Youth Development and Leadership—
Policymaker Section
Most youth in America have ample opportunities to make effective transitions
from childhood into adulthood. Most families and communities provide an array
of appropriate outlets for youth to do so. For youth who are having difficulties
making the transition, assistance from states and localities may be required.
Youth, who are developing physically, emotionally, and intellectually, need
youth development and leadership activities in all five developmental areas
(working, learning, thriving, connecting, and leading) in order to effectively
transition to adulthood. Schools, community organizations, WIA youth service
providers, vocational rehabilitation offices, and other youth-serving organizations
need to be mindful of youth development issues and prepared to incorporate them
into their programming.
Federal, state and local policymakers all have roles to play in creating a
system that supports youth development and leadership by encouraging interagency
and community collaboration and developing policies that support youth development
and leadership opportunities. Mayors, school boards, local Workforce Investment
Boards, and others can use the information provided here to inform their policies
and practices—and to become aware of existing resources.
The primary youth-serving organization is the school, which needs to be more
than just an academic setting. Clubs and extracurricular activities are one
option, but additional after-school programs may need to be created for youth
with disabilities, since research shows that too often they are left out of
these activities. At the same time, there is a growing awareness that schools
cannot do it all by themselves and that community support and involvement are
needed, particularly for high schools and to encourage the development of civic
awareness and good citizenship.
Research
shows that there are many positive outcomes for investments in youth development
and leadership activities. These include enhanced employment rates, income,
and educational levels, as well as improved skills in problem-solving, communication,
decision-making, dependability, and job responsibility. Research also shows
that self-determination skills are especially important for youth with disabilities
in achieving positive outcomes as measured by employment rates, wages, and education.
Effective youth leadership experiences include: 1) supportive environments
with positive role models and mentors; 2) challenging situations with problems
to solve and choices to make; and 3) experiential learning where knowledge and
skills can be put into action. Internships, on-the-job training experiences,
and other workforce development activities can be designed to include these
components.
Questions
1. What is the
role of national and state policymakers in creating a system that supports youth
development and leadership?
Federal legislation related to transition provides an impetus for convening
stakeholders and service providers at the state and local levels to improve
services to youth. But the emphasis on local decision-making in the implementation
of services, particularly for workforce development initiatives, has resulted
in significant variation from state to state and community to community. Differences
in local philosophies, priorities, resources, and other environmental factors
contribute to the variation in services.
The reality is that monies (perhaps not enough and clearly scattered around
in both public and private funding streams) exist in various pieces of legislation
to help all youth acquire the knowledge and gain the experiences identified
through the youth development and leadershipresearch. However, some vulnerable
groups of youth, such as those living in poverty, those in the foster care systems,
youth with disabilities, and youth in some geographic areas, are unable to find
a safe environment where they can learn and grow. Yet, no one public institution
has the means and the will to keep a strong focus on these vulnerable youth.
In other words a youth development and leadershipinfrastructure does not
exist for the most vulnerable populations. One needs to be grown. Policymakers
can do much to build that infrastructure.
The White House Task Force for Disadvantaged Youth (2003) found significant
disarray in youth services provided to disadvantaged youth, including duplication
of services, poor management and coordination of programs, problems with mission
alignment (i.e., youth programs located in federal departments whose missions
did not match), and a lack of accountability and research. It had four recommendations
for addressing these issues that are appropriate for policymakers:
- Develop and coordinate policy within existing policy structures to address
the needs of disadvantaged youth;
- Maximize interagency collaborations to utilize the significant expertise
within specific Federal agencies;
- Coordinate Federal research so the government can fund programs that produce
results that help disadvantaged youth; and
- Find and elevate models of “what works” and help replicate them
nationwide.
Nine Critical Tasks
Ferber, Pittman, and Marshall (2002) identify nine critical tasks for state policymakers in creating
an aligned youth development system. They are:
- Vision: Framing the Issue
- Building cross-cutting coordinating bodies
- Providing proof: evidence, data, outcomes, and indicators
- Youth and community involvement
- Marketing, messages and communication
- Capacity building: Demonstration projects, and training and technical
assistance
- Model policies and initiatives
- Making the case to influential funders to increase resources
- Technology
Aligning existing youth services is but one part of the equation. When it
comes to youth leadership development, the Workforce Investment Act is the only
federal legislation that recognizes the importance of youth leadership. Given
the overwhelming evidence supporting the effectiveness of youth leadership activities,
especially for youth with disabilities, federal and state policymakers may want
to consider incorporating youth leadership development in legislation such as
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, The Rehabilitation Act and
legislation serving youth with developmental disabilities. One piece of legislation
cannot carry the entire load; new legislation needs to build upon the importance
of inclusive youth development and leadership activities recognized in the Workforce
Investment Act.
2. How does one
get started on these issues?
Resource mapping is useful in developing cross agency coordination and collaboration.
Resource mapping identifies, records, and disseminates related resources and
services in a delivery system and allows states and communities to identify
service gaps and service overlaps. By detailing current capacities, needs, and
expertise, agencies and organizations can begin to make strategic decisions
about ways to broaden their collective capacity. Once the organizations providing
services are identified and a plan evolves to align assessment services, understandings
or agreements between agencies can be developed to ensure that services are
provided as planned.
Additional roles for state in supporting system alignment include:
- Resource mapping and strategic planning across state agencies and stakeholders;
- Development or amendment of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) between state
agencies including cost sharing for services throughout the state;
- Coordination of requirements for state and federal program evaluation and
reporting;
- Development of policy guidelines for use by regions and localities;
- Information dissemination and guidance to regions and localities; and
- Professional development and training for state and local managers.
3. How difficult is it
to incorporate youth development and leadership activities into existing
youth-serving programs?
Many youth-serving programs include aspects of youth development and leadership
already. Working and learning activities are commonly found in youth programs
such as career and technical education. Working activities for youth include
job shadowing, internships, site visits, workplace role-playing, and job readiness
workshops that improve work readiness, actively engage the youth in career development,
create a positive attitude about work, and start a youth on a rewarding career
path. Learning activities include peer tutoring, service-learning projects that
connect academics to community problem-solving, group problem-solving, and the
development of formal learning plans. Learning outcomes include logical reasoning
skills, improved academic achievement, and a foundation for lifelong learning.
Thriving, however, is an area that is easier to support in theory than in practice
by schools, families, and youth development programs as evidenced by the marked
increase in youth obesity and diabetes. Activities such as planning and preparing
nutritious meals, exercise and physical fitness, workshops on hygiene and drug/alcohol/tobacco
avoidance, and role-playing in difficult or dangerous situations can be incorporated
into a program. Outcomes include better health, greater confidence, avoidance
of risky behaviors, and the ability to learn from adverse situations and manage
those situations in the future.
Youth leadership programs, through a variety of venues, generally focus on
leading and connecting activities that can be easily adapted to other programs.
Activities that encourage leadership development include:
- workshops on leadership and management topics,
- peer mediator training,
- volunteer work, social issue debates, and
- involvement at the organizational level of workforce development programs
either by serving on youth advisory committees or working directly with youth
service providers.
Outcomes include skills in sharing power, distributing tasks, resolving conflict,
adapting to change, and an understanding of leadership structures. Connecting
activities include youth and adult mentoring, ropes courses and other group
activities, workshops on public speaking, and attending job and trade fairs
with outcomes such as better communication, motivation, and teamwork skills.
Policymakers can use these five
areas and the activities described for each as a way of examining youth
serving programs.
4. What is the appropriate level of youth development and leadership activities in workforce development programs
The Workforce Investment Act includes youth leadership activities in its list
of required youth program elements, i.e., “leadership development opportunities,
which may include community service and peer-centered activities encouraging
responsibility and other positive social behaviors.” Several of the other
program elements are related directly to working, learning, connecting, and
thriving:
- tutoring, study skills training, and instruction…including dropout
prevention strategies,
- summer employment opportunities that are directly linked to academic and
occupational learning,
- paid and unpaid work experiences, including internships and job shadowing,
- occupational skill training, as appropriate,
- adult mentoring, and
- comprehensive guidance and counseling, which may include drug and alcohol
abuse counseling and referral
The level of youth development and leadership activities in a program
depends on the purpose of the program, the resources available to the program,
and the program’s ability to individualize its activities and services.
For example, if the purpose of a program is to provide occupational training
for a specific industry, there will probably be fewer and more specific youth
development and leadership activities than in an introductory career exploration
and preparation program.
Most programs may not have the resources to provide the full spectrum of youth
leadership and development activities. Carefully planned partnerships are essential.
Schools need to be a key partner, and they can play several roles – primary
provider of one or more of the competency areas is but one. They can also serve
as a “community school” and bring in partners for after school programs
to ensure that the youth development and leadership needs of participants are
met. Models for community schools are available through the Coalition for Community
Schools (CCS), which works to improve education and help students learn and
grow while supporting and strengthening their families and communities. Community
schools bring together many partners to offer a range of supports and opportunities
to children, youth, families and communities-before, during and after school,
seven days a week. CCS mobilizes the resources and capacity of multiple sectors
and institutions to create a united movement for community schools by sharing
information, building public support, informing public- and private-sector policies,
and developing sustainable sources of funding for community schools.
Finally, young people develop at different rates in the five developmental
areas, and these rates are further impacted by different life experiences and
family situations. A youth who is an only child and has never played on a sports
team or worked on a group project may need more time or supplemental activities
to develop effective teamwork skills than originally planned. Therefore, the
level of youth development and leadership activities may vary from youth to
youth in a program. Program flexibility and individualized instruction and activities
will allow youth with a variety of needs to be effectively served.
5. How can we ensure that youth with disabilities
are able to fully participate in youth development and leadership activities?
Research shows that youth with disabilities are often excluded from extracurricular
activities and other opportunities to participate in youth development and leadership
activities. Workforce Investment Boards, youth service providers, schools, and
other youth-serving organizations hold the key to the participation of youth
with disabilities. One area that policymakers can consider is the development
of after-school programs, such as High School-High Tech, a cooperative effort
of businesses, federal and state agencies, not-for-profit organizations, and
local school districts that provides opportunities for students with all types
of disabilities to explore careers in science, mathematics, and technology.
Policymakers, along with administrators and others must:
- see that organizations’ vision, mission, and values include all youth,
including those with disabilities,
- ensure that organizations reach out to youth with disabilities, and
- promote partnerships with a variety of organizations including those with
experience serving youth with disabilities.
Staff should be aware of the issues and committed to serving all youth. Service
provider staff should be trained and supported in providing individualized services
including accommodations and other needed program modifications for youth with
disabilities. Youth leadership opportunities within the organizational structure,
such as youth advisory boards or youth representatives to the board of directors
or WIB, should include youth with disabilities.
6. What works for all youth works for youth
with disabilities?
Some youth may require accommodations or modifications, but an asset-based
approach to services, respect for the dignity of each individual, some common
sense, and a little ingenuity are generally all that is needed to ensure that
every youth can transition to adulthood successfully.
Resources
Center
for Youth Development and Policy Research
http://www.aed.org/CentersandExperts/acentyouth.cfm
Local at the Academy for Educational Development, the Center’s mission
is to create and strengthen the infrastructures that support positive development
for all youth in America. Policy formulation is one of several foci of the Center.
The
Coalition for Community Schools
http://http://www.communityschools.org/
The Coalition includes information and publications such as a state guide for
policymakers, research, and program models and evaluations.
Congressional
Youth Leadership Council
http://www.cylc.org
CYLC offers educational leadership conferences for young people in authentic
leadership laboratories.
Education
Development Network (EDNet), National Youth Employment Coalition
http://www.nyec.org/EdStrategies.html
The National Youth Employment Coalition’s Education Development Network
(EDNet) provides a comprehensive self-assessment tool and detailed criteria
that assists education programs and schools to improve their services and informs
policymakers, funders and the public about what works for youth.
Forum
for Youth Investment
http://www.forumforyouthinvestment.org
The Forum for Youth Investment is dedicated to increasing the quality and quantity
of youth investment and youth involvement by promoting a “big picture”
approach to planning, research, advocacy and policy development among a broad
range of organizations.
Healthy and
Ready to Work National Center
http://www.hrtw.org
This national Center provides information and connections to health and transition
expertise.
High
School Alliance
http://www.hsalliance.org
The High School Alliance mobilizes the resources, knowledge, and capacity of
individuals and organizations to shape policy, practice and public engagement
that foster high achievement and promote civic and personal growth among all
youth in our high schools and communities.
High
School/High Tech
http://www.highschoolhightech.net
The website contains information on the High School-High Tech after-school program
for youth with disabilities including an informational brochure, location of
existing sites, a program manual, and supplemental materials for individualizing
programming.
National
League of Cities, Institute for Youth, Education and Families
http://www.nlc.org/IYEF/
The Institute for Youth, Education, & Families helps municipal leaders take
action on behalf of children, youth, and families in their communities in five
program areas: education, safety of children and youth, early childhood development,
youth development, and family economic security. Offers quick access to current
events, resources, and reference materials.
National
Youth Development Information Center (NYDIC)
http://www.nydic.org/nydic
NYDIC provided practice-related information to national and local youth-serving
organizations on youth development in the areas of funding, research, policy,
evaluation, and more.
National
Youth Employment Coalition (NYEC)
http://www.nyec.org
NYEC is a non-partisan national network dedicated to promoting policies and
initiatives that help youth succeed in school, work, and life.
National
Youth Leadership Network (NYLN)
http://www.nyln.org
NYLN is a network of youth leaders with disabilities that provides information
and policy recommendations in addition to conducting research and providing
leadership opportunities.
Office
of Support Programs for Youth with Disabilities, Social Security Administration
http://www.ssa.gov/work/Youth/youth.html
The office provides information on youth leadership and development activities
and transition to youth, families, and others.
Office
of Youth Services, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of
Labor
http://www.doleta.gov/youth_services
The Office of Youth Services is primarily responsible for coordinating all youth-related
workforce activities including providing leadership, policy direction, and guidance
for youth programs authorized under the Workforce Investment Act formula grants.
Public/Private
Ventures
http://www.ppv.org/ppv/youth/youth.asp
Public/Private Ventures is a national nonprofit whose mission is to improve
the effectiveness of social policies, programs and other initiatives that affect
youth and young adults.
Urban
Think Tank Institute
http://www.urbanthinktank.org
Urban Think Tank Institute is a nonpartisan, community-based home for a body
of thinkers in the Hip Hop generation. It is the first organization that analyzes
and frames political, economic and cultural issues, particularly those of concern
to people of color, from the perspective of the Hip Hop generation.
YouthInfo
http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/fysb/youthinfo/index.htm
Managed by the Family and Youth Services Bureau in the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, this website provides information and resources for helping
America’s youth reach their full potential.
References
Ferber, T. and Pittman, K., & Marshall, T. (2002). State youth policy: Helping all youth
to grow up fully prepared and fully engaged. Takoma Park, MD: The Forum for Youth Investment.
Available at http://www.forumforyouthinvestment.org/files/stateyouthpolicy.pdf
 .
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices. (2000, July 27). State youth development
strategies to improve outcomes for at-risk youth. Issue Brief. Washington, DC: Author. Available
at http://www.nga.org/cda/files/000727YOUTHDEV.pdf
.
Pittman, K., Irby, M., & Ferber, T., (2000). Unfinished business:
further reflections on a decade of promoting youth development. In
Public Private Ventures (Ed.), Youth development: issues, challenges and directions
(pp. 18-20). Boston: Public Private Ventures.
Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills. (1991, June). What
work requires of schools: A SCANS report for America 2000. Washington,
DC: U.S. Department of Labor.
White House Task Force for Disadvantaged Youth. (2003, October). Final report. Washington, DC: Author.
Available at http://www.ncfy.com/whreport.htm.
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