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The Youth Development Handbook
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The Youth Development Handbook
Coming of Age in American Communities

Edited by:

Other Titles in:
Adolescence | Family Studies | Youth Work

July 2012 | 424 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
What are the sorts of environments in which youth thrives, and how do we cultivate such environments to promote optimal development and positive behavior in youth? The Youth Development Handbook gives students and practitioners in Development Psychology access to current theory and research along with illustrations of good practice.

The main section is organized around the contexts in which adolescents grow up - families and neighbourhoods, peer groups, schools, youth groups and recreation groups, workplaces, religious organizations, health centers, youth courts, cyberspace. Each chapter explores the application of youth development principles to its context, drawing on current research. The next section addresses evaluation, funding, and community-wide initiatives. The concluding chapter identifies multidisciplinary themes, including youth participation, mentoring, universal versus targeted approaches, diversity, and evidence-based practice.

 
Foreword
 
Preface
 
INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS YOUTH DEVELOPMENT?
Stephen F. Hamilton, Mary Agnes Hamilton (both of Cornell University), & Karen Johnson Pittman (Executive Director, The Forum for Youth Investment)
1. Principles for Youth Development
 
SECTION ONE: PROCESSES & PRACTICES IN YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CONTEXTS
Sarah Deschenes (Stanford University), Morva McDonald (University of Maryland), & Milbrey McLaughlin (Stanford University)
2. Youth Organizations: From Principles to Practice
Geoffrey L. Ream (Cornell University) & Peter A. Witt (Texas A&M University)
3. Organizations Serving All Ages
William H. Barton (University of Indiana)
4. Bridging Juvenile Justice & Positive Youth Development
Richard Kreipe (University of Rochester), Sheryl A. Ryan (University of Rochester & Rochester General Hospital), & Susan Seibold-Simpson (University of Rochester)
5. Youth Development & Health
Jerome Ziegler (Cornell University)
6. Can High Schools Foster Youth Development?
Mary Agnes Hamilton & Stephen F. Hamilton (both of Cornell University)
7. Designing Work & Service for Learning
Catherine P. Bradshaw & James Garbarino (both of Cornell University)
8. Using & Building Family Strengths to Promote Youth Development
Michael J. Karcher (University of Texas at San Antonio), Bradford B. Brown (University of Wisconsin-Madison), & Douglas W. Elliott (Cornell University)
9. Enlisting Peers in Developmental Interventions: Principles & Practices
Ray Swisher & Janis Whitlock (both of Cornell University)
10. How Neighborhoods Matter for Youth Development
Jane D. Brown, Rebecca Schaffer, Lucila Vargas (all of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), & LaHoma S. Romocki (Director of Communication, Family Health International)
11. Popular Media Culture & the Promise of Critical Media Literacy
 
SECTON TWO: ACTION STEPS
Kathleen A. Dorgan & Ronald F. Ferguson (Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy, JFK School of Government, Harvard University)
12. Success Factors in Community-wide Initiatives for Youth Development
Charles V. Izzo, James Connell, Michelle Alberti Gambone, & Catherine P, Bradshaw
13. Understanding & Improving Youth Development Initiatives through Evaluation
Glenda Partee (President, American Youth Policy Forum)
14. Understanding the Lay of the Land: Strategies for Funding Youth Development Programs
Stephen F. Hamilton & Mary Agnes Hamilton (both of Cornell University)
15. Implications for Youth Development Practices

"In recent years, the fields of psychology and human development have focused growing attention on issues of positive youth development. . . . This volume provides a tool that can be used by researchers, practitioners, and policy makers alike to build collective efforts to enhance the well-being of youth. . . . Professor Hamilton is one of the most respected scholars in the country. There is no doubt in my mind that this volume will not only make a significant contribution in the field, but more important, that it is a volume that will be utilized across disciplines and professions."

Francisco A. Villarruel
Michigan State University

"The conceptualization and comprehensiveness are excellent. The book also deals with a newly emerging and exciting field and hence is at the forefront of research, policy, and practice. . . . a useful resource."

Lonnie Sherrod
Fordham University

"Both timely and potentially very useful…nothing nearly as inclusive as this youth development handbook now exists."

John Kretzmann
Northwestern University

"A handbook like this is a good idea because of the interest in communities and colleges in this topic and because of the number of programs being developed targeted at adolescents. . . . I believe the book will serve as a useful reference for scholars, policy makers, and program development specialists. . . . There are no other comparable resources that focus on exemplary programs and community development issues."

Philip Newman
University of Rhode Island

Stephen F. Hamilton

Stephen F. Hamilton is Professor of Human Development and Co-Director of the Family Life Development Center at Cornell University. His research and outreach support youth development, especially through 4-H, the youth component of Cooperative Extension. As a Fulbright Senior Research Fellow, he studied Germany's apprenticeship system as an institution supporting the transition to adulthood of youth without college degrees. His book, Apprenticeship for Adulthood, and the demonstration project he designed and led with Mary Agnes Hamilton helped to guide the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994. He has also conducted research and... More About Author

Mary Agnes Hamilton

Mary Agnes Hamilton is a Senior Research Associate in Human Development at Cornell and Director of the Cornell Youth and Work Program in the Family Life Development Center. Dr. Hamilton taught for four years in public schools in Richmond, VA, and Montgomery County, Maryland. Dr. Hamilton's primary interests are education and adolescent development. Her research and program development focus on the quality of learning environments in the community, mentoring relationships between non-related adults and youth, and the transition to adulthood. She seeks to advance educational opportunities and challenges for all youth to gain character and... More About Author

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ISBN: 9780761988724
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