Community Programs to Promote Youth Development: Executive Summary

This executive summary describes a study undertaken by the Committee on Community-Level Programs for Youth, which focuses on essential elements of adolescent well-being and healthy development. It offers recommendations for policy, practice, and research to ensure that programs are well designed to meet their developmental needs. The book also discusses the features of programs that can contribute to a successful transition from adolescence to adulthood. It examines what we know about the current landscape of youth development programs, as well as how these programs are meeting their diverse needs. Recognizing the importance of adolescence as a period of transition to adulthood, the book offers authoritative guidance to policy makers, practitioners, researchers, and other key stakeholders on the role of youth development programs to promote the healthy development and well-being of the nation's youth.