Youth Today

developmental relationships: Carpenter Training Male Apprentice To Use Mechanized Saw

Biden Must Integrate Developmental Relationships Into Training Plans For Young People

Making relationships a focus of federal policy is long overdue given that decades of research have shown that relationships are the critical...

service learning: Happy young volunteers in gloves collecting, sorting food for needy people

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Service Learning Makes Online Learning Meaningful and Engaging

During distance learning youth can feel disconnected from their educators, their peers and the content of what they are learning. Service learning...

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We Need To Teach Consent Skills To Youth Early

Normative relationships are based on the assumption that individuals are capable of making decisions for themselves. When that individual is a minor...

foster youth: High-angle view of elegant middle-aged woman in beige suit sitting in armchair and smiling encouragingly.

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I’m a Former Foster Youth; How a Few Words From My Attorney Changed My Life

My name is Cristal and I am a former foster youth from Bakersfield, California. I spent about 11 years in the Kern...

police: Closeup portrait of beautiful young woman wearing hockey gear and looking at camera while posing in locker room

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Positive Community Programs By Police Lead To Positive Relationships

SEVENTYFOUR/SHUTTERSTOCK Growing up in San Jose, California, I had some amazing experiences with law enforcement that I can say likely made a...

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OST Funders, Here’s How To Step Up: Invest In Organizations’ Capacity

DOTSHOCK/SHUTTERSTOCK (Part 2 of 2) In 2019, I wrote a chapter called “Rooted in Scarcity and Deficit: Time to Reconsider the Funding Process”...

relationships: Hands holding envelope with stamps surrounded by papers, postcards, pen on yellow background. Top view.

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OST Providers, Pandemic Time Means Time To Build Relationships

As the world around us continues to feel like it’s spinning off its axis, one of the best things we can do...

youth voice and leadership: Double exposure portrait of a dreamy young woman silhouetted in sky at sunrise.

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Lean Into Youth Voice And Leadership To Help Our Youth Endure This Time

While schools begin the arduous task of tackling a new combination of academic summer and COVID learning slide, OST programs have an...

ost: Woman’s hand changes word on blocks from chance to change. illustration in pop art retro comic style

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8 Ways to Evolve Your OST Programs Online

This summer was filled with disappointments as each camp I had enrolled my daughter in — both day camp and overnight camp...

mental health: Woman standing next to seated man with her arm around him; book with their photo in front of them.

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A McDonald’s Cashier Showed Me Power Of Caring When I Was Brutally Attacked

What is your normal? As a 9-year-old, emptiness and depression became my normal moving forward. We escaped Children’s Protective Services to squat...

service club: Smiling girl wearing headphones waves and smiles at monitor

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How I Helped My High School Service Club Find A Way To Keep Helping

The Helping Hawks Club members have invested their time since 2011 feeding the homeless (a major draw to the club), spending lunchtime...

gun violence: Emergency Department: Doctors, Nurses and Paramedics Push Gurney down brightly lit hospital hall.

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More Than a Public Health Crisis, Gun Violence Is an Emergency

There have been calls to declare gun violence a public health crisis. I would agree with this statement, which largely speaks to...

partnership: Older and younger people working together around a table

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Here’s How to Make Youth-adult Partnership Work

How different would today look if people most affected by decisions held equal power in making those decisions? The vision arising from...

community: Woman Calling Distant Friends On Laptop Outdoors.

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Virtual Communities More Crucial Than Ever For The Disabled

PROSTOCK-STUDIO/SHUTTERSTOCK As I continue to make connections with young people who live with disabilities, I am finding that many of them rely...

afterschool: Little girl with closed eyes rests chin on arms on table.

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Teaching After-school Online? How To Effectively Support SEL

MIA STUDIO/SHUTTERSTOCK Quarantine has a very isolating effect on the world. There is a lack of social interaction, many days in pajamas...

suicide: Teenager with a picture of a gun superimposed on his head

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How To Address The Growing Crisis Of Youth Firearm Suicide

SUZANNE TUCKER/SHUTTERSTOCK Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people in the United States. More children and teens die...

Biden-Harris: Character Illustration of Joe Biden facing Kamala Harris: black silhouettes on background of flag, White House

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What a Biden-Harris Administration Means For Gun Violence Epidemic

Although public health experts have rightly been focused on the COVID-19 pandemic this year, America has been in the grips of another...

equity: plumber at work in a bathroom; only arms visible.

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Prepare Instead Of Repair For Equity, Inclusion In OST

Equity and inclusion cannot be buzzwords that are conveniently used reactively to convey a message, apply for funding, be included for some...

anti-oppression: Chameleon close up facing forward.

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How To Chart An Anti-oppression Path For Your Youth Organization

As difficult as it may seem, there is a more equitable, anti-oppression path forward for youth-centered organizations. An anti-oppression organizational orientation recognizes,...