White Bedroom
www.whitebedroom.com
is a basic but star-studded site devoted to educating youth about HIV/AIDS and safe sex. Acknowledging that abstinence is the safest option (and one that more teens choose than may be believed), the site offers frank discussion of safe sexual behavior and links young viewers to relevant websites. The site is bolstered by the endorsement of singers Elton John, Mary J. Blige and Shirley Manson, and is sponsored by the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the MAC (Cosmetics) AIDS Fund.
America’s Online SafetyNet Directory
www.isafetynet.org
provides a large database to help people locate and access public and private benefits and services. Parents can find information about services such as child care assistance, federal benefits and insurance. They will also find updates on health and safety concerns and links to ethnic websites. The site is run by the Portsmouth Group, a software company that develops and sells technology to help organizations assist those in need of finding services.
The Beehive
www.thebeehive.org
offers information and resources for parents about money, jobs, health and school, while providing youth with homework help and information about college and GED options. Visitors can view the page in English, Spanish, Russian, Cajun Creole and Urdu. The Beehive is run by the One Economy Corp., a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that develops online content relevant to low-income people.
Tribal Youth Program
http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/typ/
was recently launched by the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to provide up-to-date information on the Tribal Youth Program, an initiative to improve law enforcement and juvenile justice on American Indian reservations. The site provides an overview of the program, as well as information about grants, funding and grantees. It also has links to upcoming events, publications and training.
GiveKidsGoodSchools.com
www.givekidsgoodschools.com
offers suggestions to youth advocates and parents to help alleviate education problems such as teacher shortages and student underperformance. The site provides a form letter to send to lawmakers asking them to make education a priority in state budgets, questions for parents to ask local education officials and tips for local activists to make themselves heard on education issues. The site is funded by the Public Education Network, a D.C.-based group that advocates for better public education.
Youth Include
www.youthinclude.org
is a European take on engaging youth who are not employed or enrolled in school and including them in the societal framework. The site connects youth, youth workers and advocates to news and forums aimed at fostering dialogue to reach at-risk youth. This easy-to-navigate site links visitors to publications on social exclusion of youth, lists of potential program funders and a database of best practices. The site was developed by the European Commission, the governing body of the European Union.
San Diego Workforce Partnership
www.workforce.org
is a local youth worker resource worth emulating elsewhere. The site connects people seeking jobs in youth work with employers in the San Diego area, providing space to post résumés and job openings. The site’s Youth Connect Network provides information about internships and youth programs. San Diego Workforce Partnership is a nonprofit organization that connects people with jobs and training.
