Whether you are a seasonal volunteer, group leader or full-time professional, you need practical advice on how to provide young people with the tools they need to succeed. Equipping Quality Youth Development Professionals—E-QYP for short—provides best practices to help young people ages six to eighteen reach their potential. It also offers age-appropriate ideas that you can translate to your specific child and youth program. E-QYP is a handy reference for individuals, as well as a powerful volunteer and staff development tool when adopted by organizations. It also serves as a great supplement to college textbooks on child and youth development. With easy-to-read information and sample activities that really work, this guide can help you help the young people in your life. “Youth agencies serve huge numbers of kids in the United States, but few youth workers have specific knowledge about youth development, and agency budgets tend to have few dollars for staff training. Although the training and credentialing of all youth workers remains an aspiration, workers with and without training need ready access to research-based knowledge and practices. Equipping Quality Youth Development Professionals provides both. Whether read as a whole or accessed for just-in-time information, Equipping Quality Youth Development Professionals is a timely, valuable, and much-needed resource.” —Irv Katz, president and CEO, National Human Services Assembly and National Collaboration for Youth
In the past thirty-six years working with child and youth programs from the local to the federal level in the private, not-for-profit, and public sectors, I have observed more than a thousand child and youth programs. ... As I visit program sites, I have often seen the same scenario play out over and over again. Well-intentioned volunteers and eager new staff want to work with and contribute to the lives of young people, but they don't get the training, support, or resources they need to succeed. They do not have understanding of child and youth development, and how to use these principles as they work with young people. So often, organizations don't have the budgets and resources to provide the needed level of child and youth development training and practice for new staff and volunteers.
This book presents the results of the longitudinal 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development. The volume discusses how self-regulation and contextual resources (e.g., strong relationships with parents, peers, and the community) can be fostered in young people to contribute to the enhancement of functioning throughout life. Each chapter examines a particular aspect of youth thriving, and offers findings on either the bases or the role of positive development in a variety of outcomes, from reduced risk of emotional problems and harmful behaviors to increased participation in the community. Contributors introduce a contemporary model of positive development for diverse youth, provide examples of effective youth development programs, and suggest applications for informing the next generation of policies and practices. Among the featured topics: The regulation of emotion in adolescence. School engagement, academic achievement, and positive youth development. Peer relationships and positive youth development. Identity development in adolescence and the implications for youth policy and practice. Promoting adolescent sexual health in youth programming. A positive youth development approach to bullying. Researchers in developmental psychology as well as practitioners in educational or youth development programs or policies will gain from Promoting Positive Youth Development a new appreciation of the central role of young people's strengths, and initiatives to build effective youth programs. “This volume is destined to become the handbook for anyone interested in the bourgeoning field of positive youth development. Based on ground breaking, longitudinal research from top researchers in the field, Promoting Healthy Development for America’s Youth presents a rich, theoretically grounded understanding of the landscape today’s youth and programs. The contributors provide clear, data-driven guidance regarding the types of programs and settings that are most beneficial to young people.” Jean E. Rhodes, Ph.D. Frank L. Boyden Professor Department of Psychology University of Massachusetts, Boston
The performing arts is an emerging area of youth community practice that has tremendous potential for reaching and positively transforming urban youth lives and to do so in a socially just manner.
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The late, beloved Rachel Held Evans answers many children's first question about God in this gorgeous picture book, fully realized by her friend Matthew Paul Turner, the bestselling author of When God Made You. Children who are introduced to God, through attending church or having loved ones who speak about God, often have a lot of questions, including this ever-popular one: What is God like? The late Rachel Held Evans loved the Bible and loved showing God’s love through the words and pictures found in that ancient text. Through these pictures from the Bible, children see that God is like a shepherd, God is like a star, God is like a gardener, God is like the wind, and more. God is a comforter and support. And whenever a child is unsure, What Is God Like? encourages young hearts to “think about what makes you feel safe, what makes you feel loved, and what makes you feel brave. That's what God is like.”
Build skills for lifelong success Many students leave high school without the skills they need to succeed in postsecondary education and the workforce. How can we better equip students for lifelong success? Research demonstrates that intrapersonal and interpersonal competencies impact student behavior and achievement, increase graduation rates, and promote strong post-school outcomes. The Skills That Matter provides middle and high school educators with the resources, tools, and practical examples to teach key intrapersonal and interpersonal competencies, including self-regulation, goal-setting, self-efficacy, assertiveness, and conflict management. Readers will find Competency-specific evidence-based instructional strategies with examples, and Tools such as sample instructional plans, formative assessments, and student-friendly products. This book provides teachers with the practical information they need to better develop socially and emotionally engaged, career-equipped, lifelong learners.
Recreational Sport provides readers with a foundation in the concepts of recreational sport. Based on current research and offering real-world applications, it will help readers understand how to design, deliver, and manage recreational sport programs no matter what setting they find themselves in.
Built for More, The Role of OST in Preparing Youth for the Future of Work will highlight OST research and illustrative practices and bring forward multi-disciplinary perspectives about future trends, innovations, and the impact of OST on the future workforce. The focus is on OST programs as well as related activities that contribute to employability, such as summer work, internships, apprenticeships, disability inclusion, career-focused mentoring, and more. The book will also lift up voices traditionally left out of the OST conversation, including BIPOC, rural, and other marginalized communities. Given that the world of work is rapidly evolving, what are the most important ways we should be framing education and youth development work? Define forces and illuminate the trends reshaping the necessary skills that youth will need to thrive professionally, personally, and to positively impact their communities. What are the skills that employers are saying are most valuable due to transformation from automation, machine learning, and the 4th industrial age we are experiencing globally? What are key demographic shifts that add urgency to the imperative for change in our human development ecosystems? ENDORSEMENTS: "Built for More: The Role of Out-of-School Time in Preparing Youth for the Future of Work is a compelling, insightful must read about the current and future trends on out-of-school time. This book is loaded with fascinating detail and interdisciplinary perspectives that highlight the impact of OST on teaching and learning, workforce development, and creating global citizens for a diverse society. This book makes a persuasive argument that is difficult to refute and should be required reading for anyone interested in the future of young people in the United States." — Joshua Childs, University of Texas at Austin "As a youth empowerment leader committed to breaking systemic barriers and fostering transformative change, Built for More: The Role of OST in Preparing Youth for the Future of Work is an important resource. This book highlights the key institutional shifts needed to cultivate youth agency within our rapidly evolving educational, professional and technological landscape. Its focus on the impact of out-of-school time (OST) programs and critical pathways such as internships, apprenticeships, and career focused mentoring offers important insights to bridge the gap between education and employment. Its emphasis on elevating BIPOC and rural voices sets it apart, offering a truly inclusive approach to reducing barriers and shaping innovative interventions that authentically resonate with and empower our youth." — Hollie Neal Morgan, Fossil Foundation "The coming decades will be some of the most challenging in history, while also being the most opportunity-rich. Questions of intelligence, belonging and humanity ripple through everyday dialog and innovation and adaptable learner-centered programs are rising to the occasion to meet our young people with voice, agency and relationship. Built for More: The Role of Out-of-School Time in Preparing Youth for the Future of Work is a critical compilation of OST stories paints a portrait of nimble, learner-centered environments that prioritize agency and relationships. These stories spotlight crucial programs and education ecosystems from respected voices." — Tom Vander Ark, Getting Smart
