Connect for Kids / Child Advocacy 360 / Youth Policy Action Center - Articles, Youth at Risk

KIDS COUNT 2008: A CFK Overview

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:47:35 -0500

To make positive change for kids, you need to know where things stand, what’s working and what needs to be improved. The annual KIDS COUNT Data Book offers both data and context for 10 indicators of child well-being—and drills down to a state and local level. This year’s essay offers a “roadmap for reform” in juvenile justice. CFK summer intern Maria Allen attended the June 2008 launch event in DC and has this overview.

A“Ticket to Work” for Transitioning Youth – and Those Working With Them

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:12:55 -0600

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.

Who's Doing What That Works: Readers' Choice Stories

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 17:27:12 -0500

October 2007—Our partner Child Advocacy 360 brings you "Readers' Choice Stories," in which readers vote with their eyes, clicks and emails on the best of Who's Doing What That Works.

Engaging Youth on the Environment

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:51:46 -0500

Located just a few blocks away from the U.S. Capitol, the Earth Conservation Corps is far removed from the world of legislators, lobbyists and policymakers. ECC provides a striking example of a program that engages young people in protecting the environment while learning valuable lessons about life in the process. CFK intern Kate Carta profiled the organization.

A Fine Line: How to Teach Kids About Sexual Assault

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:26:15 -0500

There's good news on the rates of rape and sexual assault in the U.S.—a big decline in the rates of these crimes since the 1970s. Still, parents and other adults who care about children have a responsibility to educate kids about the dangers—and many of us feel inadequate to the task. Tamekia Reece took a look at some of the more effective programs in use to raise awareness appropriately and in ways that kids can understand.

The Downside of Girl Power?

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:10:22 -0500

By many measures, girls are on a roll. In terms of academic achievement, college attendance and completion, and the opportunities that are open to them, girls are poised for success. But some experts see worrying signs that girls are also facing new pressures—and responding with violent behavior usually associated with boys. Andrea Grazzini Walstrom takes a look at the issue.

Online Safety, Updated

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:47:40 -0500

Last month Connect for Kids reported on Teenangels, young volunteers who help their peers understand the importance of Internet safety. What other efforts are underway to help protect children and youth from being exploited through social networking online? Cecilia Garcia reports.

Education: the Key to the Future for Juvenile Justice Kids?

Thu, 02 Feb 2006 15:23:08 -0600

While the federal No Child Left Behind law has focused needed attention on educational inequities, some students remain nearly invisible: kids involved in the juvenile justice system. Caitlin Johnson looks at efforts to reconnect these children to the education they desperately need� and in particular at Washington, DC�s Maya Angelou public charter high school.

The Fine Art of Helping At-Risk Kids

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 10:37:10 -0600

Powerful emotions like anger can become a major roadblock to learning. Art therapy is one approach to helping kids manage those feelings and be successful. Letitia Star reports on an art therapy program in Chicago.

Teens Lead Drive Against Hunger

Mon, 21 Nov 2005 21:19:20 -0600

Every year, teens in a region of western Illinois and eastern Iowa launch a six-week race to collect as much donated food as they are able. Lee Nelson reports on a 20-year history of friendly competition in the service of fighting hunger.

Dragon Slayers, the Sequel

Mon, 31 Oct 2005 09:23:44 -0600

It's been two years since Connect for Kids first profiled the Dragon Slayers, an all-girl firefighting and emergency medical team in Aniak, Alaska. Since then, the girls have been growing up, and so has the program. Holly St. Lifer revisits the group.

Teen Pregnancy Prevention: Not Just a She Thing

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:00:15 -0500

Despite a recent decline in teen pregnancy rates, nearly one million teenage girls will become pregnant in 2005. Public education programs, websites, and ad campaigns have helped reduce the numbers--but too often, the messages are aimed only at girls. Tamekia Reece reports on one program in North Carolina that encourages boys to take some responsibility for preventing teen pregnancy.

A Hurricane of Action

Thu, 29 Sep 2005 12:44:46 -0500

As evacuees from Hurricane Katrina started pouring in to the Houston Astrodome, a youth development trainer from Washington D.C. named Charles Modiano found himself working side by side with energetic young volunteers to help the displaced. In those hours, Modiano decided that needs created and uncovered by the storm could be the focus of a new effort to strengthen youth volunteerism nationwide. He spoke to Rob Capriccioso about his vision.

A Culture of Caring

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:36:33 -0500

With an inspired leader at the helm, Missouri shows the rest of the nation an effective--and cost-effective--reform model for young offenders.

What Grows from Groundwater?

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:55:01 -0500

Groundwater might not sound like the most exciting source for learning. But thanks to new efforts led by Lincoln, Nebraska's Groundwater Foundation, hundreds of kids nationwide are getting interested in the environment and working to protect it. Rob Capriccioso reports.