This report from MDRC details the implementation study conducted for the PACE Center for Girls in Florida, a program that provides academic and social services to at-risk girls aged 11 to 18. There are 19 program locations across the state, and services are delivered with a trauma-sensitive lens that seeks to set girls on a positive track away from negative outcomes such as involvement with the juvenile justice system. The report details the program model, participant characteristics, and implementation results.

This paper from MDRC highlights the work of YouthForce NOLA, which works to prepare New Orleans public high school students for post-secondary education and careers in three in-demand local industries: health sciences, creative media and technology, and skilled crafts. The paper provides an overview of the main principles and elements essential to creating a career pathway for high school-aged youth. MDRC is currently completing an implementation evaluation of the program.

This web article from New America examines the Trump Administration’s apprenticeship goal to create five million apprenticeships over the next five years by looking at some of the more complex issues and potential answers. The article identifies potentially fractious issues about where apprenticeship is going in the U.S. by looking at who apprenticeships can serve – including among others, unemployed youth and low-skilled adults; how industry will need to lead with regard to shaping programs, thus ensuring that new programs meet employer needs; and how and what role education will play, in particular to make sure that apprenticeship is seen as high-quality post-secondary school education, not an alternative to it. It also looks at the role of public policy as it relates to investment in apprenticeship programs such as tax credits for employers and tuition reimbursement options. As well, the article highlights the importance of ensuring that strong and adaptive quality assurance programs are in place.

This brief by the Center for the Study of Social Policy and supported by The Annie E. Casey Foundation is based on more than 80 interviews with organizations, their workers, and the youth that they support. The intent of the brief is to generate and share knowledge that is useful in dealing with youth that face serious challenges. Findings include that when youth face serious adversity, the relationship they establish with a worker is often incremental. The report looks at these “transitional relationships,” what workers actually do to forge successful relationships with the youth, and what their organizations do to create a culture for the workers to succeed. Interviewees for this report are between 16-25 years old and have faced serious challenges including child welfare involvement, substance abuse, and homelessness. Workers interviewed are leaders of organizations noted for their exemplary work and who have repeatedly formed bonds and relationships with such youth.

In this report from the Center for Promise, three different data sets are examined to research and uncover how adversity affects the lives of young people and what practitioners can to do help them overcome barriers to success. The report summarizes findings collected on youth in America and their caregivers. Findings outlined include that there are too many youth experiencing adversity, and that there is a large disparity in exposure to adversity in terms of income, maternal education, and race and ethnicity. Findings also indicate that the number and types of adversities that youth experience matter, and that relationships within and outside the family can buffer the effects of multiple adversities. Recommendations are outlined to help young people persevere through adversity and achieve success. They include engaging schools as a first line of defense, adopting two-generation approaches to support caregivers and youth in high-adversity situations, and increasing and strengthening opportunities such as re-engagement programs and career pathway programs for young people.

This article, published in the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, describes programs designed to provide employment support to fathers who are in the criminal justice system. The T.O.R.I. Program and RIDGE Project are described in detail in their approach to provide assistance for reentry, particularly for fathers. The article also discusses grants provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for fathers and resources available to help support employment and parenting of returning young fathers.

This webinar, presented by Child Trends, looks at signs of healthy versus unhealthy relationships, discusses how healthy romantic relationships prevent teen pregnancy, and identifies links between healthy relationship education and teen pregnancy prevention programs. The presentation includes demographics and information about teen dating over time, and the importance of understanding how teens date. It also includes how technology has changed dating, including the rise of cyber abuse. Unstudied populations are also mentioned, including LGBT, racial/ethnic minority groups, and youth in foster care. Knowing how teens interact with their peers and parents and supporting healthy relationships are key to pregnancy prevention and better outcomes, particularly for high-risk teens.

This publication was developed by Child Trends in partnership with the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy for the Office of Adolescent Health. It highlights co-occurring risk factors that increase the risk of injury, illness, and death among adolescents that can also impact sexual risk taking and result in pregnancy. These risk factors include: substance abuse (i.e., tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana or other drug use), dating violence, physical or sexual abuse, and mental health. Also included are risk factors associated with multiple negative outcomes for adolescents. The publication concludes with a list of questions the reader can use in discussing with team members and/or partners how to coordinate efforts to address co-occurring risk factors strategically.