Engaging young teens in quality out-of-school time programs is no easy feat. Cypress Hills-East New York, a Beacon Center located in Brooklyn, has developed a strategy for recruiting and enrolling youth ages 9 to 14 for its school-year program. What works best? The Youth Development Institute shares some of the secrets of success.

Engaging young teens in quality out-of-school time programs is no easy feat. Cypress Hills-East New York, a Beacon Center located in Brooklyn, has developed a strategy for recruiting and enrolling youth ages 9 to 14 for its school-year program. What works best? The Youth Development Institute shares some of the secrets of success.

In February 2008, about 200 teens gathered to discuss the school dropout rate in New York City, covering such factors as peer pressure, lack of support from parents, schools and the community, barriers for immigrants and gender inequities. The Children's Aid Society has posted recommendations from the conference on its Website.

If you work with teens with disabilities, you’ll want to know about the Social Security Administration’s Ticket to Work (TTW) program. Its Youth Transition portion offers funds for organizations that help students receiving Social Security disability benefits find employment. Is it right for you? Melody Goodspeed, Youth Transition Specialist for TTW answers some common questions about the funding.

Could you have made it entirely on your own at 18 or 21? Each year, roughly 25,000 young people “age out” of the foster care system, many without family or economic supports. Without connection to a caring adult and support to plan and prepare, these youth face steep challenges, including higher rates of unemployment, poor educational attainment, health issues, incarceration, and homelessness. But those are the problems, the statistics—what about the potential of these teens, and their desire to succeed? We spoke with Betsy Krebs, co-director of the New York City-based Youth Advocacy Center, about what works to help teens aging out of foster care succeed. There’s room for the whole community...

Families paying off college loans will now know how much more they owe in interest rates, after the July 1 hike. Future students may yet face sticker shock. The higher interest rates are part of the federal budget deal cut last year. Mobilize.org is calling on Congress to increase federal subsidies to help students offset the costs of investing in their college education.

These National Crime Prevention Council minigrants support service-learning projects planned and implemented by youth.

The Arcus Fund supports efforts within Michigan to improve the quality of life of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community.

Data indicate the incidence of depressive symptoms in youth increases during adolescence and peaks during young adulthood. Depression affects physiological and social functioning, interpersonal relationships, employment, substance abuse, and indicates a "more dissatisfied life." Young people ages 18-24 living below the poverty line were more likely (8 percent) to report suffering from two or more symptoms of depression in the past 30 days than their peers living at or above poverty (5 percent).