Action Kit for Municipal Leaders: Creating a Youth Master Plan

As the 10th action kit in the YEF Institute's signature series, this publication will help municipal leaders work with school district officials, youth and other key community stakeholders to develop a shared framework and long-term strategies for improving outcomes for children and youth. Preparation and distribution of this action kit were made possible by grants from MetLife Foundation (www.metlife.org),which has supported the institute's efforts to assist municipal leaders in developing city-school youth master plans and promoting youth participation in local government. Many city leaders are familiar with the concept of a master plan, which is often used to guide land use decisions and infrastructure investments. By using a master planning process to more effectively coordinate services for children and youth, communities can reduce duplication and waste, identify unmet needs, eliminate barriers to services, make better choices in allocating resources among competing priorities and increase the return on investment for local programs. More than 20 cities throughout the country, such as Claremont, Calif., Hampton, Va., Minneapolis, and Savannah, Ga., have developed youth master plans to improve coordination of programs, services and opportunities for young people. (author)