August 2009

Bright Idea: Give Your Program a Facelift on a Budget

Youth programs should be fun, homey places, but many organizations don't have the cash to redecorate. To help our readers brighten up their spaces, we spoke to interior designer Inola Walston of Frederick, MD, about how to redecorate for pennies. She laid out the following steps:

Right on the Money: Going After Grants—Are the Time and Effort Always Worth It?

Nothing in life is free, and that holds true for grants. When deciding whether or not to seek funding from a foundation, government agency or corporation, busy youth-service professionals need to weigh the costs and benefits of writing the grant proposal, managing the project, and reporting back to the funder, says John Porter, executive director of the American Grant Writers' Association.

Primary Sources: Monitoring, Measuring and Preventing Adolescent Pregnancy

The latest research on preventing pregnancy among adolescents examines trends in the teen birth rate, suggests ways to involve the community in measuring those trends and other risky behaviors and looks at effective methods for providing reproductive health services to young people. (Publications discussed here do not necessarily reflect the views of NCFY, the Family and Youth Services Bureau, or the Administration for Children and Families).

National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth | 5515 Security Lane, Suite 800 | North Bethesda, MD 20852 | (301) 608-8098 | ncfy@acf.hhs.gov