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Community Youth Development |
K-12 Civic Education |
Engaged Campus
Community Youth Development
The
community youth development movement, which began in the early
1990s, recognizes young people not as bundles of "deficits"
in need of fixing by "expert" adults, but as engaged and empowered
citizens doing the vital work of building communities
and transforming institutions to serve the broad public good.
In this section, you will find key essays and reports that
have shaped the emerging CYD movement, as well as case studies
of youth/adult partnerships, youth-in-governance, youth philanthropy,
youth commissions, youth organizing, and other forms of youth
civic engagement. You will also find strategic initiatives
by major national youth associations, such as 4-H. For training
manuals, best practice guides, and other resources click on Tools.
Essays
and Reports
Community,
Youth, Development: Three Goals in Search of Connection.
(1996) by Karen J. Pittman, presents a key, succinct statement
of community youth development by one of the field's prominent
leaders.
Youth Action: Youth Contributing
to Communities, Communities Supporting Youth (2001: 896 KB
pdf), by Merita Irby, Thaddeus Ferber, and Karen Pittman of the Forum
for Youth Investment. This report provides an essential frame
for “youth action” as
a key component of youth development and maps a diversity of
approaches and pathways. Its accompanying report, Youth
Acts, Community Impacts: Stories of Youth Engagement with Real
Results (2001: 1.2
MB pdf), by Joel Tolman and Karen Pittman, provides case studies
from around the
world, including The Food Project (Massachusetts), Lubec Aquaculture
Project (Maine), Philadelphia Student Union, and Educational Video
Center (New York).
National
Conversation on Youth Development in the 21st Century, (2002,
492K pdf), by National 4-H
Council.
Based on 1,640 local and state conversations among some 50,000
youth
and adults throughout the 4-H system marking its recent centennial,
this report articulates a vision of “empowering youth as
equal partners” and “equal citizens.” It includes
bold recommendations on how to do this in government, schools,
community organizations, and private-sector initiatives.
The New
Girls Movement (2001: 236 KB pdf), by P. Catlin.Fullwood
for the Collaborative Fund for Healthy Girls, Healthy Women
and the Ms. Foundation
for Women.. This report develops some of the core principles
underlying the increasing number of projects aimed at empowering
girls and young women, both in their general efforts to make
real contributions to their communities and in their specific
attempts to address issues such as sexual harassment, violence,
and media-mediated body images that can disable girls and young
women from being effective citizens and “authors of their
own lives.” An accompanying tool, New
Girls Movement: New Assessment Tools for Youth Programming (2000:
1.5 MB pdf), presents
a hands-on guide to participatory evaluation research in the new
girls programming.
Youth in Decision-Making:
A Study on the Impacts of Youth on Adults and Organizations (2000:
672K pdf), by Shepherd Zeldin et al. for The
Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development, examines
the principles and practices of youth/adult partnerships and how
organizations can change to provide youth a significant role in
governance. Case studies drawn from 15 innovative organizations.
Education-Based
Community Development. (1992)
by Michael J. Shannon.
The Public Purpose of 4-H: Engaging
Youth in Civic Contribution. (1997)
by Gregory K. Hutchins.
The
Youth Service Movement. (1995)
by Matthew Moseley
Case
Studies
"Active
Citizenship" and Youth Citizenship Awards Empower Youth. Through
the "Active Citizenship" curriculum, students in grades 7-12 gain
the knowledge, skills, and values that are essential for responsible
citizenship. A vital component is a group project, in which students
identify a real political problem, research related issues, and
propose a solution. Students then compete in the Youth Citizenship
Awards program, which recognizes outstanding problem-solving efforts.
Case study plus.
AmeriCorps
Builds Citizens and Communities. AmeriCorps is a national
service program whose goal is getting things done: AmeriCorps
programs address the nation's education, public safety, environmental,
and human needs and achieve demonstrable results, as well as strengthen
communities and develop participants. Case
study plus.
.
Community
Boards of San Francisco Strengthen "Civic Muscles" through Conflict
Resolution. Believing that the community is where the responsibility
for problem solving and conflict resolution should first fall,
where the most effective prevention work can be done, and where
meaningful lessons about conflict and its impact on friends, neighbors,
and community can best be learned, the Community Board Program
provides free community mediation services in San Francisco and
offers conflict resolution-related program development and training
assistance to schools, juvenile correctional facilities, and other
agencies nationwide. Story and case study
plus.
Consortium
of Caring Communities: Weaving 101. Indiana's Consortium of
Caring Communities Engages Citizens in Making Communities Hospitable
Places for Children, Youth, and Families. The mission of the Consortium
of Caring Communities is to "build a movement that puts children
and young people first, a movement that supports the healthy development
of children, youth and families, one that begins small, but grows
eventually to touch every county in Indiana," by creating a network
of support for county-based initiatives. Case
study plus.
Health
and Human Services Develops the Capacity of Communities To Empower
and Save Their Youth. With the support of HHS, Together! Thurston
Communities for a Drug-Free Youth in Thurston, Washington, and
the Child Development Council in Columbus, Ohio have engaged youth,
parents, civic organizations, the faith community, and others
in empowering young people to live healthy and productive lives.
In Thurston, they developed a 30-point community youth agenda
that involved the schools, law enforcement, business and the media.
In Columbus, they created a "parents as teachers" program to complement
Head Start, and also provide substance abuse prevention, immunization,
and job training and education for parents. Story.
National
4-H Council Builds Partnerships Involving Youth in Problem Solving.
The 4-H movement began in the early 1900s, strengthening rural
education for young people. Volunteer local leaders are the backbone
of 4-H. They partner with county Extension agents to provide direct
leadership and educational support to youth in local neighborhoods
and communities. More than 5.4 million youth, ages 5-19, participate
each year in 4-H. Story.
Networking
for Youth Builds a Better Future Through Mentoring. This broad-based
coalition between business, labor, schools, non-profits, and social
service agencies is mobilizing a wide array of individuals and
organizations to invest in young people by developing a model
community mentoring program. The community is one of fourteen
working with the Pew Partnership for Civic Change, which focuses
attention on the civic capacity of smaller cities. Case
study plus.
Public
Achievement Engages Youth in Citizen Politics. Public Achievement
is the youth and politics initiative of Project Public Life, part
of the Center for Democracy and Citizenship, at the University
of Minnesota. It provides training in citizen politics for many
youth organizations and teams around the country, which engage
in year-long projects together. Public Achievement also publishes
a practical guidebook, Making the Rules, for youth teams that
wish to make changes in their communities. Case
study plus.
Teen
Pregnancy Addressed in Public Forums. Lee County Extension
Agents in Alabama have used the citizen politics model to bring
a wide array of citizens—including teenagers—together
to address the causes of teen pregnancy, with a focus on possible
solutions. Story.
Weaving
Youth and Civic Development. At the Wingspread conference,
Emerging Best Practices: Weaving the Work of Youth and Civic
Development, participants analyzed stories from groundbreaking
projects integrating youth and civic development; crafted a set
of principles linking the fields of youth, civic and community
development; and developed strategies for communicating these
in practice. In accomplishing this, they activated a network of
partners, seeded a national movement and called for a locally-driven
multiplication of opportunities to fully engage young people in
public life. Case study plus.
Young
People Organize for the Environment. In Calhoun County, Alabama,
young people involved in 4-H have used the citizen politics model
to involve their local communities in ground water protection.
The young people held debates, developed action plans, and organized
an Earth Day cleanup. Story.
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