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LESSON LEARNED /
Lessons have been learned from programs and policies that
did not achieve the desired result, or in some cases actually
exacerbated the problem. By framing "mistakes" as "lessons
learned" it would be easier to collect information
from organizations of what mistakes they have made and
what they have learned.
Areas Include:
| | | This project created new employment and training opportunities in the region through its association with a number of groups. The association with youth supporting groups complimented existing opportunities. Additional links with several other trusts proved to be effective in this program. |
| | | This aims at increasing knowledge of science of the youth by interaction with one another and for the volunteers by live examples and it also helps in the development of science based community service projects. These projects help the youth interact with resources of the science fraternity and this program is experimental by nature, which constitutes service learning. The youth have to share their experiences and apply what they have learned. |
| | | The research observed that the impact of minimum wages differed substantially across the countries in sample. In attempting to identify the sources of such differences, it focused on two specific areas that were expected to lead to some variation in the employment effects of minimum wages. The first was the role played by other cross-country differences in minimum wage systems. The research study found that the negative effects of the minimum wage were larger in those countries where the wage floor was established by the collective bargaining process. In addition, the evidence suggested that the presence of a youth sub minimum wage tended to reduce the impact of the overall minimum wage on youth employment. The second source of variability considered was the presence of other labor market policies or institutions that either exacerbated or mitigated the effects of minimum wage laws. The results suggested that these indeed had important influences on the size and estimation of unemployment effects. In particular, the presence of rigid labor standards tended to exacerbate the effects of the minimum wage on employment, while stronger employment protection policies tended to diminish the minimum wage effect. In addition, countries that tended to make greater use of active labor market policies to reduce unemployment revealed smaller misemployment effects from the minimum wage. |
| | | The post-secondary graduates were quite successful in findings jobs soon after graduation, their unemployment rates were even lower from two to five years into the labor market, and at the individual level most of those who initially experienced a jobless spell or who were limited to part-time employment subsequently found employment in the form of full-time work. The research program also demonstrated the importance of studying the school-to-work transition over a relatively extended period of time, since the cross-cohort changes identified were evident only at the later interviews, a full five years following graduation. It would undoubtedly be interesting to probe the temporary/permanent phenomenon in more detail. |
| | | The changes in the economic conditions, changes in the lifestyle, changes in Gross Domestic Product and others must be considered while performing the study |
| | | The evidence from this study indicates that careers service provision in Ayrshire is heavily focused on the provision of information. This emphasis on information may well be a consequence of the talent-matching model that appeared to be the main model of career decision making in use by careers advisers as well as being a response to client demand for information. The research suggests that the careers guidance needs of the young people involved in this study were not being adequately addressed. To do so is likely to require a number of changes in terms of philosophy, resource allocation, delivery strategies and management approaches. In order to meet the careers guidance needs of young people it is necessary first to systematically identify what those needs are. |
| | | It is known that Federal funding is not made available for youth developmental program, since the funds are made available for children’s program. Of course, some financial support is made available by the government for major national youth developmental organizations but it has not been found adequate. Youth employment during summer, after-school centers suffer for want of funds, yet some important youth programs are going on in some selective centers. Those who have helped in conducting the research are being involved and made the project viable. Though youth development movement has been in existence for the last ten years, the meaning and concept of the program still has not reached any consensus. However, the public officials, the policy makers, the budget allocators and the public at large have been given a clear picture of the youth program and they will ultimately be drawn to guide in that direction and support, if faced with problems in their own homes. |
| | | The whole project was divided into different components and the young women were systematically trained in each component. This process provided them with life/job skills to sustain their activities in real life situations. The psychological, educational and financial support provided by the program to the female offenders enabled them to turn a new leaf and de-linked them from the criminal justice system. |
| | | Provinces/territories need to follow through on work they have initiated to develop a "menu" of program interventions and an inventory of best practices. This will help inform their discussions with the federal government with respect to programs. Provinces/territories will also need to reach a position on a number of elements prior to discussions with the federal government: A) Employment Insurance premiums for employers should be reduced so that the cost of hiring workers is reduced B) A federal-provincial/territorial strategy should be developed to ensure debt levels for post-secondary learners are manageable C) Initiatives to be taken to respond to the employment challenges of Canada's "at risk" youth including Aboriginal youth D) Sustainable funding mechanisms and a transparent federal funding formula should be evolved (establishing a set of funding criteria for the types of programs that the federal government will financially support and a means of ensuring that all funds are allocated on a fair and equitable basis to all provinces/ territories) E) Research capacity and technology should provide youth not only with the tools they need to participate in the modern economy but also the labor market information necessary for understanding the world of work |
| | | A number of specific research directions were highlighted by the Expert Panel, including needs for research in such areas as the effectiveness of new types of learning; impacts of student loans and debt; analysis of rates of return for different types of education; research on initial labor market experiences of youth and their impacts, etc. It examined the impacts on expectations of entrepreneurship on youth and researched on how youth chose careers and the impacts of career counseling. Several Delphi participants felt it was critical to know more about how youth thought, what they valued, and what influenced them. Many of the assessments were reflective of current wisdom on the economy, human capital and youth - for example, underlining the pre-eminence of change and the importance of adaptability for youth in the labor market. These findings suggested that Canadian business and other elites and experts shared important views on issues affecting youth, which synchronized with most practitioners and researchers in the field. |
| | | The study indicates that the employment problem of younger people cannot be reduced to individual characteristics. Many younger people face objective barriers, including systematic exclusion by the labor market, which restrict them to a very narrow range of jobs. |
| | | The program made the youth to realize that the road to learning doesn’t end when the program concluded, but only opened many new doors to other opportunities. After completing the program, CWY provided its youth with information on how to facilitate the experience gained to reflect in their resume. The CWY constantly encouraged the youth to maintain and enhance their involvement with the organization through their regional volunteers and past participant networks. |
| | | One of the most commonly found setbacks in career and academic achievement of these students is that their potential is underestimated. An important message spread through this program is not to underestimate the potential of the disabled persons. Career counselors and other organizations should come forward to help and provide opportunities for these youth to accomplish their goals. Many concerns are aware of ADA and they are interested in providing openings for disabled persons. They work with counselors and career development professionals to make successful placements for these youth in their concerns. Such programs like ADA while employing disabled and qualified youth with organizations can consider the following measures. A) Informing them about ongoing happenings in the campus informing them with details about all students including disabled students. B) Assist employer in procuring alternative formats of their brochures and pamphlets. Provide them with necessary information for creating web pages and other electronic sources. Share with them the information about community resource that can assist them and alert employees about determining appropriate accommodations. |
| | | A) This survey measured the quality of work-based learning experiences which were mostly not in the traditional youth employing sectors and occupations. B) About half the internships are in administrative support positions, at entry-level jobs in office and business establishments. C) Interns were also far too many in technical occupations, while fewer were found in production machine operative positions. The overrepresentation of youth in technical jobs is encouraging, and may indicate efforts on the part of some employers to strengthen availability of labor. D) The internships in non-profit and government organizations were of a higher quality than those in private, profit-motivated firms; but the latter provided more opportunity to learn. |
| | | EYSIP felt that it is in the spirit of action research to share learning with policy/decision makers and between practitioners who supported socially excluded young people. The program facilitated the experimentation with a model of action learning whereby practitioners from funded projects regularly met to share their experience of action research in their respective spheres, which promoted overall knowledge development. The program revealed that participation was best when offered periodic training events with built-in networking time. |
| | | 1. Strategies to enforce and promote compliance with federal disability law should be identified as it relates to children and youth with disabilities who are at-risk of delinquency. The strategies should include those that increase effective programming for youth with disabilities in schools and in juvenile justice settings. 2. Funding and/or resources to schools and the juvenile justice system should be increased to ensure that youth with disabilities receive appropriate services. 3. A single federal agency should exist whose sole focus is to ensure that the rights and needs of youth with disabilities entering or in the juvenile justice system are addressed. The Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the President’s Task Force on Disadvantaged Youth may be well-suited to provide the direction and leadership to address this gap by helping to create a national commission focused explicitly on youth with disabilities at risk of entering or already in the juvenile justice system. 4. Research should focus on establishing the true prevalence of youth with disabilities of different types among at-risk populations in schools and across all stages of the juvenile justice system; the needs/services gap, including compliance with disability law; the causes of overrepresentation, where it exists, of youth with disabilities in the juvenile justice system, especially correctional facilities and effective systems-level and program-level approaches, including federal laws, for addressing the needs of these youth, including particular attention to the types of programming most effective for youth from diverse racial/ethnic and cultural backgrounds. 5. A comprehensive assessment should be undertaken to determine what programs and policies are most effective in schools, communities, and the juvenile justice system. At the same time, ensure that there is a balanced approach to funding diverse programs and policies, coupled with evaluation research studies of their effectiveness. Such an approach will ensure that a more definitive body of knowledge can develop to determine “what works” and for whom. |
| | | Providing universal access to services meant for the youth in transition in general, rather than providing only disability-specific services, is found to be successful in workforce development programs. This allows the youth to select for themselves the services and the resources that they will need. This fits in with the perception about the value of self-determination in the youth with disabilities. One-Stop centers of the WIA make available certain services unavailable to the disabled youth because of lack of accommodation and other factors. Although not widely available, individualized training services are also part of the WIA offerings. |
| | | The program facilitated the need for improving the quality of life of the girls/boys of the downtrodden community in rural Orissa, India. The program aimed at enhancing the educational opportunities and expanding the employment avenues of the young children by facilitating formal education with government participation. The rural areas were mainly agrarian societies, which exhibited initial skepticism for the program that was subsequently altered. |
| | | Parents are also involved in this program like writing letters, completing parent education materials and parents and the child together take part in the family learning experience which included a series of activities which focuses especially on family dynamics and practice healthy communication. |
| | | The administrative challenge most often mentioned by interviewees was fundraising and issues directly related to funding. Whether publicly or privately funded, agencies struggled with the difficult task of supporting their programs financially. Responses provided by interviewees when asked to explain the administrative challenges faced reflected the perceived enormity of the task. The smaller the agency, it was more likely that the program and administrative functions were inextricably linked. The practical explanation for this phenomenon was a shortage of staff and resources, with an under investment on the administrative side. The result, however, was a constant tension between the demands of delivering programs and the necessity of maintaining credible administrative practices. An understanding of this central tension helped to elucidate many of the decisions and actions of the administrators interviewed for this study, and was helpful when attempting to formulate effective strategies for support. Another focus of this research was to probe the potential of shared administrative resources among grassroots agencies, either begun through formal collaboration or circumstantial relationships. It was important to note that, although some programs were vocal in their opposition to funding-induced formal collaboration, most directors of small programs were open to the notion of working in conjunction with similar or neighboring agencies in order to build stronger infrastructure and thereby better served the youth in their communities. In effect, grassroots program directors asked for administrative supports that would not seek to change, grow, or transform the existing programs. |
| | | Along with growing attention to adolescents came a growing consensus about what needs to be done to fulfill and protect adolescents’ rights. It strived to develop and increase awareness about “solutions” that were common to a range of inter-related problems. These solutions included increasing adolescents’ physical and psycho-social capacities and abilities, increasing their access to a range of services and opportunities, creating safe and supportive environments in which they can live and learn, and ensuring that they were able to participate in decisions and actions that affected their lives. Adolescents need to be encouraged to develop a range of skills, including literacy and numerical, life skills comprising of psychosocial competencies, technical skills, entrepreneurial skills, practical skills, and social skills. The development of adolescents’ livelihoods skills and the creation of livelihoods opportunities for them would make an important contribution to fulfilling and protecting their rights to development and health. |
| | | The formative research process yielded exciting and new findings about adolescents and reproductive health issues, as well as a more complex and comprehensive understanding of the context in which reproductive health interventions for young people must be designed and implemented. The execution of the participatory approach was a difficult and time-consuming effort, requiring more resources and innovation than anticipated. It required an intensive commitment of time and resources, especially in terms of time spent in the communities, and for training field staff. This was partially because reproductive health issues were more complex and sensitive than other development issues. The methodological implementation also posed numerous challenges. Similarly, innovation was required in analyzing large amounts of data from multiple methods. A larger range of interventions was also difficult to monitor and evaluate. Moreover, the definitions of concepts such as participation, community, and ownership were not fixed, but were constantly evolving. A constant need was felt to address the issues of selectivity by age, gender, ethnicity, and social status to ensure that data was not biased. |
| | | On an average, 45% of the adolescents surveyed thought that characters in the ads were consuming beer at binge-drinking levels, and only one in five thought that drinkers would stop after one or two drinks. In addition, two subgroups children of alcoholics and younger participants appeared to be especially vulnerable to messages delivered by the ads. Children of alcoholics were more likely than other respondents to perceive excessive drinking by characters in the ads. They revealed a favorable perception of these drinkers, and reported negative feelings triggered by the ads about drinkers they knew personally. While younger adolescents were more aware of the potential negative consequences of drinking, they were also more likely than older respondents to perceive binge drinking, and to estimate that characters were underage. |
| | | The main objectives of AYF program is to help the youth overcome unemployment and poverty by educating them and enabling to take up entrepreneurship as their career.The success of AYP’s aim is seen when the youth graduate and are guided to choose their own career. Future of Africa lies in the hands of educated youth. |
| | | The survey assessed youth expectations and main activities in the first five years. A vast majority of youth comprising 92% of high school graduates with further education or training, 84% of those without and 84% of high school leavers, expected to be working at a job or business five years from the time the survey was taken. Among the high school graduates as well as leavers, larger proportions of men than women expected to be working in five years time. The study also found that proportionately more high school leavers (17%) and graduates without further education or training (16%) reported going to school as one of their main future activities, compared with 12% of graduates with further education or training. In addition, 10% of high school leavers, 9% of high school graduates with no further education or training, and 7% of graduates with further education or training saw themselves both working and going to school in five years from the time of the survey. Another commonly reported future activity was handling family or household responsibilities. Not surprisingly, women were much more likely than men to report dealing with family or household responsibilities as a main activity in five years time. |
| | | In the waning days of funding under the School To Work Opportunities Act, intermediaries that link schools, employers, and other community resources have grappled with ways to redirect their efforts. Several members of the Intermediary Network have found new allies and resources and defined more clearly their value-added, competitive advantage and business models. Some have developed business/marketing strategies that are highly valued in their communities. And some have become more focused on activities that emerge from either education or workforce development funding streams, choosing to be less comprehensive in their reach, if not their vision. This is still a time of transition. The members of the Intermediary Network are committed to continuing their collaboration and to learning from one another — and to continuing the work they love and believe is critical to the future of the youth, employers, and communities they represent. The intermediaries that responded to this survey provide encouragement that a changing fiscal reality, although difficult, can be a catalyst for positive strategic and operational decisions. Their efforts point the way toward strategies that can enable intermediaries to sustain and even expand their convening, brokering, measuring, and policy-promoting work in a new environment. |
| | | a. Parent or guardian permission is required. b. Kids Crew now is so popular that the museum staggers enrollment to maintain the quality and individual attention given to each child; interested children then are put on a waiting list and allowed to join the program either at the beginning of the summer or the beginning of the school terms. |
| | | A large component of the awareness and development campaign controversially falls within the jurisdiction of the Education portfolio, which has been mandated by the Provincial Governments for implementation. The broad nature of the proposal may result in significant duplication of effort and interest among different sectors. This may lead to a dilution of benefits or to confusion amongst the targeted youth. |
| | | The participation of the whole community is seen as an essential ingredient for the success of this project. It is also necessary that all available resources be effectively deployed to provide maximum benefit for the affected people. The humanitarian assistance and training for employment provided through this program enabled the youth and women to de-link from “at-risk” behavior that caused the spread of AIDS. |
| | | a. BEE Program efforts have been supported and sustained through the development of a variety of research-based training and educational support materials. These resources were developed, in part, with reference to or adapting information available from CYFERNet. b. State staff have provided continuing technical assistance and training to field staff in the administration of ongoing evaluation procedures. Intake and exit interviews are coded and analyzed at Auburn University by the state staff. Quarterly training topics are often derived from the results of these analyses. Results are also used in supervisory interactions to identify program strengths and encourage improvement. |
| | | The research study revealed that the critics of alcohol advertising stressed the need to reduce the social and medical problems associated with the misuse of alcohol, and hence often argued for a ban on alcohol advertising. Although there was enough reliable evidence to conclude that advertising increased total alcohol consumption and alcohol misuse, advertising bans reduced advertising only under certain conditions. A ban on one or two media, such as television and radio, resulted in substitution to available alternative media. It was argued that television and radio reached many people and that bans on their use surely had an effect. The theory explained that a ban on use of a given medium resulted in substitution to other available media, which was practically applicable in this case. It was opined that alcohol companies may seek to compensate for loss of sales by increasing total outlays on advertising of existing brands or by advertising new brands. |
| | | Implications include: 1. The main aim of a youth program for alcohol and drug prevention should be a pragmatic. The main goal must be to reduce or prevent damage related with drug or alcohol use and not to prevent use entirely. The best result of a successful drug prevention program would be to delay the first use of a youth or shape or limit drug use in a safe manner.2. Drug and alcohol education programs must be founded on practical education principles and not on ideology. The programs should be ongoing from kindergarten to the final year of high school. Messages appropriate for different age groups should be conveyed. The educational approach should be related to target audiences and based on their attitude towards drug use, level of use, gender, age and others. Accurate and factual information should be combined and strategies introduced for developing decision-making skills, communication, and conflict resolution must be developed.3. The programs for alcohol and drug use should be comprehensive. Different components that complement each other including family education and policy interventions, in-school programs, and media campaigns must be included in the programs. Special programs targeting the at-risk youth should be introduced in addition to programs aimed at the wide-ranging student population. 4. The direct involvement of the youth in program planning and implementation is imperative. The strengths of the youth themselves should be capitalized on. The youth are better equipped to identify issues, develop solutions, and deliver suitable messages to their peers.5. Regulations and policies can be used successfully in shaping and limiting substance use and reducing harm. This can be seen by the success of graduated driver's license programs. Various approaches should d be combined with policy initiatives. 6. "Hard line" approaches including zero tolerance are not effective. They may actually aggravate the risk of serious problems. They result in punishing experimenting students like adolescents and discouraging students who are liable to develop problems from getting the required help. 7. Drug and alcohol education programs must be appraised in an ongoing manner to evaluate what is effective and what is not. 8. Adults including service providers, educators, policy makers, and parents must be brought up to date on drug education. They should be aware of the substance use and trends among the youth in addition to an awareness of the effectiveness of various prevention measures. |
| | | The observation made by the study indicated that the people who noticed the most alcohol-related problems were often heavier drinkers themselves. Underage drinkers were identified as the age group most likely to be causing drinking-related problems. Roughly a third of respondents identified on-premise consumption of alcohol as the source of problems that eventually affected the neighborhood. This finding suggested that more frequent and effective use of server-training programs might increase the safety of neighborhoods, especially those located near bars and other on-premise outlets. |
| | | The competition from youth was tough and nearly 100 applicants applied for the available 30 positions. The students were paid US $ 6 to US $ 8 an hour, which was higher than what most of the other businesses pay to youth. The youth took courses from the City College of San Francisco, as part of the program and also earned precious college credits. The courses focused on subjects like horticulture, conflict resolution, AIDS and sex education, substance abuse, teen pregnancy and African American history. The future plans included the creation of a flower and produce stand and institute a native plant landscaping business. |
| | | In addition to training the staff, the program also funded the YMCA employees who needed funds for improving their skills and proficiency. Moreover the funds were locally administered for the ease of maintenance. |
| | | A positive outcome of the program was the formation of extended families and social support system for the youths. The youth were able to express their feelings and realize the negative social repercussions of their actions. The program taught youth to be leaders instead of followers. It taught the youth to make constructive decisions about their lives and to influence their peers to take positive decisions about school, work and family. |
| | | The AVP operates on a constant basis and has assisted in providing speakers, enhanced conservation awareness in schools and funded workshops and other training activities. Since 1998, over 25 conservation and public education projects have been supported or funded. This has resulted in more than 100 alumni and volunteers being involved with them. The implementation of activities includes the participation in a national climate change conference, an oil pollution and seabirds research field trip, environmental education training workshops and a women's outdoors survival workshop. The AVP has committed to help the corps, its alumni, and other volunteers to fulfill the corps' conservation and community-oriented mandate. The Corps' founders believed that the programs and activities of the new organization should focus on forging partnerships with the environment and cultural heritage sectors in a manner that would benefit all partners‚ youth, communities and business. |
| | | One important lesson learned through this project is that through the youth teaching youth program the students can easily train the other students who are under risk. This program have helped many youth in acquiring the sense of belonging which will be very helpful for their individual future. |
| | | The program was basically implemented to address the need for providing a second chance for the underserved youth to enhance their educational capabilities that enabled them to secure sustained employment. Due to the nature of the program, the students were in groups that did not include prior classmates. Consequently, the students were benefited from a fresh start with respect to relations with the study group/class since neither the fellow students nor the new teachers were aware of the student's "failure" or past. The program should ensure positive group dynamics among the students to enable a sustained level of group interaction that benefits the overall team. Moreover, the program should focus the students on the positive prospects of the future and discourage them from reflecting on their negative past. |
| | | The risk factors for problem gambling included academic problems, poor perceived familial and peer social support, cognitive problems, emotional problems, substance use problems, conduct problems, family problems, and parental involvement in gambling and substances. The magnitude of problems and psychopathology that were reported by probable pathological gamblers and at-risk problem gamblers demonstrated that these individuals were experiencing multiple difficulties and were likely to use their gambling habit as an ineffective coping strategy to escape their problems. |
| | | The program felt the need to create informational materials to reinforce the key messages of the program. The youth suggested the need for a manual that included information related to adolescent sexuality; as a result, INPPARES designed the "Sexual and Reproductive Health" manual as part of the Quality of Life courses. The business training courses were theoretical and more dynamic by including practical issues such as decision-making, self-esteem, and the development of life goals. The youth often found it difficult to talk about issues related to sexuality; however, discomfort was reduced when sex was addressed within the context of other youth concerns. The program felt the need to understand their target group; it was found that because many youth worked, they either dropped out of the training or were not prepared for courses. Flexible scheduling and maintaining a realistic pace in the training can help address this drawback. |
| | | There were certain contradictions present in the two data sets, which made assessment really difficult. Such contradictions in the data lead to uncertain and ambiguous conclusions and findings. Some of the major concerns about the quality of the school-to-work data from the two sources were that a sizable number of students in schools that supposedly did not have school-to-work programs reported participating in them. The research observed that such irregularities in the data sets would lead to serious miscalculation while evaluating the impact of such programs on youth development. The observations implied that exclusive data gathering efforts had to be implemented to assess the genuine impact of such programs on youth and students in the region. |
| | | The WSC, following its nation wide research program, has resulted in Foster-care programs and programs to connect foster-care youths to college & career supported by smooth flowing funds though viewed to be expensive from all angles. |
| | | This program developed the reading and math skills, which improved the academic needs and also helped the students to achieve their goals. The main characteristic feature of this program was that no discrimination was made on the participants on the basis of their race, color, sex, nationality or religion. |
| | | The ARISE project is currently concentrating mainly on the construction and agriculture fields. Very soon it may start concentrating on different fields. As a result of this, more youths can be employed. This can also provide employment opportunities to youth, refugees, natives and internally displaced people. |
| | | A 5-year work plan and timeline has been developed during the initiative's planning stage to monitor project progress and timelines. The tasks and activities completed and any changes needed to the projected schedule through quarterly status reports have been summarized. |
| | | The program faced the challenge to dispel the myths about Skate Parks. Some people felt that they became hangouts for youth and contributed to increased vandalism and drug use. It was important for the project coordinator to share positive stories from other communities to dispel these myths. Securing the funds was the biggest challenge that the project faced. During several fund-raising campaigns, the youth became involved by putting on plays and presentations. The experience of the consultants with other Skate Park designs was very useful. They recommended a simple and open design. There was site testing to ensure that the ground was viable for the Sk8 Park location that was selected. There are no staffing requirements for the Park since it advocates a “use at your own risk” policy. |
| | | A comprehensive program strategy designed to reduce risk and build protective factors through a multicomponent arts program should be provided. In addition, proposed activities should fill gaps in services to the target population during afterschool hours and the summer months. Activities may identify various steps that will be taken by the applicant to address these service gaps that may lead to negative outcomes. These activities should complement and build on each other and link when possible to existing community programs and activities that contribute to positive youth development. |
| | | Prevention programs are most effective when youth attend and participate regularly. Arts programs are successful at attracting, engaging and retaining even the toughest kids. These youth - including gang members and previously incarcerated teens - join arts programs and return time and again. What draws them?
1. The thrill of creative and artistic expression.
2. Community recognition for performances, exhibitions or public art works.
3. Learning new job skills.
4. Learning how to use the arts to communicate difficult thoughts and emotions.
Research confirms that youth vandalize with graffiti and join gangs in search of recognition, achievement and self-expression. The arts provide a different way to address these needs. |
| | | ArtWorks motivates and stimulates the feeling of self-respect and responsibility that youth have towards their career and community. It teaches them to take pride in their work and also develop life skills like creative decision-making, adaptability, working as a team, and developing and working from personal ethics and honesty. It educates about protocols to be followed in work places and the fundamentals of interpersonal communication, tolerance and accountability. It stimulates the quality of appreciating arts in different forms. These are developed with the help of a youth mentoring program based in the forms of visual, performing, and literary forms of arts. Arts always embrace a variety of learning techniques and thus it is a very powerful tool for motivating youth. It engages the person as a whole; it involves his/her mind, emotions, natural ability and curiosity. Irrespective of the different forms of arts it has a focus on both product and process. It encourages and supports budding artists in various fields such as self-discipline, critical thinking program, and innovation in arts. Here the artists have the opportunity to learn a lot from seniors. It also teaches them the freedom of discipline, and the courage to follow one’s ideas. The arts embrace a wide variety of learning styles and life experiences and thus, the arts are especially powerful in motivating youth. As a result of an emphasis on self-expression, the artistic process engages the whole person - his/her mind, emotions, ambition, and natural curiosity and abilities. It is hoped that with all these qualities and their professional knowledge these apprentice artists will definitely have a strong foundation for their professional career. |
| | | Mobility of students was cited as a problem by ASPIRA leaders as staff members build deep commitments to students who later leave school. Teacher mobility can also be considered to be a problem. One school had four ASPIRA teacher sponsors in four years. During the early stages of the program, inspiring parent involvement was a problem. Letters are sent to parents of identified students at the beginning of the school year requesting for their children's participation in ASPIRA. Those who return the letters are accepted in the program. New participants are attracted by word-of-mouth communication among parents whose children are participants of the program. The program solicits the full support and cooperation of the teachers and principals to make them think creatively. The schools and centers must be partners and involves a financial commitment by the school. In cases when this commitment was not obtainable, the teachers were at fault, as they did not understand their role in ASPIRA, which was to nurture a feeling of leadership in the students and not lead them. In such cases, ASPIRA staff returned to emphasize the significance of teacher sponsors as facilitators and not as leaders, and their involvement. |
| | | Proficiency examination is used as a mechanism in ATC. It assists the students in identifying the employment experience, independent study, instructional sources like classes taken in the military, on-job training to get credit, which is incomparable with the traditional one. A student who has failed more than twice in such an examination is not allowed to that specific course. |
| | | In addition to learning the need for good education, hard work and commitment, the participants utilize the classes, field trips and messages heard from positive role models to be more successful in school and in life. |
| | | The analyses used in this research paper was primarily based on using many years of data to examine the transition, with an emphasis on retrospective examination of data. Unfortunately, retrospective information was not feasible for generating indicators on a timely basis, since, retrospective information can only inform what happened in the past but cannot indicate the current direction of the labor market. Hence, the approach of the research needs to be changed to suit modern trends of data gathering that leads to sustained predictions and sound implications. |
| | | The methodological weaknesses severely limited the validity of the survey data, as did the measures of program effect on the graduates' career lives. Most of the follow-up studies, for example, were conducted on a one-shot basis anywhere from six weeks to three years after graduation, thus providing only a limited picture of the graduates' career lives. The respondents' expressed dissatisfaction with the college role in promoting career advancement may be an artifact of this one-shot design; because the surveys were conducted at one time shortly after graduation, many respondents probably did not have a chance to settle into their jobs and discover the paths to advancement in the internal labor markets of their firms.
Other methodological problems included low response rates with only limited control for respondent bias, failure to control for the graduates' prior employment experience, and lack of control groups against which the graduates' employment experiences can be assessed. These limitations revealed that the graduates' employment success was a function of prior job experience rather than a direct outcome of program completion. The methodological problems also made it very difficult to determine if community college occupational graduates had a realistic advantage in the labor market over non-graduates or those with no formal occupational training at all. |
| | | The strategies and recommendations made in response to the needs of the ongoing work of family representatives and experienced professionals, review of the literature, and assessments include the following. NC Title V Program2NC: 1. The development of successful models of transition and related services must be supported by the Title V Program. The Title V Program must also integrate them in current programs. The selected models comprise of transition supports starting at a very young age and proceed through young adulthood. The supports offered must teach and support the individual to take on age and developmentally suitable responsibility for their healthcare and other life decisions. 2. The Title V Program should expand the scope to include emphasis on adolescents with special healthcare needs, with resources devoted to the program. Accordingly, partnerships should be developed for implementing activities and programs that improve the transition process with the medical community and early intervention system including schools, and other advocacy or community groups. 3. Efficient tools to measure and monitor effectiveness and performance must be developed and combined in all transition-related services and adolescent-oriented programs. 4. The Title V Program should offer leadership by continually evaluating the health-related needs of youth with special healthcare needs and distribute this information to all-important stakeholders. 5. The Title V Program should make sustainable efforts that offer access to comprehensive and affordable health insurance for youth with special healthcare needs. More emphasis should be placed on efforts for developing options for insurance coverage beyond age 21. 6. The Title V agency should encourage accessibility of all environments including recreation, schools, and healthcare. Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) through out North Carolina must be encouraged also. Healthcare: 1. More support should be offered for educational materials on disability awareness, sensitivity, and training opportunities. Accessibility should be provided for pediatric and adult healthcare professionals. The professionals will be able to apply developmentally suitable and respectful care for adolescents with special healthcare needs as well as develop their partnerships with youth and families. 2. All aspects of the health care delivery system must recognize and support age-appropriate and condition-specific independence for adolescents with special healthcare needs and inspire the youth to take up as much responsibility for themselves and their healthcare as their conditions and resources will permit. 3. Healthcare must be coordinated at one site and most desirably within the community of residence for the youth and family. Schools: 1. School-based health programs and education should work together to ensure that youth with special healthcare needs have obtainable health and mental health services that are culturally, clinically, and developmentally suitable for them at school. 2. Increased information on staying healthy with nutrition and physical activity in spite of the disability must be made available at school in various user-friendly formats. 3. Disability awareness and sensitivity for peers and teachers in the school and community areas should be reinforced through educational materials and training opportunities. 4. Efforts to develop physical activity opportunities in schools and communities must be designed to include youth and also be adapted for them when necessary. The Community:1. Community-based health promotion and health education opportunities accessible for teens must be designed and adapted when needed to include youth with and without special needs.2. Funding for appropriate equipment, supports, and services must be available to the youth with disabilities at the community level so as to enable them to gain skills and knowledge specific to health. 3. Regular opportunities to interact with other individuals with disabilities for peer-to-peer support should be offered to the disabled teenagers. 4. Programs related to transition should include opportunities and support for adolescents with special healthcare needs. Opportunities should also be provided to them to interact with positive adult role models who have special healthcare needs. 5. Parent-to-parent support should be developed beyond the early years of intervention.6. Opportunities for developing skills as managers and decision-makers of their own healthcare must be augmented with collaborative efforts between professionals, the youth, and family members.7. Programs that aim to improve the overall quality of life should comprise of instructions about diminishing health-related risks in areas such as stress, nutrition, sexuality, physical activity, and smoking. Due to lowered expectation and system barriers this information does not reach the adolescents with special healthcare needs even though it is important for enhancing their overall health. 8. The accessibility of recreation, schools, and healthcare should be promoted by the community in accordance to the regulations of the ADA. |
| | | This program has offered a remedial education to a vulnerable youth. The pre-employment strategy ending with internship programs provides a paid work experience for the youth. |
| | | Several youth members under the program benefited immensely on completion of their education and most of them have gone on to become successful employees/entrepreneurs. The program offered scholarship to students and youth so as to facilitate a smooth transition to higher education and skilled employment opportunities. The all-round development of the youth was sought to be established through the program objectives and guidelines. The initial inhibition exhibited by the youth were overcome through the successful implementation of the program. |
| | | The outcomes of the youth development programs are measured by the effects of a program after the program ends. They require positive expensive follow up. Too many outcome studies simply assume a causal connection between a given service and a good outcome. This is difficult to prove for a program that merely fills a small gap in a youth’s day. Interviewees for this evaluation believe that creating a strong relationship is the best way to engage youth. 1. Create a sense of either usefulness or fun or both. 2. Ask the young person and, if possible, his or her parents, to make an up-front commitment. 3. Provide training, enrichment, a monetary reward, or all three, in exchange for commitment. 4. Involve the family and/or other social supports. 5. Adopt a useful method of tracking progress, the services youth are getting. 6. Stay flexible. |
| | | The Australian governments recognized the need for good quality information on the health of young people in Australia. This report provided better means to improve the information available on the health and well being of Australian youth. There remained a number of important gaps in the data available and deficiencies in existing information that included the lack of adequate information on the physical, biomedical and behavioral risk factors affecting youth health; lack of a measure of health status and well being for the 12-17 year olds; and inability to link determinants of health with health status, especially over time. The identification of such data gaps and deficiencies provided a basis for the progress of an improved national research campaign on youth health. |
| | | Cluster evaluations conducted by the AYF indicated that strategies adopted to increase youth participation were very successful and provided many opportunities for young people at all levels, through participation in action research as well as in service delivery projects (AYF Strategic Plan 1997 - 2000). Ongoing reviews of the literature indicate the continuing relevance of AYF’s portfolio areas. Additional issues were also noted as a concern to young people, including the environment, family life, the increasing gap between rich and poor and the role of technology. In 1999, AYF sponsored a new Australasian Evaluation Society Award for Best Evaluation in Community Development involving youth participation in the design and/or conduct of the evaluation. The award was not given in its first year due to a poor quality of applications, however, it was an area in which the AYF was interested in pursuing. |
| | | The program faced resistance during implementation in the form of lack of infrastructure, frequent power cuts, and difficult terrain. Hence the program’s implementation was restricted by the availability of limited resources. The resistance to change, divided opinions and caste politics were some of the psycho-social barriers that came in the way of program implementation. The sponsors understood that in order to make the program sustainable in the long run, the recovery of project costs and also the generation of revenue from the program was imperative. The absence of a minimum level of education rendered the vocational training as ineffective. The visible lack of responsibilities and risk-taking capabilities of the rural youth stood as an impediment in nurturing entrepreneurial talent. Hence the vocational training program was to be supported with guidance on risk assessment and career counseling. |
| | | Taking the numerous limitations that were apparent during the research, the following recommendations are being made for future researchers: A) Programs promoting positive citizenship should adopt multiple strategies. Such strategies prove more effective especially when used in a short-term basis as in the case proved by Quantum Opportunities. B) Reports indication the presence of a definite association between individual, familial, social factors and positive citizenship. C) Adolescents need to be guided and motivated to engage themselves in various communal activities. This gives them a sense of responsibility. D) Results may vary, however, an effective program to yield more positive results needs to be intense and spread out over a longer period preferably many months for positive citizenship is not something to be inculcated on a one shot basis. E) Benchmarks for positive citizenship need to be clarified. F) Resources for data accumulation need to be strengthened. G) Considering the more number of variable factors and quality of data solicited during these surveys, a variety of long-term analysis and evaluation methods could help study each of these factors in more detail. H) A more intense study is needed on the factors that intervene in positive citizenship and various intervention strategies and their impact. I) More number of researches to be encouraged to focus on adolescents. J) A process of long-term follow-up action is required to test program effectiveness. K) Considering that the effects of the program slowly decreases after one year, as in the case of Learn and Serve study, the main aim of the program should be clearly arrived at. Whether we need to produce citizens who are involved only for a short period or are we looking at an individual’s lifetime commitment of positive citizenship, is a point to be decided. |
| | | All the concrete works and programs under study in the research were situated in particular national contexts, focused on different groups of unemployed young people, aimed at different targets and objectives and working according to different procedures and instruments. This made it very difficult to compare all the concrete Education, Training and Guidance initiatives that were subjected to the case studies. Nonetheless, some general lessons can be drawn out of their investigations. The research connected each of these findings to more concrete implications for policy concerning labor and unemployment and concerning the organization of Education, Training and Guidance for unemployed young adults. |
| | | The BCYF represented a new model of regional cooperation that aimed to increase the effectiveness, scale, and sustainability of existing programs and approaches within the region. This helped the project to be implemented successfully, which directly enhanced the working conditions of the youth in the Balkan Region. |
| | | Youth participation in developmental and motivational activities will imbue them with the confidence to carry out their other activities such as education, training or employment successfully. |
| | | The people at BU are involved in developing programs and activities for “at risk” youth that offer real alternatives and hope for the future. Every year BU implements innovative and cooperative programs with neighborhoods, schools, businesses, government, and public interest groups that help youth to make personal transformations on the positive side. The youth are growing up in neighborhoods where the reality of gangs, violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and poverty is the rule. Instead of seeing youth as the problem, BU empowered them so that they learn how to deal with life's challenges without the use of violence and drugs. BU provides youth with the qualities and values they will need to transform their lives and the society. Youth crime in the country is projected to more than double over the next decade. The FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) reports nearly one-half million youth are involved in gangs. For BU, these statistics enforce expansion and replication of its activities and initiatives. |
| | | The project continuously endeavored to achieve its goals. The youth worked hard, both mentally and physically, in keeping them literally active and involved in the program initiative. The project helped the youth to enjoy and grow through its various activities. It emphasized on creating leadership and employment opportunities for the youth. |
| | | The research program introduced an innovative work experience program, “Reuse It Recycling”, with a commitment to the environment and a healthy community. “Reuse It Recycling” offered a recycling program to small and medium sized businesses tailored to suit the needs of the customer. The program’s Construction Taxi service provided waste and debris removal from construction and home improvement sites. Any materials that can be re-used are donated to Habitat for Humanity or used by Reuse It’s Product Development department. “Reuse It” provided two types of work experience placements to youth, which included contracts of six months to a year in the Job Creation Partnership, or short-term workplace trials in the Community Co-op program. Through the Job Creation Partnership, ten participants per year are hired for six to twelve month contracts. These placements are geared toward those who have had some prior attachment to the labor market and who want to update or enhance particular skills. The Community Co-op work trials program offered youth-at-risk their first taste of the work world. The one to four week volunteer placements allow participants to build transferable skills, enhance their resume, and earn a work reference. Many youth in the co-op program are Employment Planning and Preparation (EPP) clients who may be headed into Job Development Placement Services (JDPS). |
| | | The transition process presents a compelling argument for designing transition systems around a solid framework of promising strategies that facilitate the vocational, social and community transition of these young people. The complex challenges of the transition process of the young people and their unique needs pose a major challenge to parents, practitioners, administrators, and policy makers. The consequences of being set adrift during transition can be tragic if these young people are left without social or independent living skills and community support. To be effective, professionals and community members must continue to address the complex, multiple, and interrelated needs of this population across the four transition domains of employment, educational opportunities, living situation and community-life adjustment. |
| | | This project has been beneficial to all the participants. It has helped the youth to develop and enhance the quality of their lives. This project also includes volunteering, tutoring, peer counseling, and field trips which makes the youth to become successful in their future. |
| | | The program felt that in order to facilitate a change in individual behavior, which has to be sustained, an environment enabling positive change must exist in the family and community. Moreover, it felt that communities could be empowered only through participatory processes involving local institutions, leaders, community groups and members in the analysis of local concerns, followed by the design, implementation and evaluation of community-based programs. CEDPA has been successful in integrating all the above-mentioned factors and facilitated youth development activities. |
| | | The Better Life Options Program, which was implemented in India since 1989 facilitated long-term changes to the lives of low-income girls and young women that were documented descriptively but not quantitatively. Therefore, the need to quantify the impact on the lives of the alumnae girls was felt. In order to strengthen and expand the program in the future, it was imperative to elucidate the direct and indirect benefits experienced by the alumnae. The researchers in the project study had difficulties in locating some of the program alumnae. As participation in the program was voluntary, there was a self-selection bias towards girls who were more educated. Due to lack of data to compare pre- and post-intervention attitudes and behavior, it was felt that external factors were also responsible for the positive behavior changes. The project study revealed that the proportion of dropouts from school was significantly higher in BLP compared to the controls, but the number of girls completing school was higher in BLP. Among those who were school dropouts, however, none of the control group re-enrolled compared to 3% of the BLP. This was most significant for the BGMS alumnae since it indicates a need for the program to strengthen its efforts at ensuring that girls either stayed in school or re-enrolled in school. |
| | | 1. In order to streamline the procedures regarding the public policies adopted to govern the State and to reposition policy on “work and skills” and the linkage and NSW undertook the research and study. 2. On skills formation, usage of skills and the work concept, the BVET audit observed in their findings that the current government policies and practices threw a lot of impact and did much more to labor. 3. BVET could sponsor a new “work, skills and innovative” ideas like document existing successful initiatives and company successes, and cherished development and evolution of a number of new demonstration eco system. 4. It was also pointed out that BVET should consider ways of enlarging the network of agents who can develop and implement policy concern skills formation and deployment. As a minimum BVET should consider an annual meeting to facilitate inter communication among all agents involved in the above. 5. BVET should investigate into other key categories for monitoring and distribution of finances, particularly for skill eco systems special attention should be given for financial assistance and promotion. |
| | | The primary supports sector should be evaluated within a public discussion. The segment should be brought on the schedule of researchers, practitioners dealing in childcare and families, and policy makers. The study draws attention to the views of the program directors. Many facets of the primary supports programs and their part in the community are yet to be studied. The feelings and opinions of the participants’ families and the participants themselves should be gathered to have a thorough knowledge of the importance of primary supports program and the part played in the participants’ lives to truly understand the role it plays in youth development. Moreover, research should be made on the availability of the primary supports programs in various communities. Many facts are yet to be known about the youth using them and also about the programs that are undeserved, overlooked, or excluded. Important questions regarding the factors that induce a feeling of accessibility to the youth and psychological/social access need to be answered. Also, questions regarding the importance of ethnicity, gender, and race with respect to utilization, value, and interest of primary supports need to be answered also. |
| | | The five-point plan proposed in this report distributes the responsibility for creation of jobs among community organizations, workers, business owners, and the governments. Of the five measures advocated, any one measure alone will help to produce results. If all five were performed, then they will result in an even larger employment pay-off due to the synergies between activities. This will result in approximately 350,000 to 500,000 jobs over a period of three years. Individuals will feel more confident to start small businesses if public agencies were not discarding tens of thousands of jobs. Consumer spending and confidence will be higher if fewer job loss results from corporate downsizing. A greater economic security and a more positive employment scenario will offer confidence to reduce work schedules in the individuals |
| | | The guide observed that organizing a demonstration was not easy as it looked from the outside. The guide assisted youth in organizing demonstrations, signs and chants, and organizing peace camps. This required identifying and reaching out to more youth and other people in helping to form a coalition. Campaigns such as these worked best when they were undertaken by an alliance of like-minded youth groups and individuals. This contributed to bringing together a key group of people committed to the project. It also proved useful to reach out to many other young groups that can contribute to the objectives of the demonstration. |
| | | The youth participants benefited from the program in a number of ways. The assistance and training provided to the youth-at-risk was helpful in changing their life for the better. The objective of the campaign to reduce the number of youth in detention facilities and the prevention of teen pregnancy and child abuse was achieved through a process of continuous development. |
| | | The project helped identify and improve the living conditions of the black minority youth residing in Canada. This has been one of the main positive outcomes of this project. |
| | | The program achieved considerable success and indicated a significant enhancement in student aptitude levels and revealed significant lower dropout rates from schools. The students were empowered to attain higher status and leadership positions in science, medicine, industry and public life. The program needed to take cognizance of the socio-economic-politico parameters while implementing similar programs in the two countries. Since the human element of the program is subject to show a lot of variance, necessary care and regard need to be attached while implementing mutually beneficial programs. |
| | | BYF ignited progressive changes on the process of accomplishing the mission of BYCC. BYF program effectively affected many other areas concerned with thousands of Boston's' youth. A dramatic drop was recorded in the Boston's youth violence. BYF is one of the contributing factors to the dramatic drop in the youth violence. President Clinton, during his visit to Boston in 1997, mentioned the BYF as one of the in directly related factor, which caused the fall in youth violence. The young participants are hailing from different backgrounds. The participants are different from each other at the beginning of the program being the only common thing among the fellow workers is uniform. The youth develop unity during the summer camp along with long lasting relationships for a lifetime. The program acts as a venue to bring the youth together in the right track. The program helped Boston’s youth to create a sense of community and pride by working together, which helped the youth to develop into better people and citizens. BYF encouraged the youth to complete college studies by adding educational components to their program. BYF complements the parents desire to make their child a success when comparing to them. A better-educated work force becomes substantial on the economic impact. The city of Boston now acquired the status of one of the most desirable cities through out the nation. BYF helped in reducing the crime rates. The city has high rent rates but the vacancies are still low. The rents in Boston remain high, with low vacancies, which require the youth to take an active part to retain the growth and success. |
| | | The youth development program was implemented with the prime objective towards improving the quality of life for youth and the community by providing venues for skills training and competition. The successful launch of events like the USABA World Series Baseball Tournament, Victoria Commonwealth Games, BC Games and the North American Indigenous Games demonstrated that a strong youth volunteer force was one of the greatest resources in Victoria. Volunteers were a critical part of Braefoot activities and formed its central theme. They acted as the directors in overseeing and running programs and projects. They managed events, calculated, budgeted, provided input, planned, and developed employable and marketable skills. |
| | | The program proved a success by providing opportunities to at-risk youth, which they would never have dreamt of. The program through their various outreach programs continues serving the under-privileged youth. |
| | | The spread of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in under developed or developing country needs to be initiated, sustained and promoted on a sustainable basis by harnessing the potentials of youth. The program faced impediments in the form of lack of infrastructure in the remote rural communities, youth inhibition and resistance to change and lack of basic education in understanding advanced IT-related concepts. |
| | | Employers tend to lose out on skillful and capable prospective employees if they reject them on the basis of their disability alone. Disability is not reason enough to disregard an individual for a job. This program minimizes such an occurrence and also provides youth with a chance to be judged on the basis of their talents. If this project should continue to be successful, the staff should be able to always know and meet employers’ business needs. The youth, on the other hand, find the experience very worthy as they are considered on the basis of their skills and not their disabilities. This increases their self-esteem and confidence even before they enter the workplace. The staff involved in the program is very much responsible for this. |
| | | 1. Disabled youth need to have computers and other leading technologies, Internet access and instructional content. These should be appropriate to their needs and should not create any barriers for their access.
2. Lack of knowledge of the stakeholders about the appropriate technologies and finding funds to obtain them were the main problems.
3. It was also found that there is a lack of trained professionals knowledgeable about various technologies.
4. Bureaucratic hurdles in insurance companies and at other organizations also posed problems. |
| | | Through the availability of different types of grants, the program strived to strengthen the brotherhood of Y's men throughout the world. The BF movement set aside some money annually for the administration of the Fund and to support the travel of youth, which enabled it to allocate the funds in the right time. The international conventions empowered the youth to develop their potential and capabilities to that of international standards. |
| | | This center allows the youth to acquire hands-on experience in work environment, thus it helps them to gain an excellent chance for preparing themselves to face the real challenges in life. On-the- job learning provides an opportunity for the students to learn and earn simultaneously. This helps them to be hired into companies and earn paycheck while they evolve into successful employees. This program has utilized various tools for developing youth skills in classroom and field endeavors. These people thus learn to appreciate the beauty of world and their surroundings through excursions and field trips; for example, they went to Letchworth State Park and the Chautauqua Institute. At YO! Buffalo, education is delivered in traditional way and the youth are also counseled in fields like violence, parenting, drug/alcohol abuse, and responsible sexual behavior so as to transform them into matured individuals. |
| | | This project did help the youth in leading a sustainable and secure future by exposing them to different situations and imparting various skills and abilities. This had resulted in their increased earnings. The youth did also get a chance of facing critical circumstances thereby increasing their self-esteem and confidence levels. |
| | | The research program indicated that parents and students have high expectations for work after high school. It emphasized on providing early and frequent opportunities for career exploration and planning that facilitated the fulfillment of the expectations. It enabled the introduction of the concept of transition from school to work for all students as early as possible, because it was likely that students who are working while in school will have an easier time finding a job after high school. It prompted school staff to keep in mind the particular interests expressed by students with respect to the importance of work. Knowing that students rank earning a living and meeting new people as the most important aspects of work might help in designing various school-based efforts to promote career exploration and work experience. It facilitated the development and implementation of career-related curricula and materials, which contained language and activities that reflected students' values related to work. It included competitive employment as part of students' Individual Educational Plans (IEP) and developed career portfolios for each student, which contained information about the student's activities involving employment, such as work experience, internships, or job training. It forged partnerships with local school-to-work programs as a way to link students with opportunities in local businesses. The program was helpful in connecting students and parents as planning partners. It recognized that students and parents have differing views regarding expectations for work and beliefs in the student's level of self-determination. These differences in perception suggested that communication was an important area to focus on, particularly at the onset of the transition process. Parents and students who understand each other's ideas will be better able to work together to reach employment goals. It emphasized on the early discussions of career-related issues with students and actively supported student participation with teachers and parents in the discussions related to their IEP by reviewing meeting agendas in advance and assisting them in developing questions and responses. |
| | | The program revealed that homeless and “at-risk” youth couldn’t leave the streets until they are stable. This mental stability is achieved by engaging them in counseling, accessing support services, and commitment to change. Under the initiative, the objectives were realized by assigning a case manager with each youth to stabilize their situation and find acceptable alternatives than living on the streets. |
| | | YRDC has a positive lasting effect on neighborhoods and individuals. The programs ensure future employability and self-sufficiency of youth while strengthening the organizations that form the foundation of the community. The youth are given an opportunity to work more, to change their lives for the better, and to earn more and give back to the community where they live. The curriculum is designed to instill an appreciation of civic responsibility, ensure employability, and to build self-esteem. The participants acquire basic skills and learn the techniques of attaining and keeping a job. YRDC works in tandem with the correctional system, schools, and social service agencies to determine those young women and men most in need of intervention. |
| | | The findings presented in this report provide insights into the opportunities and challenges that high schools and local employers face as they seek to build constructive partnerships.- The report suggests several lessons that can guide the development of employer partnerships and work-related learning opportunities for students in the context of Career Academies or other school-to-work programs.- The Career Academies Evaluation provides a unique opportunity to compare the experiences of students who applied for and were selected to attend a Career Academy with those of students who also applied but were not selected to attend a Career Academy. - Students in the study’s Academy group were also more likely to work, and they were more likely to work in jobs that were connected to school. - While career awareness and work-based learning activities were also available outside the Academies, students in the study’s Academy group participated more frequently and more intensively than their peers who did not have the opportunity to attend an Academy. - Students in the Academy group were more likely than their non-Academy group counterparts to be employed during high school. They were also more likely to be employed in jobs that were connected to school and that incorporated "high" levels of work-based learning content. - Over half the students who were initially selected to enroll in a Career Academy did not participate intensively in career awareness and development activities or were not involved in work-based learning activities. |
| | | The organizations plan for growth has exceeded every stakeholder expectation. The Harlem Children’s Zone aims to cover 91 blocks in Harlem, serving more than 16,000 youth, by the end of the final phase in 2009.
The organizers are motivated by the prospect of serving thousands of youth in the years to come.
With the active support from The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation and the consulting firm Bridgespan Group, the organization went through a process of self-discovery and learning that uncovered its strengths and weaknesses. The outcome of this initiative paved the way for an ambitious, long-term business plan that would help guide the organization in becoming stronger and more self-sufficient. |
| | | The program strived to develop skills and provided a stimulating and enjoyable learning experience that is easy to use for both educators and learners. Great care was taken in designing the program and it was ensured that the skills acquired were applicable to the types of business the participants were likely to start. The learners also had the opportunity to apply the principles learnt in the life skills and business skills modules in their practical lives. The program successfully incorporated Business Development Officers. They provided clients with business management skills and facilitated the establishment and sustainability of client businesses through a combination of recruitment, selection, training, mentoring, counseling, business plan development and after-care support services in line with course guidelines. These services greatly helped the program and the youth learners in developing their communication, teamwork and negotiation skills. |
| | | The lesson learnt through this project is that by making the latest technology assessable to the city's at-risk population empowers the community. By using the latest communication technologies, the employers and the at-risk youth get connected. The employers can get the right person, at the right time. Before implementing the project, the Youth employment center may provide some basic training to the youth about the information and communication technologies. This could enable the project to be implemented efficiently. |
| | | Though the youth members of the corps were provided with good training, they received only lower paying jobs than youth in other peer groups. The CCC participants were generally disadvantaged, underserved and youth who are school dropouts. In 1997, only 50% of the participants were allotted employment opportunities. An effective strategy in human resources placement can set right this grievance and facilitate project sustainability in the long run. |
| | | The foundation crystallized a strategic plan for Native American grant making by converging the foundation’s interests with the interests of Native America. Within this plan, it considered some of the unique facets of Native history and present circumstances. It also considered the grant-making component to be a long-term initiative, paired with the foundations’ other initiatives. The foundation considered providing direct assistance to grassroots and community based Native projects to support Native individuals, institutions and the restoration of community capacity in Native America. The foundation also considered grant-making as part of a partnership, where both the foundation and the community worked through an open and cooperative process to build a stronger initiative and expand the work necessary for the youth of the community. |
| | | One of the primary concerns of the guide was to ensure sustainability of the camp. This was done by working in collaboration with various NGOs that address gender issues and working with the chosen camp leaders during the camp so that further leadership camps could be organized. The volunteers, involved in Camp GLOW and other girls’ leadership camps, developed innovative ways to ensure that the campers applied what they learned at the camp when they returned home. In Poland, for example, past participants started Clubs GLOW at local high schools and created a girls’ magazine called “Iron Daisies”. One of the expected outcomes of a leadership camp in South Africa was that girls’ leadership clubs were started in the communities where the participants lived. Volunteers in Namibia held a series of GLOW workshops, where the girls learned how to s |
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