Breadcrumb

  1. Shared Resources

Shared Resources

Audience
Type
Topic

The mission of the “Helping Others” Research Project at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Child Psychiatry is to improve the quality of life for youth, families, and communities by providing a continuum of scientific information, education, and personal experiences related to the role of service in addiction recovery.

Link: https://ireta.org/helping-others-live-sober/

This website provides a range of information and resources to assist children and families of the incarcerated, including:

  • research publications,
  • training materials,
  • fact sheets,
  • frequently asked questions documents,
  • and more.
Link: https://nrccfi.camden.rutgers.edu/

This link provides access to free resources related to mentoring. Resources include the book Walls, which provides a model for creating interactive discussions in a mentoring program, as well as guidebook for the implementation of the accompanying Walls mentoring program. Users can also access a brief document about how the book inspired the creation of the mentoring program.

Link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/mv6lzd4kqcofiiu/AAAh2SKPbLWxEswXZpMhQtzua?dl=0

America's Job Center of California provides information on a variety of workforce topics, including services available to help youth find tutoring, apply for college, and secure employment. This organization can also help place youth in jobs, internships and vocational training programs.

Link: http://www.americasjobcenter.ca.gov/

Schools for Hope is a free, research-based curriculum designed to equip students with the social and emotional learning tools for hope. The program focuses on depression and suicide prevention by providing multiple mental health tools and exercises. The website also provides additional depression resources for educators and families. 

Link: http://schoolsforhope.org/

Teacher.org is a free informational site made for teachers by teachers that aims to empower prospective, new, and veteran teachers by providing a broad range of information intended to help them thrive and advance in their careers.Teacher.org provides detailed information on teacher certification, state-by-state licensing information, career profiles of jobs within the field of education, teacher shortage information, scholarship opportunities, and resources authored by teachers, administrators, and other teaching professionals. 

Link: http://www.teacher.org

Educating children on the importance of caring for their mental health is crucial to their emotional well-being and quality of life. Schools for Hope is a free research based curriculum designed to equip students with the social and emotional learning tools for hope, as research suggests hope is a teachable skill.  Hopelessness is the number one symptom of depression and leading predictor to suicide, therefore the program focuses on prevention by providing multiple mental health tools and exercises.  The site provides additional depression resources for educators and families.

Link: http://schoolsforhope.org/

Schools around the nation are implementing protocols and safety measures in order to keep our students and educators safe. With congress allocating over a hundred million dollars towards school safety, the education systems is taking great steps towards learning institutions that are protecting private student information and the students themselves.

Link: https://safetymanagement.eku.edu/blog/new-developments-in-school-safety-infographic/

EnvironmentalScience.org includes information about environmental science education as well as careers in environmental science. It also provides tips for seeking and choosing internships and scholarships in environmental science, and links to opportunities in the field. 

Link: http://www.environmentalscience.org/

Developed in honor of the 35th anniversary of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), this infographic shows the organization's history and includes important reminders on the dangers of drunk driving.

Link: http://www.sr22insurancequotes.org/history-of-madd/

This site includes scholarship information and other resources for students, including an instant GPA calculator, contact information for colleges in the United States, a list of colleges that offer comprehensive programs for students with learning disabilities, lists of Christian, Catholic, and woman's colleges, a list of HBCU's, and links to more than 2,500 career schools, online degree programs, and colleges.

Link: https://www.college-scholarships.com/

Like any advanced degree, an online master's degree requires a great deal of forethought and drive. Here you'll find what you need to identify a reputable master's program, succeed in the program, and land a career that makes the most of your education.

Link: https://www.gograd.org/online-masters-programs/

Attending college is the dream of many, but the thought of graduating with a ton of debt can make any prospective college student think twice about a college degree. Fortunately, there are a number of financial resources available to make one’s college dream come true without the crushing debt. 

Link: http://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/graduating-debt-free/

Attending college can be difficult, but lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning students may have an even harder time than others. The following guide was created to help LGBTQ students understand how many campuses are helping to make the college experience more welcoming and supportive.

Link: http://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/lgbtq-college-student-guide/

This video is a tool for educators, concerned organizations and mental health professionals interested in helping young people speak out against bullying.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O7u-JmKrkg

Affordable Colleges Online, an organization dedicated to providing free higher education tools and information for current and future college students and their families, has recently published a new resource for students with disabilities, titled “Making College Affordable: A Guide for Students with Disabilities.” Multiple experts in the field with experience in academia, financial aid, and law contributed to the content in this resource guide, including:advice and resources for loans and scholarships available specifically for students with disabilities; a comprehensive list of the best schools for disabled students, evaluated by each institution’s disability services; distance learning tips for students with disabilities; job resources for students with disabilities; and additional helpful resources.

Link: http://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/spotlight/affordable-colleges-for-students-with-disabilities/

To create bully-free classrooms, it’s necessary that we educate teachers, students and parents about the prevalence and consequences of it. We all believe a school should be a safe place for the children, a place where they can learn without fear or apprehension. In accordance with Bullying Prevention Month 2013, and its theme — “The End of Bullying Begins with Me” — USC Rossier Online created this infographic, “School Bullying Outbreak,” with facts about the methods, consequences and preventative measures related to bullies and bullied victims in schools.This infographic can be shared as part of your organization's educational outreach and campaigns focused on bullying awareness.

Link: http://rossieronline.usc.edu/school-bullying-outbreak-infographic/

The Texas Hunger Initiative (THI) began in 2009 as a capacity-building and collaborative project within the Baylor University School of Social Work in partnership with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop a model to significantly reduce - if not eliminate - hunger by building a public-private infrastructure. The THI structure convenes federal, state and local government stakeholders with non-profits, faith communities and business leaders to create an efficient system of accountability that increases food security in Texas.

Link: http://www.baylor.edu/texashunger/

The primary goal of all National Children's Alliance children’s advocacy centers (CAC) is to ensure that children disclosing abuse are not further victimized by the intervention systems designed to protect them. CACs are child-focused, facility-based programs with representatives from many disciplines working together to effectively investigate, prosecute, and treat child abuse. CAC locations are not only child-focused, but designed to create a sense of safety and security for child victims.

Link: http://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/index.php?s=24

Finding a drug rehab center is a complex and emotional process.Beginning one's recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction to a place of sobriety, a place of physical well-being, and a place of emotional freedom from drugs is a true challenge. Our aim at AllTreatment is to educate, inform, and guide our users through their own recovery or the recovery of a loved one. We suggest you begin your search for a drug rehab center by selecting the state you live in below. Browse through our comprehensive directory of drug treatment centers.

Link: http://www.alltreatment.com

The New York City Mentoring Children Collaboration (NYC MCC) was created to leverage resources to provide mentoring to children of incarcerated parents. NYC MCC is New York City-based, with four collaborating organizations serving of all the boroughs of NYC.Our collaboration was created with the funding support from The New York Community Trust to provide mentoring programs that tailor the needs of our children to the individual neighborhoods in which they live. We work to demonstrate the positive outcomes of mentoring, reduce the stigma associated with having a parent incarcerated, and raise awareness of the impact of incarceration on children.

Link: https://nycmcipc.wordpress.com

This resource is a complete guide to the withdrawal symptoms of alcohol and drugs.

Link: http://www.withdrawal.org

Funded through a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Project Youth Safety is a comprehensive multimedia, multicultural public awareness initiative promoting child and youth safety at the community level. Project Youth Safety independently focuses on six child/youth safety issues to create issue awareness among today’s youth. Project Youth Safety issues include Youth in Crisis//Homeless Teens, impact of domestic violence, child sexual abuse in bilingual communities and Southeast Asian communities, teen dating violence, and cell phone safety for children and youth ages 8 and up.

Link: http://www.projectyouthsafety.org

MilitaryVALoan.com will provide a $1,000 annual scholarship to those who have overcome their disabilities or who have worked with those with disabilities to achieve something great.

Link: http://www.militaryvaloan.com/disability-scholarships.html

This article provides a variety of information on concussions, including how they can occur and statistics about their prevalence. Symptoms and importance of getting proper medical care are also discussed.  

Link: http://www.carinsurancecalculatoronline.com/raising-concussion-awareness/

This article discusses the origins of texting and driving, what age groups are most at risk for texting and driving, the dangers of texting and driving, and texting laws by state. 

Link: http://www.fullcoverageautoinsurances.com/texting-and-driving/

In 2010, the UCLA Center for the Study of Women (CSW) initiated a new series of publications to address policy issues in our mission areas of gender, sexuality, and women's issues.
CSW Policy Briefs comprise outstanding applied feminist scholarship by graduate students. For the 2012 set of briefs, we put out a call for policy recommendations in the area of “LGBT Youth At Risk: Education, Health and Safety.” CSW was pleased to receive submissions from graduate students in both the Luskin School of Public Affairs and the Fielding School of Public Health.

Link: http://www.csw.ucla.edu/publications/policy-briefs/2012

This resource provides information on local and international scholarships for undergraduates, masters and Ph.D. students in Africa and developing countries. Also access information on contests, grants, and fellowships.

Link: http://www.afterschoolafrica.com/scholarship

The Creativity Conundrum in Educational Leadership discusses the decline of creativity in the American education system due to its emphasis on standardized test scores and how local education funds (LEFs) and public education funds (PEFs) may be able to fill the void.

Link: http://ebookbrowse.com/the-creativity-conundrum-in-educational-leadership-educationalleadership-1-pdf-d343413685

The Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators (CJCA) is a national non-profit organization, formed in 1994 to improve local juvenile correctional services, programs and practices so the youths within the systems succeed when they return to the community and to provide national leadership and leadership development for the individuals responsible for the systems. CJCA represents the youth correctional CEOs in 50 states, Puerto Rico and major metropolitan counties.

Link: http://cjca.net

The Center for Collaborative Action Research links educators, researchers, and community members with the goal of creating deep understanding of educational problems in the school context and to encourage evidence-based reasoning to solve these problems.

Link: http://cadres.pepperdine.edu/ccar/index.html

This tool helps to assess an organization’s readiness to engage young people and develop a plan to involve youth.

Link: http://www.youthinfusion.com/Documents/qualitative%20report%20card%20self%20assessment%20set.pdf

This report identifies forces driving early sexualization of girls, from media and marketing to biological and social factors. It describes community-based efforts to combat the phenomenon, including parental education, sex education, adventure and girls empowerment groups, media education and advocacy campaigns. It also examines theoretical underpinnings of these approaches and what evaluations have shown about their effectiveness. What Are We Doing to Girls? establishes the need for a social consensus about issues at stake; ways to identify girls most likely to be harmed by early sexualization; and the development of coherent responses that can work to reduce that harm

Link: https://www.youthcatalytics.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/What_Are_We_Doing_to_Girls.pdf

This website links to multiple articles that provide guidance for teens and parents on how teenagers can operate motor vehicles safely.

Link: http://trafficsafety.org/safety/risk/impaired-driving-resources

Provides statistics and resources on impaired driving.

Link: http://trafficsafety.org/safety/risk/impaired-driving-resources

In 2010, New England Network for Child, Youth &  Family Services (NEN) administered an online survey to young people ages of 14 and 21. This report summarizes the findings about the people, places  and activities that young people found helpful or encouraging in their communities; the people, places or activities that troubled or upset them; and what they thought their communities could do to  improve life for them and their peers.

Link: http://www.youthcatalytics.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/young_people_like_me.pdf

WorkReady Philadelphia is a system of programs supported by public, private, and foundation investments helping more than 10,000 young people annually through high-quality programs that incorporate work experience, skill development, and career and college exposure.

Link: http://www.pyninc.org

Drawing on a larger evaluation of the Sierra Health Foundation's REACH youth program, this issue brief examines best practices for using youth-produced media as part of a community change effort.

Link: http://www.sierrahealth.org/assets/REACH_IssueBrief_Three_Nov10.pdf

This guide is designed to prepare students with high-incidence disabilities to enroll in post-secondary education programs. We developed and tested the guide with inner-city youth from Chicago. There is a teacher's guide with lesson plans. Students get to understand the multiple choices and resources available to go to college. The chapters include: (1) Understanding all your Educational and Training Options; (2) Preparing for Program Placement Testing;  (3) Identifying Your Interests; (4) Identifying Careers; (5) Finding Schools/Training Providers; (6) What is a FAFSA; (7) What is Vocational Rehabilitation; (8) How to survive school/training; (9) Get a Starter Job; (10) Curriculum assessment 

Link: http://www.uic.edu/orgs/empower/supporting%20documents/What_am_I_Going_to_do_after_HS/Student_Manual.pdf

Few schools escape dynamics and behaviors that are associated with gangs. Think, for example, about bullying, disruptive intergroup conflicts, drug sales and abuse, and vandalism such as theft, graffiti, and other forms of property damage. From both a policy and practice perspective, it is essential for schools to understand and address gang-related problems that interfere with productive schooling. Fortunately, there are many useful resources on the topic

Link: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/policyissues/youth%20gangs%20&%20schools.pdf

This issue paper highlights the unique health issues faced by this age group, as well as the vastly different socioeconomic, cultural and demographic factors influencing their health status, access to care and utilization of services. The paper advocates for tailored solutions to prevent a crisis in the health status and access to care of young adults and documents current innovative state, county and local programs targeted to meet the needs of the young adult population. The paper also includes an appendix describing current programs addressing young adult health and selected resources for additional information and research.

Link: http://www.nihcm.org/pdf/YoungPeoplesHCFINAL.pdf

Public health and education policy makers, practitioners, researchers, and educators need to know as much as they can about the factors that lead youth to manifest behaviors stemming from group defined values, beliefs, attitudes, and interests. Such understanding is basic to promoting healthy development, preventing problems, intervening as soon as problems arise, and enhancing intervention impact on severe and chronic problems.

Link: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/enews/mar10.pdf

This moving, 5-minute video was created for teens and adults by the Teen Advisory Board of Kidpower of Colorado Springs to inspire action addressing the problem of bullying. Seeing the faces and hearing the voices of these young people stating what bullying is and the impact it has had on their lives sparks conversation in families, classrooms, youth groups, and communities. Use the video to start discussion about the impact of bullying and how we can each use our own power  every day to pay attention, speak up, reach out, use our power wisely, and get help to stop bullying.

Link: http://www.kidpower.org/resources/videos/teen-bullying.html

The Voices on Violence report illustrated the types of violence and harassment girls in Boston face. Victimization of Girls: Sexual harassment, dating violence, and the pervasiveness of violence in girls' lives  Aggression Among Girls: Physical fighting and relational aggression  Fear of Dealing with Violence: Witnessing community violence and the lack of forums to explore the impacts of violence on girls' lives Underlying this report is the belief that every girl should have the opportunity to grow up in relative safety and that when violence does happen, she should be able to explore her experiences and fears in a supportive forum. 

Link: http://girlsleap.org/wordpress/2011/01/voices-on-violence-part-i-the-victimization-of-girls-in-boston/

Based on interviews with yout and adults from 15 organizations, the 61-page research report reflects the first significant research on the impacts young people have on adults and organizations when they are involved in significant decision-making roles.

Link: http://www.theinnovationcenter.org/files/Youth_in_Decision_Making_Brochure.pdf

Provides a summary of the research on academic engagement and links the research to the practice of service-learning.  Published by Colleagues magazine and publicly available.

Link: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/colleagues/vol5/iss1/6/

Detailed guidelines and recommendastions for schools on strategies to effectively combat name-calling and bullying 

Link: http://www.adl.org/combatbullying/pdf/what-can-be-done-bullying-handout.pdf

Thanks to advocacy for and by youth leaders, it is now commonplace at meetings across the country for several folks to stress 'If we are going to plan for young people, we need their voices at this table.' However, reasons for bringing young people to the table vary. Advocates range from those who appreciate the importance of understanding the perspective of youth, on through those who also are dedicated to promoting youth development and empowerment, and on to those who stress that youth participation benefits families, adults, organizations, planners, policy makers, communities, and society in general.

Link: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/youthpartic.pdf

This synthesis examines the role that programs designed to serve older youth can play in promoting positive development and subsequent self-sufficiency in adulthood.

Link: http://jimcaseyyouth.org/sites/default/files/documents/What%20Works%20for%20Older%20Youth%20During%20Transition%20to%20Adulthood.childtrends.2010.pdf

Whatever It Takes seeks to ensure that every child in Athens-Clarke County will graduate from a post-secondary education. We, along with our partners, will accomplish this through emphasizing early intervention, recognizing that parents are a child's first and most important teachers, focusing resources in a limited geographic area, identifying and training neighborhood leaders, setting high expectations for all children, creating a culture of success, and using data to direct to policy.

Link: http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/5153/After-School-Program

In 2010, researchers from Pathways to Positive Futures conducted three focus groups of young adults (ages 18-28) with serious mental health conditions and asked them how they used the internet to access information about their mental health. Based on our focus group results, here are questions young adults have about their mental health that cause them to seek answers online.

Link: http://www.pathwaysrtc.pdx.edu/pdf/proj6-ehealthQuestions.pdf

Newspaper on youth work.  

Link: http://youthtoday.org/

This report summarizes changes between 2003 and 2007 in relationships among organizations that offer services to individuals in transition to adulthood, ages 14-25, who have serious mental health conditions in Clark County, Washington.

Link: http://www.pathwaysrtc.pdx.edu/pdf/pbUnderConstruction.pdf

Drawing on a larger evaluation of the Sierra Health Foundation's REACH youth program, this issue brief describes how a summer camp experience can be used as a strategy to support a community change initiative.

Link: http://www.sierrahealth.org/assets/REACH_IssueBrief_Five_Nov10.pdf

This site offers youth with spina bifida important information about being engaged and living a healthy life. Topics include building successful relationships and volunteering. This site also provides youth with information fact sheets and testimonials from other youth with SB.

Link: http://sbagreaterne.org/sb-tween2teen/

A Center-developed Clearinghouse with a variety of resources on adolescent transitioning. 

Link: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/qf/transition_from_adolescence.htm

This Introductory Packet provides readings and related activities on support for transitions to address barriers to student learning covering both research and best practices. It explores why transitions are dangerous opportunities that can disrupt or promote development. Key transitions and related intervention strategies are presented for starting school; daily transitions including before and after school as well as recess and lunch; year transitions such as beginning a new school year; moving to a new school/new country; transitions for special needs students; and transitions from high school

Link: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/transitions/transitions.pdf

This guide provides practical information and resources for youth service professionals and policymakers, from the program to the state level, with information to help them address system and policy obstacles in order to improve service delivery systems for youth with mental health needs. The guide provides the Guideposts for Success for Youth with Mental Health Needs which includes all the elements of the original Guideposts as well as additional specific needs relating to youth with mental health needs.

Link: http://www.ncwd-youth.info/assets/guides/mental_health/Mental_Health_Guide_complete.pdf

The Ready by 21 Comprehensive Solution bundles all of these supports and services into a complete package for communities whose leaders have decided to work together to create a leadership improvement plan to ensure their efforts can be implemented effectively. Our technical partners join forces to ensure that leaders have access to the full range of services needed to meet capacity standards.

Link: http://forumfyi.org/readyby21/leadership-network

A student handout that provides practical stategies for responding to name-calling and bullying in safe and effective ways. 

Link: http://www.adl.org/combatbullying/pdf/taking-a-stand-bullying-guide.pdf

This introductory packet provides basic references, internet resources, model programs, a few names from our Consultation Cadre, and other resources related to the topic.

Link: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/teenpreg/teenpreg.pdf

StrengthofUs.org is an online resource center and social networking website for young adults (ages 18-30) living with mental health conditions. It exists to empower young adults to live out their dreams and goals through peer support and resource sharing.     Developed by young adults, StrengthofUs.org allows users to connect with their peers and share stories, creativity and resources by writing and responding to blog entries, engaging in discussion groups, posting updates and sharing videos, photos and news.    Strengthofus.org offers resources on issues important to young adults, including relationships, family and friends, independent living, campus life, employment, mental health and much more.   

Link: http://www.strengthofus.org

This Young Adult Program hopes to engage and empower young adults in their journey toward recovery through individualized, developmentally appropriate service ans upports designed to achieve members' maximum capacity for independence as they transition to adulthood. Thresholds' Young Adult Program utilizes the innovative Transition to Independence (TIP) System, which provides the framework that drives staff interactions with young adults, program services and activities.

Link: http://www.thresholds.org

teacher training program that uses live, improvisational theater to equip educators to identify and respond effectively to homophobia. Teachers learn laws and relevant teaching standards for creating a safe classroom. They learn to identify various forms of homophobia, and get hands-on experience in the most effective techniques to use in a classroom. By watching realistic classroom scenes performed by teenage actors, the teachers get to see how homophobia affects every student in the classroom. Teachers can safely experiment with different strategies of addressing homophobia by practicing on teenage actors who are trained in improvisational theater.

Link: http://www.encompass.org/biasfree.php

Drawing on a larger evaluation of the Sierra Health Foundation's REACH youth program, this issue brief examines ways to engage underrepresented youth populations in community youth development. A set of key principles is developed based on lessons from field research. 

Link: http://www.sierrahealth.org/assets/REACH_IssueBrief_Six_Nov10.pdf

This report outlines the planning process, the agenda, and the outcomes of the 2009 Portland National Youth Summit.

Link: http://www.pathwaysrtc.pdx.edu/pdf/pbYouthSummitReport.pdf

A brief developed for the National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention on best practices for preparing high school age youth to transition out of the child welfare system by providing information and resources on graduating high school, preparing for post-secondary education or vocational training, transitioning into the workforce, and preparing for independence.

Link: http://www.promoteprevent.org/sites/www.promoteprevent.org/files/resources/Transitioning%20from%20High%20School%20into%20Adulthood.pdf

There are three life skills from Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy that we could and should be teaching young people that we aren't. 1) To have Unconditional Self and Other Acceptance 2) To have an Internal Locus of Control 3) To recognize and correct irrational thinking. Teaching these would 'vaccinate' young people against all that goes wrong in their lives by targeting the underlying causes of what does, and give them the mental and emotional fitness to function at levels they are capable of in school, sports, college and their chosen profession someday and have more satisfying relationships throughout their lives.

Link: http://www.itsjustanevent.com

This is a Center-developed Clearinghouse of resources, research, and articles about transitioning into college. 

Link: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/qf/transitiontocollege.htm

In this report, we describe youth reentry and its policy relevance to communities nationwide. Drawing liberally from the insights and comments of the authors and participants in the Youth Reentry Roundtable, we identify critical facts about youth reentry, including the specific programming and policy challenges that must be addressed. We then provide recommendations for next steps in research and practice.

Link: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/410927_youth_reentry.pdf

Global Youth Justice resources support local communities to reduce juvenile crime through programs utilizing positive peer pressure which can be harnessed and redirected to become a positive force and lead other youth to adhere to the rule of law and become more productive citizens.   These "youth court" and "teen court" voluntary diversion programs harness positive peer pressure and utilize it in a peer judgment setting to help address the anti-social and delinquent behavior of youth.  National Training Institutes, free publications and resources, technical assistance and a wide range of efforts support this OJJDP funded Global Youth Justice Website and more.

Link: http://www.globalyouthjustice.org/

Developed by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), this is an online community for young adults transitioning to adulthood. Youth can share their stories and advice.  Discussion topics include mental health, campus life, relationships, employment, financial matters, and social networking.

Link: http://strengthofus.org/

This report highlights effective strategies and promising approaches aimed at improving outcomes for youth as they age out of the foster care system. The report, published by the National Governor's Association Center for Best Practices, touches briefly on comparative outcomes for foster youth and youth in the general population, possible reasons for the differing outcomes, and state strategies to improve prospects for youth in the transition to adulthood. The chapters that follow detail state strategies in the following five areas: education, employment, housing, health care, and relationships. Examples of successful state and local efforts are provided throughout the report.

Link: http://www.nga.org/files/live/sites/NGA/files/pdf/1012FOSTERCARE.PDF

Solution Team is a series of structured meetings in which an educator or counselor brings together a team of students to solve the bullying of one of their peers. The leader tells the team that they are not in trouble, describes how it feels to be in the target's shoes and asks the team to solve this situation. In 2010 a pilot study found that Solution Team ends bullying in 80 to 90% of cases, and that this still held true three months later, making it one of the most effective anti-bullying interventions ever.

Link: https://www.nobully.org/no-bully-system/solution-team

The Special Needs Resource Directory, created by the Center for Infants and Children with Special Needs at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, is a comprehensive accumulation of resources for families of CYSHCN.  Parents, caregivers and health care providers can find local, regional and national web site links to:        * Locate information on specific disabilities      * Identify strategies to help you advocate for your child      * Develop community connections for ongoing support      * Overcome barriers to access health care resources  

Link: http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/svc/alpha/c/special-needs/resources/transitions.htm

Based on literature, research with young people aged 16-24 and families, and evaluations completed with several transition programs for young people with mental health difficulties, we have learned that there are many challenges in developing effective transition services. Here we present a synthesis of lessons learned and advice gained from young people, families, and transition service providers.

Link: http://www.pathwaysrtc.pdx.edu/pdf/pbTI-StartingPointsForNewTransitionPrograms.pdf

As of January, 2011, 45 states had anti-bullying statutes that require local and state educational agencies to adopt policies and take action in this area.  This chart summarizes key components of each state's anti-bullying statute, with particular emphasis on requirements affecting local school boards and state education agencies.

Link: http://www.nsba.org/sites/default/files/reports/State_Anti-Bullying_Statutes_table_04_2012.pdf

In November 2008, Mayor Nutter appointed the Council for College and Career Success and charged its members to work with him to achieve his ambitious education improvement goals for the City. This report documents and summarizes the Council's major accomplishments during its first year of work.

Link: http://www.philadelphiacouncil.org/docs/pc_annualreportV1.pdf

A magazine published by Youth Communications, Represent is written by and for young people in the foster care system. Through personal narratives and reported stories, the magazine's teen staff provides an inside look at life in the system giving other teens in care the opportunity to connect with their peers' stories.

Link: http://www.representmag.org/

This guide provides information for anyone who helps youth from foster care and unaccompanied homeless youth to secure financial aid for postsecondary education or training programs. It describes how to respond to new FAFSA questions 55-60 that will determine federal financial aid status for these students. A section on sensitive communications is also included. This guide will be most useful for financial aid professionals, independent living coordinators, guidance counselors, financial aid counselors, social workers and advocates who are helping youth to secure the maximum allowable financial aid.

Link: http://www.cacollegepathways.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/nasfaa_guide_2011.pdf

The Planning and Evaluation Resource Center web site is an online tutorial and clearinghouse of evaluation and planning tools. This dynamic site includes evaluation and planning tools, tips, and opportunities to link with others looking to use evaluation to strengthen community youth-development programs.

Link: http://www.evaluationtools.org

Reducing school absences is one of the most challenging matters facing schools. In addressing the problem, it is important to begin by exploring two questions: What factors lead to student absences? How can schools more effectively address the problem? This brief provides a quick overview of issues related to school attendance problems and then frames directions for policy and practice. 

Link: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/briefs/school%20attendance%20problems.pdf

This five-minute video follows the story of a young girl who is afraid to go to ballet class, for fear of being bullied. This new animated short marks the third generation of children to receive advice from McGruff the Crime Dog. 'Stop, Talk & Walk' is the essential advice that McGruff shares with a young girl in the story.

Link: http://www.mcgruff.org/#/Videos

The Social Policy Report Brief on Making Schools Safe for Sexual-Minority and All Students is a two-page summary of a longer research report that reviews the evidence on how to create safer school environments for LGBTQ and all youth. The brief provides an overview of research on the subject and provides policy and practice recommendations that will be relevant for educators, parents and students, in addition to federal, state and local policymakers.

Link: http://www.srcd.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=1085

The Mosaic Project's Musical Curriculum supports students (K-6) in developing the social and emotional competencies that are key to their success in the classroom and beyond. The musical curriculum and accompanying experiential activities teach students vital skills about conflict resolution, social justice, community, diversity, interconnectedness, and peacemaking.

Link: http://www.mosaicproject.org/curriculumguide

Project U-Turn is a partnership-led campaign to raise awareness of, and develop strategies to address, the City's dropout crisis. It is designed to enhance the career prospects of struggling students and out-of-school youth by expanding the availability of high-quality education and training options.

Link: http://www.pyninc.org

This publication from the Casey-CSSP Alliance for Racial Equity in Child Welfare highlights the work of ten jurisdictions that are committed to reducing racial disproportionality and disparity in their child welfare systems. The report documents strategies, activities, and trends emerging in the cities, states, and counties represented. While there are unique aspects to each jurisdiction's work, there are also several common themes, which suggests a trajectory for how child welfare agencies are choosing to address the issue of racial equity. 

Link: http://www.cssp.org/publications/child-welfare/top-five/places-to-watch-promising-practices-to-address-racial-disproportionality-in-child-welfare.pdf

Sampling of concerns facing sexual minority students and staff, including: violence, homophobia and prejudice, social and psychological issues, suicide and health, coming out. Also included are programs for supporting sexual minority students and enhancing school policy. 

Link: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/sexual_minority/lgbt.pdf

Youth service professionals, including intake workers, case managers, job developers, teachers, transition coordinators, counselors, youth development group leaders, and independent living specialists, are often the first contact or 'face' of the workforce development system. They play an important role in connecting all youth to workforce preparation opportunities and support. This InfoBrief identifies the benefits of investing in professional development of youth service professionals, including a five-step plan for policymakers interested in supporting professional development of youth service professionals. The core competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) of youth service professionals are also defined.

Link: http://www.ncwd-youth.info/sites/default/files/infobrief_issue19.pdf

RENEW (Rehabilitation for Empowerment, Natural supports, Education and Work) is a community-based, person centered planning and secondary transition model for youth with emotional and behavioral disporders. Using the principles of wraparound, RENEW has helped over 300 youth in New Hampshire to finish high school, go to college and obtain employment. A project of the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire, RENEW is currently being implemented as the intensive level intervention in high schools that are implementing PBIS, and in community mental health centers. Studies of pre- and post level functioning of youth has shown strong positive results

Link: http://www.iod.unh.edu/Projects/renew/projects/project_description.aspx

Schools using a social and emotional learning (SEL) framework can foster an overall climate of inclusion, warmth, and respect, and promote the development of core social and emotional skills among both students and staff. Because bullying prevention is entirely congruent with SEL, it can be embedded in a school's SEL framework. The aims of   this brief are to (a) provide a basic description of a school-wide SEL framework, (b) illustrate   the relationship between social and emotional factors and bullying, and (c) explain how an   SEL framework can be extended to include bullying prevention.

Link: http://gse.buffalo.edu/gsefiles/documents/alberti/2009_bullyingbrief.pdf

This document is intended to help foster and shelter care youth know what their rights are and what they can expect from the Department of Children and Families.

Link: http://floridaschildrenfirst.org/04_reports/DCF_Foster_Rights_4C.pdf

Paving the way: Meeting transition needs of young people with developmental disabilities and serious mental health conditions is a new report by RTC staff, Mandy Davis, Pauline Jivanjee, and Nancy Koroloff that examines best practices in services for these young people. While this population is generally underserved, the report features case studies of eight programs serving young people with dual diagnoses across the U.S. with descriptions of recommended practices.

Link: http://www.pathwaysrtc.pdx.edu/pdf/pbPavingTheWayMonograph.pdf

Student engagement involves not only engaging and maintaining engagement, but also re-engaging those who have disconnected from classroom instruction. For school personnel to do all this effectively, they must broaden their understanding of motivation, especially intrinsic mitivation, and the complex relationship between extrinsics and intrinsics.   Our Center continuously stresses the importance of a focus on motivation, especially intrinsic motivation, in all facets of our work. In this context, we have developed a variety of resources intended to help advance the efforts of those working in and with schools.

Link: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/schooleng.pdf

A quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) is a systemic approach to assess, improve, and communicate the level of quality in early and school-age care and education programs. This site provides a sample of resources with research about the impact of QRIS on early and school-age care.

Link: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/resource/the-quality-rating-and-improvement-system-qris-evaluation-toolkit

SaySo,Inc. (Strong Able Youth Speaking Out) is a youth driven advocacy organization for youth ages 14-24 who are or have been in substitute care. This includes foster care, kinship care, group homes, mental health placements and others. The mission of SaySo is to work to improve the substitute care system by educating the community, speaking out about needed changes, and providing support to youth who are or have been in substitute care. The website provides information, resources and tools to help youth who are in transition.  It provides support and is a central location for young people to go online.  

Link: http://www.saysoinc.org/

Rain Brings Frogs - A Little Book of HOPE  is a children's book with message of hope, kindness, tolerance, appreciation & generosity.  This book is geared toward Pre-school to age 8 and  compliments current anti-bullying campaigns. Early education is important in prevention of bullying and this simple book serves as a spring board for discussion of kindness and inclusion and tolerance. Thank you for your consideration.  www.maryanncoccaleffler.com  (603) 672-8991. I would be happy to send copies for your review.   Maryann Cocca-Leffler

Link: http://www.maryanncoccaleffler.com/Maryann_Cocca-Leffler_Author_Illustrator/frog.html

The Social Policy Report on Safe Schools for LGBTQ students provides an extensive review of the research evidence on creating safe schools for LGBTQ students. The report makes policy and practice recommendations that will be relevant for educators, parents and students, in addition to federal, state and local policymakers.

Link: http://www.srcd.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=1164

As the true dropout figures emerge across the nation, the crisis nature of the problem is apparent. Recent reports indicate that more than half a million young people drop out of high school each year, and the rate at which they drop out has remained about the same for the last 30 years (Dynarski, et al., 2008). The data confirm that in far too many school districts a majority of students do not have sufficient supports to enable them to succeed at school and will not graduate.

Link: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/newsletter/fall08.pdf

As the true dropout figures emerge across the nation, the crisis nature of the problem is apparent. Recent reports indicate that more than half a million young people drop out of high school each year, and the rate at which they drop out has remained about the same for the last 30 years (Dynarski, et al., 2008). The data confirm that in far too many school districts a majority of students do not have sufficient supports to enable them to succeed at school and will not graduate.

Link: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/publications/schooldropoutprevention.pdf

In this  hour solution-oriented video from the Emmy award winning PBS series, In the Mix, Miss America Erika Harold and teens share their compelling stories about being bullied. It highlights Project Change where HS peer educators work with MS students to produce PSAs showing what bystanders can do when they see someone being bullied. Everyone involved gains awareness about the various forms of bullying and changes their own attitude and behavior. Another segment focuses on cyberbullying, with expert advice on how to deal with online harassment. For grades 6-12, with companion discussion guide and website. Also with Spanish subtitles.

Link: http://www.pbs.org/inthemix/bullying/

This Guide provides professionals with well-researched and documented facts, offers evidence-based research, highlights promising practices, and provides the Guideposts for Success for Youth Involved in the Juvenile Corrections System, in addition to pointing out areas requiring further attention by policymakers and identifying promising practices.

Link: http://www.ncwd-youth.info/assets/juvenile_justice/making_the_right_turn.pdf

This document summarizes research on the benefits of involving youth meaningfully in planning for their own treatment and care.

Link: http://www.pathwaysrtc.pdx.edu/pdf/pbAMP-YouthParticipationResearchSummary.pdf

The Inner City Youth Foundation is a tax exempt non-profit organization that provides a training facility to city teens, that is specially tailored to the students' particular learning style and environment so that the student may flourish both academically & socially.   

Link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inner-City-Youth-Foundation/106611966049819

These brochures help parents understand bullying, cyberbullying, children's use of social networking websites, bullying of GLBT children, and other similar topics.  The brochures help parents have conversations with their children about these issues to promote improved education and awareness.  

Link: http://www.englanderdownloads.webs.com/

Women who have experienced intimate partner violence are consistently found to have  poor sexual and reproductive health when compared to non-abused women, but the  mechanisms through which such associations occur are inadequately defined (Coker,  2007). Through face-to-face, semi-structured in-depth interviews, we gathered full  reproductive histories of 71 women aged 18-49 with a history of IPV recruited from a  family planning clinic, an abortion clinic and a domestic violence shelter in the United  States.

Link: http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/socscimed201002009.pdf

The first in a new Ready by 21, Credentialed by 26 series, this issue brief explores why postsecondary completion is an important goal and looks at how the U.S. is currently faring. It identifies partners that need to be mobilized and policy approaches that need to be enacted in order to significantly increase completion rates and help more young people successfully transition to adulthood.

Link: http://forumfyi.org/content/insulating-education-pipeline-increase-postsecondary-success

It's Your Life helps LGBTQ youth in foster care navigate the child welfare system. Explore this site to understand your rights and receive the care and attention you are entitled to.

Link: http://www.americanbar.org/groups/child_law/what_we_do/projects/itsyourlife.html

This resource for those in the State of New York provides information on college preparation and applications; a glossary of postsecondary education with career planning resources; homework help links; career information links; multicultural resources; resources for foster youth; and information on scholarships.

Link: http://www.ocfs.state.ny.us/main/ddps/Edu_opp/NYS%20Education%20Resource%20Directory.pdf

This guidebook is designed to provide advice from the field to communities interested in pursuing more formal connections, or strengthening existing connections, between the workforce and justice systems. It focuses on specific challenges and how selected communities addressed them. The information was gathered via two surveys and site visits.

Link: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED494129.pdf

This brief report distills the key lessons and impacts of thoughtful youth involvement through civic activism.

Link: http://www.theinnovationcenter.org/files/Lessons_in_Leadership_exec.pdf

All students can benefit from well-designed transition planning for college. With specific reference to those students identified for special education, middle and high schools have a responsibility under IDEA to focus on a range of transition interventions.

Link: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/practicenotes/transitiontocollege.pdf

An after school situation comedy, written, acted, and in some cases filmed by middle school students, YMCA attendees, or Boys/Girls clubs.  The episodes created address bullying within the context of storytelling, and allow students to vent their feelings through fictional cast of a sit-com.

Link: http://www.matineescholars.com

The purpose of this paper is to present estimates of the lifetime prevalence of DSM-IV mental disorders with and without severe impairment, their comorbidity across broad classes of disorder, and their sociodemographic correlates.    

Link: http://www.jaacap.com/article/S0890-8567(10)00476-4/abstract

ParentFurther.com provides research-based information and tools that have been put to the test in the real world, as well as a panel of experts in parenting, child psychology, and related fields. The site provides practical, everyday parenting tips and helpful advice for difficult situations.

Link: http://www.parentfurther.com/high-risk-behaviors/bullying

This report details the major phases of Project U-Turn, a cross-sector collaborative in Philadelphia focusing on reducing dropouts and improving youth outcomes.

Link: http://youth.gov/collaboration-profiles/project-u-turn

Most bullying prevention involves conveying to kids how hurtful it can be and hoping those doing it will stop, and having consequences if they don't.  Teaching young people to have Unconditional Self-Acceptance (USA) and an Internal Locus of Control are often missing from such prevention programs.  Our thoughts about our life events cause how we feel, not the events. We all have cognitive choices that we make that really determine how we feel about ourselves and anything else, that we alone make.  Teaching these skills and what those choices are is like mental and emotional 'karate' for kids.     

Link: http://www.itsjustanevent.com

This paper provides a description of the youth population that is disconnected from education and the workforce and describes a set of key considerations for improving outcomes for this population. Programmatic examples that demonstrate how effective supports for youth look in practice are discussed. The paper concludes with policy recommendations for serving youth at the federal, state and local levels.

Link: http://www.aypf.org/publications/documents/DY%20Paper%207.19.11.pdf

This report identifies cities that have worked to coordinate afterschool opportunities for children and youth.  These cities have made a shift in their approach to afterschool programming, moving from management and funding of isolated programs toward in-depth coordination among city, school and nonprofit providers.  These cities are using sophisticated data systems to address gaps in afterschool programming and assess the impact of those programs; adopting standards and assessment tools to enhance program quality; and identifying sustainable funding streams to support long-term planning.

Link: http://www.nlc.org/Documents/Find%20City%20Solutions/IYEF/Afterschool/municipal-leadership-afterschool-rpt-sept-2011.pdf

This study examined the extent to which a sister's prior sexual and dating victimization is a risk factor for young women being similarly victimized and the possible factors underlying a co-occurrence.

Link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21171768

One Million Acts Of Kindness is a grassroots mission which teaches students the importance of having an individual ,lifetime goal of kindness. Each child performing and wanting kindness for everyone they interact with every day of their lives. One Million Acts Of Kindness Week is an annual event which is always begins the second Monday in February for 7 days. One Million Acts Of Kindness Certificates are on the homepage of the website. They are an inspiration for every child to remind them that they have taken a lifetime pledge of kindness.

Link: http://www.onemillionactsofkindness.com

This guide is intended for individuals designing mentoring programs for youth, including youth with disabilities, in the transition phase to adulthood.Mentoring is recognized as one of the most important strategies for assisting youth in making a positive transition into adulthood. Despite all of the information available on mentoring, there is very little about mentoring youth with disabilities or about career-focused mentoring of older youth.

Link: http://www.ncwd-youth.info/assets/guides/mentoring/Mentoring_Guide-complete.pdf

This guide provides facts and statistics about youth involved in the foster care system; gives examples of states and communities that are changing policy and practices; identifies areas requiring further attention by policymakers and providers of services; and identifies resources and tools to assist cross-system collaborative efforts.

Link: http://www.ncwd-youth.info/assets/guides/foster_care/Foster_Care_Guide_complete.pdf

Does your organization support meaningful youth participation in collaborative team planning? This 14-itemSelf-Assessment Quiz can help you identify your organization's strengths regarding youth participation, as well as areas in which you can do more.

Link: http://www.pathwaysrtc.pdx.edu/pdf/pbAMPQuizBrochure.pdf

Too many adolescents, especially minorities, drop out of high school and then experience high rates of unemployment, incarceration, drug use, and nonmarital births. The high incidence of individual and social costs, combined with rigorous evidence of at least modestly successful program models, makes a solid case for investing public funds in programs and research for disconnected youth. In this brief we outline a proposal for testing, improving, and, where appropriate, expanding existing youth programs, while simultaneously mounting large-scale demonstration projects to test promising new ideas in areas where there are gaps in current programming.

Link: http://futureofchildren.org/futureofchildren/publications/docs/20_01_PolicyBrief.pdf

This new brief demonstrates that it is in fact possible to insulate the education pipeline for older, vulnerable youth, by providing the supports necessary for their success. This brief describes how YouthBuild Brockton, as part of YouthBuild USA's Postsecondary Education Initiative, is partnering with Massasoit Community College to move from dropout recovery into postsecondary completion. It also summarizes research on student supports in higher education and features a conversation with Ann Coles, senior associate at the Institute for Higher Education Policy

Link: http://forumfyi.org/content/%3Fhigh-expectations-strong-supports-yield-postsecondary-success

This paper introduces a framework for major juvenile justice reform-theintegration of a forward-looking administrative model with evidence-based programming. Such a system is focused on basing program placements and supervision levels upon objective risk and needs assessments and in constructing case management plans focused on improving future behavior rather than punishing past behavior.

Link: http://cjjr.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ImprovingEffectiveness_December2010.pdf

This is a long-standing problem in our"age-graded" school system. And, it continues to be one of the most contentious issues in public education. Neither grade retention nor social promotion are recipes for narrowing the achievement gap or reducing dropouts. It is time for policy that doesn't "wait for failure;" it's time for a policy that doesn't react in ways that end up being more punitive than corrective. 

Link: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/briefs/retention.pdf

This article discusses the effect that various types of trauma can have on youth and why identifying and treating traumatized youth is so important. The article points out current problems with how our health and justice systems interact with traumatized youth and offers recommendations for moving forward.

Link: http://www.justicepolicy.org/images/upload/10-07_REP_HealingInvisibleWounds_JJ-PS.pdf

The vision of Foster Care Alumni of America (FCAA) is to improve outcomes for youth who have been in foster care after emancipation from the child welfare system. FCAA connects alumni with one another to advocate for policy change and the continuous improvement of foster care practices.

Link: http://www.fostercarealumni.org/

This report is a multi-year trend analysis of juvenile offenses in the City of Grand Rapids based on police reports for 2006, 2007, 2008,2009. The number of offenses dropped by 25%.

Link: http://www.grcity.us/ourchildren

This document provides an overview of information and resources for foster youth transitioning to adulthood in Florida.

Link: http://www.communitypartnershipforchildren.org/zupload/user/teenresources/frequentlyaskedquestionsbyfosteryouth.pdf

The National Network for Youth has been serving the youth of America for more than 30 years by championing the needs of runaway, homeless and other disconnected youth. We do this through advocacy, innovation and services. Our reach is extended through our member organizations, allowing us to be in numerous communities throughout the country as we create a neighborhood of support for the next generation.

Link: http://www.nn4youth.org

The Guideposts for Employer Success are organized with the explicit purpose of helping workforce development policy makers and program providers reduce identified barriers. There are two categories within the framework. The first focuses on what system designers (state and local) need to do. The second looks at what individual programs which include a wide array of education and training institutions such as community rehabilitation centers, secondary and post secondary institutions, apprenticeship programs, and One-Stop Centers need to do.

Link: http://www.ncwd-youth.info/sites/default/files/page/2009/02/guideposts_for_employers.pdf

 This report is the result of a two year process of community stakeholders to develop a comprehensive framework of indicators and outcomes for children age 0-21 in the City of Grand Rapids.

Link: http://www.grcity.us/ourchildren

Forever Family produces mini documentaries and negotiates free media time on major broadcast stations. We produce these stories about children in foster care and about foster care to air within television newscasts. These stories are crafted to engage the public and mobilize local media talent both on-air and in community-wide promotions.  

Link: http://foreverfamily.org/

These resources are designed to be used with adolescents in religious education, Sunday schools, youth group meetings or any primarily Christian audience. They affirm the worth and dignity of all students. Specifically, they are designed to address and eliminate anti-gay bullying and harassment by adherents of Christianity.  Materials encourage adherence to the Golden Rule and other teaching on civility and mutual respect.     

Link: http://goldenrulepledge.com/grpresources/

We are an independent commission housed administratively within the Florida Department of Transportation.  Our mission is to ensure the availability of efficient, cost-effective, and quality transportation services for transportation disadvantaged persons.  Please check out our various site areas, and don't hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have.

Link: http://www.dot.state.fl.us/ctd/

The Guideposts for Success are what research tells us all youth, including youth with disabilities, need to succeed. Based on an extensive literature review of research, demonstration projects and effective practices -- including lessons from youth development, quality education, and workforce development programs -- the Guideposts describe what all youth need for successful transition to adulthood: high quality standards-based education; career preparation and work-based learning;  opportunities to develop social, civic, and leadership skills; strong connections to caring adults, safe places to interact with peers, and access to a range of support services.

Link: http://www.ncwd-youth.info/guideposts

This portal is produced by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School, and is a marketplace of ideas and examples of government innovation. Browse or search to access news, documents, descriptions of award-winning programs, and information on events in your area related to innovation.

Link: http://www.innovations.harvard.edu/

This issue of Focal Point highlights a number of successful and innovative efforts to promote youth voice and youth empowerment. Many of the articles are authored by or include contributions from youth who are directly involved in the featured programs

Link: http://www.pathwaysrtc.pdx.edu/pdf/fpS09.pdf

Students in the Fast for Non Violence Fast for 31 days in a fast relay.  Each participant fasts for 24 hours and then passes the fast on to the next student.  During that student's fast, a recorded message about non-violence is played over the school intercom, and a multimedia video or animation created by the student is posted to the school's website. They created a community of Facebook. 

Link: https://www.facebook.com/SLAM.Fast

The modules are designed to promote social responsibility and good character development to help students incorporate values necessary for high achievement by providing professional development to K-5 teachers, administrators and community leaders.  The lessons and DVDs foster students' skills in managing interpersonal conflict and give students practical methods for diffusing conflicts before they escalate into violence.

Link: http://www.cosbykidscharactered.org

Drawing on a larger evaluation of the Sierra Health Foundation's REACH youth program, this issue brief describes lessons learned about how to best engage parents in a community youth development initiative. It emphasizes the benefits of engaging parents who are not typically well connected to schools or other community institutions, including those who do not speak English. 

Link: http://www.sierrahealth.org/assets/REACH_IssueBrief_Four_Nov10.pdf

This report provides lessons learned from comparing how seven communities engaged youth in community change efforts in the greater Sacramento region. It provides an introduction to the goals of the Sierra Health Foundation's REACH youth development program, documents program outcomes for individual youth and adults, organizations, and communities, and draws lessons for coalition development, youth engagement practice, and foundation practices to support community youth development.

Link: http://www.sierrahealth.org/assets/Reach_EvaluationRprt_Nov10.pdf

This factsheet explains some reasons why young adults search for mental health information on the internet.

Link: http://www.pathwaysrtc.pdx.edu/pdf/proj6-ehealthfactsheet.pdf

DrawSuccess 4 Students is a newly-formed non-profit organization dedicated to helping students change their world in a fun and rewarding way.  In Latin "to educate" means "to draw out."  In the same way, DrawSuccess 4 Students uses a unique, experiential process (the DrawSuccess Game) that "draws out" ideas and solutions from student participants in a wide variety of areas, including bullying, career preparation and more.   In addition, participants learn how to improve relationships by discovering their 'inner genius' personality style.    We also offer programs and incentives to students who put their plans into action, create change and achieve results.  

Link: http://www.DrawSuccess4Students.org

Middle- and high-school students stand to benefit from strong after-school and other out-of-school time (OST) programs.  However, it is much tougher to recruit older than younger youth and make sure they participate in OST activities regularly. This study looks at almost 200 programs serving mostly disadvantaged young people in six cities that are building systems of out-of-school time programs.   The researchers find that high retention programs have five key characteristics. Among them: providing leadership opportunities to the students and having staff members who stay informed about students' lives outside of programs.

Link: http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Documents/engaging-older-youth-research-synposis.pdf

Stories and lessons from organizations across the US exploring the links between youth development, civic engagement, and social justice.

Link: http://www.theinnovationcenter.org/files/CreatingChange.pdf

Best Practices for Increasing Meaningful Youth Participation in Collaborative Team Planning, shares some information about how to create plans with youth, so that youth will see the plans as a means to help them move towards important life goals.  

Link: http://www.pathwaysrtc.pdx.edu/pdf/pbAMPYouthParticipation.pdf

Search sites like Google, social networking sites like Facebook, and micro-blogging sites like Twitter have added a new element to disability disclosure. Now it is possible to disclose disability status on the internet without even being aware of it.  The goal of this document is to provide youth suggestions on how to make informed decisions about their own disability disclosure and to manage their disclosures online. This is a supplement to The 411 on Disability Disclosure: A Workbook for Youth with Disabilities.

Link: http://www.ncwd-youth.info/sites/default/files/Cyber_Disclosure_for_Youth_with_Disabilities.pdf

Cool Conduct 100 Ways To Make A Positive Impression is a fun and educational question and answer book. Cool Conduct is helping children feel good about themselves while teaching kindness and respect. Cool Conduct encourages role playing and creative thinking. Why do children bully? Because the feel they don't belong or they don't know where they fit in at school, home or their world. These children were not taught kind behaviors. WIth Cool Conduct as a reference, children will learn how to be respectful in school, at home and in their communities. They will learn compassion and kindness.

Link: http://www.nickidonley.com/

Drawing from their experience, CLASP has identified some of the common elements of a successful youth employment services delivery system. They include: 1) A strong convening entity 2) An effective administrative agent 3) A well-trained case management arm 4) Strong partnerships across systems that serve youth 5) High quality work experience and career exposure components.

Link: http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/Youth-Employment-Systems.pdf

AsktheJudge.info is a teen law website answering teens' and parents' questions about teen legal issues including teens' rights and the laws that affect them. The 'You and the Internet' category specifically addresses cyberbullying, sexting, free speech and the Internet and other issues involving online behavior. You can check it out here: http://www.askthejudge.info/category/teen-law-questions-answers/you-and-... We provide a resource for teens and parents by giving them free legal information and directing them to other resources to meet their specific needs.    

Link: http://www.askthejudge.info

The eight-page, youth-friendly Youth Call-to-Action outlines ten actions that youth can take to enhance their development and become leaders in their community and the nation, including learning about their rights and responsibilities, becoming a self-advocate, learning about disability history, researching scholarships, participating in work experiences, training youth workers, and more. This document is based on findings from the Blazing the Trail national youth summit organized by the National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for youth (NCWD/Youth) in August 2007. 

Link: http://www.ncwd-youth.info/blazing-the-trail-youth-call-to-action

To successfully make the transition from school to adult life and the world of work, adolescents and young adults need guidance and encouragement from caring, supportive adults. The best decisions and choices made by transitioning youth are based on sound information including appropriate assessments that focus on the talents, knowledge, skills, interests, values, and aptitudes of each individual. This guide serves as a resource n selecting career-related assessments, determining when to refer youth for additional assessment, and additional issues such as accommodations, legal issues, and ethical considerations. 

Link: http://www.ncwd-youth.info/career-planning-begins-with-assessment

The 2007 Blazing the Trail summit facilitated national dialogue on actions that need to be taken to improve policy and practice in the youth development and leadership field, and to ensure that youth with disabilities (including those with mental health needs), are included in opportunities available to all youth. The report details the dialogue that took place among youth with and without disabilities, state and federal policy makers, and community, state, and federal organization leaders including the important priority action steps identified by the participants.

Link: http://www.ncwd-youth.info/white-paper/blazing-the-trail

Comprehensive curriculum lessons for elementary, middle and high school students to educate youth about cyberbullying. 

Link: http://www.adl.org/education/curriculum_connections/cyberbullying/

On November 13 and 14, 2008, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and its Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) and Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) invited family members, youth in treatment or posttreatment for substance use or co-occurring mental health disorders, providers, researchers, and Federal and State-level policy-makers to participate in a consultative session designed to develop a recovery-oriented care model for adolescents and transition age youth with substance use or co-occurring mental health disorders (SU/COD)

Link: http://gucchdtacenter.georgetown.edu/resources/Recovery_Report_Adolescents%20-%20FINAL.pdf

This report presents findings from the Casey National Alumni Study. The study examined data from those who were in the care of Casey Family Programs between 1968 and 1998.

Link: http://www.casey.org/Resources/Publications/AssessingEffectsOfFosterCare.htm

The Agency Readiness Index is a tool designed to help service-providing agencies gauge their capacity to provide services for LGBTI individuals, including youth. The assessment asks participants (who may include staff, board members, clients and volunteers) to score their agency on a series of questions by selecting the rating that best describes the agency's current status or performance.

Link: https://www.ippfwhr.org/sites/default/files/English_SD_Tool_Kit_PDF.pdf

With a specific focus on the need for high school reform, there is a growing movement for revisiting multiple pathway approaches in preparing 21st century students for college, career and civic participation. Saunders and Chrisman argue this is based on the fundamental insight that career and technical education  previously called vocational education  can be academically rigorous.The following excerpt from their writings on the topic illustrates their argument.

Link: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/definingmp.pdf

Every state in the USA has a Cooperative Extension that is part of their Land Grant College and USDA. It has a wide variety of information and programs available, and is different in every state. 4-H started in 1902 and has been going strong ever since.

Link: http://extension.unh.edu

Drawing on a larger evaluation of the Sierra Health Foundation's REACH youth program, this issue brief examines lessons learned about how to foster school-community partnerships to support youth development.

Link: http://www.sierrahealth.org/assets/REACH_IssueBrief_Two_Nov10.pdf

Summary of key research findings from Youth In Decision Making research study on the impacts young people have on adults and organizations when they are involved in significant decision-making roles.

Link: http://www.theinnovationcenter.org/files/Youth_in_Decision_Making-At_The_Table-Report.pdf

This resource is based on research on pre-teens' coping challenges during the critical transition period from elementary to middle school. A national group of educators, emotional health and teacher education experts helped to create an open-access, "virtual classroom" where 9-12 yr. olds learn about brain and behavior changes during early adolescence. This nonprofit, free resource is based on research with over 700 students in elementary grades 4-6. The resulting website launched in early 2008 has been utilized by nearly 90,000 visitors including pre-teens, teenagers, their parents, educators and counselors throughout the world and from every state in the U.S.

Link: http://www.copingskills4kids.net

Comprehensive classroom curriculum for elementary, middle and high school students that uses literature to educate students about the impact of bullying

Link: http://www.adl.org/education/curriculum_connections/winter_2005/

This guide is designed to help afterschool programs implement field-tested practices in healthy eating, physical activity and food security.  Strongly based in youth development principles.

Link: http://www.ccscenter.org/afterschool/Step-By-Step%20Guide

This strategy brief discusses four approaches that leaders of youth-serving nonprofit organizations can pursue to help support and strengthen their  organizational capacity: build accurate overhead rates into contracts and grants, access funding to directly support capacity building, access technical assistance to support or improve organizational capacity, and form partnerships to share administrative services. The brief highlights the experiences of youth-serving nonprofits in using these strategies to build their own organizational capacity. It also identifies some public and private funders' innovative efforts to support capacity building.

Link: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED512332.pdf

Bullying prevention is one of five hot topics on the minds of summer camp staff. To help address this issue, the American Camp Association, in collaboration with Dr. Joel Haber, is pleased to present several tools to aid in bullying prevention.

Link: http://www.acacamps.org/bullying

Drawing on a broader evaluation of the Sierra Health Foundation's REACH youth program, this issue brief describes lessons learned about how to build a community coalition that engages youth and adults together in working toward community change.

Link: http://www.sierrahealth.org/assets/REACH_IssueBrief_One_Nov10.pdf

When a cyberbullying incident occurs, it is important that schools, teens and families work together to minimize the potentially devastating consequences for the targeted individual and the school community as a whole. This resources includes ideas on prevention and intervention for administrators, educators, family members and students

Link: http://www.adl.org/education/cyberbullying/tips.asp

Bullies to Buddies takes a basic psychological approach of which anyone can easily learn. With this program, people learn how to respond to bullies in ways which will peacefully deter the bullying. By having a child learn skills to deter bullying, they become more resilient, independent and emotionally mature, whereas having an adult always intervene on their behalf does not give them life-long skills that they can take into adulthood. I work in a school system in which all of our counselors were trained in this program and are reporting effectiveness.

Link: https://bullies2buddies.com/

This toolkit aims to build off of the work of the OJJDP's task force on employment and training opportunities for youth offenders to identify what works in promoting economic self-sufficency for this population.

Link: http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED466513

A resource page listing free articles, videos,and podcasts about bullying prevention safety skills - as well as low cost publications for sale and training resources. Kidpower is a nonprofit organization that takes a skills-based approach to preparing children and their adults to address bullying, abuse, and other safety problems in a positive, proactive way. 

Link: http://www.kidpower.org/who-we-serve/how-to-stop-bullying.html

This resource guide describes readily available and inexpensive resources that support afterschool programs. Topics include management, communication, programming, community building and collaboration, and developing connections between K12 educational and afterschool programs.

Link: http://www.sedl.org/pubs/fam95/

ACT for Youth helps communities create the condiditons for young people to lead healthy and fulfilling lives. At the forefront of the initiative are 12 NY state communities that work to put the principles of positive youth development into practice.

Link: http://www.actforyouth.net

This paper discusses factors related to the high recidivism rates among California youth offenders as well as recommendations for reducing this rate and improving youth outcomes.

Link: http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/sites/default/files/aftercare.pdf

The newly redesigned ACT for Youth website offers many new youth development resources, including a database of dozens of articles, presentations, and tools. Popular topics include positive youth development, youth engagement, community collaboration, evaluation, adolescent development, and adolescent sexual health. The site is managed by ACT for Youth Center of Excellence, a partnership among Cornell University, New York State Center for School Safety, and the University of Rochester Medical Center, funded by the New York State Department of Health.

Link: http://www.actforyouth.net

Addressing school adjustment problems is of widespread concern related to student mobility.

Link: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/practicenotes/schooladjustmentproblems.pdf

The purpose of this report is to highlight a growing segment of the population who are arriving at young adulthood disconnected from the main pathways leading to economic independence. 

Link: http://www.nccp.org/publications/pub_979.html

Adults in the lives of young people with both visible disabilities and those with disabilities that are not apparent to others can benefit from using this workbook. This workbook helps caring adults make informed decisions about teaching a young man or woman about his or her rights and responsibilities in disclosing his or her disability, a decision that will affect the young person's educational, employment, and social life. This workbook will help teach how to support a young person with a disability as he or she takes steps in becoming more independent and self-sufficient.

Link: http://www.ncwd-youth.info/411-on-disability-disclosure-for-adults

The 411 on Disability Disclosure: A Workbook for Youth with Disabilities is designed for youth and adults working with them to learn about disability disclosure. This workbook helps young people make informed  decisions about whether or not to disclose their disability and understand how that decision may impact their education, employment, and social lives. Based on the premise that disclosure is a very personal decision, the Workbook helps young people think about and practice disclosing their disability.

Link: http://www.ncwd-youth.info/411-on-disability-disclosure

The project was created through Adobe Youth Voices for the U.S. Department of Education. ED visited nine major cities to do a National Youth Listening Tour and used this video in San Francisco and Oakland. The song is about what can families, schools, and communities do to help youth success in school. 2020 Vision was created to support President Obama's initiative of having the most college graduates by the year 2020. The project was a collaboration between SF AYV sites, Oakland Peapod AYV, and Redwood City Peapod AYV.

Link: http://www.vimeo.com/15761211

Young people receive more helpful advice and information than ever before. Yet we still have way too many who start and continue to behave in unhealthy, self-defeating ways.  Generating a dysfunctional amount of emotion in response to their life events gives purpose to this behavior, rise to \mistaken\ goals, and then becomes a driving force behind such behavior. That's why truly effective emotional management is the most important life skill of all.  Yet we do little if anything to teach it. There are easy-to-learn life skills we could and should be teaching all youth.  It wouldn't cost anything to start.

Link: http://www.itsjustanevent.com