Through recreation, education, prevention, treatment, outreach, counseling and shelter programs, HYSN supports youth and families and seeks to build stronger communities. Through our shared advocacy on behalf of youth, HYSN seeks to educate our communities and our decision-makers. Through our networking, HYSN seeks to build collaborations that provide for increased effectiveness and decreased costs of youth services.

Kids who have no place to go end up going nowhere. Kids with some place to go end up going places.

Every day in the United States as many as 15 million children leave school with no place to go. And every day many of these children are involved in crimes, join gangs, or experiment with drugs, alcohol or sex.

After-School All-Stars offers a proven alternative for middle school children. We engage them in activities and on-going relationships that increase confidence and encourage success in all areas of their lives - at home, in school and in the community.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is dedicated to improving the well-being of all young children, with particular focus on the quality of educational and developmental services for all children from birth through age 8. NAEYC is committed to becoming an increasingly high performing and inclusive organization.

Founded in 1926, NAEYC is the world's largest organization working on behalf of young children with more than 100,000 members, a national network of nearly 450 local, state, and regional Affiliates, and a growing global alliance of like-minded organizations.

For students at Minnesota's School of Environmental Studies, it's all happening at the zoo. Andrea Grazzini Walstrom looks at an unusual high school that makes the most of its unique location at the Minnesota Zoo.

So far we have failed in the major measure of the health of a society—how well we take care of our youngest generation. All is not lost. This book demonstrates that the building of certain develo

Reviewed by Morris Rodentstein

Pursuing Justice
In the 1990's, the federal government ended its 60-year safety net guarantee to the poor, shifting responsibility to the states and local communities with limited resources. This means that the burden increasingly has moved to community groups, like America's churches, synagogues, temples and mosques, which have a long tradition of caring for the needy—a shift in responsibility that challenges the foundation of faith communities across the country.

The San Francisco Beacon Initiative is a public-private partnership that promotes youth and family centers in our public schools. The goal of the Initiative is to offer opportunities, services and activities that promote the healthy development of children, youth, families and communities.

The Beacon Centers transform public schools into youth and family centers that become a beacon of activity for the surrounding neighborhood.

It seems obvious that any organization that serves kids will benefit from understanding parents' perspectives. But it's not always easy to include the parent voice. This article by Casey Flaherty from the May-June 2005 issue of Children's Advocate looks at three examples of bringing parents into the discussion.

In a notoriously troubled New York City neighborhood, Isis Sapp-Grant has created a supportive haven for girls besieged by drug dealers, sexual predators, family violence and gangs. Holly St. Lifer spoke with Sapp-Grant about her Blossom Program for Girls.

The mission of this organization is to promote full community involvement in the positive development of children, youth, and families of the greater Corona-Norco area.