Incorporating
Youth Development Principles
into State Adolescent Health Programs
The National Initiative to Improve Adolescent Health by 2010, and its
Guide for States and Communities1.identify youth development as a means
to achieve greater health and well being among adolescents. As the
Adolescent Health Coordinator, its helpful to be knowledgeable about youth
development concepts, but it more importantly know how to apply those concepts in the
context of public health functions and program responsibilities. While the emphasis of
this paper is on incorporating youth development into state adolescent health programs,
the three stage continuum applies to other state-funded programs addressing adolescent
issues (e.g. teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, tobacco, substance abuse, suicide, violence, obesity)
Becky Judd, MAT
Alaska Department of Health and Social Services
Forum for Youth Investment, Fellow2
April 2005
1. Improving the Health of Adolescents and Young Adults: A Guide for States and Communities (2004)
www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/NationalInitiative/order/index.htm
2 This paper was written while serving as a senior fellow at the Forum for Youth Investment.
Attributions……….
Incorporating Youth Development Principles
into State Adolescent Health Programs
The public health approach to adolescence focuses on three broad functions: assessment, policy development and
assurance.3 Youth development is an approach, which can be integrated into these core functions. For this paper,
the essential public health services for adolescents are organized into five areas, following a similar construct as
the System Capacity for Adolescent Health, Public Health Improvement Tool. The functional area of policy and
advocacy was removed as both are woven throughout the other areas. The functional areas are as follows:
 Vision and Commitment to Adolescents and Youth Development
 Partnerships for health and development
 Programs and Services (including assessment, planning and evaluation)
 Public Information, Professional Education and Technical Assistance
 Data Collection and Surveillance
Examples are offered to demonstrate how the youth development approach can be incorporated into each core
functional area, followed by a resource section and specific state samples with online links. Each functional area
is divided into three stages, or spheres of influence:
1) Actions taken by the Adolescent Health Coordinator and its program;
2) Actions adopted by the larger public health system and its stakeholders;
3) Actions taken through interagency agreements.
Some functional areas have been combined, or are more appropriately take place at the program level (ie
technical assistance) or the interagency level (surveillance and population-based data collection.)
Throughout the document multiple references are made to youth development themes or approaches. A brief
overview of the basic principles of youth development is offered.
3
The core functions were first introduced in the landmark Institute of Medicine report, The Future of Public Health (National Academy Press,
Washington, DC, 1988.) NOTE: These core public health functions have been applied to adolescent health through the following framework known as
the Ten Essential Public Health Services to Promote Adolescent Health.
1. Monitoring and assessing adolescent health status to identify and address adolescent needs, as well as opportunities for health promotion.
2. Diagnosing and investigating health problems and hazards, as well as related individual, family and community risk and resiliency factors,
affecting adolescents.
3. Informing and educating families, youth and the general public about adolescent health and development issues.
4. Mobilizing community partnerships among policy makers, health care providers, youth, families, the general public and others to identify and
address adolescent health issues.
5. Providing leadership for priority-setting, planning, and policy development to support community efforts that promote and maximize the health
of adolescents.
6. Promoting and enforcing legal requirements that promote and protect the health and safety of youth and ensure public accountability for their
well-being.
7. Linking youth and their families to health and other community services, and assuring access to comprehensive, quality systems of preventive,
primary and specialty care.
8. Assuring the capacity and competency of the public health and personal health workforce to effectively address adolescent health,
developmental needs, and the needs of individuals with disabilities.
9. Evaluating the accessibility, quality and effectiveness of personal and population-based adolescent health services for youth with the full range
of typical and special needs.
10. Supporting research, demonstrations and related evaluations that develop new insights and approaches to promoting and addressing adolescent
health and development.
This framework adapted by K. Teipel, Konopka Center for Best Practices in Adolescent Health from several other public health core function
frameworks and published in the Conceptual Framework and Policy Agenda for Adolescent Health, Association of Maternal and Child Health
Programs, State Adolescent Health Coordinators Network 2002. The Youth Development approach also fits into the identified Ten Essentials.
Principles of Youth Development
Youth Development is an approach that focuses on young people’s capacities, strengths and developmental needs
- not solely on their problems, (risks, or health compromising behaviors). The approach calls for a shift from
crisis management and problem reduction to strategies that increase youth connections to positive, supportive
relationships and challenging, meaningful experiences. The approach recognizes the need for a balance between
services to prevent, intervene or treat health problems to efforts to promote development through preparation,
participation and leadership experiences. There are four basic principles:
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Growth occurs across developmental outcomes
Youth need access to range of services, supports and opportunities
Maximum development occurs when youth are fully engaged
Development occurs across multiple settings
Youth Development Principles
Positive Developmental Outcomes
Growth occurs across developmental domains
∙ Intellectual
∙ Vocational
∙ Physical
∙ Civic Engagement
∙ Social/Emotional (inclusive of spiritual/moral development)
Research Base
National Research Council (NRC)4
identified multiple developmental
domains
Multiple factors influence adolescent development and well-being
∙ Protective factors & personal resilience
∙ Environmental and personal risk factors
Services, Supports and Opportunities
 Services: basic services include education, health care, transportation, treatment
and prevention of threats to health.
 Supports: ongoing positive relationships youth have with adults and peers;
motivational and emotional supports help increase opportunities and
connection to positive groups and organizations.
 Opportunities: youth engagement and skill building (see below)
Youth Engagement for maximum development
 Adult perceptions of youth are positive v.s. negative. Youth are seen as resources
to develop not problems to be fixed.
Add Health Longitudinal Study5
The National Research Council) (NRC)
identified Key Features of Positive
Developmental Setting5:
 Physically and psychologically safe
 Appropriate structures
(organizational)
 Positive Social Norms
 Opportunities to Belong
(supports and connections)
 Youth engagement teaches life skills, provides opportunities to practice those
 Opportunities for Skill Building
skills and offers a variety of leadership experiences.
 Young people need a variety of opportunities and roles to meaningfully
participate in, and contribute to -- their world, through relationships with adults.
Community Context
 Development take place across multiple contexts:
Family, School, Community (organizations & individuals),
Culturally-specific contexts .
 Collaborations between sectors provide greatest success.
 Support for Efficacy & Mattering
(contribution)
 Integrating family, school, and
community efforts (after-school
programs, including media, faithbased, and work-force and
government supported efforts
“Problem free is not fully prepared, and fully prepared is not fully engaged” 6
.
While young people’s health problems must be addressed and prevented, they also must also be prepared for the responsibilities of
adulthood. For young people need to be fully prepared, they need to be fully engaged – with opportunities to practice the skills needed
for full citizenship.
4 National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. (2001). Community Programs to Promote Youth Development. J. Eccles and J. Gootman, eds. Board on Children, Youth, and Families, Division of Behavioral and Social
Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. www.nap.edu/catalog/10022.html.
5 Protecting adolescents from harm: Findings from the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health M. Resnick et al. Journal of the American Medical Association, September 10, 1997
6 Karen Pittman, Forum for Youth Investment.?? citation
Commitment & Vision
Frameworks Used, Mission, Strategic Plans, Resources, Staffing, Legislation
Stage 1: Incorporated by Adolescent Health Program staff and MCH
 Basic principles of youth development have general agreement by the Adolescent Health Coordinator (AHC) and key
staff within Maternal Child Health (MCH).
 Basic principles of youth development are understood and used in Adolescent Heath (AH) advocacy, services and
programming.
 A holistic (interdisciplinary) mission statement for adolescent health includes youth development (YD) and is agreed
upon by Adolescent Health Program (AHP) and key MCH staff.
 AHP planning documents and reports reflect youth development principles.
 AHP national and federal funding proposals reflect youth development principles.
 AHP state grants, contracts, Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Requests for Assistance (RFAs), Memorandums of
Agreement (MOAs) reflect youth development principles.
 Adequate funding is available for staff to attend youth development training and maintain YD resources.
Stage 2: Incorporated by Public Health and some partners
 AHC is a strong youth development advocate in state agency and public settings.
 The holistic adolescent health mission (incorporating YD principles) is understood by public health department staff
(AHC – MCH director – Public Health director).
 AH mission and YD principles incorporated into strategic plans, the Title V block grant, public health populationbased indicators, (state’s 2010 Health Plan), logic models, program performance measures.
 Public Health policies, practices, strategies as they related to adolescents and their families are in alignment with the
YD principles.
Stage 3: Incorporated across state agencies & external partnerships
 A holistic child/adolescent health mission incorporating the philosophy of youth development is shared across the
state across departments. This mission is shared across among key health stakeholders and advocacy groups.
 Child/AH mission with YD focus is imbedded in strategic plans, endorsed by the Governor, interdisciplinary
coordinating body (e.g. Children’s Cabinet). Youth programs and services across state agencies are aligned with this
mission. (See programs & services section)
 YD principles incorporated into youth policy plans, state block grants; state performance measures; and populationbased indicators, logic models and survey instruments include positive measures.
 RFPs /RFAs grants and contracts across state agencies include youth development principles, program performance
measures and include positive measures.
 Across state agencies, standard adolescent health and youth development language and definitions are shared.
Youth Development Commitment & Vision
Resources
Population-based Outcomes and Indicators
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Friedman, M. (2003). “Results and Performance Accountability, Decision-making and Budgeting.”
www.resultsaccountability.com/powerpoint_-_rba_101.htm.
Also see Data Collection and Surveillance section
Policy
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Policy Matters: Setting and Measuring Benchmarks for State Policies. Engaging youth in Positive and Productive
Roles. Center for the Study of Social Policy. 2003. http://www.cssp.org/uploadFiles/engaging_youth.pdf
The Youth Policy Action Center was created as a collaborative effort by leading national advocacy and youth
organizations to offer everyone an opportunity to make their voice heard. www.youthpolicyactioncenter.org/
Forum for Youth Investment Resources:
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State Youth Policy: Helping All Youth to Grow Up Fully Prepared and Fully Engaged Forum for Youth
Investment. http://www.forumfyi.org/Files/StateYouthPolicy.pdf
Forum Focus, 1(3) A Portfolio Approach to Youth Policy
http://www.forumfyi.org/Files//ForumFOCUS_Nov2003.pdf
Forum Focus, 2(5) What Gets Measured, Gets Done.
http://www.forumfyi.org/Files//ForumFOCUS_Nov04.pdf
Youth Development Frameworks & Websites
 National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. (2001). Community Programs to Promote Youth
Development. J.Eccles and J. Gootman, eds. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
www.bocyf.org/Recent_Publications.html
 Protecting adolescents from harm: Findings from the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health M.
Resnick et al. Journal of the American Medical Association, September 10, 1997
www.allaboutkids.umn.edu/cfahad/Reducing_the_risk.pdf
 Toward a Blueprint for Youth: Making Positive Youth Development A National Priority. Administration for
Children and Families, Family and Youth Services Bureau http://www.ncfy.com/resource-yd.htm
 Academy for Educational Development, Center for Youth Development
http://www.aed.org/Youth/US/development.cfm
 Forum for Youth Investment. www.forumfyi.org
 National Youth Development Information Center - http://www.nydic.org/nydic/
 Youth Development Strategies Inc. www.ydsi.org
See General Resources for additional information
State Examples
 Adolescent Health Plans with youth development integrated: AK, MN, HI?
 Strategic Plans: VT, PR (on-line?)
 A Shared Vision for Massachusetts Youth and Young Adults (2003) http://www.mass.gov/dph/fch/adhealth03/intro.doc
Or use in data section Louisana?
 HP 2010 MCH Block Grant; AK
 Logic Model: Rhode Island
 Policy Maker check list: CA
Partnerships
State agencies, Outside partners/stakeholder groups, Youth involvement
Stage 1: Incorporated by Adolescent Health Program staff and MCH
 Positive working relationships and regular communication between AH funded programs, its grantees and stakeholders.
 Positive working relationships and regular communication across state agencies related to youth health and safety issues.
 AHP staff, other state agencies, and stakeholders (parents and community members) work together informally to identify new
initiatives, to improve the health, safety and well-being of adolescents within a youth development framework.
 Informal interdisciplinary adolescent health working group established. Reasonable number of stakeholders (some cross-agency
with diversity and youth) participating. Informal decision-making processes utilized.
 Partnerships formed with state and local agencies to promote positive youth development.
Youth Involvement(see stages 2 & 3 for more meaningful inclusion)
 Youth voice and input is sought documented within AH program (youth forums, focus groups, youth surveys). Effective youth
recruitment strategies are developed and used with AH program.
 Youth participate in the informal adolescent health advisory council activities.
 Youth voice solicited when planning youth programs and services, creating educational materials or training, developing
assessment, survey or evaluation instruments.
 Recognition of youth contributions to community.
Stage 2: Incorporated by Public Health and some partners.
Adolescent Health Council
 Interdisciplinary collaborative Adolescent Health Council formalized (includes state agencies, community partners, youth, parents
and cultural diversity). Full time coordinator hired, with ongoing follow-up communication responsibilities
 Work groups, decision making process and governance structure established. Mission and frameworks agreed upon; specific
outcomes and goals of the group are understood.
 Initiatives considered after input from youth, families and community stakeholders.
Youth Involvement
 Youth participate on state AH Council (three or more youth represented, reflecting diversity of the state). Several opportunities
exist for youth to involved in state advisory functions. Youth involvement is “regularized” with consistent participation.
 Youth participate in funding decisions for community based programs (review and score RFPs, RFAs etc.)
 Community-based funding tied to: 1) youth involvement in the creation of the proposals; 2) youth are engaged in the planning,
implementation and evaluation of strategies
 Youth interns hired within state agencies.
 Specific funding available for youth organizing, advocacy, service, leadership (see programs and services section). Strategies
ensure that higher-risk youth are among those participating.
Stage 3: Incorporated across state agencies & external partnerships
 Strong, strategic, interdisciplinary collaborative Child/Adolescent Council institutionalized as independent organization and/or
established in legislation (e.g. Children’s Cabinet)
 Long-term funding/sustainability plan in place for Child/Adolescent Council. Group structure solidified, new members oriented,
mentored; framework, vision and mission agreed upon; results/ outcomes and indicators for ALL children are developed;
assessments underway; youth input ongoing) Issues are identified that have the greatest priority, public support and momentum;
partners identified and ready; funding- if needed- is assured.
Youth Involvement
 Youth inclusion on other state commissions (e.g. Board of Education), interdisciplinary coordinating bodies (e.g. Children’s
Cabinet) and support for youth involved in local governance and boards of directors.
 Interdisciplinary youth–only councils, caucus or alliances formed to provide deeper insights, diversity and recommendations.
Youth members research issues of importance to them, gather feedback from other youth, meet with and provide
recommendations to state agency directors, secretaries, governor and legislators.
 “Steppingstones” are offered for youth to participate with increasing responsibility
 More recognition of youth contributions to community and policy.
Partnership Resources
Youth Engagement in state–based public policy
 Involving Youth in Public Policy. Serena Clayton et.al. California Adolescent Health Collaborative. 2001
http://www.californiateenhealth.org/download/youth_in_policy.pdf
 The Youth Council Institute. Established in July 2001 by the California Workforce Investment Board to
assist California's 50 Youth Councils in creating comprehensive, local youth-serving systems. Useful tools
guides, and self assessments. http://www.nww.org/yci/tools/
 Influencing Public Policy In Your State, A Guide for Youth in Care. Mike Brennan et.al. Maine Youth
Advisory Team 2001. http://www.ylat.org/publications/policy.pdf
 Youth infusion??? Need to know how effective they are ,track record, how long they will be around before citing
Youth engagement at the local level
 Youth Partners/Inclusion in, Creating Strategic Action. 2004 New State Adolescent Health Coordinator
Orientation. Konopka Institute, State Adolescent Health Resource Center
 At the Table seeks to advance youth engagement, leadership and governance on a national level. At the Table
is part of the Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development http://www.theinnovationcenter.org/
which provides training and extensive resources on youth engagement. www.atthetable.org
 Act for Youth is the Upstate Center for Excellence -- resource center primarily for communities in New York
State. Their website combines Developmental Assets, Communities that Care and youth development models.
PrACTice Matters - Strengthening Youth Involvement is a four page newsletter on youth engagement
Profiles of Youth Engagement and Voice in NY, Current Strategies - examples of how youth are engaged.
See other relevant papers: 1) Promising practices and impacts of youth engagement;
2) Essential experiences and promising practices 3) Creating the conditions for youth-adult partnerships.
http://www.actforyouth.net/
See General Resources for additional information
State Examples (must have website links for inclusion)
Adolescent Health Councils – (Youth membership, primarily)
 Colorado Youth in Public Healath
 New Mexico: Governors Youth Alliance
 Nevada: Youth Advisory Council
Youth agencies collaborating under one Division: CO
Cross coordinating Councils/ Childrens Cabinets etc
 Iowa Collaboration for youth
 NY Partners for …
 Rhode Island Childrens Cabinet
 Maine, VT, Missouri
Programs & Services
Planning & Evaluation
Within state funded programs & services:

Education and basic services (food, shelter, safety, health care and social services) are available as needed.

Youth have emotional and motivational supports and guidance; emphasis on relationship and developing “connection”

Youth have opportunities to explore and contribute (see Partnerships, youth)
Stage 1: Incorporated by Adolescent Health Program staff and MCH
Adolescent Health programs and services:
Address interdisciplinary issues (i.e. teen pregnancy, substance use, violence) and environments (family, school, afterschool programs, community settings)
 Enhance protective factors (including Developmental Assets and resiliency) and reduce risk factors 2.
 Promote youth development concepts (strategies that increase relationship supports and youth opportunities.)
 Use assessments and evaluation instruments that include strengths-based measures (clinical tools and community
needs assessments)
 Held accountable to performance measures that include strengths-based measures (program outcomes)
 Evaluation tools address “program climate”, youth “connectedness”, and youth opportunities for contribution and skills
development
Adolescent Health Funding:
 Based on health and youth development research, best practices and guiding principles (NAS1.)
 Provided across the service delivery continuum (treatment - early intervention - prevention-health promotion/
life preparation – youth participation/leadership)

Stage 2: Incorporated by Public Health and some partners
Broad-based agreement in Public Health on youth development principles and the means for integrating them into
grants and contracts for community-based programs and services. (see Stage one)
 Some state agency coordination on adolescent programs/services with a health/youth development focus, some
planning, review of each agency’s RFPs/RFAs proposals.
 Some pooling of interdisciplinary funding, for child and adolescent programs and services
 Principles of effective practice for child/adolescent programs and services are identified within some disciplines
 Common performance measures (program outcomes) are identified for youth programs and services based on
principles of effective practice across all developmental areas (see NAS list of Positive Developmental Features1.)

Stage 3: Incorporated across state agencies & external partnerships
Broad-based agreement across state agencies on adolescent health and youth development principles and the means for
integrating them into grants and contracts for community based programs and services. (See examples in stage one)
 State agencies collaborate on child/adolescent programs/services with a health/youth development focus, this includes
funding collaboratives, joint planning, cross-disciplinary training, pursue joint funding or research
 Principles of effective practice for child/adolescent interdisciplinary programs and services are promoted and
implemented through state funding. Eg. standard application for prevention grants, uniform grant/contract guidance with

common requirements (performance program measures, evaluation requirements, coordination/collaboration requirements);
standard programmatic (and financial ) reporting requirements, inclusive of positive measures.
 Youth voice and recommendations are incorporated into program planning (See Partners:
 Inventory of state programs and services, budget analysis and program effectiveness surveys
youth involvement section)
Conduct an interdisciplinary inventory of state funded programs and services for children and adolescents
1. Service utilization and access analysis– (e.g. number served by services, wait lists, and identification of barriers and
enhancers to access,
2. State programs and services program effectiveness (see programs and services section) State performance measures are
inter-disciplinary and include positive measures of development and well being. See
3. Analysis on how much is being spent by age, sector, and range of strategies from traditional treatment, early intervention
and prevention services to development-based programs (ie promotion, preparation, participation leadership.
Based on the inventory analysis, gaps in programs, services and opportunities in the five developmental domains are
identified and addressed. Programs and services that overlap are identified and work together to avoid duplication of
services to the same group – services adapted accordingly.
Programs & Services
Resources
Best Practices, Best Bets, Guiding Principles
 National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. (2001). Community Programs to Promote Youth Development. J.
Eccles and J. Gootman, eds. Board on Children, Youth, and Families, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and
Education. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Available online at
http://www.bocyf.org/Recent_Publications.html
 “What Works” Child Trends www.childtrends.org/_catdisp_page.cfm?LID=91F45245-56E6-47829807023A43EEB254
 Improving the Health of Adolescents and Young Adults: A Guide for States and Communities National Adolescent
Health Information Center University of California, San Francisco (2004) also see Best Practices
http://nahic.ucsf.edu/
Program Evaluation Information
 The Handbook of Positive Youth Outcomes and Core Competencies of Youth Workers. Youth Development Institute,
Fund for the City of New York, http://www.fcny.org/portal.php/syd/ydi/pubs/

Out-of-School-Time Program Evaluation database and issue briefs on evaluation -- Harvard Family Research Project -They have created several user-friendly resources designed to help people develop evaluations of youth programs.
Documenting Progress and Measuring Results www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/afterschool/resources/index.html;
www.gse.harvard.edu/~hfrp/projects/afterschool/evaldatabase.html
www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/content/projects/afterschool/resources/issuebrief3.pdf
Program Quality Assessment Tools (self assessments & validated tools to assess program quality)
 Youth Program Quality Assessment (YPQA) -- High/Scope www.highscope.org/EducationalPrograms/Adolescent/YPQA.htm
 Youth and Adult Leaders for Program Excellence: Practical Guide for Program Assessment and Action Planning
(YALPE) -- CYC & Act for Youth -- www.actforyouth.net/?yalpe
 Youth development program, self assessment -- Building Partnerships for Youth 4-H, University of Arizona
http://msg.calsnet.arizona.edu/fcs/ confirm its up.
Program Assessments of Youth Participants
 YDSI Youth Survey -- Youth Development Strategies, Inc. -- www.ydsi.org/ydsi/measuring/index.html
 R.E.A.D.Y. tool -- University of Rochester, e-mail: jonathan_klein@urmc.rochester.edu
 Four-Fold Survey Instruments -- Purdue University, Indiana 4-H Youth www.four-h.purdue.edu/fourfold
 Assessing Outcomes in Youth Programs: A Practical Handbook. R. Sabatelli & S. Anderson University of Connecticut,
School of Family Studies Center for Applied Research 2001
http://www.opm.state.ct.us/pdpd1/grants/JJAC/handbook.pdf
Clinical and Treatment Assessments
Youth development questions incorporated into health care intake forms, mental health and
treatment assessments, see resource section
See General Resources for additional information
State Examples:
Program Resources
 Colorado’s Best Practices in Health www.cdphe.state.co.us/ps/bestpractices/bestpracticeshom.asp
 Vermont What Works series
 Tenn: SBHC evaluation using strength based questions?
Incorporating youth development into grants & contracts
 New York RFAs & performance measures,
 Vermont contracts

Alaska, CA
Public & Professional Education
Technical Assistance
Stage 1: Incorporated by Adolescent Health Program staff and MCH
 Adolescent health (AH) staff participate in interdisciplinary training.
 AH program or contractors sponsor or provide educational events to public and grantees based on youth development YD
themes. (e.g. conferences, sessions, workshops, in-services, health fairs, forums).
 AH program or contractors sponsor or provide youth development training to department staff either formally or informally.
 AH educational materials and public information is conveyed from a positive “strengths-based” perspective (e.g. newsletters,
websites, e-news, list-servs, blogs, online courses, pamphlets, posters, media interviews, publications, and reports.)
 AH messages are crafted by youth or have significant youth involvement.
 AH supports youth created media (radio, newspaper, TV, etc)
 AH supports and funds peer education and cross age teaching programs.
Public Education and Media
 Relationships with the media are cultivated to provide balanced coverage of youth.
 Media and public information efforts contain specific youth development themes (eg. emphasis on value of supportive
relationships, need for more opportunities for meaningful youth engagement)
 Public education and media strategies portray a balanced view about youth,(focus on their needs and contributions to
communities versus their problems, failures and tragedies
 Public education and media coverage of health problems include the conditions that contribute to and compromise health
Technical Assistance
 Technical assistance to contractors and grantees to promote and integrate concepts of youth development and adolescent health.
 AH program funds technical assistance centers or intermediaries to promote and integrate concepts of youth development with
adolescent health.
Stage 2/3: Incorporated by Public Health and some partners.
Public Health education and media strategies are similar to those in stage one.

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AH staff invites other state agencies to attend AH training opportunities, which include youth development themes.
AH staff participate in interdisciplinary training sponsored by other state agencies.
AH program collaborates with other state agencies to sponsor interdisciplinary (with youth development themes) educational
events for the public, its grantees and department staff.
Public health department or contractors sponsor or provide youth development educational events to public and grantees.
State agencies co-sponsor adolescent health/youth development training.
Technical assistance to contractors and grantees includes concepts of youth development.
AHC helps facilitate youth development learning sessions, monitoring tools include YD themes.
Youth development materials adapted for clinical and treatment settings, training provided for treatment, professionals,
counselors, and probation officers.
Stage 3: Incorporated across state agencies & external partnerships
Strategies in stage three are similar to those in stages one and two. The primary difference being public education,
information, media strategies and technical assistance is provided through collaborative interagency agreements.
Education, Media & Technical Assistance
Resources
Youth Development Training, available nationally
 High/Scope; Youth Development Training
www.highscope.org/EducationalPrograms/Adolescent/Training&Certification.htm
 National Training Institute/AED; Advancing Youth Development http://nti.aed.org/Curriculum.html
 Search Institute, www.search-institute.org
 See Partners: Youth Engagement Resource Section. Many organizations that provide training specifically on youth
engagement also provide training in the more general youth development approach. Several organizations are funded
to provide training and technical assistance to community based organizations in their state (e.g. ACT for Youth in
New York and Connecticut for Community Youth Development.
Media sources check with GLYNIS??
 "Turning Point: Engaging the Public on Behalf of Children" The Ad Council 2004
www.adcouncil.org/research/commitment_children/
 Reframing Youth Issues for Public Consideration and Support Susan Bales, Frameworks Institute
www.frameworksinstitute.org/products/youth.shtml
 Youth in the Media. McKnight Foundation, http://www.mcknight.org/hotissues/youth_1.aspx
 Guzman L. et al. Public Perception of Children’s Well-being. Child Trends & Annie E. Case Foundation July 2003
 Coalition for Juvenile Justice. False Images: The News Media and Juvenile Crime Executive Summary 1997
Annual Report.
State Examples:
Sponsorship of YD training
 New York state ACT centers
 Others? NJ training with youth
 HI sponsor of UnivAZ/4-H into afterschool funded programs
Media campaigns incorporating YD into health promotion messages
Washington? RI?
Youth & Media projects:
NM – Youth Radio Networks
AK - Spirit of Youth
Data Collection & Surveillance
Stage 1: Incorporated by Adolescent Health Program staff and MCH
AH Program staff can more easily influence and advocate for:
 A review of all the current adolescent surveys and reports to assess gaps and duplication across departments
 Program outcomes, and data collection is aligned with AHP vision/mission statements and strategic plans
 Program outcomes that are positively framed and interdisciplinary reflecting development across domain
 Program performance measures that align with outcomes (See Program/Services section for more detail)
AH Program staff can also advocate for:
 Population-based data collection instruments to include positively framed, interdisciplinary measures, reflecting development
across domains (e.g. combining youth surveys, or adding positive questions to YRBS or other surveys)
 Indicators and measures also include an examination of the social environments in addition to surveillance of individual’s
behavior.
Surveillance and population-based data collection (versus program/service data collection) are typically not done by an adolescent
health program alone. Instead it takes place as a result of a state agency’s commitment to broader agendas, funding requests, and
done via department cross agency agreements. Therefore, data collection and surveillance strategies are addressed in greater detail
within stages two/three, below.
Stages 2 and 3 Incorporated by Public Health, some state agencies and external partners
Data collection is linked to strategic planning and youth development missions in place
 Data collection and surveillance is aligned to vision/mission statements and strategic planning
 Outcomes are positively framed and interdisciplinary reflecting development across domains
 Indicators and measures include positive indicators of well-being among adolescents
 Indicators and measures also include an examination of the social environments in addition to surveillance of individual’s
behavior.
 Cooperative agreements between state agencies in place to support and collect interdisciplinary data.
Data collection utilizes a variety of methods including population based surveys and input from stakeholders.
Surveys of adolescents address:
 How well are young people doing? Questions identify problem behaviors and enhancing behaviors.
(e.g. anonymous surveys, phone surveys, key informant and focus groups)
 What is the quality of their social environments e.g. home life, school quality, community?
 What are the risk and protective factors within the social environments?
 What personal skills and resilient qualities do young people possess to help them navigate life, cope with its challenges and
succeed?
Stakeholders participation (youth, parents, schools & service providers, advocates, funders, government officials, the public)
Some issues arouse strong feelings and the approaches to address the issue can be controversial. Other types of assessments can
identify stakeholders’:
 Perceptions (e.g. asking students, or parents what are the key issues)
 Readiness (e.g. asking community members, how willing do you think the community is to do something about the issue)
 Efficacy (e.g. asking youth workers if they believe their efforts will make a difference for children/youth)
 Priority (e.g. asking school principles which health/safety issues are you most willing to address)
Input can come through: town halls, youth summits, or forums, individual questionnaires, key informant interviews, phone surveys
or focus groups
Research
AH program in partnership with other state agencies supports research to better understand the contributions to development and
threats to health status. Regional research is conducted to examine the variability of populations, their health issues, the contributing
factors, and service utilization.
Data Collection & Surveillance
Resources
Population-based Indicators and Outcomes
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Child Trends. (n.d.). Child Trends DataBank. Washington, DC: Child Trends. Retrieved October 1, 2004, from
www.childtrendsdatabank.org.
Child Trends. (n.d.). The Child Indicator: The Child, Youth and Family Indicators Newsletter. Washington, DC:
Child Trends. Retrieved October 1, 2004, from www.childtrends.org.
Friedman, M. (2003). “Results and Performance Accountability, Decision-making and Budgeting.”
www.resultsaccountability.com/powerpoint_-_rba_101.htm.
Hair, E.C., Moore, K.A., Hunter, D., & Kaye, J.W. (Eds.). (2002, revised). Youth Development Outcomes
Compendium. Washington, DC: Child Trends. Retrieved October 1, 2004, from
www.childtrends.org/what_works/clarkwww/compendium_intro.asp.
Measuring the Positives: Review of Positive Indicators and Guidelines for their Use (2001) National Adolescent
Health Information Center at UCSF.
http://nahic.ucsf.edu/index.php/data/article/measuring_the_positives_review_of_positive_indicators_and_guidelines/
Reidy, M., & Winje, C. (2002, September). Youth Indicators in Use in States. Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall Center for
Children. Retrieved October 1, 2004, from www.chapinhall.org/category_archive_new.asp?L2=65&L3=120.
Community Based Assessments
 Search Institute http://www.search-institute.org/surveys/
 Communities that Care - http://www.channing-bete.com/positiveyouth/pages/CTC/CTC.html
 National Adolescent Health Information Center (NAHIC). (2004, October). Improving the Health of Adolescents
and Young Adults: A Guide for States and Communities. Resource for National Adolescent Health Initiative to
Improve Adolescent Health in 2010. San Francisco, CA: NAHIC. http://youth.ucsf.edu/nahic
See General Resources for additional information
State Examples:
 Oregon Health Teens Survey (combined tobacco and alcohol/drug use surveys)
 Washington State Survey (combined tobacco and alcohol/drug use surveys)
 Califorina Health Survey (Developed its own surveys emphasis on resiliency
 Minnesota Developed its own
 Vermont (incorporated asset based questions into YRBS
 Wisconson (incorporated asset based questions into YRBS
Murphey, D. (2004, February). The Social Well-Being of Vermonters: A Report on Outcomes for Vermont’s Citizens.
Waterbury, VT: Vermont Agency of Human Services. www.ahs.state.vt.us/publs/docs/04SWB/04SWB.pdf.
Vermont State Team for Children, Families, and Individuals (2004, April). Outcome-Based Planning: State Partners and
Local Communities Working Together to Improve the Well-Being of all Vermonters. Waterbury, VT: Vermont Agency of
Human Services. www.ahs.state.vt.us/publs/docs/04OutcomeBasedPlanning.pdf.
Phone Survey:
Grading growunups AK style
Maine :
State Reports that include positive data: Maine Bench marks
Regional Research OK study
Additional Resources
General Youth Development Framework Resources
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Premises, Principles and Practices: Defining the Why, What and How of Promoting Youth Development through
Organizational Practice. Academy for Educational Development, Center for Youth Development,
http://www.aed.org/Youth/US/development.cfm
Preventing Problems, Promoting Development, Encouraging Engagement: Competing Priorities or Inseparable
Goals? http://www.forumfyi.org/Files//PPE.pdf
A Guide to Youth Development. ACT for Youth, Centers for Excellence http://www.actforyouth.net/
Youth Development Summary Volume. Annals of the Academy of Political and Social Sciences.
http://www.aapss.org/uploads/591peterson_quickread_202-220.pdf
Key Youth Development Websites
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Act for Youth, Centers for Excellence http://www.actforyouth.net/ and
http://www.positiveyouth.org/1_1_home.php
Administration for Children and Families, Family and Youth Services Bureau, www.ncfy.com
Child Trends www.childtrends.org
Konopka Institute for Best Practices in Adolescent Health www.allaboutkids.umn.edu/cfahad/index_konopka.htm
National Adolescent Health Information Center - http://nahic.ucsf.edu
Youth engagement on the local level
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Forum for Youth Investment Youth Engagement, Action and Community Development is one of several themes at
the forum. http://www.forumforyouthinvestment.org/ send them to Ford: Youth action and Community Development
Help Nicole??? Do you mean: http://www.cydjournal.org/archives/index.html??
The Centre for Excellence in Youth Engagement provides resources and models of effective strategies for engaging
youth in meaningful participation and making healthy decisions for healthy living. http://www.tgmag.ca/centres/
The Coalition of Community Foundations for Youth - see sections and resources on Best Practices in Youth Civic
Engagement and Youth Philanthropy. www.ccfy.org
Local Initiative Support Training and Education Network LISTEN aims to develop leadership and strengthen the
social capital of youth ages 14-29 for civic engagement and community problem solving. See four publications: Issue 1:
An Emerging Model for Working With Youth; Issue 2: Youth and Community Organizing Today; Issue 3 Youth
Organizing - Expanding Possibilities for Youth Development;
Appendix - An Annotated Bibliography on Youth Organizing. www.lisn.org/
Youth on Board – Resources to prepare youth to be leaders and decision makers in their communities and strengthens
relationships between youth and adults. www.youthonboard.org
Community Partnerships with Youth - Provides training to youth about their role as trustee, in philanthropy, or as
partners in governance, Indiana www.cpyinc.org
Program quality extra resources
Clinical Assessment tools
 Adquest & Marquest intake assessments – Mt Sinai Adolescent Health Center www.mountsinaimedicalcenter.org/ahc
 Values in Action Inventory, in Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. C. Peterson & M.
Seligman 2004 www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0195167015/103-8532215-179061?v=glance
 Anticipatory Guidance for Positive Youth Development in Adolescence The purpose of this module is to increase nurses'
knowledge of anticipatory guidance for positive youth development in adolescence.
http://nursingworld.org/mods/mod620/ceythver.htm
Juvenile Justice Assessments
 Youth Competency Assessment (YCA) -- NPC Research -- http://www.npcresearch.com/
 Youth Assessment & Screening Instrument -- New York State Division of Probation and Correctional Alternatives
http://dpca.state.ny.us
 Person-Centered Strengths Assessment. Center for Strengths in Juvenile Justice, e-mail: mclark936@aol.com ChangeFocused Youth Work: The Critical Ingredients of Positive Behavior Change. M. Clark Journal of the Center for
Families, Children and the Courts Vol 3 http://www.talkingcure.com/index.asp?id=47
Data collection
 Moore, K.A., & Lippman, L. (Eds.). (in press). What do Children Need to Flourish: Conceptualizing and Measuring
Indicators of Positive Development. The Search Institute Series on Developmentally Attentive Community and Society,
Vol. 3. New York: Kluwer.
 Moore, K.A., Brown, B.V., with Ph.D., H.J. Scarupa. (2003, February). The Uses (and Misuses) of Social Indicators:
Implications for Public Policy. Washington, DC: Child Trends. www.childtrends.org/Files/SocialIndicatorsRB.pdf.
 Moore, K.A., Lippman, L., & Brown, B. (2004, January). “Indicators of Child Well-Being: The Promise for Positive
Youth Development.” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 591, 125–145.
http://ann.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/591/1/125.
 Reidy, M., & Winje, C. (2002, September). Youth Indicator Initiatives in Place in States. Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall
Center for Children. www.chapinhall.org/categoryarchive_new.asp?L2=65&L3=120
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