Competency Area IV: Relationship to Family and Community

IV.1 Ability to engage and build relationships with family members or other significant persons

Learning Objectives

• IV.1.1 Facilitate and support collaborative relationships with family members or other significant persons in a youth's life

Selected Activities

• Develop a needs assessment for family members or other significant persons
• List and describe suggestions that could help meet the needs of family members or other significant persons

Demonstration of Learning - Show What You Know!

• Based on your organizational demographics and needs develop a support plan for family members or other significant persons

Resources Developed by NCWD/Youth and Partners

• National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (2005). Building, Developing, and Going to Scale: Grant Funded Programs for Youth in Transition–Module 1: Collaboration and Relationship Building , Module 1: Collaboration and Relationship Building .
• National Youth Employment Coalition. (n.d.). PEPNet Online Index to Quality Practices, standard 3.3 .

Other Resources

• American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. (n.d.). Family and Community Services Portal.
• Children, Youth and Family Consortium. (n.d.).
• Children, Youth and Families Education and Research Network (n.d.).
• Family Village Resources (n.d.).
• Iowa State University Extension to Families (n.d.). Helping Children Cope and Understand.
• Kids Together, Inc. (n.d.). Let's Be Heard.
• Parents, Inc. (n.d.). Tools of the Trade.

return to top

IV.2 Ability to connect youth to community institutions, resources, and supportive adults including mentors and role models

Learning Objectives

• IV.2.1 Provide for and ensure youth connections with community institutions, resources, and supportive adult mentors and role models

Selected Activities

• List and describe current community resources available to youth that you work with
• Describe means to acquire adult mentors, and describe the role these mentors will serve (i.e., reading, tutoring, special programs) and what criteria you require
• Research and identify mentoring strategies that other, similar organizations have found to be successful

Demonstration of Learning - Show What You Know!

• Create an instructional guide for adult mentors

Resources Developed by NCWD/Youth and Partners

• Center for Youth Development and Policy Research. (n.d.). Ten Steps in Community Youth Mapping.
• National Center for Mentoring Youth with Disabilities. (2005). Best Practice Guide in Mentoring Youth with Disabilities.
• National Center on Secondary Education and Transition. (2002). Connecting Employers, Schools, and Youth through Intermediaries.
• National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (2006). Paving the Way to Work: A Guide to Career-Focused Mentoring for Youth with Disabilities.
• National Youth Employment Coalition. (n.d.). PEPNet Online Index to Quality Practices, standard 3.3.

Other Resources

• AfterSchool.gov. (n.d.).
• Kellogg Foundation. (n.d.). KnowledgeBase Resources.
• National Mentoring Partnership. (n.d.). Research Corner.

return to top

IV.3 Ability to engage youth in community service and leadership activities

Learning Objectives

• IV.3.1 Facilitate and support collaborative engagement of youth in community service and leadership activities

Selected Activities

• Review the NCWD Youth Development & Leadership Training Module , Youth Development & Leadership Training Module
• Undertake one or two of the Activities on Service Learning - Microsoft Word
• Explore several youth engagement strategies and programs, and then list the advantages/disadvantages of these programs as they apply to your organizational needs

Demonstration of Learning - Show What You Know!

• Prepare a matrix that describes program possibilities for your organization which would address ideas to help engage youth in community service and leadership activities
• Successful completion of Activity Two - Microsoft Word , engaging a group of youth in a service learning project

Resources Developed by NCWD/Youth and Partners

• National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (n.d.). Two Activities on Service Learning.
• National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth (n.d.). Youth Community Service and Leadership Resources.
• National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth (n.d.). Youth Development & Leadership Training Module .
• National Youth Employment Coalition. (n.d.). PEPNet Online Index to Quality Practices, standard 3.4 (leading).

Other Resources

• Afterschool Alliance (n.d.).
• Arts & After School Youth Development Resources.
• Connect for Kids (2005).
• Gootman, J.A. eds. (2000). After-School Programs that Promote Child and Adolescent Development: Summary of a Workshop.
• Jastrzab, J., Blomquist, J., Masker, J., Orr, L. (1997). Youth Corps: Promising Strategies for Young People and their Communiites . MA: Abt Associates, Inc.
• Youth Today (n.d.). American Youth Work Center Youth Today.

return to top

IV.4.Ability to involve families, guardians, and advocates (when appropriate), including connections to disability-specific resources and groups

Learning Objectives

• IV.4.1 Facilitate and support collaborative engagement of youth in community service and leadership activities with appropriate families, guardians, and advocates, including connections to disability-specific resources and groups

Selected Activities

• Explore the NCDW/Youth & Family section of the website
• Explore several collaborative family/community engagement strategies and programs, and then list the advantages/disadvantages of these programs as they apply to your organizational needs

Demonstration of Learning - Show What You Know!

• Prepare a matrix that describes program possibilities for your organization which would address ideas to help facilitate collaborative engagement of families, guardians, and advocates in community service/ leadership activities including connections to disability-specific resources and groups

Resources Developed by NCWD/Youth and Partners

• Burns, B.J., & Goldman, S.K. (Eds.) (1999). Promising practices in wraparound for children with Serious Emotional Disturbance and their families.
• National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth (n.d.). Youth Community Service and Leadership Resources.
• The Pacer Center’s Project Swift. (n.d.). Building Program Capacity to Serve Youth with Disabilities – Working with Family, Culture, and Disability.

Other Resources

• Afterschool Alliance (n.d.).
• Arts & After School Youth Development Resources.
• Connect for Kids (2005).
• Gootman, J.A. eds. (2000). After-School Programs that Promote Child and Adolescent Development: Summary of a Workshop.
• Youth Today (n.d.). American Youth Work Center Youth Today.

return to top

IV.5.D Knowledge of family advocacy, support and community resources, including disability-specific resources and organizations

Learning Objectives

• IV.5.D.1 List and describe specific examples of family advocacy, support and community resources, including disability-specific resources and organizations

Selected Activities

• Take the family Advocacy tutorial

Demonstration of Learning - Show What You Know!

• Create a WebQuest for family advocacy

Resources Developed by NCWD/Youth and Partners

• National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth (n.d.). Youth Community Service and Leadership Resources.
• The Pacer Center.

Other Resources

• Afterschool Alliance (n.d.).
• Arts & After School Youth Development Resources.
• Boston Medical Center (n.d.). Family Advocacy Program Toolkit.
• Connect for Kids (2005).
• Gootman, J.A. eds. (2000). After-School Programs that Promote Child and Adolescent Development: Summary of a Workshop.
• National CASA Association (n.d.). RCASANet Advocacy Strategies Resources.
• National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth (n.d.). Youth Community Service and Leadership Resources.
• Youth Today (n.d.). American Youth Work Center Youth Today.

return to top

IV.6.D Ability to match youth with disabilities with appropriate mentors and role models with and without disabilities

Learning Objectives

• IV.6.D.1 List and describe strategies that help enable you to match youth with disabilities with appropriate mentors and role models with and without disabilities

Selected Activities

• List and describe current community mentors available to youth with disabilities that you serve

Demonstration of Learning - Show What You Know!

• Prepare a matrix to acquire adult mentors (with/without disabilities), describing the role these mentors will serve (i.e., reading, tutoring, special programs), what criteria you require and how these mentors will be matched to youth with disabilities

Resources Developed by NCWD/Youth and Partners

• National Center for Mentoring Youth with Disabilities. (2005). Best Practice Guide in Mentoring Youth with Disabilities.
• National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (2006). Paving the Way to Work: A Guide to Career-Focused Mentoring for Youth with Disabilities.
• National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth (n.d.). Youth Community Service and Leadership Resources.

Other Resources

• Afterschool Alliance (n.d.).
• Arts & After School Youth Development Resources.
• National CASA Association (n.d.). CASANet Advocacy Strategies.
• Youth Today (n.d.). American Youth Work Center Youth Today.

return to top