New Year, New Look at Positive Youth Development

Inside Part I: PYD: NCFY Asks the Experts PYD Today Let Young People Take Charge and They Grow Up To Be Leaders NCFY Podcast: The Power of Service Experts' Favorite PYD Resources Part II: Creating a Youth Master Plan When Cities Make a Plan for Young People, Youth Workers are Part of the Process Master Planning for Youth in Rural Communities Support Systems for Rural Homeless Youth: A Collaborative State and Local Demonstration Keeping Kids Incorporated

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PYD Today

Those who work with youth already know. Young people have a lot of energy. When adults—like community members and policymakers—can harness that positive energy, good things happen. Kids graduate. They avoid risky behaviors. Families grow stronger. Communities flourish. That's called Positive Youth Development, or PYD.

"The Family and Youth Services Bureau has been encouraging families and communities to embrace Positive Youth Development for more than 30 years," says Curtis Porter, acting associate commissioner of the Bureau. "A new year is a great opportunity to take stock of how far we have come and refocus ourselves for the future."

In this first installment of a two-part series on "Positive Youth Development Today," we asked longstanding experts in the field—advocates, practitioners, researchers, and educators—to reflect on the current state of PYD policy and practice and to provide insight on how we can continue to move forward. Here's what they told us.

Marguerite W. Kondracke, President and CEO, America's Promise Alliance
Steven A. Culbertson, President and CEO, Youth Service America
Wendy Wheeler, President and CEO, Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development
Joyce A. Walker, Professor and Assistant Center Director, Youth Work Institute, University of Minnesota

Marguerite W. Kondracke >>