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- Federal Resources
Federal Resources
Bureau of Land Management Youth Initiatives
This site describes looking to the future, The Bureau of Land Management's youth initiatives. These initiatives feature a variety of programs that engage, educate, and inspire and focus on youth from early childhood through young adulthood. The aim of the youth programs is to build on the spark of childhood wonder about the natural world, sustain interest through hands-on education and volunteer experiences during the school-age years, and develop into long-term engagement and stewardship, as well as pursuit of natural resource careers.
Upcoming Event: November is National Adoption Month
This observance aims to increase national awareness of the need for permanent families for children and youth in the foster care system. This year’s theme, “We Never Outgrow the Need for Family—Just Ask Us,” reflects a focus on the importance of identifying permanent families for the thousands of 15- to 18-year-olds in foster care who are currently less likely to be adopted or who may age out of the system without a stable home. A new tip sheet, Talking with Older Youth About Adoption (PDF, 2 pages) provides child welfare professionals with a framework for how to talk with older youth about permanency and includes suggestions for how to make these conversations more effective.
College Preparation Checklist
This resource can help students of all ages to prepare academically and financially for education beyond high school (PDF, 28 pages). It provides an overview of options for financial aid for college, and checklists for students and parents to reference at each stage of a student’s education.
Share With Youth: Budgeting for College
ED’s Office of Federal Student Aid reminds students about the importance of budgeting to achieve future financial goals and prepare for unexpected bumps in the road.
Share with Youth: FAFSA Overview
The Office of Federal Student Aid at the Department of Education provides an overview of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA takes about 30 minutes to complete, is free, and provides students access to grants, loans, and work-study funds from the federal government.
Share with Youth: Types of Federal Student Aid
The Office of Federal Student Aid offers more than $150 billion to students each year in the form of grants, loans, and work-study funds. While some colleges can also offer private student loans, federal loans often have lower fixed interest rates and other benefits.
Share with Youth: After the FAFSA — What Happens Next
This Office of Federal Student Aid video explains what happens after students complete and submit their FAFSA. The U.S. Department of Education will process the application and indicated colleges will be notified. Students will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) and can check their student aid status online.
Resource: Program-Level Gainful Employment Earnings Data
This data set provides information on program-level outcomes of college students preparing for gainful employment that can be used by prospective students and their families to weigh their options. Overall, the data show graduates of career training programs at public institutions generally fare better than those of comparable programs at for-profit colleges, earning higher salaries and being more prepared to enter higher earning fields.
Report: National Student Loan FY 2014 Cohort Default Rate
These data describe the FY 2014 cohort student loan default rate, which increased slightly from 11.3% to 11.5% for students who entered repayment between fiscal years 2013 and 2014. During the tracking period, more than five million borrowers entered repayment and 580,671 of them defaulted on their loans.
Resource: Digital and Social Media Financial Aid Collateral
This website provides digital and social media resources to help teachers and counselors share important federal student aid information with students and parents. It features sample social media posts, messaging guidelines, blog posts, infographics, presentations, videos, and fact sheets on a variety of financial aid topics.
Internet Safety: 2014 Resource Guide
This guide features short descriptions and links to multiple organizations, programs, publications, tools, and other resources related to internet safety, as well as subtopics like cyberbullying, sexting, self-harm, and suicide.
4-H Military Partnerships
The National 4-H Headquarters, at USDA has established formal partnerships with Army Child and Youth Services, Air Force Airmen and Family Services, Army Child and Youth Services and Navy Child and Youth Programs to support positive youth development education for youth whose parents are serving in the military.
Young Workers
This resource from the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety & Health Administration provides teens, educators, parents, and employers with information on young worker issues. Details about workers' rights and links to training and other educational tools, including state youth employment laws, may also be found on this site.
Adolescent Mental Health Fact Sheets
OAH produced these updated summary fact sheets that report on adolescent mental health by state, featuring information on positive social skills, depressive symptoms, depressive episodes, and suicidal thoughts, attempts, and resulting injuries.
Healthy Behavior in Adolescence
These resources from the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Adolescent Health provide information on health and nutrition in adolesence.
Preventing and Reducing Teen Tobacco Use
OAH has updated its information on teen tobacco use to include new data and resources, including information about e-cigarettes. This page provides information on:
- The health impact of teen tobacco use
- Trends in use
- Risk and protective factors that impact a teen’s likelihood of starting or stopping smoking
- Federal, state, and community strategies and approaches to preventing and reducing teen tobacco use
- Tips for parents on communicating with their teen about smoking
- Additional resources on adolescent tobacco use and services to help users quit
OAH Picks: Recapping 2014 and Six Trends in Adolescent Health
This list provides an overview of some of the major themes seen in adolescent health in 2014 and offers links to relevant resources. The top six trends are (1) increasing global attention on adolescence and an emphasis on young adulthood, (2) encouraging positive youth development, (3) implementing evidence-based programs for adolescents, (4) promoting physical activity and healthy eating, (5) preventing teen violence, and (6) promoting preventive health services for adolescents.
Promising Strategies and Existing Gaps in Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Teens
This report outlines promising practices in working with pregnant and parenting teens, effective programs for supporting this population, and the discussions and suggestions of experts in the field.
Talking with Teens: Conversation Tools
This article from the Office of Adolescent Health provides tips and resources for parents on starting important conversations with their teens and on how to take advantage of teachable moments.
The Affordable Care Act and Adolescents
This brief from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation and the Office of Adolescent Health provides data on the eligible uninsured adolescent population, as well as the provisions in the Affordable Care Act that will have an impact on young people. An accompanying infographic (PDF, 1 page) features some of the highlights.
The Truth About Tanning Infographic
This infographic developed by the Department of Health and Human Services's Office of Adolescent Health aims to bust some of the common myths about tanning and provides information about the negative effects that tanning can have on health.
Transitioning to College
This article, from the Department of Health and Human Services, provides tips for parents, healthcare providers, and college staff on helping teens makes healthy and safe transitions to college. Topics addressed include healthcare, mental health, nutrition and fitness, substance use, and healthy relationships
Webcast Archive: Make the Connection: How Positive Youth Development Offers Promise for Teen Health and Teen Pregnancy Prevention
The archive of this OAH webcast, which highlighted the role of positive youth development in the prevention of teen pregnancy and other risky behaviors, is now available for viewing. A resource list (PDF, 4 pages) of suggested readings from the webcast speakers is also available, as well as the archived #TeenPYD Twitter conversation.
Two Video Series: Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs Matter
Two new video series address what works for teen pregnancy prevention (TPP) and the impact of TPP programs on the lives of adolescents. The first series provides a personal look at TPP programs in local communities. The initial video highlights Sé tú mismo (Be Yourself), a positive youth development program for Latino youth in Washington, D.C., and Montgomery County, Maryland, and includes the perspective of teens in the program. The second video series features OAH staff and partners answering frequently asked questions about TPP, including information on why U.S. organizations should focus on TPP and where the country is on this issue.
Resources: Serving and Engaging Males and Young Fathers
These resources can help professionals who serve young fathers and their families to reach and engage more young fathers; influence research, practice, and policy to better address the needs of this population; and improve the lives of young fathers and their families:
- Recruiting Young Fathers: Five Things to Know (PDF, 2 pages)
- Retaining Young Fathers: Five Things to Know (PDF, 2 pages)
- Serving Young Fathers: Important Things to Know and How They Make a Difference (PDF, 5 pages)
- Serving Young Fathers: An Assessment and Checklist for Grantee Organizations (PDF, 11 pages)
- Serving Young Fathers: A Workbook of Activities (PDF, 10 pages)