4.1 Ability to engage and build relationships with family members or other significant persons

Learning Objectives

• 4.1.1 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

• NCWD/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.
• NCWD/Youth InfoBrief, Issue 21. (2008). Youth and Disability Disclosure: The Role of Families and Advocates.
• NCWD/Youth Short Cuts, No. 5. (2008). Navigating Tunnels and Cliffs: Empowering Families and Caregivers to Assist Youth with Mental Health Needs in Preparing for Work.
• National Youth Employment Coalition. PEPNet Online Index to Quality Practices, 3.3 Standard. [Create a free login account to access this section of the PEPNet Online Tools for Program Improvement with NYEC.]
• The Pacer Center. Transition Parent Briefs.

Other Resources

• ACT for Youth. (2006). Positive Youth Development Resource Manual. [Read Section 6: Community Involvement and Collaboration.]
• Children, Youth, & Family Consortium. Watch/Listen/Read. University of Minnesota. [This webpage has video presentations and publications on various topics relevant to serving children, youth, and families.]
• Children, Youth & Families Education & Research Network. [This website is a comprehensive source of information for those serving children, youth, and families.]
• The Community Toolbox. “Building and Sustaining Relationships” in Chapter 14: Core Functions in Leadership.
• The Community Toolbox. “Making Personal Contact with Potential Participants” in Chapter 7: Encouraging Involvement in Community Work.
• Education Commission of the States. (2008). Strengthening Parents’ Ability to Provide the Guidance and Support That Matter Most in High School. Written by T. Taylor & J. Dounay.
• Family Village. Family Village Resources. [A Global Community of Disabled-Related Resources.] University of Wisconsin-Madison.
• Harvard Family Research Project. Family Involvement Publications & Resources.
• Kids Together, Inc. Let’s Be Heard.
• Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. (2002). Building Relationships for Student Success: School-Family-Community Partnerships and Student Achievement in the Northwest. Written by D. Dorfman & A. Fisher.
• Training & Technical Assistance For Providers (T-TAP). Strategies: Parents.
• University of Minnesota Extension. Families with Teens.

4.2 Ability to connect youth to community institutions, resources, and supportive adults including mentors and role models

Learning Objectives

• 4.2.1 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

• National Center on Secondary Education & Transition (NCSET). (2002). Connecting Employers, Schools, and Youth through Intermediaries. Issue Brief, Volume 1 Issue 3.
• NCWD/Youth. (2008). Guideposts for Success for Youth Involved in the Juvenile Corrections System.
• NCWD/Youth. (2008). Making the Right Turn: A Guide About Improving Transition Outcomes for Youth Involved in the Juvenile Corrections Systems. Written by J. Gannon & C. Richards.
• NCWD/Youth (2008). Guideposts for Success for Youth with Mental Health Needs.
• NCWD/Youth. (2008). Transitioning Youth with Mental Health Needs to Meaningful Employment and Independent Living. NCWD/Youth. Written by L. Woosley & J. Katz-Leavy.
• NCWD/Youth. (2007). Tunnels and Cliffs: A Guide for Workforce Development Practitioners and Policymakers serving Youth with Mental Health Needs. Written by M. Podmostko.
• NCWD/Youth. (2006). Paving the Way to Work: A Guide to Career-Focused Mentoring. Written by J. Timmons, M. Mack, A. Sims, R. Hare, & J. Wills.
• NCWD/Youth. (2008). Preparing All Youth for Academic and Career Readiness: Implications for High School Policy and Practice. Written by J. Wills. [Read Section II: Families and Communities.]
• NCWD/Youth. Negotiating the Curves Toward Employment: A Guide About Youth Involved in the Foster Care System.
• NCWD/Youth InfoBrief, Issue 18. (2006). Blending and Braiding Funds and Resources: The Intermediary as Facilitator.
• NCWD/Youth InfoBrief, Issue 17. (2005). Facilitating Employer Engagement among WIB Partners: A Role for Intermediaries.
• NCWD/Youth InfoBrief, Issue 3. (2002). How Young People Can Benefit from One-Stop Centers.
• NCWD/Youth InfoBrief, Issue 8. (2004). Making the Connections: Growing and Supporting New Organizations: Intermediaries.
• NCWD/Youth InfoBrief, Issue 12. (2005). Strategies for Youth Workforce Programs to Become Employer-Friendly Intermediaries.
• NCWD/Youth Research to Practice Brief, Issue 1. (2004). Building Lasting Connections to Employers: Developing Community-Wide Intermediaries.
• National Youth Employment Coalition. PEPNet Online Index to Quality Practices, 3.3 Standard. [Create a free login account to access this section of the PEPNet Online Tools for Program Improvement with NYEC.]

Other Resources

• Afterschool Alliance. Find an Afterschool Program.
• Center for Youth Development & Policy Research. Community Youth Mapping: A Ten Step Process. Academy for Educational Development.
• The Community Toolbox. Chapter 22: Youth Mentoring Programs.
• FindYouthInfo.org. Youth Topics.
• National Mentoring Partnership. Program Resources.
• School & Main Institute for the Texas Workforce Commission Youth Program Initiative. (2003). Training Packets and Tools for Action on Windows on the Workplace: Mentoring, Youth, and WIA.
• U. S. Department of Education. Find Schools & Aftercare. [Find federally-funded afterschool and aftercare programs.]
• U. S. Department of Education & the National Endowment for the Arts. How the Arts Can Enhance After-School Programs.

4.3 Ability to engage youth in community service and leadership activities

Learning Objectives

• 4.3.1 Facilitate and support collaborative engagement of youth in community service and leadership activities

Selected Activities

• Review NCWD/Youth’s Youth Development & Leadership Training Module
• Undertake one or two of the Activities on Service Learning
• 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 Consortium on Leadership & Disability for Youth (NCLD/Youth). (2008). Am I Learning to Lead? [This is a self assessment tool for youth.]
• NCLD/Youth. (2008). Are They Learning to Lead? [This is a tool that staff can use to assess leadership skills in youth.]
• NCWD/Youth. (2004). Youth Development & Leadership: Background Paper. Written by A. Edelman, P. Gill, K. Comerford, M. Larson & R. Hare.
• NCWD/Youth. Digging Deeper: Five Areas of Youth Development/Youth Leadership.
• NCWD/Youth InfoBrief, Issue 11. (2005 ). Youth Development and Leadership in Programs. Written by P. Gill.
• NCWD/Youth Jump Start. Youth Development & Leadership Jump Start.
• National Youth Employment Coalition. PEPNet Online Index to Quality Practices, 3.3 Standard. [Create a free login account to access this section of the PEPNet Online Tools for Program Improvement with NYEC.]

Other Resources

• Abt Associates, Inc. (1997). Youth Corps: Promising Strategies for Young People and their Communiites. Written by J. Jastrzab, J. Blomquist, J. Masker, & L. Orr.
• ACT for Youth. (2006). Positive Youth Development Resource Manual. [Read Section 3: Youth Involvement and Section 5: Effective Youth Development Programming.]
• Afterschool Alliance. (2004). Afterschool and Service-Learning. Issue Brief, Number 9.
• Camino. L. & Zeldin, S. (2002). From Periphery to Center: Pathways for Youth Civic Engagement in Day-to-Day Life Communities. Applied Developmental Science, 6 (2), 213-220.
• Coalition for Community Schools. (2006). Community-Based Learning: Engaging Students for Success and Citizenship. Written by A. Melaville, A.C. Berg & M.J. Blank.
• The Community Toolbox. ”Developing a Community Leadership Corps: A Model for Service-Learning” in Chapter 13: Orienting Ideas in Leadership.
• Forum for Youth Investment (FYI). (2007). Building Effective Youth Councils: A Practical Guide to Engaging Youth in Policy Making.
• FYI. (2007). Core Principles for Engaging Young People in Community Change.
• FYI & University of Wisconsin’s Center for Nonprofits. (2008). Youth-Adult Partnerships in Public Action.
• Gootman, J.A. Ed. (2000). After-School Programs that Promote Child and Adolescent Development: Summary of a Workshop.
• Innovation Center. Leadership Stages. Browse by Leadership Stages.
• Kids As Self Advocates (KASA). Civil Rights & Advocacy Resources. [KASA is a youth leadership and self advocacy organization created by and for young people with disabilities.]
• National Service Inclusion Project. [This training and technical assistance initiative supports inclusion of individuals with disabilities as active participants in national service programs.]
• National Service-Learning Clearinghouse. Youth Site.
• National Service-Learning Clearinghouse. (2001). Service Learning Toolbox: Work Pages and Checklists to Help Get You Started and Keep You Going. Written by E. Geiger.
• National Service-Learning Clearinghouse & Search Institute. (2008). Service-Learning in Community-Based Organizations: A Practical Guide to Starting and Sustaining High-Quality Programs. Written by E. C. Roehlkepartain.
• National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC). Advancing Youth Academic Success, School Engagement, and International Leadership through Service-Learning
• NYLC. Service-Learning Effective in Dropout Prevention.
• NYLC. (2001). Resource Library: Toolbox – Getting Started. [Resources for service learning.]
• NYLC. (2001). Resource Library: Toolbox – Youth Leadership.

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

Learning Objectives

• 4.4.1 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 NCWD/Youth’s publications for families
• 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

• National Consortium on Leadership & Disability for Youth (NCLD/Youth). (2007). A Guide to Legislative Advocacy for Youth with Disabilities. Written by R. Hare. [Also available in Spanish.]
• NCWD/Youth InfoBrief, Issue 21. (2008). Youth and Disability Disclosure: The Role of Families and Advocates.
• NCWD/Youth Short Cuts, No. 5. (2008). Navigating Tunnels and Cliffs: Empowering Families and Caregivers to Assist Youth with Mental Health Needs in Preparing for Work.
• The Pacer Center’s Project Swift. Building Program Capacity to Serve Youth with Disabilities – Working with Family, Culture, and Disability.

Other Resources

• Afterschool Alliance. (2004). Afterschool and Service-Learning. Issue Brief, Number 9.
• Gootman, J.A. Ed. (2000). After-School Programs that Promote Child and Adolescent Development: Summary of a Workshop.
• National Service-Learning Clearinghouse. Youth Site.
  National Service-Learning Clearinghouse. (2001). Service Learning Toolbox: Work Pages and Checklists to Help Get You Started and Keep You Going. Written by E. Geiger.
• National Service-Learning Clearinghouse & Search Institute. (2008). Service-Learning in Community-Based Organizations: A Practical Guide to Starting and Sustaining High-Quality Programs. Written by E. C. Roehlkepartain.
• National Youth Leadership Council. (2005). Service-Learning Tips Sheet – Parents’ Guide.
• SparkAction.org. [This website provides information and advocacy resources and tools by and for the child and youth field and young leaders.]

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

Learning Objectives

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

Selected Activities

• Take the “Making Your Case” advocacy course

Demonstration of Learning – Show What You Know!

• Create a WebQuest for family advocacy

Resources Developed by NCWD/Youth and Partners

• NCWD/Youth. (2009). The 411 on Disability Disclosure: A Workbook for Families, Educators, Youth Service Professionals, and Adult Allies Who Care About Youth with Disabilities.
• NCWD/Youth InfoBrief, Issue 28. (2011). Helping Youth Develop Soft Skills for Job Success: Tips for Parents and Families.
• NCWD/Youth InfoBrief, Issue 27. (2011). Tapping into the Power of Families: How Families of Youth with Disabilities Can Assist in Job Search and Retention.
• NCWD/Youth InfoBrief, Issue 21. (2008). Youth and Disability Disclosure: The Role of Families and Advocates.
• NCWD/Youth Short Cuts, No. 5. (2008). Navigating Tunnels and Cliffs: Empowering Families and Caregivers to Assist Youth with Mental Health Needs in Preparing for Work.
• The Pacer Center. Parent Leadership in Special Education Overview.
• The Pacer Center & University of Vermont. Parents as Collaborative Leaders Curriculum & Modules.

Other Resources

• Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance. (2007). Advocacy Toolkit.
• Learning Disabilities Association of America. For Parents.
• Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities. (2010). Partners in Making Your Case Self Study Course.
• National Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Association. National CASA Resource Library.
• National Parent Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) Network. Resources for Parent Centers.

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

Learning Objectives

• 4.6.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 Consortium on Leadership & Disability for Youth (NCLD/Youth). (2008). Plotting the Course for Success: An Individualized Mentoring Plan for Youth with Disabilities. Written by R. Hare.
• NCWD/Youth. (2006). Paving the Way to Work: A Guide to Career-Focused Mentoring. Written by J. Timmons, M. Mack, A. Sims, R. Hare, & J. Wills.

Other Resources

• The Community Toolbox. Chapter 22: Youth Mentoring Programs.
• Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI). (2001). Stories of Success: Using Networking and Mentoring Relationships in Career Planning for Students with Disabilities and Their Families. Written by J.C. Timmons, J. Schuster & M. Moloney.
• National Mentoring Partnership. Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring.
• Partners for Youth with Disabilities (PYD). (2005). Best Practices Guide in Mentoring Youth with Disabilities.
• PYD. Mentoring 101: An Introductory Workshop for New Mentors.
• School & Main Institute for the Texas Workforce Commission Youth Program Initiative. (2003). Training Packets and Tools for Action on Windows on the Workplace: Mentoring, Youth, and WIA.

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