Since 1998, the New York State Youth Development Team (YD Team), a public-private partnership of 30 leading statewide agencies and youth-serving organizations, has been dedicated to promoting the health and well being of adolescents in our state. The YD Team has provided leadership that integrates positive youth development practices and principles into New York State services and supports intended for youth, families, schools, and communities.
The ACT for Youth Center of Excellence provides ongoing support to the YD Team, who hold meetings three times a year in Albany. Partners share cutting edge research findings, best practice information, and resources to help coordinate state and community youth development efforts.
For the past three years, the team has held an annual Youth Meeting, inviting diverse groups of young people from across the state to make presentations on issues that impact their lives. Led by Center of Excellence staff Sara Birnel Henderson and Michele Luc, five members of the ACT Youth Network traveled from New York City to Albany and presented to the YD Team at their July 17th meeting. Youth Network members, who act as consultants to the COE and the NYS Department of Health (among others), reported on the projects in which they have been involved, including
- reviewing website content to assure its youth friendliness;
- developing and testing focus group questions on health topics;
- and observing educators implementing evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs to provide feedback for quality improvement.
The ACT Youth Network is available to consult on noncommercial services, products, media campaigns, and research designed for youth. Contact Sara Birnel Henderson to discuss your project.
Note: This story originally appeared on the BCTR website. Click here to access the story.