Features

The phrase “it takes a village” may be a cliché, but the fact is that your program is part of a network of people who have the goal of helping youth and their community. It would be just plain foolish not to use all of those people and relationships to help your program succeed. In fact, all too often, parents and relatives—the most important people in the children’s lives—are left out of the equation. One of the most wonderful things to see is when a... Continue Reading

What can you do with your life experiences? The painful ones, the hardships or loss?  How can you make things better, for yourself and for others in the same circumstance? You can share your story – like Tini, a young woman from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, who lost her parents to AIDS. “I think my dad and mom were like many other people with AIDS,” says Tini, “deserving to be cared for, assisted, and in particular respected by everyone in the community.” She reflects... Continue Reading

What is a Logic Model? A logic model is “a systematic and visual way to present and share your understanding of the relationships among the resources you have to operate your program, the activities you plan to do, and the changes or results you hope to achieve.” The process of developing a logic model can help program staff and other stakeholders clarify goals and outcomes and identify where program activities are serving those goals well, and where they are... Continue Reading

Lesson plans have three primary functions. First, the process of preparing them helps instructors organize their thoughts for each day’s work with youth. Second, they provide documentation that becomes the basis for reflection and future refinement of the instruction process. Third, they enable instructors to document and exchange specific teaching strategies in a format that is easy for others to understand and follow. If multiple instructors, volunteers, interns,... Continue Reading