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Spotlight Articles

Traffic Safety: Keeping Teens Safe behind the Wheel

Motor vehicle crashes continue to be the leading cause of death among youth. Per miles driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash.

U.S. Government sets goal to end youth homelessness in 10 years

The U.S. Department of Education reported that 53,000 homeless youth were supported through school-based programs last year, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development counted more than 22,000 young people in emergency or transitional housing in 2009.  Another 110,000 youth are believed to be living on the streets. It is likely this is a serious underestimate of the total number of homeless youth, but the actual number of youth experiencing homelessness is unknown.

Data from 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System Released

The 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report (MMWR) Surveillance Summary and the 2009 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data are available.

New Teen Pregnancy Prevention Funding Opportunities

New funding opportunities released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) offer the opportunity to replicate evidence-based programs and support innovative strategies and community-wide initiatives.

May is National Foster Care Month

National Foster Care Month is a time to acknowledge the 463,000 American children and youth in foster care and the family members, foster parents, volunteers, mentors, child welfare professionals, and policymakers who help them find permanent homes and connections.

Celebrate AmeriCorps Week

The fourth annual AmeriCorps Week, taking place May 8-15, 2010, provides the perfect opportunity for AmeriCorps members, alums, grantees, program partners, and friends to shine a spotlight on AmeriCorps and to motivate more Americans to serve.

National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day

National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day (Awareness Day) is a day for everyone to promote positive youth development, resilience, recovery, and the transformation of mental health services delivery for children and youth with serious mental health needs and their families.

Engineering students mentor at middle school with STARBASE

This spring through the STARBASE Nebraska program, six University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Engineering students have dedicated an hour each week to go back to sixth grade and help the next generation of engineers.

Washington State Youth Take Civic Activism To New Level

Non-academic barriers to learning, such as those facing Sierra, were the focus of a Civic Engagement Forum in February of 2009. This two-day event brought young people from dropout prevention and school health programs to advise the Washington State Legislative Youth Advisory Council (LYAC).

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month

The Justice Department worked with the Senate to designate the entire month of February as National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month.

Collaborative Efforts to Address Youth Violence

In response to the recent killing of a 16 year old Chicago honor student, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)/CDC, the Department of Education (ED), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) started work to address youth violence.

Identifying Effective Interventions: A Report from GAO

In November 2009, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released the report, "Program Evaluation: A Variety of Vigorous Methods Can Help Identify Effective Interventions.

Federal Collaboration

The Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs (IWGYP) is composed of representatives from 12 federal agencies that support programs and services focusing on youth. The IWGYP seeks to promote achievement of positive results for at-risk youth.

Youth Speakers Share Their Hopes for the Future

Seven youth speakers at the recent Innovative Collaborations to Promote Positive Youth Outcomes: A Federal, State, and Local Dialogue conference shared their experiences as youth at risk – as well as how they were able to get their lives on track.

4-H Members Raise Awareness of Meningitis

In Louisiana, 4-H youth took their civic engagement skills and put them towards something life changing—advocating and lobbying for meningitis prevention.

AdoptUsKids Project Helps 10,000 Foster Children

Find Permanent Families Thanks to a project known as AdoptUsKids, more than 10,000 children have been placed into adoptive families.

GEAR UP Program Succeeds In Helping Latinos Enter College

In the fall of 1999, Art Castanon and Ana Coria were part of the seventh grade class at Sycamore High School in Anaheim that began GEAR UP—Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program.

Strengthening Families to Prevent Teen Drug Use

Experts say one way to prevent young people from using drugs is to strengthen family relationships, so that youth develop an open and trusting relationship with parents.

How much do you know about…4-H and Positive Youth Development?

4-H provides opportunities for youth development and for youth to develop skills, practical knowledge, and wisdom through observing, doing, and living through experiences.

4-H Expands To New Audiences

4-H provides predictable programming and a safe and nurturing environment for military youth, whose families may move frequently and experience difficulties surrounding lengthy and frequent deployments.

New Website Helps Federal Staff Support Comprehensive Community Initiatives

The Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has established a new Web site, cciToolsforFeds.org offering a wealth of tools and resources to help Federal staff plan, support, and help sustain Comprehensive Community Initiatives (CCIs), local community interventions that seek to improve outcomes for youth and families through systems change.

Portland Kids Learn about Life and Basketball at the Hoopin' It Up Camp

Each year, 50 youth participate in Hoopin' it Up, a basketball camp open to youth living in the Hillsdale Terrace and Slavin Court public housing communities in southwest Portland.

AmeriCorps NCCC: Strengthening Communities and Developing Leaders

The National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) is one of the three programs that form AmeriCorps, a network of national service programs that engage Americans in service to address critical community needs within the United States. AmeriCorps NCCC is a full-time, team-based residential program for men and women ages 18-25.

A Hand and Paw Partnership Benefits Homeless Youth

Dogs, and people, learn new tricks at the Virginia Woof Dog Daycare Center in Portland, OR. Owned and operated by Outside In, a social service agency that serves homeless youth and low-income adults, the doggie daycare provides job training for 25 formerly homeless young people every year.

A Mentoring Charity Blooms in Baltimore

The biggest challenge for a small, growing mentoring program can be convincing caring adults to take the first step and volunteer to help a child. To that end, Baltimore's Liberty Learning Center, an after-school facility founded in 2005 for inner-city youth, will use this year's National Mentoring Month as a springboard to gain greater exposure and enlist more adults in its cause.

A Match Made in Pittsburgh Cultivates a Young Girl's Strengths

Eleven-year-old Summer needed a positive environment where she could be a child and not grow up too fast. Gwyneth Gaul, a 28-year-old fundraiser, provides that positivity as Summer's mentor. The two were "matched" by Amachi Pittsburgh, which pairs children of incarcerated parents with caring adults.

"A Day On, Not a Day Off!"

On January 18, 2010, people of all ages and backgrounds will come together to improve lives, bridge social barriers, and move our nation closer to the "Beloved Community"; that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. envisioned.

General Colin L. Powell to Headline National Mentoring Month 2010

National Mentoring Month (January) is the month each year when our nation officially shines a spotlight on the importance of mentors and the need for every child to have a caring adult in their life.

 

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