Leadership Skill Development & Youth Development

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The links below will take you away from the MYAN site to other weblinks we think you will find helpful.

Add Verb Productions: Add Verb Productions Arts & Education awakens community-based action and understanding of social issues through theatre, creative expression and dialogue. Based in Portland, Maine, Add Verb works locally and nationally to incite dialogue and change around critical social issues. Across the nation, Add Verb's issue-based touring plays are instigating understanding and action around such complex problems as eating disorders, bullying and harassment, dating violence and sexual assault. The plays are followed up by a panel discussion with campus and local advocates, enabling communities to coordinate with their local resources to respond to the issues and take action.

Building Partnerships for Youth: Building Partnerships for Youth is a partnership between National 4-H Council and the University of Arizona designed to build the capacity of societal institutions that work with young people. This project will support professionals in educational, health, faith-based, and voluntary youth organizations to facilitate the intentional integration of youth development concepts and approaches into policies and programs.

Center for Student Leadership, Ethics & Public Service: The Center's mission is to provide unique learning experiences that embody the value of leadership, service, responsible citizenship and ethics. Whether you are looking for a volunteer event, a way to enhance your leadership skills, or a chance to meet like-minded students, check them out.

City Year: City Year unites young people of all backgrounds, ages 17-24, for a demanding year of community service and leadership development in 17 U.S. communities and Johannesburg, South Africa.

Community Matters: They serve as a source of information, expertise and programs to empower young people to be effective peacemakers and involved citizens who transform their schools and communities. Find news, research & resources.

Compass Project: The Compass Project envisions the development of innovative experiential programs such as boatbuilding, rowing, sailing, at-sea schooner programs, family boatbuilding and community gig building programs that will engage hard-to-reach youth in personal development and community building.

Colorado Youth Leadership Network: CYLN was formed in 2006 with the goal of connecting youth and adults around Colorado who are interested in youth leadership. More specifically, the network is committed to creating a state-wide resource bank and identifying all of the fine youth leadership efforts and opportunities taking place around the state.

Find Youth Info: This website offers federally-developed interactive tools and other resources to help community organizations and partnerships in your efforts to support youth. Included are tools and resources to help you form effective partnerships, assess community assets, understand risk factors and protective factors, generate maps of local and federal resources, and search for evidence-based youth programs.

Freechild Project: The Freechild Project is a resource, training, and consultation program working with individuals and organizations around the world. They focus on a variety of topics, including youth voice, youth-led activism, meaningful youth involvement, and youth-adult partnerships.

Hugh O'Brien Youth Leadership: Founded in 1958, HOBY’s mission is to provide lifelong leadership development opportunities that empower individuals to achieve their highest potential. HOBY programs are conducted annually throughout the United States, serving local and international high school students.

Keeping America's Promise: An alliance of organizations which have made a top priority of ensuring that all young people graduate from high school ready for college, work and life. Their work involves raising awareness, encouraging action and engaging in advocacy.

Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network: JYAN is designed to develop youth leaders in the areas of advocacy, public education and capacity building in the areas of sexual and reproductive health, violence prevention, care and protection (including persons with disabilities), employment and entrepreneurship, education and training.

Journal of Youth Development: Good source for youth development articles. You can subscribe for free as well as find back issues of the journal.

Innovation Center for Community Youth Development: The Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development connects thinkers and leaders of all ages to develop fresh ideas, forge new partnerships, and design strategies that engage young people and their communities.

Maine Youth Leadership: Since 1978, Maine Youth Leadership (MYL) has worked with Maine youth to seek out, recognize and develop their leadership skills. Our goal is to motivate Maine's future leaders and create a network of civic-minded students who will better their communities through volunteering. Our programs encourage and assist students at critical times in their quest for self- identification and development and we provide give-and-take discussions with thought leaders and role models from across Maine society.

Multicultural Youth Leadership: On this website, find a curriculum module for youth professionals to address culture, leadership, identity & empowerment with diverse youth ages 14-18. This curriculum is FREE and available for any program working on leadership skills with multi-ethnic young people ages 14-18. This curriculum module helps young people explore their own experiences of culture and leadership. Youth will explore the complex relationships between leadership, choices and culture. They will learn about mainstream, traditional and bridge-building leadership styles, and will begin to build bridges in their own lives.

National Youth Development Information Center: National Youth Development Information Center is a one-stop website for youth workers with interest in any and all of the following areas: funding, programming, research, policy, job and training opportunities. NYDIC also provides current news to the youth development field and has one of the largest online online libraries, providing practice-related information at low-cost or no cost. NYDIC provides constant opportunities for practitioners to share knowledge and experience, enabling them to build the best practice in the field of youth development.

National Youth Leadership Forum: Since 1992, the National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF) has empowered more than 50,000 high-achieving high school and university students with the confidence to make well-informed career choices and position themselves for today's challenging and diverse job market.

National Youth Leadership Network: NYLN"s mission is to promote youth leadership and education. We teach young people how to advocate. Our goal is to make sure that young people with disabilities have the chance to set and reach their own goals.

Next Generation Coalition: The Next Generation Youth Work Coalition brings together indivduals and organizations dedicated to developing a strong, diverse after-school and youth development workforce that is stable, prepared, supported and committed to the well-being and empowerment of children and youth. The primary role the Coalition is to inform and support ongoing discussions about the public policy, institutional, organizational and individual changes needed to create a stable, prepared, supported workforce

PeaceJam Northeast: The PeaceJam Foundation offers education programs based on the lives and works of leading Nobel Peace Prize winners who share their spirit, skills and wisdom with youth around the world. Through learning about the inspirational stories of these master-peacemakers and then spending time with them, youth become committed to positive change in themselves, and being a force for change in their communities and the world.

Points of Light Youth Leadership Institute: Our mission is to provide youth with the encouragement, peer networks and leadership skills necessary for them to make meaningful contributions to their communities and begin a life-long journey of leadership and service.

Program Assessment Tool: How well do you integrate youth development into your programs? Use this interactive tool to determine which elements of youth development are strongly integrated into your program and which are not. Then utilize the resource pages to help you think about new ways to enhance your program.

Project AWARE: Project AWARE was created in 2003 in response to the epidemic of youth prescription drug abuse. In its work with young people, parents, educators, health care providers and others, Project AWARE quickly found itself moving beyond the topic of prescription drug abuse and using the forum to engage participants in a range of subjects important to young people. Sign up for their Summer Film Institute!

Project New Media Literacies: A research initiative based within MIT's Comparative Media Studies program, New Media Literacies explores how we might best equip young people with the social skills and cultural competencies required to become full participants in an emergent media landscape and raise public understanding about what it means to be literate in a globally interconnected, multicultural world.

Rippleffect: Rippleffect is a community-based youth development organization specializing in adventure and wilderness experiences that build confidence and self-esteem. Rippleffect owns and manages 26 acre Cow Island in Casco Bay. Their unique programming complements the efforts of area social services dealing with youth in crisis. Area teens from all walks now have the opportunity to enjoy the Maine Coast experience. Additionally, Rippleffect provides adventure programming with adult groups through our Fort Lyons programs.

Running Start: Running Start is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring young women and girls to run for political office. Their goal is to increase the number of women in the United States who serve in elected office by planting the seed early that women are needed in politics. Their training programs emphasize that political leadership is an attainable and exciting goal for young women to pursue.

Toolfind: This site has many evaluation instruments that are for all ages, and measure many different areas of youth development. Many of the tools are designed for youth to complete as self-assessments.

Youth Leadership Support Network: The Youth Leadership Support Network is a violence prevention, arts, education, media and training network based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to empower youth to express themselves and have a voice in society through intergenerational and diverse leadership opportunities and civic engagement. Through individual skill development and small group projects, the YLSN provides opportunities for youth to become community organizers within a context of global networking and historical youth-driven social change.

Youth Development Training & Resource Center: The Youth Development Training and Resource Center is a resource center and intermediary to assist youth programs, local youth-serving networks, and funders of youth agencies throughout Connecticut.

Youth in Action: Cross-Age Teaching: Youth as teachers! Youth teaching people either younger or older than themselves.

YouthLeadership.com: This site is dedicated to providing current, creative, and dynamic youth leadership education information; and serving as a resource clearinghouse for individuals who work with youth leaders. The site emphasizes a developmental approach, with young leaders being recognized as important resources and supported to take on significant roles as leaders within schools, organizations, communities, etc.

Youth Leadership Advisory Team: Maine’s YLAT is a dynamic group of young people and adult partners from across the state working together to make sure that youth in care have the best possible experience. We believe that this partnership has a powerful role in improving foster care experiences for all youth in care in Maine. YLAT members passionately seek to improve outcomes for youth in foster care with a sense of duty, on behalf of all future youth who will come in contact with the system.

YouthNet: YouthNet aims to create a socially inclusive environment where young people living in the UK are engaged, informed and inspired to achieve their ambitions and dreams. Everything YouthNet does supports young people. Whether they want information, advice or opportunities to contribute to their community, they can come to us. We are here to engage and inspire them, offer them trusted information, and support them through every stage of their lives.

Youth Volunteer Network: Find information to support youth volunteers--a volunteer opportunity search, ways to take action & connections to other youth.

Youth Work Institute: Run by the University of Minnesota, the Youth Work Institute can help you find resources about what youth engagement is, the youth action crew model, Minnesota's Youth Engagement Network & more.

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