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YouthNet promotes youth development programs that occur in the afterschool hours. What is a youth development program?
A youth development program is one that is based upon a youth development philosophy. Youth development is an approach - a way of understanding and thinking about youth that serves to guide action. This approach seeks to promote the overall development of young people by emphasizing and building upon their assets. It is NOT any program that targets youth.
A youth development approach believes that preventing problem behaviors in our young people is not enough. A young person who attends school, obeys laws, avoids drugs and postpones parenthood is not necessarily equipped to meet the difficult demands of adulthood. Hence the youth development adage that problem free is not fully prepared. YouthNet believes that all youth development programs are effective prevention programs but not all prevention programs are developmental.
As YouthNet works to realize its vision of building an effective and sustainable network of youth development programs in Kansas City, several key concepts come up again and again.
Youth Development Glossary of Commonly Used Terms:
Conceptual Definition of Youth Development: an ongoing process by which all young people seek to meet their basic needs (physical/social) and to build competencies (knowledge/skills).
Practical Definition of Youth Development: an approach to working with young people that defines goals (outcomes) based on capacities, strengths and developmental needs of youth.
Youth Outcomes: the knowledge areas, skills, attributes and behaviors young people need to be healthy, caring and responsible youth. They include prevention outcomes, achievement outcomes and developmental outcomes.
- Prevention outcomes: young people are deemed healthy and competent when they do not engage in problem behavior, such as drug and alcohol use, delinquency and early sexual activity.
- Achievement outcomes: young people are deemed competent and healthy when they achieve endpoints of a successful transition to young adulthood, such as graduation from high school, stable employment and/or attendance in post-secondary education.
- Developmental outcomes: young people are deemed competent when they develop a positive sense of self and a sense of connection and commitment to others and develop abilities and motivation to succeed in school and participate fully in family and community life.
Program Services: providing resources, knowledge or goods to young people. Services are done to or for the young person.
Opportunities: the chances young people have to learn how to act in the world around them, to test out ideas and behaviors and to experiment with different roles. Opportunities are done by the young person.
Supports: the relationships (with people, information and systems) that allow a young person to take full advantage of existing services and opportunities. Supports are done with the young person.
Youth Participation: Young people having the power to make and implement decisions and changes, with a shared responsibility for their own outcomes. Youth participation is defined as things done by youth. Its essential elements are
- Youth directing their own activity
- Youth taking responsibility
- Youth making change
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