August 2011

Primary Sources: Current Trends in Youth Work and Education

“Recognizing the Future: Current Trends in Youth Work and Education.” Journal of Child and Youth Care Work, Vol. 23, July 2010.

NCFY Recommends: Youth Advise the President on Community Needs

The White House recently released an E-Book describing the concerns of young Americans and the solutions they propose to community problems.

The E-Book is the result of the White House's Your Future, Your Solutions: 100 Youth Strategies for Winning the Future Roundtable Initiative, which brought young people across the country together in 384 roundtables to discuss the issues that mattered most to them.

NCFY Recommends: New Film on One Woman's Path From Trauma to Healing

Photograph of Tonier Cain.

Bright Idea: Learning to Laugh in the Face of Adversity

Whether you’re a youth worker feeling overburdened or you’re working with a young person who's feeling angry, fearful, or depressed, adding humor into your day can benefit you both.

So says Allen Klein, author of The Healing Power of Humor and Learning to Laugh When You Feel Like Crying, who often carries around a red clown nose in case the situation calls for it.

Primary Sources: Making Youth Work Trauma Informed through Re-ED

Cover of Reclaiming Children & Youth, showing two young people smiling together

New From NCFY: Asking: “What’s Happened to You?” A Focus on Trauma-informed Care

Research suggests that most homeless youth have experienced multiple traumatic events both before becoming homeless and once on the street. This issue of the Exchange provides an introduction to trauma-informed care, an approach that asks, "What’s happened to you?" rather than, "What's wrong with you?"

Right on The Money: Volunteer Nights Attract New Faces

A fun way to help get new volunteers to walk through your door.

In October 2010, the Western Washington branch of Volunteers of America held a two-hour volunteer event at a local food bank near their headquarters in Everett, WA. Billed as the first of a monthly “Volunteer Night” series, the event was advertised on Facebook and scrupulously planned… and attracted only 5 people. But the organization’s volunteer services manager, Erin Pankow, wasn’t worried. She had a feeling the idea would catch on.

NCFY Recommends: Working Together Toward Youth Employment

The Youth Connections Community of Practice (CoP) is a forum for practitioners in the youth employment field to discuss and share promising practices and technical assistance, and to network. Youth Connections works to provide opportunities for lifelong learning and skill enhancement for all youth, especially those who have dropped out of school or face other obstacles to employment.

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