Stay ConnectedYouth Development Principles and Practices in Out-of-School Time Settings, 2nd ed.
Out-of-school time (OST) settings are powerful contexts for youth development when programs and services are intentionally designed.
Youth Development Principles and Practices in Out-of-School Time Settings increases the capacity of students and professionals to facilitate youths’ optimal transition to adulthood through maximizing the developmental benefits accrued by participating in OST programs and experiences.
Peter A. Witt and Linda L. Caldwell, two well-respected researchers in the youth development field, have brought together a group of outstanding authors who provide an exceptional blend of theory- and practice-based information critical to anyone seeking to conceptualize, design, and evaluate OST programs.
All chapters are based on tenets of positive youth development necessary to enable youth to thrive.
The book is divided into five sections:
(1) Youth development principles and foundational information (e.g., youth today as well as an historical perspective on youth work)
(2) Developing youths’ potential (including specific chapters on leisure and recreation, youth sport, nature-based activities and the arts)
(3) Systematic program planning and evaluation of youth programs
(4) The role of adults and families in the lives of youth
(5) Issues of diversity in youth development (e.g., race and ethnicity, immigrant, LGBT, and ability level)
A final chapter discusses the knowledge, skills, and behaviors necessary to become a skilled youth professional.
Each chapter ends with thought-provoking discussion questions and assignments that encourage application and further exploration of the chapter’s content.
The book is a must read for students and practitioners seeking to understand youth today and support their development through out-of-school time programs.
All About Youth
Chapter 1: Ten Principles of Youth Development
Chapter 2: The Big Picture: Youth Today and Tomorrow
Chapter 3: Growing Up Slower With Fast-Forward and Like Buttons
Chapter 4: It’s a No-Brainer: Understanding the Adolescent Brain Is Important
Chapter 5: Why and How Youth Services Were Developed
Chapter 6: Youth-Serving Organizations: Then and Now
Section 2: Developing Youths’ Potential
Chapter 7: Processes of Positive Development: Classic Theories
Chapter 8: Resiliency, Protective Processes, Promotion, and Community Youth Development
Chapter 9: The Importance of Leisure and Recreation as Contexts for Youth Development
Chapter 10: The Status of Youth Sport in American Society
Chapter 11: Nature and Youth Development
Chapter 12: The Arts and Creative Youth Development
Section 3: Systematic Programming Planning and Evaluation
Chapter 13: Intentional Programming Using Logic Models
Chapter 14: Program Assessment and Evaluation
Chapter 15: Reducing Attrition From Youth Programs Through Structuring Deep, Valued, and Impactful Experiences for Youth
Section 4: The Role of Adults in the Lives of Youth
Chapter 16: The Power of People: The Importance of Relationship-Based Programming
Chapter 17: Family Matters: Supporting Positive Youth Development Through Family Programming
Chapter 18: Youth Engagement, Voice, and Opportunities for Decision-Making
Section 5: Diversity and Implications for Youth Development
Chapter 19: The Role of Culture in Out-of-School Time Settings
Chapter 20: Culturally Responsive Organized Activities: Lessons Learned From Latinx Families Living in the U.S.
Chapter 21: Leisure and Recreational Sport Among Immigrant Youth
Chapter 22: Out-of-School Time Programs and Resistance to LGBT Oppression
Chapter 23: Including Youth of All Abilities
Afterword
Chapter 24: So, You Want to be a Youth Professional