Youth development practitioners have a great need for quality professional development resources. The Building Partnerships for Youth project is a partnership of National 4-H Council and The University of Arizona designed to provide research-based, practical, applied resources. To achieve the project goal, a Web site containing a menu of effective youth development programs, fact sheets, training opportunities, and other useful information has been developed. This collection of materials was designed to be useful to Extension educators, as well as health and education professionals

Roebuck, James

Tepper, Karen Hoffman

English

Clemson University: TigerPrints

The Journal of Extension Volume 44 Number 2 Article 28 4-1-2006 Building Partnerships for Youth: An Online Youth Development Resource Center Karen Hoffman Tepper University of Arizona, karenht@ag.arizona.edu James Roebuck University of Arizona, roebuck@ag.arizona.edu This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License. Recommended Citation Tepper, K. H., & Roebuck, J. (2006). Building Partnerships for Youth: An Online Youth Development Resource Center. The Journal of Extension, 44(2), Article 28. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/joe/vol44/iss2/28 This Tools of the Trade is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Journal of Extension by an authorized editor of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact kokeefe@clemson.edu. 	 JOEHOME JOURNAL GUIDELINES ABOUT	JOE CONTACT NATIONAL	JOB	BANKCurrent	Issues Back	IssuesApril	2006	//	Volume	44	//	Number	2	//	Tools	of	the	Trade	//	2TOT40Building	Partnerships	for	Youth:	An	Online	Youth	DevelopmentResource	CenterAbstractYouth	development	practitioners	have	a	great	need	for	quality	professional	developmentresources.	The	Building	Partnerships	for	Youth	project	is	a	partnership	of	National	4-H	Counciland	The	University	of	Arizona	designed	to	provide	research-based,	practical,	applied	resources.To	achieve	the	project	goal,	a	Web	site	containing	a	menu	of	effective	youth	developmentprograms,	fact	sheets,	training	opportunities,	and	other	useful	information	has	been	developed.This	collection	of	materials	was	designed	to	be	useful	to	Extension	educators,	as	well	as	healthand	education	professionals.	IntroductionResearch	has	found	that	quality	youth	development	programs	are	effective	in	promoting	positivebehaviors	while	reducing	negative	outcomes,	for	young	people	(National	Research	Council	andInstitute	of	Medicine,	2002).	One	key	to	building	effective	programs	that	provide	the	greatestbenefit	to	young	people	is	through	increasing	access	to	professional	development	opportunitiesthrough	training	and	technical	assistance	(National	Youth	Development	Information	Center,	2005).In	support	of	this	effort,	the	Building	Partnerships	for	Youth	project	(BPY)	developed	an	on-lineyouth	development	resource	center	for	Extension	educators	and	health	professionals	who	workwith	young	people	ages	nine	to	13.	Through	a	partnership	between	National	4-H	Council	and	theUniversity	of	Arizona,	and	with	funding	from	the	Centers	for	Disease	Control	and	Prevention	(CDC),Division	of	Adolescent	and	School	Health,	BPY	provides	youth	development	resources	and	supportsto	Extension	educators,	health	professionals,	and	those	working	in	the	field	of	youth	developmentthrough	an	extensive	and	easy-to-use	Web	site.Visitors	to	the	BPY	Web	site	<http://bpy.n4h.org>	find	an	array	of	resources,	including,	an	ever-expanding	database	of	youth	development	programs.	Users	have	access	to	multiple	methods	ofsearching	the	database,	e.g.,	descriptive	keywords,	program	characteristics,	or	elements	of	youthdevelopment.	They	also	discover	a	youth	development	bibliography,	informative	fact	sheets,timely	e-bulletins,	configurable	PowerPoint	presentations,	and	training	opportunities.History	of	Building	Partnerships	for	YouthIn	June	2000,	National	4-H	Council	in	collaboration	with	the	University	of	Arizona	and	the	Universityof	California-Davis	entered	into	a	cooperative	agreement	with	the	CDC,	to	provide	resources	andsupport	to	national,	state,	and	local	organizations	working	with	youth	ages	nine	to	13	to	helppromote	abstinence	from	sexual	activity.	Youth	development	was	presented	as	an	alternativestrategy	to	traditional	abstinence	curricula	and	programs,	as	a	means	of	preventing	the	spread	ofKaren	Hoffman	TepperResearch	Specialistkarenht@ag.arizona.eduJames	RoebuckResearch	Specialistroebuck@ag.arizona.eduUniversity	of	ArizonaTucson,	ArizonaHIV/AIDS,	STDs,	and	unintended	pregnancy,	and	promoting	the	healthy	development	of	all	youngpeople.When	this	project	began,	youth	development	was	a	relatively	new	construct	for	many	within	thepublic	health	community.	The	introduction	and	use	of	this	approach	has	provided	an	opportunityfor	increased	visibility	within	this	context	for	youth	development	professionals	within	theCooperative	Extension	System.	The	resulting	project	focuses	on	providing	resources	thatemphasize	a	youth	development	approach	not	only	as	a	means	of	encouraging	the	prevention	ofrisky	behaviors	but	also	as	a	means	of	promoting	positive	developmental	opportunities	to	enhancethe	well-being	of	young	people.This	effort	began	with	the	belief	that	three	strategies	are	important	in	the	development	ofprograms	that	encourage	young	people	to	make	healthy	choices:	youth-adult	partnerships,	cross-age	teaching,	and	stakeholder	involvement.	These	three	strategies,	along	with	a	belief	that	a	focuson	nine	to	13-year-olds	is	essential,	became	the	basis	for	the	BPY	project	and	the	resulting	Website.Using	Research	as	a	GuideDeveloping	a	Web	site	rooted	in	research	required	an	understanding	of	the	current	youthdevelopment	literature.	In	early	2001,	an	extensive	literature	review	was	conducted	to	provide	theframework	for	the	BPY	project	and	Web	site.	A	team	of	six	professionals	reviewed	more	than	100journal	articles,	foundation	reports,	Web	sites,	and	publications	by	non-governmental	andvoluntary	youth-serving	organization,	with	the	goal	of	examining	the	theory	base,	empiricalsupport,	language	used,	definitions	of,	and	elements	included	in	youth	development.	The	Web	siteis	based	on	a	framework	developed	as	a	result	of	this	literature	review	completed	in	June	2001.Twenty-One	Elements	of	Youth	DevelopmentOn	the	basis	of	that	review,	we	determined	that	existing	youth	development	research	and	theoryhad	identified	21	unique	elements	of	youth	development.	The	Web	site	includes	in-depthinformation	about	these	elements,	including	definitions,	fact	sheets,	e-bulletins,	and	trainingarchives.The	literature	review	also	uncovered	a	number	of	characteristics	of	youth	development	programsdeemed	to	be	important	for	program	administrators.	The	characteristics	were	related	to	either	theproject	goal	of	promoting	abstinence	from	sexual	intercourse	(i.e.,	does	the	program	addresssexuality/abstinence?)	or	the	larger	goal	of	positive	youth	development	(i.e.,	does	the	programprovide	young	people	with	the	opportunity	to	volunteer	in	the	larger	community?).	Thesecharacteristics	along	with	the	21	elements	of	youth	development	became	the	guiding	frameworkfor	the	BPY	Web	site.Program	DatabaseThis	framework	has	been	used	to	code	youth	development	curricula	and	program	options	to	beentered	into	the	database	and	available	on	the	Web	site.	The	database	currently	includes	59programs.The	Web	site	offers	interactive	ways	to	search	the	database.	Users	may	search	and	locateprograms	by	identifying	program	activities,	by	selecting	among	the	21	elements	of	youthdevelopment,	or	by	entering	descriptive	keywords,	or	they	may	also	browse	all	the	programs.	Eachprogram	in	the	database	is	coded	using	the	framework	described	above.	The	screen	below	showsthe	main	page	for	the	Crossroads:	Teens	Making	Ethical	Decisions	program.	Information	on	eachelement	and	program	characteristic	is	available	by	clicking	on	the	tabs	along	the	top	of	the	screen.Figure	1.Building	Partnerships	for	Youth	Screen	ShotSummaryIn	February	2005,	a	new	and	improved	version	of	the	Web	site	was	launched.	The	redesigned	Website	offers	visitors	easier	navigation,	increased	accessibility,	and	more	user-friendly	features.Currently	the	BPY	team	is	completing	two	new	products	to	be	available	in	early	2006.	The	firstproduct	is	a	customizable	tool	to	increase	collaboration	around	youth	development	It	is	comprisedof	a	PowerPoint	presentation	template	and	a	manual	providing	instructions	for	customizing	thepresentation	to	reflect	your	community.	The	second	product	is	an	online	youth	developmentprogram	assessment	tool	designed	to	help	those	working	with	youth	to	determine	a	program'sability	to	address	each	of	the	21	elements	of	youth	development.	Once	a	program	is	assessmentthe	tool	then	provides	relevant	resources	to	help	integrate	these	elements	into	existing	programs.We	invite	you	to	visit	the	BPY	Web	site	<http://bpy.n4h.org>,	sign	up	for	our	e-bulletin	to	receiveupdates,	learn	more	about	the	project,	and	provide	your	input.ReferencesNational	Research	Council	and	Institute	of	Medicine.	(2002).	After-school	programs	to	promotechild	and	adolescent	development:	Summary	of	a	workshop.	Committee	on	Community-LevelPrograms	for	Youth.	J.	A.	Gootman,	Ed.	Board	on	Children,	Youth	and	Families,	Commission	onBehavioral	and	Social	Sciences	and	Education.	Washington,	DC:	National	Academy	Press.National	Youth	Development	Information	Center.	(2005).	Professional	development.	RetrievedAugust	1,	2005	http://www.nydic.org/nydic/staffing/profdevelopment/index.htmCopyright	©	by	Extension	Journal,	Inc.	ISSN	1077-5315.	Articles	appearing	in	the	Journal	become	the	property	of	theJournal.	 Single	 copies	 of	 articles	may	 be	 reproduced	 in	 electronic	 or	 print	 form	 for	 use	 in	 educational	 or	 trainingactivities.	Inclusion	of	articles	in	other	publications,	electronic	sources,	or	systematic	large-scale	distribution	may	bedone	only	with	prior	electronic	or	written	permission	of	the	Journal	Editorial	Office,	joe-ed@joe.org.If	you	have	difficulties	viewing	or	printing	this	page,	please	contact	JOE	Technical	Support©	Copyright	by	Extension	Journal,	Inc.	ISSN	1077-5315.	Copyright	Policy

Building Partnerships for Youth: An Online Youth Development Resource Center

https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4432&context=joe

Building Partnerships for Youth: An Online Youth Development Resource Center

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Clemson University: TigerPrints