Youth Development and Prevention: Bridging the Gap

Held June 2006

Listen to the presentation (RealAudio player needed)

The fields of youth development and prevention have traditionally operated on parallel yet separate tracks.  Prevention professionals generally focus on developing and implementing programs and policies that encourage young people to avoid “problem” behaviors, often operating through funding streams that make it difficult to provide a holistic approach and address broader issues of adolescent well-being (National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth, 1996; Pagliaro & Klindera, 2001).

Youth development programs tend to have a broader focus with a goal of helping young people to be healthy, productive, and engaged in developmentally appropriate ways. While most people would agree that avoiding “problem” behaviors is an important piece of this goal, youth development programs in general do not incorporate prevention into their stated goals.  When taken together, the fields of youth development and prevention are working toward the same goal of helping youth be healthy and successful. Many practitioners and policy makers recognize the need for a more collaborative approach that provides young people with the knowledge, skills and assets needed to avoid “problem” behaviors and become healthy, productive adults (National Research Council, 2002).  However, working collaboratively, especially across disciplines, has many challenges that must be addressed.  These issues will be addressed in an upcoming teleconference featuring, Dr. Michael Resnick, University of Minnesota, Jutta Dotterweich, Cornell University and Bob Nystrom, Oregon Department of Human Services.

Event Summary

Telephone Conference Call Program

Michael D. Resnick, Ph.D.
Professor, and Gisela and E. Paul Konopka Chair in Adolescent Health and Development
Director, Healthy Youth Development Prevention Research Center
Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health
Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota

Jutta Dotterweich
Technical Assistance and Training Coordinator
ACT for Youth Upstate Center of Excellence
www.actforyouth.net

Robert J. Nystrom, B.S.,M.A.
Adolescent Health Section Manager
Office of Family Health
Oregon Department of Human Services

Introduction (5 minutes) Karen Hoffman Tepper, Ph.D. University of Arizona

Roll call and introductions

Part 1 (15-20 minutes) Research Review: Michael D. Resnick

Why should youth development and prevention practitioners work together?
What research supports the need for this work?

Part 2 (15-20 minutes) Case Study: Bob Nystrom

What levels has this integration occurred on in the state of Oregon?
How did it begin?
What benefits have you already observed?
 
Part 3 (15-20 minutes) Lessons Learned:  Jutta Dotterweich

What is the ACT for Youth?
What are some of the challenges that project sites have been encountered?
How have they been overcome some of these issues?

Closing Discussion (10-20 minutes)

Question and answer period

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