resources

publications

Obtaining Copies of Publications

You can download a free version of most publications or access a bound copy by calling (212) 590-9476, or emailing YDI at [email protected].

Most publications have been developed by YDI staff and consultants in close collaboration with partner organizations that conduct research or provide direct services.

Training Guides

A Guided Tour of Youth Development, 1998, 40 pages, $8.00
(only available in hard copy, click here for sample pages)
The Handbook of Positive Youth Outcomes, 1998, 44 pages, $8.00
(only available in hard copy, click here for sample pages)
Core Competencies of Youth Workers, 1998, 36 pages, $8.00
(only available in hard copy, click here for sample pages)
    Set of the above three publications $20.00

The Youth Development Training Guides are available in hard copy only. They are printed on stiff cardboard and are spiral bound for durability.

Practices To Keep In After-School and Youth Programs

1) Supervision at the Beacons: Developing Leaders for After-School Programs, 2009, 20 pages (only available via free download, hard copies not yet available)
The supervisory process is a critical element in the quality and effectiveness of youth programs. This work at three Beacon Centers is described, highlighting strategies and practices that guide the supervisory process at these organizations.
2) Young People Advocate for, Plan, and Provide Services to Their Communities, 2009, 20 pages (only available via free download, hard copies not yet available)
The Beacons are programs that are operated by community-based organizations in the non-school hours. They provide services to youth and families at 80 sites in NYC and several other cities. This report describes how the structure and philosophy of the Beacons supports community improvement efforts by bringing together youth and adults in collaborative projects.
3) The Social Group Work Approach: Promoting Individual Growth and Community Building, 2009, 16 pages (only available via free download, hard copies not yet available)
This document describes how social group work methodology enhances youth development programming at the Center for Family Life’s P.S.1 Beacon in Brooklyn.
4) From Membership to Leadership: The Pathways to Leadership Program, 2009, 18 pages (only available via free download, hard copies not yet available)
This publication shows how Good Shepherd Services, a community-based organization, builds on the multi-age structure of its Beacon to help young people develop from participants to skilled staff members.
5) Knitting Together School and After-School: The University Settlement - East Side Partnership, 2009, 16 pages (only available via free download, hard copies not yet available)
This paper documents a partnership on the Lower East Side of New York between East Side Community High School and the University Settlement Beacon. It describes how a school and community-based organization works closely together to greatly enrich the experience of young people both during and after the school day.
6) Preventing Placement in Foster Care: Strengthening Families and Community Ties, 2009,16 pages (only available via free download, hard copies not yet available)
This report documents the work of Good Shepherd Services at its Beacon in Red Hook, Brooklyn, where the efforts of social workers and youth development staff have reduced foster care placements. The Beacon Preventive Program provides intensive support services to families to help them build healthy relationships among members.
7) Tailor Made: Attracting, Engaging, and Retaining Hard-to-Reach Youth, 2009, 16 pages (only available via free download, hard copies not yet available)
San Francisco’s OMI/Excelsior Beacon has developed a comprehensive wellness program that attracts young people that traditionally have been labeled “non-joiners.” In order to support young people who may be dealing with substance abuse, trauma, or gang affiliation, the Beacon draws upon promising practices and the strengths of the young people themselves and provides opportunities for deep relationships with its staff for individuals and communities.
8) Engaging Middle-School Youth Through Project-Based Learning Clubs, 2009, 18 pages (only available via free download, hard copies not yet available)
Project-based learning is promoted widely in education and youth work as a means of engaging youth in valuable learning experiences. This paper documents the infrastructure that San Francisco’s Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center has developed to support the many elements necessary to ensure that these experiences are of high quality.

Research and Practice

Demystifying Outcomes, 2006, 16 pages, $5.00
Provides guidelines on how to plan programs to be aligned with research on youth development. The guide helps program leaders and staff plan their work so staff time and other resources are directed toward intended outcomes for the program.
Reframing Education: The Partnership Strategy and Public Schools, 2005, 101 pages, $15.00
A study of the development of partnerships between schools and non-school organizations (e.g. museums, libraries, community-based organizations) and how they are implemented on the ground. Looks at the theory and gives descriptions of specific partnerships.
Primary Person System: Symposium Report, 2000, 36 pages, $8.00
Primary Person is a youth development strategy designed to assure that each young person has a caring adult in their life who is a constant support during their participation in youth programs. This publication contains the ideas of practitioners about this important strategy.
Strengthening Youth Development, 2007, 33 pages, $6.00
Based on an examination of YDI’s work with community-based youth-serving organizations over many years, this booklet provides a detailed description of strategies to improve the quality of youth services in communities.
Youth Development and Community Development: Promises and Challenges of Convergence, 1997, 38 pages, $5.00
This booklet describes some of the early work on building the New York City Beacons, and provides the theoretical and practical overview of how the Beacons combine both community and youth development in a single, powerful approach.
2007 Kids Count Data Book, The Annie E. Casey Foundation (download only) free
The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual review of the status of youth in each state of the US. An important means of understanding how your state is doing on youth outcomes in comparison with other states.

Working with Young Adults Who Have Dropped Out or Remain on the Margins of School

Promising Practices in Working with Young Adults, 2008, 122 pages, $35.00
    Snapshots of Success: South Brooklyn Community High School
    Snapshots of Success: CUNY Prep Transitional School
    The Primary Person Approach
    Engaging Young Adult Learners
    Academics and Returning Youth
    Post-Graduation Planning for College and Careers
    School and Community Organization Partnerships
    Ensuring Program Quality
    Summary of Evaluations for Programs Serving Young Adult Learners
This 131 page publication was developed from extended dialogues with leaders of outstanding programs, including school-community organization partnerships and community organization programs. Each of the nine sections details specific practices and includes quotations from leading practitioners, as well as citations of relevant research. The material is readily used to promote reflection and discussion about effective practices among direct service staff.

College Access and Success for Young Adult Learners

Supporting College Access and Success for Young Adult Learners
(entire collection as listed below) $40
    Towards a New Model of Success for Disconnected Youth: CBO-Community Partnerships (Executive Summary), 2010, 37 pages, $5.00
    Towards a New Model of Success for Disconnected Youth: CBO-Community Partnerships (Full Version), 2010, 66 pages, $5.00
    The CUNY Young Adult Program: Preparing Young Adults for the Construction Trades, 2010, 35 pages, $5.00
    A Guide to Implementation: Preparing Young Adults for GED Programs, 2009, 78 pages, $5.00
    College Access and Success for Young Adult Learners, 2006, 18 pages, $5.00
    Building A Better Bridge: Helping Young Adults Enter and Succeed in College, 2008, 45 pages, $10.00
    The Dream of College: Helping Struggling Students Succeed in College, 2007, 7 pages, $5.00
    Post-Graduation Planning for College and Careers, 2008, 32 pages, $5.00
    (section from Promising Practices above)
This series has been developed based on partnerships that YDI established between community organizations and colleges in New York City. The articles describe the experience of students who had formerly dropped out or had been marginalized in school and the supports that were developed for their college journey (Building a Better Bridge); summarize related research, and offer policy recommendations (The Dream of College) that have emerged from this work

Youth Development and Education Reform

Connecting Learning/Relationships: A Guide to Family Group/Advisory, 2003, 49 pages, $8.00
Family Group/Advisory is a school-based strategy designed to build community and strong relationships among youth and their peers with adults. It gives practical guidelines on how to develop this strategy within a school.
Reframing Education: The Partnership Strategy and Public Schools, 2005, 101 pages, $15.00
A study of the development of partnerships between schools and non-school organizations (e.g. museums, libraries, community-based organizations) and how they are implemented on the ground. Looks at the theory and gives descriptions of specific partnerships.

Beacons and Out-of-School Time

Beacon Profiles, 2002, 20 pages, $8.00
Describes the theoretical background for the development of the Beacons and the youth development strategies on which they are grounded. Examples from actual operating programs are cited in the text.
Ten Programs for Teens, 2002, 22 pages, $5.00
Describes ten programs in New York City based on youth development practice.
Evaluation of the New York City Beacons: Summary of Phase 1 Findings $3.00
This and the following two publications describe the early evaluations of the
New York City Beacons.
A Place to Grow: Evaluation of the New York City Beacons, 2002, 140 pages, $5.00
An Oasis in this Desert: Parents Talk about the New York City Beacons, 2000, 10 pages, $3.00

Program Descriptions

Community-Based Programs for Foster Care: Preventing Placements and Promoting Successful Transitions, 2009, 48 pages, $5.00
Foster care placements have enormous impact on young people and families. This publication describes two New York City efforts, one that has resulted in preventing large numbers of foster care placements by timely and structured interventions from a Beacon Center, and the other program helps adolescents make the transition out of foster care to independent living with a combination of strong personal supports, academic, and career-experiences.
Connecting Learning/Relationships: A Guide to Family Group/Advisory, 2003, 49 pages, $8.00
Family Group/Advisory is a school-based strategy designed to build community and strong relationships among youth and their peers with adults. It gives practical guidelines on how to develop this strategy within a school.
Infocus, Volume 2, #1, January 2005: Young Adults in New York City, New Challenges, New Pathways Free
Infocus, Volume 1, #2, June 2004 Advisory and Family Groups for Schools Free
Infocus, Volume 1, #1, December 2003 Young Adult Programs in New York City Free

Youth Development & Family Strengthening

Youth Development and Family Strengthening: Introduction to an Emerging Field, 2002, 19 pages, $2.00
Youth Development and Family Strengthening: A Study of Emerging Connections, 2002, 49 pages, $10.00
Youth Development and Family Strengthening: A Handbook, 2003, 51 pages, $10.00
The publications in this series describes strategies for integrating youth development with family engagement. They describe specific programs in schools and non-school organizations in which families are engaged with their adolescent children in positive and constructive ways. Actual program examples are described.