Recreational and educational programs provide alternatives to dangerous activities like substance use and violence as well as opportunities to enhance skills children need to avoid these behaviors, build healthy relationships, and perform well in school. Partnerships can enhance enrichment initiatives in many ways:

Link community service experiences to classroom instruction. Service learning is an increasingly popular teaching strategy that promotes student development through active participation in and careful reflection on community service (e.g., tutoring younger students or volunteering in nursing homes). Educators are drawn to service learning because research indicates that it produces important educational results for students, schools, and communities. Evaluations of service learning programs have revealed numerous positive effects on the participants, the teachers, and the overall school climate.

Build rewarding adult-student relationships through mentoring. While parents and other primary caregivers represent the single most important influence on youth development, it is important to acknowledge that other positive adult-student relationships can also have a highly beneficial impact. Mentoring programs offer young people a sustained connection to and structured time with a caring adult who can provide extra attention and guidance.

Such programs are associated with reduced high-risk behaviors, including substance use and violence, and improved school bonding and performance among youth. The transition from elementary to middle school can be a particularly challenging time for young people. Especially for those already at risk, the presence of an adult mentor can reinforce the value of healthy behaviors, the importance of school, and the skills that students need to make good decisions.

Partner with local business to provide career guidance and support. Local businesses have a stake in the education of community youth: Healthy and successful young people are more likely to patronize businesses, and today's students are tomorrow's employees. Businesses can partner with schools to support student development by sponsoring career days and providing internships and school-to-work programs. These opportunities connect young people with caring and invested adults and create safe and productive alternatives to high-risk behaviors. Furthermore, they can provide direction, generate enthusiasm, and build skills among young people that can lead them down a healthy and rewarding path.

Service learning, mentoring, and school-to-work initiatives are all prime opportunities for developing strong and potentially enduring school-community partnerships. Whether as part of an actual research-based program (many of which incorporate these elements) or as a strategy to supplement your district's research-based program(s), these school-community partnerships can enhance any comprehensive prevention plan.