Q&A

Plans to open a new drop-in center for homeless youth in the picturesque waterside town of Poulsbo, WA, have brought concerns and criticism from some citizens and enthusiastic support from others. We spoke with Dave Frederick, executive director of The Coffee Oasis, the youth-serving group that will operate the center.
Each year, thousands of youth come to the United States illegally without a parent or guardian. Many of them wind up in immigration court without a lawyer to help them navigate the system. To find out what youth workers can do to help these young people, NCFY spoke with Megan McKenna, who directs communications and advocacy for Kids in Need of Defense, or KIND, a Washington, DC, nonprofit...
A new report released in October by Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition paints a grim but thorough portrait of the dangers facing Native women involved in prostitution.
Youth workers believe that what they do every day makes a difference in the lives of young people. But policy makers, donors and the public want to see hard data that shows youth programs work.
Recent allegations of child sexual abuse in a youth-serving organization founded  by a coach at Pennsylvania State University highlight the confusion that often surrounds state "mandated reporter" laws. These laws require certain professionals to report instances of suspected abuse. To tease out what youth-serving organizations need to do – both legally and ethically...
About 40 percent of all new HIV infections each year occur in 13- to 29-year-olds. And most who have the virus don’t know it: Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that most people who test positive for HIV have had the virus for ten years. We spoke with Michelle Palmer, director of clinical services at Metro Teen AIDS, in Washington, DC, about some of the...
Last week, we highlighted a recent webinar by Barbara Poppe, executive director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. Titled “Ending Youth Homelessness by 2020,” the webinar detailed the efforts of Opening Doors, the first federal program aimed at preventing and ending homelessness. After the webinar, NCFY spoke with Poppe to learn more.
Funded by the Department of Justice, the Safe Start Center is a national resource center that disseminates information about the impacts of exposure to violence on children and their families and works to promote trauma-informed care. We spoke with Elena Cohen, who directs the Safe Start Center, to find out more about how youth service providers can use a trauma-informed approach to helping...
Green Chimneys, a New York-based nonprofit organization, uses animal-assisted therapy and nature-based activities to strengthen the emotional health and well-being of young people and families and to foster independence. The organization recently received a grant to establish a career development program for foster care and runaway and homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth...
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