National Collaboration for Youth Publications have been produced by the National Youth Development Learning Network, an initiative of the National Collaboration for Youth.  Newsletters, books and toolkits are based on research and designed to provide current, easy to use information to youth development professionals.

Capturing Promising Practices in Recruitment and Retention of Frontline Youth Workers

Research is clear that children and youth benefit from consistent, caring adults in their lives.  Even though this is the case, local organizations continue to struggle to recruit and retain frontline youth workers.  The National Collaboration for Youth surveyed its members and interviewed staff from local organizations to provide strategies they use to effectively recruit and retain staff who work directly with youth. Click here to view.

In addition, the Pre-Symposium Report provides case studies of local organizations and their strategies.  Click here to view the Pre-Symposium Report.

Community Based Organizations/School Toolkits for 21st Century Community Learning Centers

According to the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Justice (1998), one of the key elements of a high-quality after-school program is an effective partnership between community-based organizations and schools.  The Community-Based Organization and Local Education Agency/State Education Agency toolkits provide research supporting the need for school-CBO partnerships; successful strategies for creating and sustaining partnerships; and, checklists and tools. Click here to view the Community Based Organization Toolkit and the Local and State Education Agency Toolkit.

Frontline Youth Development Worker Competencies

The National Collaboration for Youth has established a common set of core competencies for paid and volunteer staff who work with youth. The intent of the Collaboration in developing the core competencies, which is based on similar lists developed by individual agencies and others, was to identify those elements common to virtually all youth-serving agencies. The list of ten competencies applies to front-line youth development staff that may be fulltime or work as little as two hours a week. Each competency has several examples to guide organizations.  Click here to view the Youth Development Worker Competencies.

Frontline Youth Worker Observation Assessment Tool

The National Collaboration for Youth is pleased to release two new assessment tools to accompany the 10 competencies for front-line youth workers. The longer tool can be used in multiple ways, for example, as a training outline to assist trainers in describing an organization's expectations for youth worker behavior and attitudes.  The second tool is short - designed to be carried around and used on the job.

View the long version of the Observation Assessment Tool by clicking here.

View the short version of the Observation Assessment Tool by clicking here.

Intermediaries Toolkit

Youth workers -- the staff that work with children and youth at community centers, clubs, camps, after-school programs and a host of other settings -- serve tens of millions of children and youth daily and play significant roles in their lives. These dedicated workers, like other workers, need training and ongoing professional development to enhance their skills and keep them current. This toolkit focuses on a strategy for meeting that need: community based training and technical assistance resource centers for youth workers. It contains three major topics: Making the Case; Getting the Right Start; and Tools and Resources and within each a wealth of information to help begin and effectively maintain these crucial organizations.  Click here to view the Intermediaries Toolkit.

Is There Common Ground?

The National Collaboration for Youth, Search Institute and American Camp Association have been exploring whether there is common ground between how we might prepare youth workers that work in faith-based and youth development organizations.  What has emerged is a remarkable degree of alignment around many professional development priorities with important exceptions that leave room for unique accents and learning across differences.  And, though there is widespread interest in collaborative learning across sectors, there are also significant barriers, ranging from priorities for youth workers, and most significantly, mistrust and misunderstanding across the sectors.  Is There Common Ground shares the learning from two web-based surveys, a series focus groups and a two-day consultation of thought leaders and recommendations for work that can be dome going forward.  Click here to download the report.

Journal on the Professional Development of Youth Workers

The January 2005 New Directions for Youth Development offers a glimpse of some of the innovative, sustained, and coordinated efforts to build skills and capacities of youth workers.  The examples demonstrate how to support youth worker interaction as well as training networks that take common approaches to professional development.  This issue also outlines some of the significant challenges faced in youth worker professional development and their solutions.  For more information, click here.

Making a Difference in the Lives of Youth

Making a Difference in the Lives of Youth features 10 case studies that each profile National Collaboration for Youth member out-of-school-time programs in action. Readers will discover how the programs are making a difference, through individual stories and quotes from youth, parents, program implementers, program developers, and researchers.  To read the publication, click here.

Next Generation Youth Work Coalition's Bulletin 

The bulletin includes professional development/workforce promising practices, highlights of relevant projects, events in the field and more. The goal of the Coalition is to help achieve the vision of a strong, valued youth work profession through documentation, education and communications activities and by serving as a locus for joint action and collaboration within the field.  If you would like to be part of the Coalition contact Pam Garza at pam@nassembly.org.

Click here for a description of the Coalition.

Click here to view the Next Generation Bulletin 6.

Click here to view the Next Generation Bulletin 5.

Click here to view the Next Generation Bulletin 4.

Click here to view the Next Generation Bulletin 3.

Click here to view the Next Generation Bulletin 2.

Click here to view the First Next Generation Bulletin.

Preparing Staff to Involve Youth and Families

The three training modules below provide individual activities or full day trainings on each National Collaboration for Youth approved competency area for front-line youth workers (paid and volunteer).  Each includes activities that address the staff knowledge, attitudes and skills that are needed in this area and are intended to be an additional resource for program directors, trainers, and others who are responsible for the staff development of youth workers.  Click on the below links to download each training module.

Involves and Empowers Youth

Cares for, Involves and Works with Families and Community

Communicates and Develops Positive Relationships with Youth

Preparing Staff to Work with Immigrant Youth

Preparing Staff to Work with Immigrant Youth provides the context of the immigrant youth experience and practical tips for hiring, developing and retainng staff to work with this population.  Youth organizations have both an opportunity and a responsibility to encourage and support the healthy development of the growing numbers of immigrant youth.   This publication is based on hands-on experience by national and local youth organizations who do this work effectively.   Click here to download the report.

Professional Development Series

Any organization's ability to make a difference in a young person's life is dependent upon the people in that organization. Success requires dedicated, skilled and creative people able to lead organizations, and manage and implement high-quality programs. The Professional Development Series will survey youth development professionals and promote their promising strategies for investing in this work force.

To view all of the topics, click here.

Click on the topics below to view each newsletter.

Exploring Common Ground

Preparing Staff to Work with Immigrant Youth

Professional Development Standards

Recognition and Rewards

Recruitment

Retention

Professional Associations

Certificates, Credentials, Degrees

Mentoring Youth Workers

Blended Learning

Recruitment and Selection

Competencies

Wingspread Conference Proceedings

In mid-November of 2004, a group of 35 youth development professionals representing diverse sectors of the field (youth workers, national youth-serving agencies, local and national intermediary organizations, Federal agencies and corporate and foundation philanthropies) agreed to cometogether as thinking partners in order to develop design ideas for a youth development workforce system.  Held at the Wingspread Conference Center in Racine (WI), the conference was sponsored by the National Collaboration for Youth, National 4-H Headquarters and the University of Arizona.  Through a series of large-and-small -group work sessions, the group agreed on several specific ideas, including the vision for core components of a system.  In addition, the group committed itself to pursuing several next steps to enact the vision and begin creating a system.

View the Wingspread Report Summary by clicking here.

View the Wingspread Report by clicking here.

View the Wingspread Report Making the Case by clicking here.

Youth Worker News

The National Collaboration for Youth is pleased to present Youth Worker News.  This newsletter is designed to provide promising practices, program resources, research and funding suggestions on current program topics relevant to youth workers. 

Click here to view Working Together for Healthy Youth.

Click here to view Serving all Youth:  Youth Organizations and Immigrant Youth.

Click here to view Youth Making Change in Their Communities.

Click here to view Making an Impact through Youth Media.

These publications are possible through generous funding from Lilly Endowment, Inc; Charles Stewart Mott Foundation; and Cornerstones For Kids.  We thank them for their support but acknowledge that the findings and conclusions presented are those of the authors alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinons of the funders.