternal and
Child Health Advisory Council of the March of Dimes. Ms. Brown has received numerous
awards, including the John MacQueen award for excellence in maternal and child health from
the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs and the Martha May Elliot Award of the
American Public Health Association for unusual achievement in the field of maternal and child
health.
Ms. Brown holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Stanford University and the
University of North Carolina. She has recently been elected to Delta Omega, the public health
honorary society.
JIM BROWNE
Director
GetNetWise.org
Jim Browne is the director of GetNetWise.org, a service brought to the public by internet
industry corporations and public interest organizations to help ensure that families have safe,
constructive, educational and entertaining online experiences. Prior to directing GetNetWise, he
served as co-director of New Initiatives at the Communications Consortium Media Center,
which serves to make both electronic and print media available to nonprofit organizations and
collectively helps them use "strategic media" to advance common issues. At CCMC, Mr.
Browne launched the Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities, a major effort to
recognize and address learning disabilities in children.
Previously, Mr. Browne was the senior program officer of the Field Foundation of New York,
where he focused on youth development, voter participation, and issues of civil liberties. Mr.
Browne was also a senior fellow at the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial where he helped to conduct
an inquiry into the state of high school journalism for the Memorial.
GEOFFREY CANADA
President & CEO
Rheedlen Centers for Children & Families
Geoffrey Canada has been president and Chief Executive Officer of the Rheedlen Centers for
Children and Families since 1990. Rheedlen's mission is to contribute to the renewal of some of
New York City's most devastated communities by providing quality preventive social services to
children, families and their neighborhoods. Among its many activities is demonstrating the
correlation between child abuse, neglect and dropping out of school and a later life of
dependency.
Mr. Canada enjoys a national reputation as both an advocate for children and expert on issues
concerning violence, children and community redevelopment. He is the acclaimed author of Fist
Stick Knife Gun: A Personal History of Violence in America, and was the recipient of the first
Heinz Award in 1994 for his passionate concern for children and his selfless determination to
make their lives safer and saner. The Robin Hood Foundation's Heroes of the Year Award and
Bowdoin College's Common Good Award have also recognized him for his dedicated work.
Mr. Canada is the founder of the Chang Moo Kwan Martial Arts School, a nationally recognized
model for violence prevention efforts. Prominent among his many efforts are Rheeden's Beacon
School, Harlem Peacemakers Program and Community Pride Initiative. His newest initiative is
the Harlem Children's Zone, which will work with all of the children and families in a 23-block
area in Central Harlem. In addition, he serves as the East Coast Regional Coordinator for the
Black Community Crusade for Children. He holds a B.A. from Bowdoin College and an M.A. in
Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
KEN R. CANFIELD
President & Founder
National Center for Fathering
Ken Canfield is president and founder of the National Center for Fathering, a Kansas City-based
nonprofit education and research center dedicated to inspiring and equipping men to be
responsible fathers. A research scholar specializing in the area of fatherhood and the history of
the family, he serves as a consultant to state and local community officials on ways to engage
and equip fathers in local programming. In addition to his work with the National Center for
Fathering, he is one of the founding members of Vice President Gore's "Father to Father"
initiative.
Dr. Canfield is the author of books and magazine articles on fathering skills and research,
including the award-winning 1992 Seven Secrets of Effective Fathers, and has been interviewed
on numerous television and radio programs about his work. In conjunction with a number of
scholars, he developed the Personal Fathering Profile, one of the largest ongoing databases on
fathering in the country and a tool for men to inventory their strengths and opportunities as
fathers.
Dr. Canfield received his bachelor's degree from Friends University in Kansas, an M.C.S.
degree from the University of British Columbia - Regent College, and his Ph.D. in education
from Kansas State University. In 1993 the National Congress for Men and Children awarded
Father of the Year to Dr. Canfield.
J. BEN CASEY, JR.
President
YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas
J. Ben Casey is the President of the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas, which serves 259,000
members in the Greater Dallas area, 25 percent of area families. One of the largest YMCA's in
the United States, the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas is a human care organization based on
Christian values that promotes, through its programs, the physical, emotional and spiritual well-
being of individuals of all religions, races, ages and communities. Mr. Casey oversees 22 branch
locations and 145 program centers that serve five counties. Mr. Casey also participates in
administering the Dallas Coalition for character values and the Mayor's Summer Youth
employment program.
Mr. Casey is the son of a Voice of America U.S.I.A engineer and grew up in the Philippines and
Munich, Germany. He received his B.A. degree in Psychology at the University of California,
Los Angeles and M.A. degree in Counseling at Chapman College.
BRANDI CHAPPLE
Student
Trinity College, Washington D.C.
Brandi Chapple is an 18-year-old freshman at Trinity College, where she is the president of her
class and is pursuing a double major in Spanish and Communications and a minor in
International Studies. She serves on the Youth Leadership Team for the National Campaign to
Prevent Teen Pregnancy through which she has given numerous speeches on how to reduce teen
pregnancy. Ms. Chapple is also a co-host of Black Entertainment Television's "Teen Summit,"
a teen talk show that focuses on various issues of interest to teens. She is a native of Laurel,
Maryland.
GABRIELLA CONTRERAS
Student
Roskruge Elementary and Middle School, Tucson, AZ
Gabriella Contreras is an eighth grader at Roskruge Elementary and Middle School in Tucson,
Arizona. Having witnessed firsthand the horrors of school violence when drug-related riots
broke out opposite her school's playground in third grade, she founded Be Alert and Don't Do
Drugs (BADDD), a community-service club whose motto is "Even as youth we can make a
positive difference in our home, neighborhood, school and community." She has taken this
message beyond her school, serving as the Arizona Youth Delegate at the President's Summit
for America's Future in 1997, and by organizing a citywide Youth Summit in Tucson.
Most recently, Ms. Contreras led a community-wide peace march involving more than 500
people in response to local copy-cat violence that occurred following the Littleton tragedy. She
also serves on several national boards, including the 4-H Council, and is a representative for the
Department of Health and Human Service's "Girl Power!" initiative, a national public education
campaign to encourage girls 9 to 14 years of age to make the most of their lives.
Ms. Contreras has received more than $30,000 in scholarship funds for her community service.
ROBERT J. DAVIS
President & CEO
Lycos, Inc.
Robert J. Davis, president and Chief Executive Officer of Lycos, Inc., was the company's first
employee in June 1995. Since that time Davis has transformed Lycos from an Internet search
engine to one of the most powerful Internet hubs and media companies worldwide. In less than
four years, Davis has led Lycos from a company with $2 million in venture capital to a multi-
billion dollar business. In addition to Lycos, he serves on the board of directors of Boston
College High School, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, the Massachusetts Interactive
Media Council and The Man.com.
Through a string of strategic partnerships and investments, along with eight major acquisitions,
Mr. Davis has led Lycos in developing the Lycos Network, a pioneering Web media model that
delivers mass reach and diversity of audience and programming. This community-based,
integrated network of complementary websites and entities includes three top 10 websites and is
one of the most visited hubs on the Internet, being used by one out of every two web users each
month.
Mr. Davis holds a Bachelor of Science degree, summa cum laude, from Northeastern University
and an MBA, with high distinction, from Babson College.
DANNY DEVITO
Writer, Director, Actor and Producer
Danny DeVito is a prolific actor with upcoming appearances in four films. In addition, he is a
filmmaker who directs, writes and produces. He is also the co-founder of Jersey Films.
Mr. DeVito started his career on stage and eventually was cast as Martini in the production of
"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," a role that would lead to many others. Like many
accomplished actors, DeVito became an "overnight success" after years of hard work. He has
accrued numerous credits in television, cable and film and has won a Golden Globe and Emmy.
He is now considered one of the entertainment industry's most successful filmmakers.
With his wife, Rhea Perlman, DeVito helped found the Colonnades Theater Lab and is also
involved in the Children's Action Network
Mr. DeVito graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
ANGELA DIAZ
Professor
Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center
Angela Diaz is a professor and vice chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Mount Sinai School
of Medicine where she is responsible for the Division of General Pediatrics and the Division of
Adolescent Medicine. She is also director of Health Services for the Children's Aid Society of
New York.
Dr. Diaz served as a White House Fellow in 1995, where she examined health care policies in
the U.S. Territories in the Pacific and the Caribbean. She has been very involved in issues of
international health, as well as advocacy issues and policy in the United States. Her research has
covered adolescent reproductive health, teen pregnancy prevention, childhood sexual
victimization and adolescents in the Juvenile Justice System. Dr. Diaz has been the recipient of
numerous honors and awards and has authored a number of professional articles. She received
her medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and her
postdoctoral training from the Mt Sinai School of Medicine.
JACQUELYNNE S. ECCLES
Wilbert McKeachie Collegiate Professor of Psychology
University of Michigan
Jacquelynne Eccles is the Wilbert McKeachie Collegiate Professor of Psychology, Women's
Studies and Education, as well as a research scientist at the Institute for Social Research at the
University of Michigan. She also serves as the Interim Chair of Psychology at the University of
Michigan. Over the last 30 years, she has conducted research on a wide variety of topics
including gender-role socialization, teacher expectancies, classroom influences on student
motivation and social development in the family and school context. Much of this work has
focused on the adolescent periods of life when health-compromising behaviors such as smoking
dramatically increase.
Dr. Eccles has served as the past chair of the Advisory Committee for the Social, Behavioral and
Economic Directorate at the National Science Foundation. She is a member of the MacArthur
Foundation Network on Successful Adolescent Development and Chair of the MacArthur
Foundation on Successful Pathways through Middle Childhood. Dr. Eccles has been the
associate editor of Child Development and is co-author of Women and Sex-Roles and Managing
to Succeed. She received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the University of
California, Los Angeles in 1974. Dr. Eccles has served on the faculty at Smith College, the
University of Colorado, and the University of Michigan.
JAY ENGELN
MetLife/NASSP National Principal of the Year 2000
William J. Palmer High School, Colorado Springs, CO
Jay Engeln is principal of William J. Palmer High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is
also the MetLife/NASSP National Principal of the Year 2000.
In 1974, Mr. Engeln began his career in education as a science teacher and soccer coach in
Colorado Springs. He taught biology and environment science at Mitchell High School and
human anatomy and physiology at Doherty High School, always placing strong emphasis on
student interaction and involvement in the learning experience. While at Doherty High School,
Engeln was a finalist for Colorado Teacher of the Year. He organized the first high school
soccer team in Colorado Springs and in 1985 was named National High School Soccer Coach of
the Year.
In 1993, Mr. Engeln was named principal of William J. Palmer High School. The school,
located in the heart of downtown Colorado Springs, included aging buildings, a declining and
transient population base, a ninth grade failure rate of 45 percent, an overall student dropout rate
8.4 percent and a negative image within the community. Mr. Engeln felt strongly that as the
principal, his role was to provide direction and support for initiatives that focused on improving
student achievement through the creation of programs that met all students needs. Under his
leadership and with the dedicated support of staff, students and community members, enrollment
has almost doubled since Engeln assumed the role of principal, construction projects are
underway to provide new and better facilities, graduation rates have steadily increased, dropout
rates have declined and test scores (ACT/SAT and TAP) are consistently among the highest in
any public or private school in the region.
In addition, Mr. Engeln has been involved in several unusual methods to obtain support for
school programs. Last year, Engeln rode his bicycle 324 miles across the state of Colorado to
raise money for programs at the school.
Mr. Engeln received his undergraduate degree in biology from Colorado College. He continued
his education at the University of Colorado to receive his Master's degree in Science Education.
ELLEN GALINSKY
President & Co-Founder
Families and Work Institute
Ellen Galinsky is the president and co-founder of the Families and Work Institute, a Manhattan-
based nonprofit organization conducting research on the changing family, workplace and
community. Ms. Galinsky co-authored the 1997 National Study of the Changing Workforce, a
nationally representative study of the U.S. workforce updated every five years, and the 1998
Business Work-Life Study, revealing the trends and prevalence of business initiatives that
support the family and personal life of employees.
As a leading authority on work-family issues, she was a presenter at the 1997 White House
Conference on Child Care and appears regularly on television and in the media. Ms. Galinsky is
the program director of the annual work-life conference co-convened by the Conference Board
and Families and Work Institute. As a past president of the National Association for the
Education of Young Children, she has also served on many boards, commissions and task forces.
Her work with numerous companies and governments extends globally.
For 25 years Ms. Galinsky was on the faculty at the Bank Street College of Education, where she
helped establish the field of work and family life. She has authored over 20 books and reports
and published more than 100 articles in academic journals, academic books and magazines. Her
newest book, Ask the Children, is considered a landmark investigation of how to succeed at work
and parenting.
Ms. Galinsky received her B.A. in child studies at Vassar University and an M.S. in Child
Development from Bank Street College. She holds a New York State Teacher Certificate.
LATOYA GARDNER
Student
Maplewood Comprehensive High School, Nashville, TN
Latoya Gardner is a junior at Maplewood Comprehensive High School and has been an active
member and volunteer at the YMCA of Nashville and Middle Tennessee. She volunteers with
the YMCA's P-TAP (Positive Theory Awareness Program) and Teen Leadership Council.
The YMCA's P-TAP is an arts program that enables teens to communicate to other teens about
making good choices in difficult circumstances through drama, dance and music performances.
The YMCA's Teen Leadership Council is made up of teen leaders from the Nashville area's 19
YMCA's and features teen leadership weekends, educational sessions and citywide community
service projects.
Ms. Gardner is a member of her school's track and tennis teams. She also serves as a member of
the National Honor Society and ROTC.
JAY N. GIEDD
Chief of Brain Imaging at the Child Psychiatry Branch
National Institute of Mental Health
Jay Giedd is chief of Brain Imaging at the Child Psychiatry Branch of the National Institute of Mental
Health, where he is using magnetic resonance imaging to study brain development in healthy and
unhealthy children and adolescents. He is also a practicing clinician and is board certified in General
Psychiatry and Geriatric Psychiatry as well as Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Dr. Giedd has written extensively in medical and science journals on the biological basis of behavioral,
cognitive, and emotional disturbances, and lectures nationally and internationally on these topics. His
publications include works on autism, depression, dyslexia, eating disorders, learning disabilities and
pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcus, Sydenham's chorea,
and Tourette's syndrome. He has also published seminal papers in the areas of attention
deficit/hyperactivity disorder and childhood-onset schizophrenia. Dr. Giedd's recent work has focused
on healthy brain development and the factors that guide and influence this process.
KENNETH L. GLADISH
Chief Executive Officer
YMCA of the USA
Kenneth Gladish is the chief executive officer of the YMCA of the USA. He joined the YMCA
after serving six years as executive director of the Indianapolis Foundation and William E.
English Foundation and three years as president of the Central Indiana Community Foundation.
He has also served as president of the Indiana Humanities Council, director of the Indiana
Donors Alliance and taught at Indiana University in Indianapolis, as well as Butler University.
Dr. Gladish began his career as the assistant director for youth and community programs at the
North Suburban YMCA outside of Chicago in the mid-1970s. During the last 20 years, he has
served on the boards of the three local YMCAs, as well as on the National Board of the YMCA
of the USA from 1977 to 1983. He also served as a U.S. delegate to the YMCA World Alliance
Executive Committee in Geneva, Switzerland.
Dr. Gladish received his bachelor's degree from Hanover College in Indiana and his masters and
doctorate degrees in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia.
SUSAN GADDY GREENE
Teacher
I.S. 218 in New York City
Susan Greene teaches dance for the New York Public Schools at I.S. 218/Children's Aid Society
Community School, where she is also the director of the SUMA/C.A.S. Dance Company.
Opened in March 1992, I.S. 218 is one of four community schools run by the Children's Aid
Society in Washington Heights in partnership with the New York City Board of Education, the
local school district, and many community-based organizations.
Community Schools are open six days a week, 15 hours a day, year-round. The comprehensive
services provided include medical and dental care, mental health, recreation, supplemental
education, youth programs, family life and parent education and weekend and summer camp
services. The schools perform health and dental screenings for 96 percent of students plus their
siblings, preventing many absences related to medical appointments and illnesses. Examples of
extended-day programs include individual tutoring, the student-run school store, "Peace Teams,"
which pairs students with police officers for cross-cultural learning and a student-initiated day
care center at a local welfare office. Average attendance rates are over 90 percent and reading
and math scores are 15 percent higher than comparable schools.
Ms. Greene received her B.A. in Dance from the University of Maryland and her M.A. in Dance
Education from Teachers College at Columbia University. In 1998, she was selected for Who's
Who Among American Teachers, and she has recently published an article in AAHPERD, an
international journal, titled Mourning Into Dancing- The Transformation of Lives, A Personal
Journey.
TALMIRA L. HILL
Program Associate
Annie E. Casey Foundation
Talmira Hill is a program associate with the Annie E. Casey Foundation since 1995, where her
research has focused on youth development and economic opportunity for vulnerable young
adults making a transition to adulthood. Prior to joining Casey, Ms. Hill worked in the U.S.
Department of Education focusing on high school education reform and workforce education
and training, and in the policy advocacy field with the Center for Law and Education on issues
of education for low-income children and youth.
Ms. Hill also gained experience in international health issues as research coordinator for the
Johns Hopkins University, as a practitioner with Africare and as a specialist on literacy issues in
Senegal, West Africa. She holds a Master of Education degree from Harvard University and a
Bachelor of Science degree in International Politics from the School of Foreign Service at
Georgetown University.
LARRY HURT
1999 Indiana Teacher of the Year
Ben Davis High School, Wayne Township, Indianapolis
Larry Hurt is an art teacher at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis and was named the 1999
Indiana Teacher of the Year. Using his year away from the classroom to serve as Teacher in
Residence/Teacher Ambassador in the Indiana Department of Education, Mr. Hurt is
participating in a variety of projects in Program Development while speaking to education
students and student teachers throughout the state about becoming and remaining a passionate
teacher.
In Wayne Township, Mr. Hurt has been chosen by students 15 years in a row for the Senior's
Choice Awards. He was Ben Davis Teacher of the Year in 1991 and 1998, and Teacher of the
Year of Wayne Township in 1998. He received the Prelude Awards/Kightlinger and Gray
Outstanding Arts Educator Award in 1998, the Governor's Art Award in 1999, and was one of
three visual arts teachers honored by the Walt Disney Company's American Teacher Awards in
1992.
At Ben Davis High School, Mr. Hurt is credited by colleagues with 25 years of innovative arts
outreach programs. He co-founded the Special Arts Club, an outreach program that brings
special needs students and art students together in a peer-tutoring environment. Mr. Hurt is also
the Ben Davis school improvement chair, chairs the North Central Association and Performance-
Based Accreditation committees, and has served on the district Strategic Planning Team.
Mr. Hurt earned the B.A. degree in art education at Purdue University in 1973 and his M.S. in
education at Butler University in 1983. He is currently working on his Ph.D. in art education at
Purdue.
HAROLD S. KOPLEWICZ
Founder & Director
New York University Child Study Center
Harold Koplewicz is founder and director of the NYU Child Study Center, vice-chairman of the
Department of Psychiatry, professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and a professor of
Clinical Pediatrics at the New York University School of Medicine. Dr. Koplewicz has appeared
frequently on national television shows to discuss child and adolescent psychiatry. In addition,
he has authored several books, including the textbooks Depression in Children and Adolescents,
It's Nobody's Fault: New Hope and Help for Difficult Children and their Parents and Childhood
Revealed: Art Expressing Pain, Hope and Discovery.
He has won several awards for his work, including the 1997 Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from
the National Alliance of the Mentally Ill and the 1997 Reiger Service Award from the American
Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in recognition of his work in the development of
school-based mental health programs. He serves on the National Advisory board of Parents
Magazine, and since 1997 has been editor-in-chief of the Journal of Child and Adolescent
Psychopharmacology.
KATHLEEN LEE
Teacher
John P. Turner Middle School, Philadelphia, PA
Kathleen Lee has been an English teacher at John P. Turner Middle School, West Philadelphia
Improvement Corps (WEPIC), since 1989. She is an award-winning teacher, a leader in her
community and an expert on service-learning.
Ms. Lee serves as a board member for various community organizations, including the YMCA
of Philadelphia, Columbia North Branch and the Pennsylvania Middle School Association.
Ms. Lee is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and holds a masters of Education from
Temple University. Recently, she has been nominated for the Time Warner Cable Teacher of
the Year Apple Award.
THE MALONE FAMILY
Laurel, Maryland
Donnie and Fonda Malone live in Laurel, Maryland with their four children: daughters Lakeya,
Temaka and Alivia, and son Donnie. Lakeya and Temaka are both active teenagers, involved in
their schools and in numerous extracurricular activities. Between Donnie and Fonda's career
responsibilities and Lakeya, Temaka, Alivia and Donnie's busy schedules, the Malones often
struggle to find quality time together.
Mr. and Mrs. Malone both believe that their first priority, as parents, is to help their children
make healthy decisions and learn the value of responsibility. The Malones recognize that they
must remain focused and firmly committed to the essential responsibility of nurturing their
relationship with their children.
Mrs. Malone is a teacher at Laurel Woods Elementary School in Howard County, Maryland.
During her tenure as an educator, she has received praise and thanks from her students, parents,
and co-workers for her enthusiasm in the classroom and her dedication to her students.
Mr. Malone is the executive director of the Druid Hill Family YMCA, located in a high poverty,
high crime neighborhood in the city of Baltimore, Maryland. He has dedicated his career to
carrying out the mission of the YMCA to build strong children, strong families, and strong
communities.
EMILY McDONALD
Student
Clarkrange High School, Clarkrange, TN
Emily McDonald is a junior at Clarkrange High School. A participant in Appalachian Teen
Leaders for the past three years, she has risen in the ranks to the position of facilitator at Save
the Children conferences. Her teen group in Fentress County calls themselves THE-Teens
Helping Everyone. Among the many service activities THE has been involved in is the building
of an outdoor playground at a local community center. THE has participated and aided in the
packaging and distribution of over 500 emergency assistance kits including toiletries and first aid
supplies for survivors of disasters such as floods and hurricanes. It has also challenged other
youth groups in the area to match or exceed their output.
This past summer, Ms. McDonald served as a Child Youth Intern for Save the Children and will
return again this summer to volunteer for the Summer America Reads program and the summer
arts program at South Fentress.
She plans to attend a four-year university after graduation.
JUDITH A. McHALE
President & COO
Discovery Communications, Inc.
As President and Chief Operating Officer of Discovery Communications, Inc. (DCI), Judith
McHale is responsible for overall strategic direction, business development and operations of all
DCI resources and properties in the United States and around the world. Under her leadership,
DCI has grown from its core property, the Discovery Channel, to become the leading global real
work media company.
Ms. McHale has led DCI's extensive efforts to fulfill its social responsibilities. She created the
Discovery Channel Global Education Fund, which provides advanced satellite technology to
deliver free educational programming to over 40,000 students at 43 schools and community
centers throughout rural Africa and Latin America. In 1999, following the tragic shootings in
Littleton, Colorado, she committed DCI to provide media literacy training to every public school
in Maryland.
Before joining Discovery in 1987 as its general counsel, she served as general counsel for MTV
Networks, where she was responsible for legal affairs for MTV, Nickelodeon and VH-1. Ms.
McHale graduated from Fordham Law School and earned her undergraduate degree in politics
from the University of Nottingham in England.
MILBREY W. McLAUGHLIN
Professor of Education
Stanford University
Milbrey McLaughlin is the David Jacks professor of education at Stanford University, and
serves as the co-director of the Center for Research on the Context of Teaching. She is also co-
principal investigator of a multi-year project that examines community-based resources for at-
risk youth in diverse community settings and directs the Pew Forum on Educational Reform.
Prior to joining the faculty at Stanford University, Dr. McLaughlin served as a senior social
scientist at the Rand Corporation.
Dr. McLaughlin is the author or co-author of numerous books, articles and chapters on education
policy issues, contexts for teaching and learning, productive environments for youth and
community-based organizations. Her recent book, Community Counts: How Youth
Organizations Matter for Youth Development, calls for communities to rethink how they design
and deliver services for youth, particularly during the non-school hours.
Dr. McLaughlin received her B.A. from Connecticut College and her Ed.M. and Ed.D. from
Harvard University.
KATHRYN C. MONTGOMERY
President & Co-Founder
Center for Media Education
As president and co-founder of the Center for Media Education (CME), Kathryn Montgomery is
an authoritative and influential voice for creating a quality media culture for children, their
families and the community. She directs CME's Research and Public Education Initiative on
New Media, Children, and Youth which is designed to both stimulate research and act as a
clearinghouse on research and policy developments for academics, industry, the public and
policymakers.
Dr. Montgomery's research, writings and testimony have helped frame public policy on critical
media issues, including online safeguards for children through the Children's Online Privacy
Protection Act (COPPA), a content-based ratings system for television programs and the 1996
FCC rule requiring a minimum of three hours of educational programming for children. Dr.
Montgomery's book, Target: Prime Time - Advocacy Groups and the Struggle Over
Entertainment Television, is the definitive study of the relationship between advocacy groups
and network television.
Dr. Montgomery has served as a consultant to the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services and as a guest scholar at the Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars. She was a professor of film and television at the University of
California, Los Angeles. She received her Ph.D. in film and television from UCLA.
CAROLE MORRIS
Founder & CEO
Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center
Carole Morris is founder and CEO of the Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center in Mt.
Vernon, New York, a comprehensive health facility which provides multifaceted health services
to over 52,000 patients. A nurse by training, Ms. Morris has been working to improve the public
health in her community for over thirty years. She has served as Chairman of the National
Association of Community Health Centers and founded the Community Health Care Association
of New York State.
Ms. Morris is also President of Community Choice Health Plan of Westchester, a Medicaid-
managed care plan. Ms. Morris received her B.A. at Iona College and is a registered nurse from
Mount Vernon School of Nursing.
JUSTIN NEWLAND
Member
National Youth Action Council, National Campaign Against Youth Violence
Justin Newland (age 19) is a sophomore majoring in Agriculture Education, with a minor in
Agriculture Business, at Coffeyville Community College. From rural Kansas, Mr. Newland
joined Future Homemakers of America (FHA) in junior high school where his work emphasized
family and community development. From FHA, he joined other state and national
organizations and was a high school athlete, competing in football, basketball and track. He is
currently an intern with the National Safety Council and serves as their youth representative to
the National Organizations for Youth Safety.
Mr. Newland is a Member of the National Youth Action Council of the National Campaign
Against Youth Violence. He wrote in his application to the National Youth Action Center, "We
have been stereotyped as a violent generation, with no regard for human life. I think it is very
important for today's youth to stand up and take a voice in issues that surround them."
KATHERINE NEWMAN
Malcolm Wiener Professor of Urban Studies
Harvard University
Katherine Newman is presently the Malcolm Wiener professor of urban studies at Harvard
University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. She chairs the National Science
Foundation training program on "Inequality and Social Policy" and the joint doctoral programs
in sociology, government and social policy.
Dr. Newman is the author of several books on middle class economic insecurity. Her 1999
book, No Shame in My Game: The Working Poor in the Inner City, focused on job search
strategies, work experiences and family lives of African American and Latino youth and adults
in Harlem. No Shame in My Game has been named the winner of the Sidney Hillman Book
Prize and the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award for 2000.
Dr. Newman holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley.
RHEA PERLMAN
Writer, Actress & Producer
Rhea Perlman is an Emmy-award winning actress with a wide variety of television, cable and
film credits. She is currently starring in the television drama "The Further Adventures," a pilot
being developed for the fall season. Although Ms. Perlman is most widely known for her role
on NBC's "Cheers," she has written and produced numerous projects as well as founded her own
development company, New Street Productions, with her husband Danny DeVito.
Ms. Perlman helped found the Colonnades Theater Lab and is a strong supporter of many
children's charities including LA's Best, the Westside Children's Center, Children's Action
Network, the Children's Defense Fund and the Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
Ms. Perlman received her bachelor's degree from Hunter College.
Lan-Anh Phan
Student
Woodrow Wilson High School, Washington, D.C.
Lan-Ahn Phan's family came to the United States from Vietnam in 1995 when she was 14 years
old. Within a year after her arrival, and with the help of a mentor, Ms. Phan became an honor
student, won first place for a Science Fair Project, and was honored as the Student of the Year in
English at Woodrow Wilson High School, in Washington, DC. Since then, she has served as
President of the Asian American Student Association, co-captain of the Girl's Cross Country
Team and coordinator of the National Honor Society.
In addition to her academic achievements, Ms. Phan has been a leader in her community, helping
other refugee children in her neighborhood. She has organized and taught Vietnamese classes to
elementary school children and was a founding board member of Asian American LEAD (a
nonprofit service provider for refugee and immigrant families) where she works with parents,
youth, staff and other professionals to develop youth programs. In 1998, Ms. Phan founded the
Youth Power Group with the mission to engage youth in developing educational, cultural and
recreational programs for refugee youth. Ms. Phan also serves as an advisory board member for
the National Campaign to Prevent Teenage Pregnancy.
Ms. Phan plans to attend the University of Virginia at Charlottesville in the fall.
KAREN JOHNSON PITTMAN
Senior Vice President
International Youth Foundation
Karen Pittman is senior vice president of the International Youth Foundation (IYF), an
organization dedicated to improving conditions for children and youth worldwide by enabling
them to care more responsibly for themselves, their families, their communities and the world.
In 1999, she established IYF-US, an arm of IYF committed to bringing international lessons and
perspectives to U.S. conversations about youth development and youth policy.
An accomplished sociologist and recognized leader in the youth development field, Ms. Pittman
began her career at the Urban Institute. She spent six years at the Children's Defense Fund
promoting an adolescent policy agenda through the development of a bimonthly report series
that linked pregnancy prevention to broader youth development strategies. Ms. Pittman was the
founder and Director of the Center for Youth Development and Policy Research until 1995,
when she accepted a position with the Clinton Administration as director of the President's
Crime Prevention Council.
Ms. Pittman has written three books and dozens of articles on youth issues and is a regular
columnist and public speaker. Currently, she sits on the boards of the E.M. Kauffman
Foundation, Educational Testing Service, American Youth Work Center and is a member of the
National Research Council's Forum on Adolescence. In the course of her career she has also
served on the board of the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development.
Ms. Pittman received her B.A. in Sociology and Education at Oberlin College and her master's
in Sociology at the University of Chicago.
MICHAEL PRESTON
President
Gila River Youth Council
Michael Preston is a freshman at Scottsdale Community College, majoring in Administration
and Justice. Mr. Preston, a Native American, has worked to educate his fellow peers about his
tribe's history. Currently, he serves as president of the Gila River Youth Council, an
organization focused on getting youth involved with the community in a positive way while
educating young Native American adults on the system of tribunal government.
Mr. Preston is a passionate advocate for the rights of tribes. He oversees Gila River Close-Up, a
three-day hands-on program involving youth from around the area to educate them on the inner
workings of the tribunal government system. Mr. Preston is also actively involved as a member
of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's National Youth Network and
leader in his local Boys' and Girls' Club in Sacaton, AZ.
ROBERT D. PUTNAM
Peter & Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Health
Harvard University
Robert Putnam is the founder of "The Saguaro Seminar: Civic Engagement in America," a
program that has brought together leading practitioners and thinkers to develop broad-scale ideas
to fortify our nation's civic connectedness. Dr. Putnam is also the Peter & Isabel Malkin
Professor of Public Health at Harvard University, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate
courses in American politics, international relations, comparative politics and public policy.
As an accomplished writer, Dr. Putnam has authored and co-authored ten books and more than
thirty scholarly works, including Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy;
which has been published in twelve languages. In June 2000, Dr. Putnam's study of civic
engagement in the United States will be published as Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival
of American Community.
Currently, Dr. Putnam is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral
Commission and is a fellow of the American Academy if Arts and Sciences. Dr. Putnam was
recently nominated as President of the American Political Science Association for 2001-2002.
Before beginning his career at Harvard University in 1979, Dr. Putnam served on the staff of the
National Security Council and is a former dean of the John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Dr. Putnam attended Balliol College, Oxford and received his BA from Swarthmore College and
Ph.D. from Yale University.
MICHAEL D. RESNICK
Director of Research, Division of General Pediatrics & Adolescent Health
University of Minnesota School of Medicine
Michael Resnick, a sociologist, is a Professor of Pediatrics and Director of Research for the
Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health in the School of Medicine at the
University of Minnesota. He is also Director of the National Teen Pregnancy Prevention
Research Center. He was lead author on the first paper published from the National
Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), and is particularly interested in the
identification of the factors, experiences and events in the lives of young people that protect
against involvement in behaviors that are dangerous to adolescents and to others.
Dr. Resnick has earned four awards for outstanding teaching, including one from the Society for
Adolescent Medicine. He is a reviewer for over 20 scholarly journals and serves on the board of
the Journal of Adolescent Health.
ROBERT S. RIVERA
Associate Director
Project GRAD
Robert Rivera is the Associate Director of Project GRAD, a school-community collaboration
that focuses on improving the instructional quality, school environment and the college entrance
of at-risk children in Houston. The model for the Administration's GEAR-UP program, Project
GRAD has emerged as a leading school reform effort in the United States for public schools in
distressed urban communities.
Previously, Rivera served as project manager and cluster leader for Communities in Schools at
Jefferson Davis High School in Houston, Texas. In these capacities, he supervised staff in
delivering a multitude of services to students, including mentoring, tutoring, health care and
employment, for at-risk high school students.
Rivera is a graduate of Texas Southern University.
NICOLE SALINAS
Antonian High School
San Antonio, TX
Seventeen-year-old Nicole Salinas, a senior at Antonian College Preparatory, is the student
director of City Year City Heroes, a student-led volunteer program affiliated with City Year
AmeriCorps. A bright and energetic young teenager, she devotes most of her spare time to
contributing to the betterment of the community around her. She is affiliated with many service-
oriented organizations and sits on several youth advisory boards around the city of San Antonio,
including the United Way Youth Council and the Family Services Youth Advisory Board
Ms. Salinas was recently selected to represent the U.S. at the Global Youth Leadership
Conference this summer. She was also selected for the 1999 Congressional Youth Leadership
Conference, the Global Youth Leadership Conference to be held this summer, and received the
prestigious San Antonio "Express News" Jefferson Award for her contributions to her
community through leadership and service. For National Youth Service Day, a nationwide
effort led by Youth Service America, she recently organized a youth summit and graffiti clean
up project for 500 youth in her community.
Ms. Salinas will be attending the University of Texas at Austin in the fall where she hopes to
major in communications.
ANDREW SHUE
Co-Founder & Chairman
Do Something
Andrew Shue is co-founder and chairman of the national non-profit organization Do Something,
a nationwide network of young people creating solutions to the challenges facing their schools
and communities. Over the last seven years, he has been instrumental in guiding the strategic
direction of Do Something, as well as the formation of strategic partnerships with a variety of
corporations, including McKinsey & Company, Arnold Corporations, MTV, Fox Television,
Blockbuster Entertainment and Applied Materials.
Mr. Shue's passion for community involvement developed in high school when he founded
Students Serving Seniors, a group dedicated to matching students with senior citizens. Thirteen
years later the organization is still thriving. In 1990, he spent a year teaching high school in
math in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Most recently, he has co-founded ClubMom, Inc., a national
membership organization that serves and celebrates Moms.
Mr. Shue has played professional soccer and served as a pioneer player and spokesperson for the
Los Angeles Galaxy and Major League Soccer. He co-founded International Sports Publishing,
Inc., which produces MLS Gameday programs. He also co-founded Shue Media, Inc. with his
brother and is currently co-producing an IMAX movie about World Cup Soccer. For six years
Mr. Shue starred in the popular television show Melrose Place.
Mr. Shue graduated from Dartmouth College.
EDD L. SPEAKER
Senior Claims Consultant
Marsh USA
Edd Speaker is a Senior Claims Consultant at Marsh USA, Risk & Insurance Services in Los
Angeles. He is a member on the Board of Trustee of Brookins Community AME Church. Mr.
Speaker also has ten years of association with Challengers Boys and Girls Club of Los Angeles
and is a past member of the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women. He has also
served as a counselor for victims of rape and domestic violence.
Mr. Speaker's commitment to his family and his active participation in the community have
been recognized by numerous commendations, including a Parent of the Year Award in 1993
and a Volunteer of the Year Award in 1994. Both the IRS and Franchise Tax Board have
acknowledged his volunteer work with the low income and elderly in the preparation of tax
returns. Mr. Speaker was also a past nominee for a national Community Service Award given
by Sedgwick, Inc. Currently, Mr. Speaker resides in Los Angeles, CA with his wife and four
children. He attended Texas Southern University on a football scholarship, majoring in
business. He served in the United States Air Force and the Strategic Missile Command at
Vandenberg AFB, California.
EDWIN SPEAKER
Student
Taft High School, Los Angeles, CA
Edwin Speaker was born and raised in California and is currently a senior at Taft High School,
where he is an active participant in various extra-curricular activities. Edwin is an accomplished
musician specializing in drums and percussion. He is a member of the Taft High School
marching band, concert band and jazz band, and has served as drum line captain for two years.
In his spare time, he is a back-up drummer with the Brookins AME Church.
Mr. Speaker's interests include restoration of antique cars and working part-time as a host at Red
Lobster Restaurant on the weekends. He plans to attend West Los Angeles College in the fall.
Laurence Steinberg
Laura H. Carnell Professor of Psychology
Temple University
Laurence Steinberg is a Distinguished University Professor and Laura H. Carnell Professor of
Psychology at Temple University. A nationally recognized expert on psychological
development in adolescence, Dr. Steinberg has focused his research on a range of topics in the
study of contemporary adolescence, including parent-adolescent relationships, adolescent
employment, high school reform and juvenile justice.
Dr. Steinberg has taught previously at Cornell University, the University of California at Irvine
and the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He is a fellow of the American Psychological
Association, has been a Faculty Scholar of the William T. Grant Foundation, and is currently
Director of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research Network on
Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice. Dr. Steinberg is past-president of the Society for
Research on Adolescence, the major professional organization of social and behavioral scientists
interested in adolescent growth and development.
Among the many honors Dr. Steinberg has received are the John P. Hill Award for Outstanding
Contributions to the Study of Adolescence, given by the Society for Research on Adolescence,
and the Society for Adolescent Medicine's Gallagher Lectureship.
Dr. Steinberg was educated at Vassar College, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and
graduated in 1974 with honors. In 1977, he received his Ph.D. in human development and
family studies from Cornell University.
LAURA SESSIONS STEPP
Journalist/Author
The Washington Post
Laura Sessions Stepp is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist specializing in the coverage of
teenagers and the adolescent years for the Style Section of the Washington Post. Ms. Stepp has
written about children and families for more than a decade, and her work has appeared in such
publications as Parent, Child, Working Mother, Reader's Digest and Nieman Reports of Harvard
University.
Ms. Stepp served as a member of the U.S. Surgeon General's Healthy People 2000 Panel on
Adolescence in 1998 and 1999 and chairs the board of advisors of the Casey Journalism Center
for Children and Families at the University of Maryland. She authored Our Last Best Shot:
Guiding Our Children Through Early Adolescence, which will be released in June and has
already been highly acclaimed by experts in the field.
After receiving her bachelor's degree from Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, Laura Stepp was
awarded a masters degree by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. From 1996-98,
Ms. Stepp was a visiting scholar at the National Academy of Sciences' Board on Children, Youth and
Families.
DOROTHY STONEMAN
President & Founder
YouthBuild USA
Dorothy Stoneman is president and founder of YouthBuild USA, a national non-profit support
center for YouthBuild programs to provide construction skills, education and leadership training
for unemployed and undereducated youth, while producing affordable housing for low-income
individuals. Dr. Stoneman also chairs the YouthBuild Coalition, with 650 member organizations
in 49 states. Prior to founding YouthBuild USA, she spent 25 years running day care centers,
community-based schools, housing development corporations and youth programs in East
Harlem.
Dr. Stoneman and colleagues developed the prototype YouthBuild in East Harlem between 1978
and 1990. Encouraged by young people, visitors, and program officers from the Charles Stewart
Mott and Ford Foundations, Stoneman founded YouthBuild USA in 1990 to replicate the
success her program in New York City had demonstrated. Legislation authorizing YouthBuild
programs under HUD was passed in 1992. There are now 145 programs in 44 states.
Dr. Stoneman has a bachelor's degree in biology and American history from Harvard University,
a masters degree in early childhood education and a doctor of humane letters from Bank Street
College of Education. She is a 1996 MacArthur Fellow, and currently serves on the board of
trustees of Wheelock College for teachers and as a member of Harvard's Saguaro Seminar on
civic engagement.
AMY SWISHER
Communications Coordinator
First Day Foundation
Amy Swisher works with Hemmings Motor News as communications coordinator for the First
Day Foundation in Bennington, Vermont. Founded and funded by Hemmings Motor News, the
foundation's purpose is to promote a "First Day of School Holiday" initiative launched by
Hemmings and the Bennington community in 1997. The program has since been adopted by
nearly 400 schools in 35 states. The First Day of School Holiday is a simple and effective way
to encourage greater parental involvement in education, starting on day one each year. Through
her newsletter stories, group presentations and workshops, Ms. Swisher shares the First Day
Firsthand accounts she has gathered from participating schools to illustrate the positive impact
this "holiday" on the relationships among parents, teachers, schools and communities.
In addition to her work with First Day, Ms. Swisher is an experienced group facilitator who
leads a self-advocacy course for teens at the high school in Bennington. She writes a monthly
teen-issues column for the local newspaper in which she integrates the perspectives and insights
of her students.
Kathleen Sylvester
Director
Social Policy Action Network
Kathleen Sylvester is director of the Social Policy Action Network (SPAN), a non-profit
intermediary that promotes effective social policy by transforming the findings of research and
the insights of front-line practitioners into concrete action agendas for policymakers. SPAN
builds public support for ideas through clear messages for the public and the news media.
Previously, Ms. Sylvester was vice president for domestic policy of the Progressive Policy
Institute, where she directed the institute's work in a variety of domestic policy areas, including
family policy, education, and governance. Ms. Sylvester served as a consultant to Vice
President Gore's National Performance Review and she advises federal, state and local officials
on a variety of domestic social issues. She serves on the Board of Visitors of Georgetown
University's Graduate Public Policy Institute and is a founder and past president of Jobs for
Homeless People of Washington, D.C.
Ms. Sylvester began her professional career teaching in New Haven, Connecticut and also
worked as a community organizer on a South Dakota Indian reservation. She spent the next two
decades as an award-winning journalist and was a senior writer at Governing, the leading
national magazine of state and local public policy, which she helped found in 1987. She also
reported for NBC News, National Public Radio and The Washington Star and has contributed to
numerous publications including The Washington Post, USA Today, Newsday and Policy and
Practice.
She is the author of Preventable Calamity: Rolling Back Teen Pregnancy (1994), Second
Chance Homes: Breaking the Cycle of Teen Pregnancy and Reducing Teen Pregnancy, A
Handbook for Action. Most recently, she wrote Seeking Supervision: Second Chance Homes and
the TANF Minor Teen Parent Living Arrangement Rule.
Ms. Sylvester earned an undergraduate degree from the Georgetown University School of
Foreign Service and a master's degree from Wesleyan University. She also studied at the Yale
Law School and spent a year at Stanford University as the recipient of a John S. Knight
Fellowship.
GARY WALKER
President
Public/Private Ventures
Gary Walker is president of Public/Private Ventures, a national non-profit organization whose
mission is to improve the effectiveness of social policies and programs, especially in the areas of
youth development, violence prevention and workforce development. Public/Private Ventures
carries out its mission through national demonstrations, program evaluations and technical
assistance.
In the 1970's, Mr. Walker began his social policy work by setting up a New York firm that hired
recovering addicts, ex-convicts and welfare recipients. The success of this business led to the
creation of the National Supported Work Research Demonstration, a multi-site experiment
supported by various federal departments. In the 1980's, Mr. Walker conducted a study of the
Job Training Partnership Act which led to his conviction that more effective policies for youth
and young adults were greatly needed.
Currently, Mr. Walker serves as a member of the boards of the William Penn Foundation, The
Reinvestment Fund, Civic Ventures and Replication and Program Services, Inc. He serves on
advisory boards to The Aspen Institute's Roundtable on Comprehensive Community Initiatives,
Harvard University's Future of Philanthropy Executive Session, the Ford Foundation's
International Learning Groups on Youth Development and the National Institute of Science's
Forum on Adolescent Health.
Mr. Walker is a graduate of the University of Kansas and Yale Law School.
Clinton Presidential Records
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Reducing the Risk:
Connections That Make a
Difference in the Lives of Youth
NETWORK
EDUCATION
PUBLIC
DEVELOPMENT
MATTER FOR YOUTH
ORGANIZATIONS
HINOA MOH
THIS REPORT IS DEDICATED TO JOHN W. GARDNER,
WHO HAS NURTURED THIS WORK FROM ITS BEGINNING
HIS LEADERSHIP AND VISION INSPIRE COMMUNITIES
TO COUNT FOR ALL OF THEIR CHILDREN AND YOUTH
Communities and their youth seem to
be growing apart just at a time when they need to be pulling together. Troubling
signs are everywhere that youth of all descriptions-not just so-called disad-
vantaged youth-find insufficient supports in their communities to be able to
move confidently and safely toward adulthood. Many schools lock up tightly at
3 p.m., sending children and youth into empty houses, barren neighborhoods,
street corners, or malls. Youth interpret a local landscape void of engaging
things for them to do as adult indifference. For instance, when we asked one
youth how his midwestern community sees him, he replied, "They don't. I feel
invisible." We heard a version of this assessment from youth everywhere. But
in a number of communities nationwide, adults are working to develop and
sustain youth organizations that provide youth placement and opportunity,
breathing new life into their communities as a result.
The impressive-accomplishment
of these young people
from diverse communities
around the countr warrant community action.
Interviewer
What's it like to grow up in this community?
Youth:
It's boring, boring, boring! There's nothing to do and nowhere to go.
Interviewer:
How do you see kids in this community?
Police officer:
Kids are different today. They have no respect They don't want to work hard
Most adults are familiar with some version of teenagers'
years for moral development, these youth miss oppor-
complaints of boredom. In some cases, such complaints
tunities to find satisfaction in work for the good of their
reflect little more than an adolescent's contrarian cast of
community. Society loses out when youth fall through
mind. But for many, if not most, of America's youth, this
the cracks in institutions that could prepare them for a
assessment of the dearth of interesting things to do in
productive future. Community counts-for better or
their community reflects reality. And, in the absence of
worse-in its response to these institutional gaps and
organized activities and inviting youth-focused places,
youth's unmet needs for support, care, and opportuni-
young people make haphazard choices for themselves.
ties for healthy development.
Many teachers, law enforcement officers, social service
The odds are high that a young person growing up in
workers, and other adults believe that today's youth are dif-
one of the county's troubled urban communities will do
ferent from yesterday's. They are widely perceived to be less
poorly in school. For example, in some urban centers, up
engaged, less motivated, and more likely to get into trouble.
to 60% of African-American boys will not graduate at
Have kids changed, or has the society changed? Well,
all.¹ The odds are high that a young person growing up
both. Communities have changed, families have been trans-
in one of America's struggling rural communities will
formed, and workplace demands are fundamentally differ-
move onto welfare rolls, rather than into productive
ent from what they were a quarter of a century ago. Because
employment. The odds are high that youth with nothing
families, friends, communities, and religious or civic
positive to do and nowhere to go will find things to do
groups no longer assume primary responsibility for making
and places to go that negatively influence their develop-
connections, a gap forms in society's supports for its youth.
ment and futures.
Youth lose out. Young people with nothing to do
This institutional discontinuity exists for young people
during out-of-school hours miss valuable chances for
of all social backgrounds. Even in well-to-do suburban
growth and development. During the most critical
communities, many youth find themselves adrift.
2
Some youth are lucky enough to have someone who can
provide ways to spend free time in ways that contribute
pay for fee-for-service activities and shuttle them back
significantly to their learning and their social develop-
and forth. Other youth are fortunate enough to live in a
ment. In this way, these organizations, in youth's views,
community with sufficient engaging, worthwhile activi-
were not "typical" of the other organized opportunities
ties in the afternoons, on weekends, or during the
that may also be available in their communities-activi-
stretch of summer months.
ties youth judged as uninteresting, not appropriate for
But for too many youth, the odds seemed stacked
them, or otherwise off-putting.
against hopeful futures when their communities offer
Neither are the youth we came to know in these
few resources for them. For the majority, there are no
community-based organizations (CBOs) "typical"
adults around for sustained active learning opportunities
American youth, either in terms of the schools they
during their nonschool hours. Moreover, many commu-
attend, the communities they inhabit, or their family cir-
nities lack supervised, educational places to go when
cumstances. We found in these CBOs engaged youth who
school is out. In one community we came to know, youth
are typically hard to reach, designated "high risk," and
noted with irony that the only public facility open in
often most isolated from community. Almost without
their community was the county jail. In another urban
exception, the urban youth we got to know came from
community, the neighborhood was so barren and dan-
low-income, high-risk family and neighborhood settings.
gerous that, said one youth, "even the pizza man won't
Young people we met in these mid-sized towns were typ-
deliver." Young women growing up in urban neighbor-
ically of lower-middle or lower class and, like their urban
hoods like this one told us that they stay inside locked
counterparts, they came from families struggling with
apartments after school for fear of violence on the
unemployment and social disruption. The rural youth
streets. Young women in some midwestern towns did
who participated in our research were generally from
not feel much more secure. In response to our question
poor families and wrestled with the unique aspects of
about what advice she would give a newcomer to her
their rural communities.
midwestern town, one said: "Don't trust anybody. Don't
Our research reports numerous accomplishments
talk to anyone. Mind your own business. Be careful."
and successes of active young people engaged in commu-
Community organizations can make a powerful,
nity organizations. Of greatest importance for society is
positive difference in youth's lives. A decade of
the compelling evidence from the experiences of these
research looking into the contributions of community
youth that CBOs can play a critical role in meeting the
youth-based organizations in challenging settings pro-
needs of today's young people. They can fill the gap left
vides evidence that community-in the form of the
by families and schools that are stretched to capacity to
organizations and activities it supports-can help
provide supports to young people. One of the most
youth beat the odds associated with gaps in traditional
appealing aspects of these CBOs is that they give young
institutional resources.² In our ten years of research,
people the opportunity to engage in positive activities,
this research team has come to know the rhythms and
to develop close and caring relationships, and to find
work of approximately 120 youth-based organizations
value in themselves-even in the face of personal dis-
in 34 different cities, from Massachusetts to Hawaii,
ruption, poor schools, and neighborhoods generally
that constructively involve young people in their non-
devoid of supports.
school hours.
The impressive accomplishments of these young
We wanted to learn about "effective" community
people from diverse communities around the country
based-organizations, and relied on youth to define those
warrant community action. Community-based organiza-
terms. They led us to diverse organizations they identified
tions offer a means for reaching youth and they can have
as good places to spend their time.³ These organizations
a significant impact on the skills, attitudes, and experi-
engage young people in challenging but fun things to do,
ences youth need to take their places as confident, con-
offer a safe haven from often dangerous streets, and
tributing adults.
What Youth Achieved.in
Community Organizations
Youth participating in these CBOs accomplish more
ACADEMICS
than many in society would expect of them and, in fact,
To the majority of the youth we met in effective com-
more than most citizens would ever think possible. Their
munity organizations, their local schools fall short both
achievements and triumphs are of many different kinds-
as learning institutions and as places where they feel safe
formal and informal, social and academic. Each of these
and valued. Compared to most American youth, the
achievements matters to youth's journey through adoles-
youth in this study are more likely to experience vio-
cence to the futures they can contemplate and claim.
lence in their schools, to encounter drugs, to have
Academic success-in terms of high school gradua-
something stolen from them, and to feel personally
tion, participation in rigorous courses, and good
threatened at school.⁴
grades-plays a major part in a young person's ability to
Yet, compared to American youth generally, young
land a satisfying job, or even find employment at all. Even
people who participate in the community organizations
in today's economy, paths to all but the most menial jobs
we came to know achieve at higher levels and hold high-
are closed without a high school diploma.
er expectations for their academic careers. For example,
But a measure of academic success alone is not
youth participating in the community-based organiza-
enough to motivate youth to tackle challenges, succeed
tions we studied are:
on the job, or effectively navigate the institutions of
26% more likely to report having received recognition
mainstream society. Young people need life skills as well.
for good grades than are American youth generally, and
Those skills and attitudes include a sense of personal
youth with high levels of participation (several days a
worth, a positive assessment of the future, and the
week or some) are more than two times more likely to
knowledge of how to plan for it. They also include atti-
report recognition for good grades
tudes of persistence, reflection, responsibility, and relia-
nearly 20% more likely to rate their chances of grad-
bility. Self-confidence and a sense of efficacy are critical
uating from high school as "very high"
if youth are to strive for success in school and society.
20% more likely to rate the likelihood of their going
Enhancing these life skills, in addition to supporting
to college as "very high."
more traditional academic outcomes, is at the center of
In other words, despite the challenges they face at
the youth organizations we studied. Many of these orga-
school, in their neighborhoods, and often at home, teens
nizations, besides benefiting young people, also have a
who participate in the CBOs we studied generally
positive long-term effect on the community. The young
achieve more in school than typical American youth.
people express high levels of civic engagement and a
Further, higher levels of participation in community-
commitment to getting involved. They intend to be assets
based organizations are associated with greater likeli-
to their communities and examples for others to follow.
hood of academic success.
SELF CONFIDENCE AND OPTIMISM
young people participating in community-based orga-
Cynicism about the future is a commonplace attitude
nizations are:
among youth in communities where local job markets
significantly more likely to report feeling good about
are unstable, where the institutions intended to support
themselves;
their development are of poor quality or lacking alto-
significantly more likely to indicate higher levels of
gether, or where there is little to suggest that they could
self-efficacy;
do other than collect unemployment or settle for a dead-
8% more likely to "strongly agree" that they are per-
end job. The youth we studied stood out even in the most
sons of worth. More notable, those with high levels of
distressed settings by expressing hope for their futures
participation in CBOs are nearly 15% more likely to
and talking animatedly about their plans.
view themselves as worthy persons;
Significant numbers of the youth not only had pos-
significantly more likely to report higher levels of per-
itive ideas about what the future would hold, but they
sonal agency and effectiveness. For example, they are
also had gained the knowledge and confidence to plan
significantly more likely to "strongly disagree" with the
and reach for it. In contrast to the self-destructive
statement that "chance and luck" are "very important"
assessments of many other youth from difficult envi-
to getting ahead;
ronments-who say things like "the future be dead" or
nearly 13% more likely to feel that the chance they
doubt the value of trying to succeed because it's "no
would have a job that they enjoyed was "very high."
use"-young people engaged in CBOs hold markedly
Youth who participated in these CBOs, in other words,
different views from their peers, and even from typical
express a sense of personal value, hopefulness, and
American youth.
agency far greater than peers in their community, and
Youth participating in these CBOs say that they
greater even than youth growing up in more representa-
expect to have a job they will enjoy, that they can do
tive American circumstances. These youth generally feel
things as well as others, and that plans they make will
proud of what they can do and believe they can construct
work out. Compared to the typical American youth,
a positive life.
5
CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY
pating in these CBOs are more than two and a half times
These youth generally feel they want to "give back" to
more likely to think it is "very important" to do com-
their communities, moreover, that it is their responsibil-
munity service or to volunteer. Youth work to make
ity to do so. In contrast to youth alienated from their
youth-friendly and safe communities.
community, these youth acknowledge the important role
In particular, youth active in community organiza-
that community, in the form of their CBO, played in
tions expect to work to "correct economic inequalities"
enabling their positive development, and they intend to
or to make life better for children and youth growing up
help provide the same opportunities for other young
in their communities. Especially in urban areas, where
people. For the majority of the youth in our study, com-
most of the young men in our study have been or are still
munity service has become a habit-one they expect to
involved with gangs, this commitment to enabling a dif-
keep throughout their lives.
ferent, safer path for children, youth, and families finds
Youth active in the community-based organizations
passionate expression. In fact, this commitment to bet-
involved in our research are significantly more likely
tering their community is the reason why many urban
than typical American youth to believe that it is impor-
youth say they intend to stay in their community and
tant to do community volunteer work. For example,
make it better, rather than move away.
compared to American youth generally, youth partici-
These attitudes of civic responsibility and benefits of
community service are most apparent in those organiza-
tions that feature community service as its focus or as an
SENSE OF EFFICACY:
important aspect of another activity. Youth who have high
AM ABLE TO DO THINGS
levels of participation in community service activities-
AS WELL AS OTHERS"
as part of arts programs, sports, leadership initiatives,
dedicated community service projects such as "Weed and
Seed," work with elderly residents, or rehabilitation
50%
efforts-are eight times more likely to respond that it is
very important to get involved with community than
were representative American youth.
40%
Youth active in community service clearly derive
benefits that magnified those associated with participa-
tion in a CBO. They bask in the praise of neighbors who
30%
appreciate their clean-up activities, bright murals, or
inviting community gardens. This was the first time many
of these youth have received positive feedback from
20%
adults. In fact, many told us it was the first time they felt
valued by their community and that this regard fueled
STRONGLY AGREE
their self-confidence and optimism about the future.
10%
These youth provided detailed descriptions of the ways
they grew personally as a result of their involvement in
figure 1
community service activities. They stressed how their
0%
experience changed their attitudes about personal
High CBO Participation
Typical Youth
responsibility. One said, for example,
It gives me a sense of responsibility, like what you've got to be
[when you have a job]. You've got to be there on time, work
hard at it, and get done what needs to get done. That's why I
am part of this [program] because I needed that responsibility.
6
Such comments about personal gains from commu-
they would. They own small businesses such as a sports
nity service are strong and find consistent support in
park concession stand or carpet cleaning enterprise. They
survey responses. Youth with high levels of participation
work in local park and recreation facilities. They are
in community service activities are nearly twice as likely
engaged parents. They often continue with the arts or
to "strongly agree" that they feel positively about them-
sports activities that engaged them as teens.
selves. Those with high levels of participation in commu-
Would these youth have made it anyway? Would they
nity service are nearly two and a half times more likely to
have accomplished all of these things without the com-
"strongly disagree" that they lack enough control over
munity organization that nourished and challenged them
their lives. In consequential ways, the benefits of commu-
in their free time? Little doubt exists in their minds that
nity service go in both directions-to the community
the CBOs where they spent time after school, on week-
that receives it and to the youth who provide it.
ends, or in the summer months played a critical role in
nurturing their development and in mediating the risk
factors in their schools, neighborhoods, and often their
PATH TO SUCCESS
families and peer groups. These effective community
We have maintained contact with nearly 60 of the youth
organizations, in the words of one urban youth worker,
who were part of our original research in three urban
help youth "duck the bullet," or beat the odds of early
communities. We have had a chance to examine how they
pregnancies, futures lost to drugs, street violence, or
fared over a decade. Contrary to predictions that they
derailed by school failures. These CBOs provide com-
would be "dead or in jail" before they left adolescence,
munity sanctuaries and supports that enable youth to
the great majority of these young men and women, now
imagine positive paths and embark upon them. These
in their 20s, are firmly set on positive pathways as work-
community organizations are learning environments
ers, parents, and community members. A few went on to
that boost the success of many youth in school, but just
higher education and are proud college graduates. Most
as important, teach youth many life skills-without
got some kind of training after high school. With few
which academic success would mean little. Without
exceptions, these young adults are employed and active
these community resources, they too could have faltered
members of their communities, giving back as they said
on their journey through adolescence.
Effective Youth Organizations Are
Intentional Learning-Environments
What kinds of CBOs enable these positive outcomes
INTENTIONAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
for youth? The community-based organizations associ-
The quality and effectiveness of the community-based
ated with these successes differ in nearly every objec-
youth organizations we studied are not happenstance. In
tive way possible. No one type of program, facility, or
fact, these positive outcomes are not found in most youth
organizational affiliation was consistently associated
organizations or in other organizations that look similar
with positive youth development. We found similar
on paper. Too many community-based opportunities are
outcomes across a broad spectrum of type, location,
"gym and swim" recreation centers, tutoring efforts, or
and size of CBO. Adult leaders-both paid and volun-
drop-in centers set up primarily to "keep youth safe and
teer-came from various personal and professional
off the streets." While many of these programs make an
backgrounds. Some have been in the military service.
effort to provide young people with quality activities,
Others have been teachers. Many have worked in
others merely provide a place to go and a collection of
church groups or with athletic teams all their lives.
things to do.
Funding for the organizations' activities came from a
On a casual visit to a youth organization that attracts
wide range of sources: national sponsoring organizations,
and sustains youth involvement, a visitor might sense its
block grants from local cities, federal job-training
relaxed atmosphere and apparently informal relation-
monies, regional foundations and local donors, youth
ships among youth and adults. However, the activities,
fundraisers, and the pockets of adult leaders. Most of
environments, and relationships in the youth organiza-
the organizations live a hand-to-mouth existence, with
tions where we found these positive outcomes for youth
few resources in equipment and personnel. Given
are deliberate, distinguishing them from casual drop-in
these differences, however, the CBOs are similar in
centers in both the content of their activities and the
several ways.
environments adults create and insist upon.
DIMENSIONS OF A LEARNING
ENVIRONMENT
COMMUNITY
KNOWLEDGE-CENTERED
YOUTH-CENTERED
ASSESSMENT-CENTERED
figure 2
8
Community-based organizations with an emphasis
Contrary to a "fix then teach" approach (that assumes
on learning are alike in some critical ways. The core ele-
youth cannot learn something new or engage in a posi-
ments of an effective youth organization correspond
tive activity until a problem has been remedied), these
directly to the core elements of an effective learning
programs aim to identify what the youth do well already
environment as described by learning theorists. As dif-
and develop those skills. Problem behaviors that may
ferent as they may seem on the surface, the CBOs youth
exist or concerns about school achievement are
led us to are remarkably similar in their values and goals
addressed within this positive context.
across different agents, spaces, settings, and activities. All
This positive approach contrasts with what youth
are youth-centered, knowledge-centered, and assess-
encounter in many communities and their organizations.
ment-centered.
Many youth feel that adults do not care about them, do
Youth-Centered. The CBOs that enjoy the confidence,
not acknowledge their needs or worth, and do not like
loyalty, and participation of youth put youth at the center.
them. "Everyone thinks of us as being bad," said a young
Adults hold the youth in their vision for the organization
person in rural America. "But it is not our fault." A police
and the community. They know youth's interests and what
officer in a mid-sized town underscored his community's
they bring to the organization. They know about their lives
tendency to notice the negative, rather than build on the
at home, in school, and in the neighborhood. The CBO's pro-
positive. "You have to be bad to be noticed-the 'good
grams reflect this youth-centered focus.
kid' doesn't get any attention." An urban social worker
Respond to diverse talents, skills, interests. Adults make an
observed, "Youth in this community aren't valued, and
ongoing effort to make activities both accessible and
they have few occasions to demonstrate their value."
challenging for all youth. Effective youth organizations
Effective youth organizations notice the strengths of
offer activities in ways that make them appropriate and
young people and build on them.
inviting to youth with a diverse range of talents, inter-
Choose appropriate materials. Youth-centered organiza-
ests, and skill levels. Adults take the time to suggest
tions tailor their activities to the interests and strengths
activities that are appropriate to diverse skill levels and
of the youth with whom they work. For example, lead-
break activities down into parts to allow youth with all
ers of Girls Inc. in the Southwest revised materials they
skills to participate. For instance: A theater group brings
received from the national office to connect with the
in novice thespians as props managers, stage hands,
Latinas in their organization. The leader of a Girl Scout
wardrobe tenders, and other roles that allowed those
troop carefully reviewed national programs and curricu-
beginners to watch, learn, and play a vital role in the
la from the perspective of her high-poverty girls. "It's
organization. A sports team devotes special coaching to
easy to make assumptions," she said. "Many of our girls
less-experienced athletes, and like the theater group,
don't have alarm clocks or even telephones at home, so
includes novices in the excitement of games as important
some of the things we get that assume such things in the
supports for their team members. A literacy program
home aren't appropriate for them."
that takes up most of a church's basement with newspa-
Provide personal attention. Adults in effective youth
per production buzzes with activities from writing lead
organizations are contemptuous of what one called "herd
articles, to interviewing sources, to laying out pages. In
programming," where youth move in large groups from
each of these examples, there are multiple ways a young
activity to activity, with little personal attention or con-
person can join in, regardless of skill level. Adults in
nection. This description unfortunately applies to many
effective CBOs pay close attention to what the youth can
after-school efforts that provide a safe place for youth to
do and introduce them to engaging activities that chal-
gather at the end of the day but have insufficient resources
lenge them to stretch their skills.
to do any more than that.
Build on strengths. Youth-centered programs identify
Reach out. Youth-centered organizations actively
and build on the youth's strengths. Programs do not aim
reach out into the community to let youth know about
to remedy weaknesses or deficiencies in youth before
their-programs. Youth workers in effective CBOs do not
providing opportunities for leadership and risk-taking.
simply put a notice in a newspaper and sit back to wait
DANCE 'TIL YOU DROP: TWO AFTER-SCHOOL DANCE LESSONS
David, the dance teacher, is about 30-he is tall, black, dreadlocked. "These are my babies," he tells us. "I was just like them. I come from the same place
they come from." The small room buzzes with energy and body motion as dancers pour in, peel off their dark blue and white uniforms and throw on bright
T-shirts and stretch pants. When David finally shuts the door, there are 18 dance students-all African American, nearly all girls. The three boys maneuver to
the front and wiggle for attention. David moves nonstop and works up a dripping sweat. The group sails through an hour of stretching and shoulder pop-
ping, leg raises and sit-ups. A few dancers slip into dance moves they are familiar with, and David gently redirects them into the routine of the moment. He
keeps them all in view, breaking his routine to squeeze a shoulder or reshape a pose. All eyes are focused intently on him until they coast to an exhausted
but exhilarated halt. Ms. Velez dances professionally in the city's well-regarded dance troupe. She spends several afternoons a week teaching dance to inner-
city African American youth. She has the intensity and high expectations of a professional, and she keeps her class focused and busy. Her directions are clear.
She dances with the students, modeling steps, sequences, and style. The group splits in two upon invisible command, and facing each other, they move
through a fast-paced, lively hip-hop style dance. After a set of tough moves, Ms. Velez stops the group. "That was better but you must give me-BOOM!"
Her chest pops out and her back arches pretzel-like. Students take in the ferocious move. Soon they are "popping" for each other. All students wear kneepads
because, as one student explains, "This is serious stuff!" The line of dancers gradually breaks until there are just youth moving in space. It's 3:30, and they've
been dancing nonstop for 45 minutes. A girl looks winded. "Five more and then we'll get a drink of water-five, six, seven, eight. " Ms. Velez keeps them
moving past the promised time, encouraging, "Let's take it from the top, and then we'll get a drink." The young dancers seem happy to do what she says.
They have an important performance coming up.
-OBSERVATION NOTES
for youth to show up. They know that most youth do not
opment are knowledge-centered. They point to learning
read the newspaper. They understand that many youth
as a reason why youth should get involved, and they take
might feel, on the basis of past experiences, that the pro-
steps to provide the relevant knowledge.
gram would not include activities that interested them.
Clear focus. Having a clear program focus is vital to a
These adolescents are accustomed to programs in which
knowledge-centered organization. Each of the effective
they're treated as children, or that views them as a prob-
organizations we examined is about something in particu-
lem. Most of the effective organizations we came across
lar. They are clearly and intensely about sports, arts, entre-
actively reach out to draw youth in. Adults and partici-
preneurship, community service, or athletics. These central
pating youth seek out other young people to join. Not
"topics" provide a common purpose and make it possible
surprisingly, youth themselves are among the most effec-
for the members to express their own emerging identities
tive ambassadors and recruiters for their organizations.
as artists, athletes, or young entrepreneurs. Club programs
Feature youth leadership and voice. Youth voice and
that appeal to youth similarly offer an assortment of
points of view help define youth-centered organizations.
focused, tightly organized activities that may vary accord-
Youth provide leadership and direction, taking a central
ing to the interests of youth, but typically include sports
role in designing activities, establishing and enforcing
teams, community service, and something arts-related,
formal and informal rules for members. In some organi-
such as teen drama. These efforts are not merely loosely
zations, each year begins with a process of members
organized activities to do with sports or arts or leadership
looking over last year's rules, throwing out unwanted
that a young person can dip in and out of; they are concen-
ones and adding new ones. Youth input into rules adds
trated programs that aim to deepen skills and competence
legitimacy and salience to effective CBOs.
through intense engagement in a specific area.
Knowledge-Centered. Community-based organiza-
One generic activity will not fit all youth. Adolescents
tions that motivate youth and contribute to their devel-
are clear about wanting to be part of an organization that sup-
10
ports their individual interests. As anyone who has worked
extend these skills. For example, an arts program asks
with a teenager understands, she wants to be just like every-
youth to research their cultural history. Young painters
one else, but she also wants to pick her own identity.
learn a good deal of history, gain pride in their back-
Quality content and instruction. Clear focus is not enough
ground, and gain skills in mural making. A dance teacher
to hold on to youth, however, if they feel an activity lacks
encourages her students to keep journals and often starts
quality. Not every arts program, sports team, or leader-
dance sessions by having students read their writings
ship club is able to attract the interest of young people.
aloud. These dancers pick up habits of writing and read-
Striking among the CBOs where youth spend time is their
ing while learning to hip-hop or double tap. Or in a pro-
high evaluation of skill-building activities. Youth are the
ject focused on child care in the community, youth read
first to notice that good instruction motivates them.
news articles on the topic and study various issues relat-
Exemplary teaching and committed teachers show all stu-
ed to child care. They read in textbooks about "stages of
dents they are learners of promise and a value to society.
play" and create write-ups based on their observations as
High-quality content and instruction propel youth to
classroom aides.
accomplishments beyond those they imagined possible.
Even hard-driving sports organizations find ways to
Embedded curriculum. How that focused activity is con-
broaden the perspectives and competencies of youth. For
ceived and carried out also matters enormously. We see
example, it is common in many organizations for team
youth in effective organizations almost always engaged in
members to come to practice early to work with volun-
activities that deliberately teach a number of lessons. The
teers on homework, study for exams, or fine-tune
adults within a successful CBO recognize the many kinds of
specialized units related to their sport. Many coaches work
knowledge and skills their youth need to succeed in school
academics into topics of great interest to their young
and life, and they deliberately try to provide them.
athletes, such as nutrition and weight training. One year a
Embedded within the organization's programs are
basketball team had six-week units of study on the follow-
activities that build a range of academic competencies
ing topics: finances of the National Basketball Association,
and life skills. Youth leaders take every opportunity to
physics in the sport of basketball, and neurophysiology.
LEARNING LIFE SKILLS THROUGH SPORTS
The Rockets is a winning inner-city basketball team made up of African-American youth from one of the city's most impoverished neighborhoods. The coach
sees his goal as getting youth ready for life and uses basketball expressly to that end. Students are put in charge of coaching each team. In addition, the
coach pays explicit attention to involving all students; better players pass to less skilled players even when they could have taken shots themselves. The coach
and players work intensely on developing skills and executing plays. There is no referee-students must take responsibility for monitoring themselves. The
post-game wrap-up focuses on questions of sportsmanship and personal growth. "Can anyone name something good another player did in practice?" the
coach asks. "William passed a lot today," an eighth grader who was coaching replies. After discussing various players' performance, the program director
says, "It's time for self-evaluation. Get ready with thumbs up or thumbs down." The director then states different criteria, and the participants evaluate them-
selves: "Controlling body and mouth?" Most youth put their thumbs up. A few put thumbs down. "Teamwork? Coachability?" the coach continues. Half
the thumbs are up, the other half down. "Helping others?" One boy who has his thumb down mutters, "I didn't do anything to help someone today."
Finally, the coach asks, "Outside of the gym, doing things to improve yourself?" Again, a mixed result. The young men take this reflective exercise as
seriously as their passing drills and practice at the foul line.
-OBSERVATION NOTES
11
LEARNING TO BE A LEADER
Darryl, coordinator of the high school mentor program, starts the session with a game. Students divide into groups of three and each team picks a leader.
He whispers the rules of the game to the leaders, and tells them to return to their group. Groups get active, but after a short time Darryl stops everyone
and reminds them that each leader was supposed to brief his or her team. The game starts over. Now some team members lose their ability to speak, oth-
ers lose the use of their hands or their eyes. But the team has to communicate well enough to build a block tower together. Eventually the tallest tower
wins, and Darryl "debriefs" the groups about their process. "What did it feel like to be a leader? What was it like working with someone who couldn't see?
What made it easier to work as a team? Harder?" One student said, "Everyone can do a job and be important to the team." Another said, "It was easier
when someone told us what to do." They talk about feelings. Someone said, "I felt all alone, like it was all on me." Another said, "I felt pressure." Darryl
related the building game back to the group process, and the students' eventual work mentoring young students attending the after-school arts program
classes. "Communicate with the artists and teachers if you are feeling pressure-ask them for help. You are joining a team." A student says, "I really
didn't know I was feeling pressure when I was building. I just got really quiet and focused on what I was doing." The students are attentive and listen
closely to Darryl, and to each other. At the end of the discussion the young people record in their journals what they learned that day about
themselves and about leadership.
-OBSERVATION NOTES
Each of these units included original research, problem
Multiple "teachers." In knowledge-centered CBOs we
sets, discussions of ethics, and decision-making. For exam-
found many adults acting as teachers. Senior citizens are
ple, the unit on the NBA covered costs of health insurance,
there as teachers. Peers teach each other. Community
uniforms, travel, income from ticket sales, taxes on play-
members help out with homework, bring snacks, or
ers' salaries, and using probability theory to illustrate the
coach teams. The most visible teachers we observed are
youngsters' chances of making it to the NBA. The neuro-
those with formal teaching roles in the organization-the
physiology unit discussed steroids, heart rate under exer-
coaches, directors, consultants, organizers, and peer
tion and under heat dehydration, and myths surrounding
tutors, among others. But these leaders frequently identify
"chocolate highs" and "carbohydrate loading."
other adults and youth within and outside the organiza-
Just as important to the development, competence,
tion as advisors and mentors. Peers are particularly
and confidence of the youth, however, are the life skills
powerful teachers in high-quality youth organizations,
woven into their activities. A basketball coach debriefs
and youth leaders know it. Accordingly, they provide dif-
his team after every game on sportsmanship. Talk of per-
ferent opportunities for youth to link with adult and peer
sonal responsibility and teamwork always come before
teachers, selecting different "teachers" at different times.
talk about winning strategies. On the way home from
Assessment-Centered. "How'd I do?" "How's this?"
performances, a gymnastics coach made a point of stop-
"What d'ya think?" Learning and development requires
ping for a restaurant meal "so the guys can learn some
ongoing feedback. Assessment in such varied forms as
table manners." The director of a Boys and Girls Club
coaches' comments, public performances, a teacher's
instituted an annual formal dinner, complete with table
gentle correction of a dance pose or mural technique,
service. The purpose of this evening was to introduce
peer reviews, game outcomes, or self-reflection are con-
youth to social situations they will encounter and, as he
stant in activities that challenge youth, stretch their skills
put it, "to give the boys some models of how to treat
and experience, and return benefits of pride and personal
young women-hold out their chairs, things like that."
growth. In these youth-centered environments, evalua-
12
tion is not about competition or one-upmanship. It is can-
in ways other than formal performances. A youth hard
did, supportive feedback on how a youth did and how she
at work in an inner-city garden and park project said,
der.
could do better next time.
for example:
one
Cycles of planning, practice, and performance. Because
cycles of planning, practice, performance, and assess-
This is how you show responsibility, and for me, I'm
ver
ment characterize most of the effective youth organi-
doing something for the community which everybody gets
ee?
to see. I can show people I'm doing it. They can just
zations we studied, the activities found there are not of
sier
walk past and see me doing it. So that just builds up my
rryl
the "pick up" variety. While many club programs have
self-esteem.
am
opportunities for youth to stop by and shoot some
ally
pool, have a swim, or find a game on the basketball
An arts organization sends its members to meet with
ten
court, joining the club's basketball team commits
the business community to negotiate a contract to paint
out
youth to regular practices and games. Community ser-
murals in a corporate office. A YMCA dispatches young
vice programs valued by youth also require careful
men affiliated with the gang prevention effort to meet
planning, consistent involvement, and follow-through.
with local politicians and present proposals for funding.
ES
One girls' club was concerned with medical services to
A literacy effort assigns youth to solicit advertisements
the elderly. They studied costs and availability of ser-
to support its community newspaper. Each of these
vices within nursing homes, assisted living programs,
assignments requires youth to plan what they will do and
and the homes of people who received homebound
evaluate alternative strategies. Each provides immediate
care. They volunteered in nursing homes, made visits
feedback on their choices and presentation of self.
with residents in assisted living, and organized distrib-
These culminating events and public displays are
ution of food and gifts to the homebound for the holi-
more than important goals and rewards for youth. They
ve
days. Throughout the activities, youth met with adults
also provide opportunities for youth and adults in their
re
and peers to reflect on their experiences and devise
community to see each other in new ways. Such perfor-
ty
new strategies for work with the elderly. Or, youth
mances go a long way toward strengthening relationships
or
involved in an inner-city rehabilitation project
among adults and youth in their neighborhoods.
designed and built a model home and had the thrill of
As the interlocking rings in Figure 2 suggest (see
ne
seeing their plans, calculations, and decisions about
P. 8), the elements of an effective community youth
er
construction and design standing proud in their neigh-
organization are mutually reinforcing. Because adults
fy
borhood in the form of attractive housing.
focus on youth, the knowledge they provide fits youth
Feedback and recognition. Organizations where youth
interests and needs as defined in local terms. Because
ly
accomplish at levels that make them and their commu-
adults assess youth's progress on an ongoing basis, they
s,
nity proud devise activities that culminate in celebra-
are able to tailor activities to stretch, but not intimidate
tion and performance. Adults find any number of ways
youth. Continued assessment also lets adults know about
er
to showcase the talents of their youth. Ms. Velez stages
the merits of their own program choices. Is the program
S.
an annual dance recital to show off the accomplish-
engaging? Too hard? Too easy? A youth-centered envi-
ments of her young dancers (see sidebar, P. 10).
ronment must be flexible-responsive to changing tastes
es
Moreover, says the coordinator of the dance program,
of youth and to changes in local labor markets, opportu-
as
the pride attached to that annual performance spills out
nities, and resources.
into the community. She notes the special case of a home-
Effective youth organizations take a broad view of
less family whose, "mother comes to class and stands
essential competencies. As they dance, balance the
e
there beaming with pride because she's watching her
books, or rebound, youth acquire skills of leadership,
Ils
daughter dance across the stage. That's why we're in this
organization, problem-solving, and persistence. Young
al
community."
people working in their community or lobbying for
Youth find feedback and pride of accomplishment
support for their organizations learn political skills and
13
valuable lessons about how to move through, and with,
personal accountability. They learn that their actions and
the "system." As their peers, youth leaders, and the
their inactions matter. They acquire a critical sense of
public assess their products and performances, youth
agency and realism. They learn that they can make
come to understand that quality evolves, and they learn
important contributions to their group and their com-
about the importance of revision, attention to detail,
munity. They learn they can accomplish socially valued
and pride of effort.
goals. And they form assessments of their future and how
The social processes of reflection and evaluation
to reach for it. This sort of learning about self, commu-
teach youth about alternative explanations of outcomes
nity, and futures occurs through action.
and how to deal with them in constructive ways. They
Essential to this learning, however, is the presence
learn how to move beyond stereotypes, for example,
of an accepting community within the organization.
rather than launching into heated debate. Under the
Supportive, caring community is the essential element of
watchful eye of the adults in these organizations, youth
an effective youth organization.
learn elements of social etiquette. They learn how to pre-
Caring Community. High-quality youth organizations
sent themselves to the community and employers, both
are first or second families for many participating youth.
in person and on paper. Given meaningful roles in their
For some youth, these CBOs serve as a primary source of
organizations, youth learn about trust, responsibility, and
relationships and support. The youth organizations provide
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
SCHOOL AND AFTER-SCHOOL SETTINGS:
YOUNG MEN'S VIEWS
YOUNG WOMEN'S VIEWS
4
strongly agree
4
strongly agree
3
3
2
2
SCHOOL
AFTER SCHOOL
SCHOOL
AFTER SCHOOL
1
strongly disagree
1
strongly disagree
Enjoy Being There
Feel Respected
Feel Comfort/Trust
Feel Support
Enjoy Being There
Feel Respected
Feel Comfort/Trust
Feel Support
figure 3.1
figure 3.2
14
"family-like environments"-environments that provide
rules as well as strict expectations. If a player stops
many of the supports that, ideally, a family would.
going to school, he cannot play. Missing two practices
Safety. Youth feel safe in these organizations. Urban
means the bench for the next game. Not showing up in
youth, especially, put security at the top of the list of
uniform means the bench plus push-ups. Youth were
requirements for a community-based youth organization
adamant about having and enforcing such rules. For
they would attend with confidence. Adult leaders of the
example, a basketball coach had a lot of explaining to do
urban youth organizations we studied understand that the
when he called a benched player into the game against a
"boundaries" most significant to their members are not
tough opponent. The coach reasoned, wrongly, that the
census tracks or attendance areas but gang boundaries.
team would consider winning the game more important
They take special care to ensure the safety of their mem-
than sticking to rules. As they told him in angry recrim-
bers. One obtained a van with tinted glass to transport
inations after the game, "rules are rules" and even if it
their youth the three blocks across so-called "Death Wish
meant a loss, they should be applied consistently.
Park." Another established clear rules about hours of
Other critical rules involve expectations for how
attendance for rival gang members in the same neighbor-
members treat each other. "Nothing negative." Members
hood. As a result of this close attention to safety, many
are expected to be supportive, fair, and keep close watch
youth report feeling safer and more respected in the "fam-
on the safety of the group. In groups with a span of ages,
ily" of their youth organization than they do in school.
youth care for, mentor, work with, and induct younger
Trusting relationships. Effective CBOs where youth
members into the organization just as older sisters and
congregate provide more than a safe haven, however.
brothers might.
They focus on building relationships among youth,
We noticed other things about the rules at work in an
adults, and the broader community.
effective youth-based organization. They are, in youth's
Many youth in these organizations talk about the sense
assessment, fair and key to the sense of trust and safety
of unconditional support they find in the organization and
they felt there. The rules are youth-centered in their flex-
how this sense of belonging fostered the trust and confi-
ible application. We were stunned, for example, to watch
dence they needed to accept new challenges. Youth contrast
the coach of a baseball team quietly retrieve a youth's
their experience in these youth organizations with other
mitt from the train tracks, where it had been hurled in a
experiences where they felt they were being treated as
silent rage and in direct affront of the club's rules about
problems that needed remedy. Youth growing up in the
equipment. In response to our unasked question about
harsh corridors of urban communities are particularly
rules, the coach told us about a night of particular
adamant in stressing the importance of being taken-
violence in the young man's home, how the youth needed
without judgment-as they are and helped to move on to
to,
"get
it
out.
We'll
talk
about
it
later."
more positive places. Effective community organizations
Responsibilities for the organization. Youth also have
for youth focus on building relationships and undergird
responsibilities of place. Everyone picks up, shares, and
those relationships with unqualified acceptance.
takes responsibility at high-quality CBOs. One adult
Clear rules. However, the conditions of unqualified
leader explained how he wanted to keep a home-like
acceptance themselves are qualified. Features of safety,
atmosphere going that depended on members actively
trust, and acceptance are supported by a number of clear
thinking of the youth facility as a place where they
rules and responsibilities. An essential set of agreements
belonged. "This is their house. There are no 'Boys' and
and understandings involves the rules of membership.
'Girls' signs on the bathroom doors here any more than
Many facilities make it known that no gang colors,
there would be at home. They should know or ask. They
weapons, drugs, foul language, or alcohol may come
should treat this place like their own house.
Keep it
through the door. Almost all of the effective youth orga-
clean and know that what they do will determine to a
nizations we studied set clear expectations for members'
great extent how people see us. If their house is a pig pen,
attendance and participation at meetings, practices, or
then that's how people are going to perceive us." Part of
other group sessions. Several athletic groups have specific
this responsibility involves taking care of the group's
15
equipment. Young people in these community organiza-
some of whom regularly camp out in his apartment when
tions are in charge of everything from the team's basket-
the going gets too tough at home.
balls, to expensive audio equipment, to the club van, to the
A common finding of research into the resilience of
scrapbooks that chronicle an organization's performances.
youth at risk-and one that the policy community
Likewise, CBOs that attract and keep youth engage
knows but keeps rediscovering-is the crucial role of
them in the day-to-day realities of operating the organi-
one adult in enabling a young person to manage the
zation. For example, youth often have to raise extra
treacherous terrain of dysfunctional neighborhoods and
money and help decide how to spend the group's
families, inadequate institutional supports, and peers
regular budget. Athletic organizations playing teams
headed in negative directions. Our research adds anoth-
outside their neighborhood hand over travel plans
er voice to that refrain. A caring adult can make all the
to older team members. These members decide mode,
difference in the life of a youth. Thus, effective youth
route, departure times, pick-up arrangements, and
organizations pay particular attention to sustaining
spending money. The responsibilities themselves teach
connections with youth.
youth important lessons about leadership, responsibility,
Social capital. Effective CBOs also build relationships
trust, and decision-making. Beyond that, stronger
among youth, their community, and society-they
engagement in running the youth organization means
provide youth social capital in such forms as introductions
more intensive ties to the group. Shared problem-solving
to community leaders, tips on jobs, meetings with local
builds community.
businesspeople, and contacts in policy and service
Constant access. As in the ideal family, adults provide
systems. Adults in these youth organizations work with
caring, consistent, and dependable supports for youth
youth on job applications, call friends to set up inter-
and are available as needed. In reality this usually means
views, and arrange transportation. Youth in a number of
that these adult staff open their lives to youth and are
organizations shadow adults to learn more about their
available to them anytime. In the youth organizations we
work and to establish personal relationships with some-
studied, we found blurred boundaries between adults'
one outside the immediate community. Effective commu-
professional and personal lives. Organizations with facil-
nity organizations provide particular relational resources
ities provide access to adults and spaces to meet daily and
that foster links across an otherwise often-unbridgeable
often in the evenings and on weekends. In many of these
gulf between youth and society's institutions.
places, youth come and go at all hours. Many youth sim-
Figures 3.1 and 3.2 illustrate significant differences
ply come to the youth organization after school, curl up
in how youth see the environments of school and their
on the floor or worn furniture, do homework, talk with
youth organization (see p. 14). These differences are par-
friends, and wait for rehearsals or practice to begin.
ticularly significant for African-American adolescents,
Some come to work on special projects connected with
who often experience school as a hostile environment
a show or product development.
and their neighborhood streets as dangerous. Effective
For those groups with no facilities, adults usually
youth organizations involving African-American males
hold other jobs and meet with the young people only
seem to provide an especially valuable and rare resource
several times each week, usually when borrowed space is
for their development and safe passage through adoles-
available or when the weather allows meeting in an open
cence in urban America.
field or at a park. Nonetheless, these adults make them-
selves accessible to youth by giving out their work and
Adults tend to think of us as trouble they just want to get us
off the streets and out of sight, throw us somewhere just
let
home phone numbers and being available outside the
them 'do something,' throw them a ball, you understand what
formal activities of the youth organization. One coach of
I am saying? Nobody seems to give a shit about what would
a winning inner-city basketball team has to schedule
help us find a good path.
formal meetings of the team around his job as a high
school social studies teacher. But hardly a day goes by
These youth organizations where young people
that he does not have contact with a team member-
imagine, plan, and achieve care deeply about the quality
16
le
Adults tend to think of us as trouble. .they just
want to get us off the streets and out of sight,
throw us somewhere. just let them 'something,'
throw them a ball, you understand what I am saying?
Nobody seems to care about helping us find a good path
of opportunities for youth. For reasons of fiscal and
people knows that no one answer can respond to all
organizational capacity, or conceptualization, these
questions, and no one program will meet the needs of
organizations are the exception in their communities
those between the ages of 8 and 18. Yet some principles
and around the country. Youth led us to programs and
of design are evident. The community organizations
organizations they considered "best." 'The social, acade-
that encourage and enable these positive outcomes are
mic, and civic outcomes we found within those organi-
environments deliberately created to engage youth in
zations celebrate their many tastes.
ambitious tasks, to stretch their skills, experiences, and
Waiting lists also tell of the special features of these
imaginations. The work of an effective youth organiza-
youth organizations. Most of the effective organizations in
tion is neither easy nor merely just for fun. These
this study are overflowing, with waiting lists of eager
organizations are communities of learning and care,
youth. Some of the small groups-such as those featuring
aimed at enriching the individuals-youth and adults-
sports, the arts, or a leadership initiative-have appli-
who belong to them.
cants numbering more than two times their available
Community-based organizations of the kind we
slots. Perhaps the most dramatic was the high-demand,
describe here may be the institution of last resort for
high-performance urban tumbling team that reports a
youth in depleted inner-city environments-where fail-
waiting list of 3000 young people. However, in these
ure is perceived as insurmountable and young people feel
same communities, other youth organizations go empty
paralyzed by their lack of belief in themselves. Youth
and resources unused because young people assess their
organizations can provide bridges to other paths and
programs as uninspired and their settings impersonal.
opportunities to find self-value and success. In all com-
They head instead for the streets or empty homes. Youth
munities, youth-based organizations that create engaging
will not migrate to just any organization. Content matters.
learning environments for young people comprise
Anyone who has worked extensively with young
critical resources for youth in out-of-school hours.
17
Necessary Support
From the Community
What does it take to foster and sustain more of these
who saw the position as a responsibility to manage rather
community organizations where youth can find interesting
than a mission to achieve.
things to do, security, and accomplishments that equip
The prominence of passion in effective youth orga-
them for productive lives? These youth organizations we
nizations signals the need to identify and back that
studied are unusual resources for kids-too many orga-
penchant and energy in the community. In addition
nized programs for youth look quite different in what
to supporting established organizations, policies that
they offer, how they interact with youth, and the kind of
effectively support youth organizations seek out and
environment they construct. It's not surprising that the
underwrite committed individuals and enable their work
effectiveness of these organizations differs in important
with young people. Policies in support of passion for
ways, too. Moreover, these differences in program histo-
youth get the word out that funds are available for adults
ries and supports run counter to some conventional ways
in the community who have enthusiasm for working with
of funding and assessing youth organizations. In order to
young people.
make community count for youth, communities need
Yet, most local policies encourage established insti-
to rethink strategies for their youth-directed CBOs.
tutions as carriers of public interest and investments in
youth. This strategy may defeat the type of fundamental
rethinking urged here. The risk for policy resides in new
LEADERSHIP AND PASSION
forms of accountability, untried relationships, and the
Each of the programs we studied build from an individ-
loss of leverage that accompanies relations based in con-
ual's passion-a passion for kids, an activity, or a com-
tracts with organizations. Communities need to back
munity's well-being. This is true even for local affiliates of
these possibly risky investments. Youth's unwillingness to
national organizations such as the YMCA or Boys and
get involved in the usual offerings bears witness to the
Girls Clubs. Effective programs are led by adults deeply
low return on more conventional strategies.
committed to young people and their futures.
These youth organizations are not established pri-
marily for purposes of safety, providing youth someplace
COMMUNITY CONTEXTS
to go, or as a strategy for addressing an academic, health,
Guiding principles underlie effective youth organiza-
or social problem. The enthusiasm of adults associated
tions, but there are no cookie-cutter practices. The
with the organization brings essential beginnings and ele-
work of a high-quality youth organization is thoroughly
ments of stability. In instances when we saw a vital youth
local and therefore unique. Surface similarities among
organization evolve into the dull fare that youth reject,
communities mask differences that matter to youth and
we saw a change of leadership. A leader motivated by
the organizations that nurture them. Every community
passion and commitment was replaced with an individual
has similar institutions, but they are understood and
18
operated in distinctive ways. Schools in urban areas,
programs will not transfer intact from one location to
for instance, are sometimes seen as agents of the sys-
another, nor can they be "taken to scale" by simply
tem and hostile to youth and their families. Schools in
repeating what works in one community.
urban areas often are impersonal and disconnected
from the community, since few if any of the profes-
sionals working inside them know much about the
COMMUNITY "MENU"
neighborhood or the people who live there. Rural
If one were to judge youthful ideas about individuality
schools, on the other hand, provide conspicuous con-
merely from their choice of clothing, one might con-
trast to these urban observations. Schools in rural areas
clude that all young people want to be the same. The
often form the hub of the community. They gather all
baggy pants, oversized T-shirts, and backward-turned
generations of community members, and school staff
hats seem a virtual uniform for American youth at the
know not only the children and youth in their care but
end of the twentieth century. Yet the choices and voices
also their extended families. Although urban schools
of the youth we came to know advise that individual pref-
ther
make a difficult and not always appropriate partner to
erences matter enormously. Youth's evolving sense of
youth-serving community organizations, rural schools
identity and competence call for programs suitable to
rga-
are natural collaborators.
them. The young woman who brightened her neighbor-
that
Moreover, within communities of similar descrip-
hood's spirits with her cheerful murals would not likely
ition
tions, institutions may mean different things to residents.
join a local basketball team. The youth hard at work
that
We found significant differences among urban communi-
planting, tending, and selling their vegetables probably
and
ties, in particular, in youth's perceptions of the local school.
will not be attracted by membership in a drama troupe.
vork
Youth who rate their schools as hostile or unsupportive are
The youth living on one side of "Death Wish Park" will
for
less likely to stay there for after-school functions than are
not participate in activities with youth who live on the
lults
youth who find their schools a comfortable, safe environ-
other side, even though the physical distance between
with
ment. School may not be safe after school-largely due to
them is only a few blocks. A necessary strength of the
the realities of street life rather than the school itself.
CBOs attractive to youth in a community is their variable
nsti-
Questions of where to locate after-school activities need
offerings. Opportunities for youth of different tastes, tal-
ts in
to be answered by the community, not resolved by stan-
ents, and peer affiliations make up a menu of learning
ental
dardized policy directives. Program location can make a
from which youth can choose.
new
vital difference in youth's involvement.
A surprise early in our research was the dearth of
the
Communities around the country also have different
opportunities for young women. We found only a hand-
con-
issues or shortcomings with which to contend. Urban
ful of programs for them. Public and philanthropic dol-
back
areas find space for youth activities in short supply,
lars often focus on the non-school hours of young men,
SS to
while mid-sized towns and rural areas generally count
especially African-American boys in the inner-cities
the
space as an asset. Rural and many mid-sized towns
who are thought to be most "at-risk" and most threat-
struggle with inadequate libraries or other cultural
ening to society's goals. In many coeducational settings,
resources, resources that most urban areas can build
especially formerly boy-serving organizations gone
upon. Problems of inadequate transportation frustrate
coed, girls seem like afterthoughts as plans are made for
plans for youth activities in rural communities where
equipment or activities. In too many club programs, for
iza-
youth live miles apart down country roads. Urban youth
example, an afterschool activity for girls involves stand-
The
organizations confront not a lack of transportation but
ing around watching the boys play pool rather that one
ghly
its cost and safety.
constructed specifically for and by the young women.
long
Therefore, most initiatives to build effective CBOs
We found both an absolute level of underservice to
and
need to be based in local knowledge and conditions.
girls overall in communities, and too many instances of
inity
Those hoping to replicate effective youth organizations
girls being treated as second-class citizens in coeduca-
and
nationwide must work within local contexts. These
tional programs.
19
An effective youth organization must be able to
overlooked among these accomplishments is the impor-
attend to these differences and provide occasions for
tance of moving beyond the domination of so-called
youth to engage as active learners. What one youth
experts, both in response to unique resources of other
leader termed "herd programming"-taking in large
adults and to community doubts about outsiders' exper-
numbers of youth-will not provide effective environ-
tise. In urban areas especially, distrust of public institu-
ments for learning and development. It is unfortunately
tions and their representatives runs deep. Community
the case that fiscal and other constraints in many com-
organizations have a vast resource of community mem-
munities apparently preclude support for the intentional
bers from which to draw if they don't limit themselves to
learning environments we describe here. While these are
so-called experts.
well-meant efforts, and may be better than nothing for
An additional challenge to developing expertise and
young people in depleted neighborhoods, communities
extending the work of CBOs is the need to provide sup-
must be clear that they cannot foster the youth outcomes
port for the many roles staff are playing in employment
we document here.
counseling, job-training, and business development.
This prescription for varied programs and occasions
These adults need different kinds of training for these
for learning runs contrary to such policy virtues as cost-
efforts to succeed consistently. One impediment is that
effectiveness. Funding and overseeing a few larger youth-
many adults in these youth organizations have no profes-
based programs without question is a simpler task than
sional identity. Structural shifts that affect institutions
supporting a variety of smaller ones. But the strength of
typically come from a constituency that has a nationally
the effort lies in its suitability from a youth perspective.
acknowledged role. Teachers, administrators, and par-
Choice and attention to individual differences are key.
ents can push for school reform. Welfare workers and the
A menu from which youth can choose also asks a commu-
business community can speak to welfare-to-work issues.
nity to address its diversity-to acknowledge the cultural
No such identifiable cadre of supporters currently repre-
and gender differences in interests that shape youth
sents youth organizations-neither the adults who work
preferences and developmental needs.
there, nor those who advocate on behalf of non-school
learning environments. Adults who work in these orga-
nizations have no professional recognition beyond the
DIVERSE EXPERTISE
doors of their organization. Adults who come into these
What matters in the successful organizations we studied
organizations do so through their sense of potential in the
is a commitment to young people, to a community, and
youth and in the organization's mission. Established com-
honest engagement with both. Adults having these quali-
munity stakeholders like local education funds can take
fications sometimes have credentials of an obvious
the lead in providing training for adult volunteers. LEFs
sort-as teachers, youth workers, social workers. But
work daily with volunteers, parents, and community
many-especially insiders with a passion for helping create
leaders. They have much to teach these fledgling groups
better environments for youth than they grew up in-
about managing a CBO and its volunteers.
have no such credentials. Some lack a high school
How then might the policy community and those
diploma. Yet, as one youth leader put it, these caring and
institutions granted authority to credential rethink pre-
competent staff have a "Ph.D. in the streets." Youth lead-
requisites and programs of study to include these young
ers in many organizations point to the critical knowledge
adults and adults who fall outside the conventional certi-
these volunteers bring to the organization. Their experi-
fied pathways? How might communities move beyond
ence lies not only in understanding families, but also in
either/or discussions of the merits of lay or professional
ways to get adults involved-how to engage seemingly
roles to embrace and legitimize the contributions of
unavailable community resources. A dilemma for policy-
both? Here, too, LEFs are critical. Local education funds
makers and funders is how to "certify" these talented
are currently working to change the face of professional
individuals in an era of credentialism and legitimate con-
development within schools across the nation. If the
cerns about who works with youth. A lesson not to be
learning community is expanded beyond schools, the
20
ed
er
r-
u-
ty
n-
to
d
P-
nt
16.
se
at
S-
ns
ly
These community based eny ironments for learning
r-
ne
matter as much for youth as do schools
'S.
e-
and other institutions in many cases, more so.
rk
ol
Yet, communities generally do not provide
a-
ne
sufficient support for their youth in nonschool hours.
se
ne
- -
<e
Fs
ty
ps
se
e-
ig
i-
id
al
of
Is
al
e
e
21
lessons LEFs have learned in assessing training programs
sheer will, constantly scrambling for funding. They wrestle
for teachers are applicable to training programs for all
with broken pipes, crumbling floors, and inadequate space
adults involved in supporting increased youth learning.
and supplies. Their adult leaders have to spend an inordi-
nate amount of time searching for funding and thinking of
new ways to make their tried and successful work match
LISTENING TO YOUTH
the latest "flavor of the month" requests from foundations
Youth learn quickly about the supports and constraints of
or other grantmakers.
their communities. Organizations often fail because they
Moreover, much of the funding for youth organiza-
have incorrect information about the lives of the young
tions supports start-up activities, not ongoing opera-
people they serve. This lack of youth perspective leads
tions. As a result, many youth organizations live from
adults to make wrong assumptions about such important
three-year grant to three-year grant, often directing sig-
things as "safe" streets, welcoming organizations, or pos-
nificant staff resources away from work with youth to
sible partners. A lack of input from youth sometimes
grant writing. Funding for growth and sustainability
leads adults to wrong conclusions. For example, the
means funding the work these organizations currently do
well-intentioned adult mentor in an urban setting was
and extending the time frame within which funds may be
furious when youth from the organization he sponsored
used. It also means general funding for less glamorous,
failed to keep appointments he had arranged for them.
day-to-day duties such as background checks for staff,
What he didn't know, however, was that the young men
snacks for participants, and T-shirts and other symbols of
did not know how to read or use the city's bus schedule
membership so important to youth.
to get downtown. An adult might view a youth's poor
Funding for youth organizations often comes from
school performance or attendance as a sign of apathy,
multiple sources. One organization in our research, for
while youth might explain it differently-in terms of a
example, received funds from over 100 separate sources.
violent school setting, indifferent teachers, or boring
Paperwork multiplies accordingly and can strangle small
classes. Adults may explain teen pregnancies in terms of
organizations with scant time, resources, and expertise
insufficient information about safe sex or lack of disci-
to manage it. The great majority of the effective youth
pline. But the young women we talked to referred to
organizations we profile here fit into that category-a
"having someone to love." Or, one young woman living in
grassroots group getting by on sheer will and persistence
a home for pregnant teens in the Midwest told us, "It's
but with few administrative resources. Many of the agen-
boring. What can you do? You can join a gang, use drugs,
cies that fund CBOs have similar goals but separate
or have sex. We chose sex. It's free, and it's not danger-
applications, timelines, and requirements. Private foun-
ous." A youth-centered community listens to the nature
dations run grant programs appropriate for youth
of problems and about positive responses. As long as a
organizations through multiple program areas (e.g.,
community ignores the opinions of youth or sees itself as
youth development, community development, and edu-
detached from them, opportunities for youth develop-
cation). Public funders similarly operate multiple funding
ment are unlikely to change.
streams out of different offices. A state department of
education, for instance, might administer funds to youth
organizations through service learning and community
SUPPORT FOR CORE ACTIVITIES
service initiatives, after-school programs, school-linked
Communities need to invest in resources to engage youth's
services, safety programs, or drug prevention programs.
free time and attention. These community-based environ-
These uncoordinated good intentions turn into a morass
ments for learning matter as much for youth as do
of paperwork and confusing requirements for youth
schools and other institutions-in many cases, more so.
organizations. A more supportive system of funding for
Yet, communities generally do not provide sufficient
quality CBOs would work with the community to coor-
support for their youth in nonschool hours. Research and
dinate funding requirements, technical assistance, and
experience tell us that many youth organizations run on
schedules to minimize the time youth organizations spend
22
estle
on administrative work and fundraising and maximize the
the local budget rather than one contender in annual
time they spend working directly with youth. Burgeoning
budget battles. Local education funds are well-versed in
pace
ordi-
bureaucracies and compliance-based contracts are incom-
analyzing budgets-and in educating the community on
ng of
patible with the trusting relationships that matter for
how to read budgets and request changes. Doing so
atch
communities and their local organizations.
doesn't necessarily require financial acumen. But it does
tions
require a desire to advocate for youth. Over the past
decade of navigating local politics, local education funds
niza-
MAKE YOUTH A LINE ITEM
have earned a reputation as an impartial advocate for
era-
We asked leaders in vastly different communities about
youth and youth programs.
from
local priorities for youth. Responses to our question
sig-
were consistent across region and community. Yes, youth
h to
are a priority for the community. But somehow there
ESTABLISH MEANINGFUL MEASURES
bility
are always more pressing items, like police protection
OF ACCOMPLISHMENT
y do
and road repairs, on the community agenda. Youth
Youth organizations, like other community agencies, are
y be
services frequently fall to fourth or fifth on a list of
often held accountable for achieving outcomes that are
ous,
community priorities, but budgets accommodate only
specified by agents outside the community. These desig-
staff,
the top three. In local budget struggles, youth have inef-
nated outcomes are frequently unrelated to what they do
ls of
fective voice and claim upon community resources.
day-to-day. Or they call for indicators that make little sense
Implicit are assumptions that youth are the responsibility
in the context of an organization's program. The experi-
rom
of schools and families, not of the entire community.
ences of the effective youth organizations we studied offer
, for
Communities serious about making community count
a number of suggestions for more meaningful evaluation.
"ces.
for youth will bolster supports for youth organizations.
Effective organizational processes-as well as more
mall
Communities serious about supporting youth in their
locally defined youth outcomes-should be considered.
rtise
non-school hours will make that support a line item in
Some organizations start in places with few guides or
outh
ence
gen-
rate
oun-
outh
e.g.,
edu-
ding
t of
outh
nity
ked
ms.
rass
outh
for
or-
and
end
23
supports. Just opening their doors and getting youth
evaluations, especially those of the checklist variety.
involved marks a major accomplishment.
Evaluations that emphasize such items as participation
Meaningful measures acknowledge that many out-
rates or stated program objectives rather than students'
comes important for youth to achieve-confidence,
experiences and their assessments of value cannot help
agency, leadership, responsibility-are difficult to assess,
funders or staff members identify strengths or areas for
especially in the short run. "Process is Product" in a qual-
improvement.
ity youth organization. Meaningful measures gauge the
Youth leaders consistently point to problems of "fit"
environment for youth development-to what extent is
between what funders ask them to count as outcomes
it youth-centered? Knowledge-centered? Assessment-
and the goals they aim to achieve. Many of the outcomes
centered? Does the organization embody a respectful,
for which youth organizations are held accountable can
affirming community of adults and youth?
take a significant amount of time and effort to change.
Looking at espoused organization goals provides
Some CBOs are asked about the impact they have on
insufficient evaluation. Short-term projects cannot teach
school grades when they might be more accurately
concentration, revision, and persistence. Programs that
judged by their progress along interim measures such as
are merely "fun" cannot challenge youth to learn new
development of leadership skills, emotional competen-
things, imagine futures, or achieve goals. Moreover, we
cies, and attitudes of responsibility.
saw how programs that appeared the same on paper were
Outcomes might not capture success because they
in practice different opportunities. Accordingly, mea-
tend to be static rather than developmental in terms of
sures of these organization qualities and actual offerings
the organization. When a youth organization first opens
are important indicators of their potential for enabling
its doors, it might be forced to provide a range of unfore-
positive outcomes for youth. Yet these meaningful mea-
seen services in an effort to be accessible and relevant to
sures typically are not captured in grant applications and
its neighborhoods. When youth organizations first start
24
ety.
to work with youth, some outcomes might show initial
strategies, assistance with evaluation and program
ion
gains then level off and/or decline as more difficult chal-
design, or occasions for youth to work with community
nts'
lenges rise to the surface.
members on issues of constructing and connecting com-
elp
Adults working with community-based organizations
munity supports for youth. Adults working in youth-
for
particularly resent the negative frame of many required
based organizations express a sense of disconnection and
evaluations. Some youth organizations are asked to track
"going it alone" that could be ameliorated by resources
'fit"
deficits in youth (for example, reductions in incidence of
dedicated to connection and shared goals. These individ-
nes
vandalism, school failure or poor attendance, or teen
uals, like the youth they work with, need an intentional
nes
pregnancies) rather than note and appraise the positive
learning environment-one that is centered on their
can
youth accomplishments. Many, if not most evaluation or
needs, focuses on their learning, and provides opportu-
age.
accountability structures, are based in a "pathology reduc-
nities for invention, reflection, and feedback.
on
tion" frame rather than one of positive youth develop-
tely
ment, in direct contradiction to the character essential to
as
an effective youth organization. Youth leaders in the effec-
COMMUNITY YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
en-
tive organizations we studied agree that "problem-free
Youth development means community development.
does not mean fully prepared. Young people are sold short
A community bereft of adults who care about and pro-
hey
when sights are set so low. Adults must state positively
vide activities for youth can provide only rocky and
S of
what their goals are for young people."⁶
inadequate support for youth development and healthy
ens
As a consequence of these ill-fitting evaluations,
learning environments.
re-
some CBOs feel pressure to change course in order to
Seeing youth development as community develop-
t to
satisfy funders: to provide more direct academic time or
ment refocuses policy and practice beyond the specifics
tart
to focus on reduction of high-risk behaviors, even if those
of opportunities provided for youth to the community
are contrary to the "best practices" of effective CBOs.
relationships that nurture and sustain those opportuni-
ties. In many of the community-service programs we
came to know, for example, the relationships among
GROWING YOUTH-BASED RESOURCES
adults engaged in the program continued beyond the
The community organizations we studied are exception-
specific activity to benefit them and youth. Some of these
al and generally not part of any self-conscious association
benefits to adults are direct, as in the church-based liter-
of resources for youth. The majority of the effective
acy program that hires local residents as receptionists,
organizations we came to know were "home grown" and
aides, or general supervisors for after-school programs.
isolated elements in an uncoordinated voluntary, youth-
Many organizations involve community members as
based non-school sector. But these organizations need
volunteers. In more than one instance this volunteer
not be exceptional and rare, and dependent on the pres-
work and the evidence of reliability and talent it estab-
ence of an exceptional leader. Evidence exists around the
lishes gives adults the confidence to seek paid jobs. These
country that effective youth-based organizations can be
extended relationships fostered in many CBOs illustrate
built by engaging community members and staff in
the "strength of weak ties"-the ways in which social
vision-building activities for youth development, con-
networks can contribute to personal success and well-
necting them to "best practices," inviting genuine youth
being. These ties are community development at its core,
participation in assessing needs, designing programs, and
and they make up an essential web of mutual account-
evaluating their contributions.⁷ Public policymakers and
ability and responsibility for young people.
private funders can realize significant benefits for youth
Understanding youth development in terms of com-
and their communities though investments in capacity-
munity development raises new challenges for policy.
building efforts and organizations. These investments
One challenge is building on community assets-
might underwrite networks for youth organizations and
strengthening those features of community that already
youth workers, organizations dedicated to sharing ideas and
contribute to the well-being of youth and families.
25
Strength-based strategies aim to honor and extend
if a vital context for their growth is to be constructed.
community strengths, so that they can be sustained and
Yet, schools, the so-called "universal institution" for chil-
stable after the life of the grant-too often the case
dren and youth, typically are left out of both community
when initiatives are intended only to repair or respond
and youth development efforts.
to community deficits.
This omission sometimes is by design and sometimes
As sensible as a strategy that starts from community
by default. In most urban communities, and in many
strengths might sound, it can pose challenges to funders
mid-sized towns and rural areas, schools and communi-
and policy makers. In many communities, important
ties have grown apart. In urban areas, schools and com-
assets sit in faith-based institutions, institutions precluded
munities often operate in a climate of mutual mistrust
from public support by First Amendment guarantees
rather than one of collaboration. In rural areas, policies
of separation of church and state. Moreover, in many
that have consolidated smaller schools into larger region-
communities, norms resist spending public dollars on
al high schools have fractured the spirit of place many
organizations or activities with any ideological stance. Yet
schools held for their communities.
faith-based organizations are often among the most avail-
Positive school-community connections are unusual,
able and sustaining resources for a community's youth and
and as one youth advocate put it "there is an abundance
adults. Economic pressures and a growing sense of
of arrogance and ignorance on both sides." Adults
urgency are bringing churches and schools together in
working with youth organizations frequently believe that
pursuing a common goal of nurturing healthy children.
school people do not respect or value their young
Not only are religious organizations regularly the heart
people. Educators, for their part, generally see youth
and center of communities, they often furnish the only
organizations as mere "fun" and as having little to con-
coherent system of positive values in the distressed con-
tribute to the business of schools. Moreover, educators
texts of poor neighborhoods. Navigating the legal and
often establish professional boundaries around learning
normative terrain that separates public support from
and teaching, considering them the sole purview of
faith-based organizations poses a hurdle for communities
teachers. Yet adults working in community organizations
aiming to build on their assets.
know that youth have many teachers and that learning
One particularly ironic challenge to strategies for
does continue in non-school hours.
youth development lies in the call to see youth as
In many ways, both are right. We heard many
resources. The typical "youth as problem" stance of policy
accounts from adults working in youth organizations
has been identified as a dead-end strategy, yet alternatives
about the damage done in school to the young people
have proven difficult to support. The idea of youth as a
they cared for. "I need to spend two hours after school
constructive agent rather than a "target" often discomfits
making up for what happens to my kids in school," said
officials and others worried about losing control. Yet the
one. "They are made to feel they're no good and can't
experiences we relate here make evident that youth are
accomplish anything." Educators, commenting on youth
resources to their peers and to their community-and
organizations, say that many of the activities available to
effective community organizations intentionally cast them
young people in their non-schools hours are insubstan-
as such. The successful outcomes we detail are based on a
tial, lacking in opportunities for learning.
deep and articulated faith in the capacity of young people
Yet fostering more creative efforts of cooperation
to be resources for the community and energetic agents
between schools and youth organizations is critical. Few
in their own positive futures. Advice to fundamentally
of the groups we studied could entertain this idea, how-
rethink the value and roles of youth may be difficult to
ever, for when they had done so, they ran into bureau-
sell, however, especially in violence-plagued urban areas.
cratic snags. In one urban community, school regulation
Still other barriers exist to approaching youth devel-
precluded cooperating artists from using the spaces they
opment as community development as a matter of policy
needed. Barred from the gym or hardwood floored hall-
and support. Youth-based community development must
ways because of insurance provisions, the dance program
engage all of the institutions through which youth move
struggled on a concrete lunchroom floor. Provided no
26
d.
The successful outcomes
il-
ity
we-detail are basedin a deep
es
and reulated faith inthe capacity young people
ny
ni-
tb be resources for the community
m-
1st
and energetic agents in their positive
ies
GAMELIN
n-
ny
al,
ce
assistance from the school's janitors, a mural artist des-
those at the city level. Opportunities for youth are
Its
perately mopped up after her young artists so teachers
shaped-for better or worse-by larger political and
at
would not return to floors marked with finger paints,
regulatory contexts. We encountered many examples,
ng
sticky paper, or other evidence of youthful creation. By
generally negative, of how youth organizations are affected
ith
the artists' reports, school officials were deaf to requests
by their settings. In one urban area, for example, youth
n-
to talk about ways the after-school program and the
were disappointed and finally angered by the failure of
ors
school could collaborate in the interest of youth.
the city to fulfill its promise of resources for their com-
ng
The waste of precious resources deprives youth of
munity-service project. Their anger was over more than
of
valuable opportunities to learn, practice, and achieve.
just scuttled plans. It expressed their reinforced belief
ns
Schools are repositories of spaces and materials to sup-
that the system had no respect for poor, African-
ng
port learning. Communities, on the other hand, offer
American youth. They believed that "the suits" did not
fertile resources that can extend the classroom into the
honor their pledge and could not be trusted. Belief in
ny
non-school lives of youth. More effective school-com-
adults, constructed within the nurturing environment
ns
munity connections must resolve these turf battles.
of the organization "family," is easily eroded by mixed
ble
Creative efforts also require grounding in expanded
signals and broken promises.
ol
notions of teaching and learning opportunities. These
Individuals and organizations with compelling public
id
new understandings await conversations among educa-
voice will have to become convinced of the need for,
n't
tors and community members, discussions that cannot
and the effectiveness of, these youth-based organizations
ith
even begin without suspension of their mutually held
and their potential for creating positive climates for
to
arrogance and ignorance. Communities need to attack
young people. Those interested in education, civic
-
this culture of distrust and bring schools to the table. The
responsibility, and creative approaches to working with
challenge for schools is to think about what happens
youth will have to step forward to acknowledge youth-
on
outside the classroom and consider resources for teach-
based organizations and the youth they embrace as
ew
ing and learning in the community. The challenge for
powerful, positive allies in community development.
W-
communities is to think about ways they can support
Effective community youth organizations such as
u-
what happens in the classroom in nonschool hours.
those featured here go a long way to answer the concep-
on
In addition to these largely horizontal relationships
tual challenge of how to make community count for
ey
among community institutions and their youth, effective
youth. A more difficult challenge is a political one: how
all-
community organizations also must depend on vertical
to mobilize advocates with diverse perspectives into more
im
relationships to support their goals-that is, relation-
productive relationships around youth development and
no
ships between activities at the neighborhood level and
opportunities for young people.
27
Recommendations for Community,
Youth Organizations,
Schools, Funders, andPolicymakers
How can communities count for youth development?"
following is an attempt to translate the previous argu-
Support for effective youth organizations will require
ments and findings into action steps. The long-term
a coordinated effort across sectors and interests. City
strategies indicate the support youth organizations
councils need to get involved. Schools need to act, as
need to make community count for youth. The short-
do diverse community groups, funders, and youth. The
term strategies suggest beginnings.
You can download this publication at
www.PublicEducation.org
28
MEANINGFUL MEASURES OF YOUTH OUTCOMES
LONG TERM
SHORT TERM
COMMUNITY
Develop local capacity to assess the needs
Involve youth and community in identifying,
of youth on a regular basis.
documenting, and assessing opportunities for
Develop a local database of resources for
youth and supports for youth development.
youth development and concrete evidence
of consequences for youth competencies
and attitudes.
Make information on youth needs and
community resources for their development
a central element of deliberations
on budgets and policies affecting youth.
YOUTH
Document and share what you do specifically
Document your successes with youth in
ORGANIZATIONS
as it relates to learning outcomes. This does
terms that are meaningful to you as well
not only mean expanding the academic supports
as funders, schools, and other potential
you provide, but studying and understanding
collaborative partners.
how the work you already do with youth con-
Conduct an inventory of opportunities to
tributes to their performance in school.
record work with youth as part of the regular
day-to-day operation of the organization.
SCHOOLS
Include the role of youth organizations in
Help youth organizations access the public
your assessments of what contributes to the
information you have on the school perfor-
performance of certain youth in school.
mance of the youth with which they work.
Recognize/reward youth for their participa-
This will help them document outcomes
tion in youth organizations. For example,
for the youth they serve.
consider awarding community service credit
for community service performed through
youth organizations.
FUNDERS AND
In evaluations and other reporting require-
Fund the development of evaluations and
POLICYMAKERS
ments for youth organizations that you fund,
evaluators who can work in youth organizations.
give credit for process as well as outcomes.
Help grantees negotiate evaluations and out-
Ensure the outcomes that you measure are
come measures that are perceived to be useful
meaningful measures of the performance of
to the organization.
youth organizations, and ask for strengths-
Conduct an inventory of data already available at
based outcomes.
youth organizations and other organizations that
Establish channels for ongoing dialogue with
serve your neighborhood youth. Consider these
your youth organizations and other grantees
sources of available information first when
about what outcomes you should reason-
choosing evaluation and reporting requirements.
ably expect a youth organization to achieve
Support collaboration between communities
after certain periods of time.
and universities to develop local capacity
to document and assess youth needs and the
outcomes of CBOs.
29
SMARTER FUNDING AND POLICY STRATEGIES
LONG TERM
SHORT TERM
COMMUNITY
Offer a diverse "menu" of organizations
Identify assets for youth within the community
and programs for youth.
in terms of caring adults, spaces for programs,
Provide a web of reinforcing supports
and expertise that can assist youth organizations.
for youth that includes all the institutions
that affect youth development.
Develop a local action-base for youth.
Make youth a line item in the community
budget.
YOUTH
Develop environments that are youth,
Access resources needed to provide high-
ORGANIZATIONS
knowledge, and assessment-centered.
quality programming. This may include
Establish systems within the organization
formal professional training, visits to other
to document and share promising work.
youth organizations, and joining professional
Important documentation includes
associations.
day-to-day practices, outcomes for youth,
Familiarize funders and schools with the
and actual program budgets.
organization's work. Invite them to open
houses, tours, and performances by youth.
Conduct an internal assessment of points
in the day-to-day operation of the
organization where work with youth
can and should be documented.
Expand board membership to include youth,
school principals, school district personnel,
foundation program officers, and
representatives of city/county government.
Begin to establish relationships with the
schools your youth attend and other
eligible recipients of state and federal after-
school funds.
SCHOOLS
Include youth organizations as integral parts
Include youth organizations and other
of strategies to improve learning.
community organizations in assessments
Provide incentives for teachers to learn about
of resources for learning.
their students' work in youth organizations.
Establish a dialogue with youth organiza-
For example, support professional development
tions in the neighborhood.
time and stipends or credits to visit youth
Participate in community meetings.
organizations and other non-school settings
See schools as providers of last resort for
where youth learn.
after-school programming.
Develop curricula that integrates community
Encourage students to share their work in
resources for learning and teaching.
youth organizations during the school
day. Publicize the work of students in youth
organizations. Consider devoting a regular
portion of your newsletter and school bulletin
boards to news of local youth organizations.
Offer space to youth organizations for perfor-
mances, art shows, sports, and other activities.
30
SMARTER FUNDING AND POLICY STRATEGIES
LONG TERM
SHORT TERM
FUNDERS AND
Fund people, not just programs. This may
Make a pool of private funds available as
POLICYMAKERS
mean restructuring funding streams around
grants or loans to draw down public funding.
S.
fellowships for youth workers and directors,
Learn about youth organizations in
and/or making funding more discretionary.
the community/jurisdiction. Participate
Fund intra- and inter-city networks of youth
in community meetings.
workers and youth organizations.
Identify intermediary organizations and other
Support development of alternative
potential convenors of youth workers.
pathways of training and credentialling
Set broad goals for after-school programs and
for youth workers.
policies. For example, be flexible on the number
Reframe policy debates around after-school
of youth served, hours of operation, and type
programming. This may include making
of activities provided. The main criterion for
community-based organizations eligible for
funding should be that applicants demonstrate
federal and state after-school dollars typically
that their approach to after-school
reserved for schools.
programming matches the needs, resources,
Ensure that community-based organizations
and contexts of the youth they intend to serve.
are aware of and applying for available
In grant applications, ask youth organizations
after-school funds.
and their partners to conduct an assessment
Fund ongoing operations, not just start-up
of their community needs and strengths related
costs. This may involve educating youth
to these goals. Ask the youth organizations,
organizations and other CBOs about how
schools, and other community agencies how
they can access existing funding streams
they will build on these strengths and address
in education and other areas.
some of these challenges.
Work with funders of similar programs to
Make planning grants or other funds available
streamline or otherwise coordinate grant
to schools and youth organizations to conduct
application procedures and eligibility requir-
community assessments.
ments. Pursue the feasibility and usefulness
Actively collect information on what youth
to applicants of releasing joint requests
organizations do to support learning.
for funding.
Put representatives of youth organizations
Create a local education fund to advocate
on your advisory boards for your programs
for school and community improvements at
in education, as well as community develop-
the public policy level.
ment and youth development.
Research and make connections to other
grantmakers and policymakers with similar
goals and applicants.
31
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Community Counts draws upon work supported by grants from the Spencer Foundation to Milbrey McLaughlin and
Shirley Brice Heath from 1987-1999. Shirley Heath has been my close colleague and collaborator ever since we first
discovered our shared interest in the role of youth-based organizations. Her commitment to understanding their con-
tributions suffuses every page of this report. I The body of our research has been shaped and informed by many
talented individuals over the years. Merita Irby and Juliet Langman were our original site workers, and immersed
themselves in our three urban sites in the first half of our research. Their work was aided by a crew of "junior ethno-
graphers," youth who participated in the organizations we studied. Chad, Dinesha, Felicia, Izzy, Johnny, Manuel,
Marvin, and Peggy played an especially central role both as research collaborators and by planning a conference for
youth. As our sites expanded, so did the research team that made this far-flung research possible. It included (in
chronological order of involvement with the project) Steve Balt, Jennifer Massen Wolf, Shelby Anne Wolf, Ali
Callicoatte, Melissa Groo, Kim Bailey, Arnetha Ball, Brita Lomdardi, Mailee Ferguson, Sara DeWitt, Shama Blaney,
Monica Lam, Adelma Roach, Emma Leuvano, Joe Kahne, Ann Davidson, and Adriel Harvey. A substudy that focused
on one urban neighborhood was directed by Joe Kahne and involved James O'Brien, Theresa Quinn, and Andrea
Brown. The "boxed" vignettes used in this report are drawn from their observation notes and writing. Greg Darnieder
and the Steans Family Foundation provided direction and support for that substudy. Rebecca Barr at the Spencer
Foundation was encouraging and supportive through it all. Julie Cummer, our Stanford University Project
Administrator, was a brilliant strategist in figuring out ways to take often-bizarre requests for reimbursement through
the university system and helping in so many ways to keep our "distributed project" together. I Other individuals
made contributions specific to this report. Haggai Kupermintz and Ken Ikeda provided assistance with statistical
analyses of the survey data. Meredith Honig contributed ideas and text to the section on recommendations. Michele
Cahill, Sarah Deschenes, Meredith Honig, Della Hughes, Ken Ikeda, Peter Kleinbard, Morva McDonald, Jane Quinn,
and Sylvia Yee read drafts of this report and it is stronger for their comment. I None of this work would have been
possible without the cooperation, trust, and openness of the youth and adults who invited us into their lives and
organizations over the years. Their generosity, deep belief in youth and community, and commitment to a civil
society are impossible to capture in words. I The partnership of Wendy Puriefoy and the board and staff of the
Public Education Network in preparing, publishing, and disseminating this report is gratefully acknowledged.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Milbrey McLaughlin is the David Jacks Professor of Education at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.
32
NOTES
1. For example, see L. Scott Miller (1995), An American
Imperative: Accelerating Minority Education Advancement. New
Haven: Yale University Press.
2. The research reported here was supported by the Spencer
Foundation in grants to Shirley Brice Heath and Milbrey W.
McLaughlin, from 1987 through 1999.
3. The precise numbers of youth who participated in some
way in our research over the past decade are difficult to calcu-
late. We estimate that the youth who participated in the more
than 120 specific projects or activities we studied number more
than 1000. Many of these activities, however, were associated
with a larger organization. For example, we spent a great deal of
time with about six young men associated with a gang preven-
tion project, sponsored by the YMCA. A city mural project team
of about 10 young artists was part of a Boys and Girls Club. A
tally of the youth who nominaily belong to all of the sponsoring
ind
organizations included in this research sums to around 30,000
irst
based on membership figures provided to us, However, all youth
on-
members affiliated with these organizations were not part of this
any
research. This report is based on the experiences of this smaller
sed
subset of youth.
10-
4. Data that enable us to compare the attitudes, behaviors
Jel,
and outcomes of youth participating in community-based orga-
for
nizations with those of American youth generally are based on
(in
responses to National Educational Longitudinal Survey question-
Ali
naires: The National Educational Longitudinal Survey [NEL5:88] is
ey.
a longitudinal study of 8th, graders whom the National Center
ed
for Educational Statistics followed from 1988 through 1994: The
rea
design of NEL5:88 permits examination of the role of schools,
der
teachers, community, and family in promoting positive outcomes.
cer
The NELS:88 sample is constructed to be representative of
ect
American youth generally. We administered a questionnaire con-
igh
taining a subset of NELS:88 items to youth involved in the com-
als
munity-based organizations we studied (N=364). We then com-
cal
pared the responses from these youth with those from youth par-
ele
ticipating in the 1992 NELS:88 Second Follow-Up (N=21,188).
nn,
These comparisons allow us to make statements about the cir-
en
cumstances, attitudes and outcomes of youth involved in this
ind
research compared to "typical" American youth.
tivil
5. Figure 1 shows data from a second project-specific
the
survey of approximately 175 youth in a particular inner-city
neighborhood.
6. Karen Pittman (1992), Defining the Fourth R: Promoting
Youth Development Through Building Relationships.
Commissioned Paper #5. Center for Youth Development, Academy
for Educational Development: Washington, D.C.
7. Michele Cahill offers as an example the experience of the
Networks for Youth Development.
8. John Kretzman and John McKnight (1993) popularized the
term "assets-based strategies" and ideas about "assets mapping."
(Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding
and Mobilizing a Community's Assets. Center for Urban Affairs and
Policy Research, Northwestern University: Evanston, IL.)
9. Meredith Honig provided the inspiration and content for
this section.
EDITOR: HOWIE SCHAFFER. DESIGN: CARTER COSGROVE
COMPANY
PHOTOGRAPHY: RICK REINHARD
PUBLIC
EDUCATION
NETWORK
601 THIRTEENTH STREET, NW
SUITE 900 NORTH
WASHINGTON, DC 20005
202-628-7460
www.PublicEducation.org
OJJDP
PARENTING R
SOURCES
for the 21st Century
www.parentingresources.ncjrs.org
Parenting Resources for the 21st Century
The Parenting Resources for the 21st
puts you in touch with the information you
Century online guide links you with answers
need to meet the challenges of raising a
to these questions and many more in a user-
child today.
friendly and easy-to-access format. Just go
to www.parentingresources.ncjrs.org (online
Find out:
June 2000) and find the parenting informa-
How to find child care for your
tion you need by choosing any one of the
newborn.
site's eight categories:
What to do when your child
Family Dynamics
misbehaves.
Health and Safety
How your child can benefit from
Child Care and Education
playing organized sports.
Family Concerns
Who can help when you suspect
your teenager is using drugs.
Youth Development
Where to find information on
Out-of-School Activities
college scholarships.
Resources
What's New
This Web site has been developed in cooperation with
and support from the Office of Juvenile Justice and
Whether you're a parent, a grandparent,
Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and the Coordinating
or any other person who cares for-or
Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
about-children, this Web site will
Those without Internet access can learn about the
provide the resources you need.
resources featured on the Web site by calling OJJDP's
Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse (800-638-8736) for
additional information and assistance.
Parents Matter:
Tips for Raising Teenagers
CAMPAIGN FOR TOBACCO-FREE KIDS
NATIONAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST YOUTH VIOLENCE
NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO PREVENT TEEN PREGNANCY
OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
PREPARED FOR THE WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON TEENAGERS
MAY 2, 2000
Parents Matter: Tips for Raising Teenagers
Being a parent is one of life's most challenging - - and rewarding -
OF
responsibilities. But the parents of teenagers may have the toughest job
THE
around. Adolescence is the journey from childhood to adulthood, from relying
NATIONAL
mostly on the judgment of others to learning how to make responsible
decisions independently. It can be a difficult transition for both teens and
CAMPAIGN TO
their parents, especially in a society in which young people are confronted
PREVENT TEEN PREGNANCY
daily with the serious risks that come with sex, violence, drugs, alcohol,
smoking, and school failure - risks that science and common sense tell us
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
are often related. Because the various risks teens face are so closely
connected, so too are the solutions.
CAMPAIGN
It's easy for parents of teens to believe that they've lost their influence
TOBACCO-FREE for
over their kids once they reach adolescence. The power of peers and the
media can seem overwhelming. But research and experience both make
NATIONAL
Kids
clear: parents do matter in the lives of their teens. Teenagers need support, CAMPAIGN
guidance, and caring from their parents as much as younger children do.
AGAINST YOUTH
And teens themselves say they want to hear from their parents about the
VIOLENCE
challenges they face growing up, even if they don't always act like it.
While each of the organizations that have helped develop this publication
has a different focus, we offer many of the same messages to parents.
HUMAN USA
OFFICE OF OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL PRESIDENT STATES CONTROL POLICY OFTHE OF UNITED THE
&
Parents can do so much to foster their kids' talents and skills and guide them
toward healthy development. Parents can also shape the communities their
children grow up in. Whether you're concerned about drinking, drugs,
HEALTH
violence, trouble in school, smoking, or sex (or all of the above), the best
OF
advice for parents is the same: stay closely connected to your teenage sons
and daughters. The following ideas can help parents make a difference in
DEPARTMENT
the lives of their teens.
1
Spend time with your
Help teens gain a sense of
children and teens.
self-confidence.
Spend time with your kids, engaged in activities
Self-confidence is earned, not given. Give
that suit their ages and interests. Shared
kids opportunities to learn skills and gain
experiences build a bank account of affection and
confidence. Offer praise for jobs well done,
trust that forms the basis for future communication.
accentuate the positive, emphasize the things
Eat together as often as you can. Meals are a
your children do right. If they fall short,
great opportunity to talk about the day's events and
suggest ways to improve; don't criticize.
to grow closer with your children. Use the time for
Affection and respect will reinforce good
conversation, not confrontation. Read, watch TV or
behavior (and change bad) far more
movies, and surf the internet together. Exercise or
successfully than fear or embarrassment.
play sports as a family. Get involved in community
service with your kids.
Encourage your teens to get involved in fun, safe, fulfilling
activities.
Help your children to identify their strengths, talents, and interests and to find opportunities in which these
assets can be developed. Encourage them to volunteer in the community, join a youth group, or
participate in arts or sports. It'll give them a sense of accomplishment, connect them to positive peers
and adult leaders, and - not least of all - keep them busy.
2
Help your teenagers set goals and understand that they have
options for the future.
Help kids understand how the choices they make now can affect their whole lives. Introduce them to successful
people in your community who can explain what it took to succeed. Teens with long-term goals for education or
work will be less likely to compromise their futures by engaging in risky behavior.
Let your kids know that you
Stay involved with your teens'
value education highly.
schools.
Parents are often very connected to their children's
Stay involved in your children's education and let
elementary schools but disengage as the kids get older.
them know it is important to you. Explain to them
Try to stay involved right through middle and high school.
how their education will reward them later in life
Pay attention to the classes your teens are taking and the
and why it is so important for them to take it
homework they are being assigned. Join the PTA or
seriously now. School failure is often a warning
another parent organization. Volunteer to be a tutor,
sign of other problems. If you notice a drop in
mentor, or guest lecturer. Meet your teens' principals,
performance, talk to your teen and his or her
teachers, counselors, and coaches. Attend back-to-
teachers immediately.
school nights, student exhibitions, plays, band and chorus
recitals, and sporting events. If you don't show up, your
kids will be the first to notice.
Know where your kids are and what they're doing.
Set clear rules for your kids about what they may do and with whom they may spend time, and talk to them about
why these rules are important. Establish curfews and make unchaperoned parties off-limits. Make a special
effort to know where your children and teens are on the weekends and after school, since those are the "danger
zones" when unsupervised young people may have many opportunities to use drugs, commit crimes, and engage
in other risky behavior. The goal is to be an attentive parent without being authoritarian. Remember, knowing
where your kids are and what they're up to doesn't make you a nag; it makes you a caring parent.
3
Get to know your children's friends and their families.
Friends have a strong influence on each other, so it is important to get to know your children's friends and their
parents. Much peer pressure is actually positive. Encourage your teens to hang out with healthy, positive
friends. Welcome their friends into your home and talk with them openly.
Talk with your children early and often about the pressures of
growing up and the risks they may encounter: sex, drugs, alcohol,
smoking, and violence.
Although it may be difficult to initiate a conversation, start when your children are curious and begin to ask
questions. Make it clear that everyone experiences pain, fear, anger, and anxiety, and talk with them about the
appropriate ways to deal with troubling emotions. Make sure your kids know the dangers of tobacco, drugs and
alcohol, and sex. Frequent communication on such issues should begin early in childhood and continue
throughout adolescence, as questions and situations continue to change. Of course, with teens in particular, you
may have to take the initiative in keeping communication going. Create an ongoing two-way dialogue by
respectfully answering each question or topic thoughtfully. Talk to kids, not at them.
Be clear about your own values and attitudes.
Communicating with your children about difficult issues is most successful when you, as a parent, are certain
about your own feelings. By being open and honest, you can express your values in a caring way. Many
parents worry about seeming hypocritical, particularly if they engaged in risky behavior as teenagers
themselves but are now urging their children to take a different path. While most teens have a very well-
tuned "hypocrisy radar," they are often sophisticated enough to realize that, in this age of AIDS, automatic
weapons, and other dangers, new standards are appropriate.
4
Set the right example.
Be a living day-to-day example of your values and standards. Show the compassion, honesty,
discipline, and openness you want your children to have. If you abuse drugs or alcohol, know that
your kids are watching and what they observe may undercut your good intentions to keep them
substance-free. Don't smoke or allow smoking in your home. Model non-violent behavior. If you
want young people to shun violence, you need to demonstrate how. Parents who are dating should
know that their kids see what they do, not just hear what they say.
Pay attention to kids
Watch for signs that your
before they get into
teenager needs help.
trouble.
Learn the signs of drug and alcohol use, school
failure, depression, and violence. Here are
Programs and support for teens in trouble
some clues to watch for: large amounts of time
are great, but all kids benefit from
spent alone in isolation from family and friends,
encouragement, attention, and support.
sudden changes in school performance, drastic
Don't focus attention on them only when
mood swings or changes in behavior, lack of
there's a problem. Let your kids know you
interest in hobbies or social and recreational
are proud of them for doing the right thing -
activities, and changes in your child's peer
even when it seems like no big thing.
group or separation from long-time friends.
Don't be afraid to step in and seek outside help.
Most communities have resources to help
parents help their kids.
5
Make your home safe and
Know what your kids are
teach your kids the
watching, reading, and
importance of safety.
listening to.
If you own guns, make sure that they are
It is your role as a parent to serve as a filter
kept locked up. Don't bring illegal drugs into
between the media and your child. Even teens
your home, and keep your liquor cabinet
need guidance to become educated media
locked. Don't smoke around your kids or
consumers. Watch television or listen to music
allow others to do so. Make sure your teens
with your children and help them understand the
wear seatbelts, get good drivers' education,
difference between real life and what gets
and know the danger of drinking and driving.
portrayed in the media. Look for teachable
moments; characters and stories shown in the
media often provide opportunities for talking
about issues that concern you or your children.
Get involved in your community.
Parents can make a real difference in the lives of their children and teens, but parents can't fix all the
problems their kids face. Parents must get involved in changing the environment in which teens face
tough challenges and choices. The more your community supports the positive development of teens,
the easier it will be for you to do your job as a parent. Encourage schools and other organizations to
adopt and enforce tobacco- and drug-free campuses. Advocate for teen-friendly and safe places that
are drug-free, alcohol-free, and smoke-free. Join community organizations that promote policies to
help kids, like restricting the marketing of tobacco to children or reducing community violence.
Patronize businesses that promote healthy choices by teens. Help other teens in your community by
becoming a mentor or employing teens at your place of work. Get involved with the youth group at your
place of worship or local community center.
6
Resources:
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
1707 L Street, NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 296-5469
www.tobaccofreekids.org
National Campaign Against Youth Violence
33 New Montgomery Street, 20th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105-9781
(415) 512-4008
www.NoViolence.net
National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
1776 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 478-8500
www.teenpregnancy.org
National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth
PO Box 13505
Silver Spring, MD 20911
(301) 608-8098
www.ncfy.com
For information on parenting skills and other ways to
raise a drug-free child, please visit www.theantidrug.com.
For printed or audiovisual materials, call the National Clearinghouse
for Alcohol and Drug Information at (800) 788-2800.
7
Clinton Presidential Records
Digital Records Marker
This is not a presidential record. This is used as an administrative
marker by the William J. Clinton Presidential Library Staff.
This marker identifies the place of a publication.
Publications have not been scanned in their entirety for the purpose
of digitization. To see the full publication please search online or
visit the Clinton Presidential Library's Research Room.
TEENS AND THEIR PARENTS IN THE 21ST CENTURY:
AN EXAMINATION OF TRENDS IN TEEN BEHAVIOR
AND THE ROLE OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT
May 2000
A Report by
The Council of Economic Advisers
Clinton Presidential Records
Digital Records Marker
This is not a presidential record. This is used as an administrative
marker by the William J. Clinton Presidential Library Staff.
This marker identifies the place of a publication.
Publications have not been scanned in their entirety for the purpose
of digitization. To see the full publication please search online or
visit the Clinton Presidential Library's Research Room.
Express Yoursel f
30
RESS
OURSELF!!
A Teenager's Guide to