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Community Resources

An important part of the Youth Development Network is providing a resource that links the ever-growing body of knowledge about youth development and the youth workers and youth-serving organizations who can put that knowledge into practice. The links below include access to publications that have proven to be helpful to youth workers and organization leaders who work with young people every day. Materials developed by the YDN to support this purpose, including a guide for creating opportunities for young people, a youth leadership camp curriculum and research and policy papers developed by the YDN and other experts in the field. Also included are links specific to research around service learning, education and after school in addition to links to other websites that have been found useful to creating life changing experiences for youth success.


Connecting Resources

My Prevention Community

A site that was developed for Prevention Professionals to get info, network, and learn about what is going on in prevention. Whether you work primarily in prevention or you work with kids after school, whether you are a youth minister or are a lunch room attendant, whether you are a teacher or a mayor; when you spend any time at all thinking about the challenges that our kids face in this world,  (drugs, alcohol, violence, gangs, etc) and how we can make it better, you are a preventionist and you should join this site. It includes information on funding opportunities and contains free on-line trainings.  http://www.mypreventioncommunity.org

Volunteer Resources

The Volunteer Center of Sacramento has also published a Youth Volunteer Directory. The Directory is a comprehensive listings of non-profit organization that welcome youth as volunteers. The Directory highlights a wide range of non-profits and volunteer opportunities open to youth like working with animals and mentoring children to planting trees and sorting donated clothing. This helpful publication is available at no cost to youth, parents, teachers, or administrators in hard copy, email, and is available in downloadable pdf form. Please contact us via phone or email (enter Youth Volunteer Directory Request as the subject) to request a copy. Download the Youth Volunteer Directory PDF.

A companion publication to the Youth Volunteer Directory is Get Involved! A How-to Volunteer Guide for Parents, Teachers and Youth written by Mary Lynn Perry, a local Manager of Volunteer Services. This How-To Guide includes helpful hints and tools that address youth volunteering issues and barriers. The book explores reasons for youth volunteering, the benefits, types of volunteering, how to approach volunteering and what to expect, and finally how to track the experience for use on college or job application. This publication is also available at no cost. Download the How-to Volunteer Guide PDF.