Resources & Publications: Building the Capacity of Communities

• Apr 18, 2013  |  CLASP's Youth Policy Team Keeping Connected Youth Newsletter - April 2013 This periodic update for the field is a part of CLASP's ongoing work to advance policy and practice that will dramatically improve the education, employment, and life outcomes for youth in communities of high youth distress. It highlights policy happenings in education, training and youth development that impact black male achievement. Download File
• Apr 03, 2013  |  Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt Bryant Taking Aim at Gun Violence: Rebuilding Community Education and Employment Pathways In a single generation, our nation is faced with the prospect of losing over 132,000 black men and boys to gun violence. Moreover, for every black male who dies from gun violence, there are another 24 others who suffer non-fatal injuries - making the impacts of such violence even greater. In black communities, gun violence is about far more than reforming gun control laws and empowering law enforcement. Gun violence for young black males predominates in communities where residents live in concentrated disadvantage with high rates of unemployment, school dropout, and poverty. The absence of opportunities in these communities gives rise to criminal activity and the loss of too many young lives. Solving the crisis of gun violence in communities requires that America address the issue of concentrated poverty and geography. The rebuilding and strengthening of these communities through creating infrastructure to provide improved education and employment opportunities for black youth will significantly reduce issues of gun violence. Read Online   |   Download PDF   |   Additional PDF
• Feb 21, 2013  |  CLASP's Youth Policy Team Keeping Connected Youth Newsletter - February 2013 This periodic update for the field is a part of CLASP's ongoing work to advance policy and practice that will dramatically improve the education, employment, and life outcomes for youth in communities of high youth distress. It highlights policy happenings in education, training and youth development that impact black male achievement. Download File
• Dec 19, 2012  |  CLASP's Youth Policy Team Keeping Connected Youth Newsletter - December 2012 This periodic update for the field is a part of CLASP's ongoing work to advance policy and practice that will dramatically improve the education, employment, and life outcomes for youth in communities of high youth distress. It highlights policy happenings in education, training and youth development that impact black male achievement. Download File
• Jul 31, 2012  |  Linda Harris and Kisha Bird CLASP Comments to U.S. Department of Education Request for Information on Strategies for Improving Outcomes for Disconnected Youth Our comments here draw upon CLASP's decade of policy work at the national, state, and local levels related to disconnected youth. We believe our comments in response to the U.S. Department of Education Request for Information on Strategies for Improving Outcomes for Disconnected Youth will serve to inform the development of the Performance Partnership Pilots as well as federal cross-agency policy development and funding decisions that can address our current challenges, develop the human capital needed to fuel our economy, and unleash the untapped potential and talent of the millions of young people who have fallen through the cracks. Read Online   |   Download PDF
• Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Atlanta The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to Atlanta to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout. Download PDF
• Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Baltimore The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to Baltimore to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout. Download PDF
• Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Boston The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to Boston to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout. Download PDF
• Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Buffalo The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to Buffalo to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout. Download PDF
• Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Chicago The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to Chicago to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout. Download PDF
• Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Cleveland The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to Cleveland to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout. Download PDF
• Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Columbus The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to Columbus to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout. Download PDF
• Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Denver The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to Denver to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout. Download PDF
• Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Houston The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to Houston to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout. Download PDF
• Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Indianapolis The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to Indianapolis to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout. Download PDF
• Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Jackson The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to Jackson to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout. Download PDF
• Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Kansas City The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to Kansas City to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout. Download PDF
• Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Los Angeles The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to Los Angeles to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout. Download PDF
• Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Memphis The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to Memphis to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout. Download PDF
• Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Minneapolis The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to Minneapolis to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout. Download PDF
• Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Newark The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to Newark to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout. Download PDF
• Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Oakland The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to Oakland to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout. Download PDF
• Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Philadelphia The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to Philadelphia to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout. Download PDF
• Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: San Diego The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to San Diego to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout. Download PDF
• Aug 19, 2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Washington, D.C. The purpose of the community profiles project is to highlight data that help community members, advocates, and policymakers understand the nature and extent of issues facing large numbers of youth in low-income urban and rural communities. This fact sheet presents data and research related to District of Columbia to help elevate the issue of youth development and high school dropout Download PDF
• Jun 27, 2011  |  CLASP Youth Policy Team Reconnecting The Disconnected: Leveraging Federal Policy & Local Practice To Expand Education & Labor Market Opportunity For Youth CLASP's youth policy work aims to advance policy and practice that will dramatically improve the education, employment, and life outcomes for youth in communities of high youth distress. Download PDF
• Jan 24, 2011  |  Kisha Bird (Campaign for Youth) Input for a Strategic Plan for Federal Youth Policy: Comments to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services The Campaign for Youth believe's a Strategic Plan for Federal Youth Policy must effectively support the outcomes of youth living in communities of high youth distress, youth of color, and those disconnected from the mainstream. Our comments and recommendations relate specifically to ensuring the needs of disconnected and high needs youth are adequately addressed. Download PDF
• Nov 30, 2010  |  Linda Harris Building Pathways to Postsecondary Success for Low Income Young Men of Color: A Community Intervention Strategy Building postsecondary pathways to good jobs for low-income young men of color will require stretching the paradigms of our secondary, postsecondary, workforce, and adult education systems, as well as greater collaboration among these systems. Aligning systems and programming across funding streams, building partnerships, and creating new pathways are complex endeavors. But there are many innovative approaches that have shown promise and can be implemented and taken to scale. Download PDF
• Nov 30, 2010  |  Linda Harris & Amy Ellen Duke-Benfiled Building Pathways to Postsecondary Success for Low-Income Young Men of Color Linda Harris, director of youth policy, and Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield, senior policy analyst, co-authored a chapter in the recently published book Changing Places: How Communities Will Improve the Health of Boys of Color. The book "draws attention to the urgent need--both economic and moral--to better understand the policy and community-based factors that serve as opportunities or barriers for young men and boys of color as they make critical life decisions." Ms. Harris and Ms. Duke-Benfield's chapter examines why it is essential to invest access to postsecondary education opportunities for young men of color. Download PDF
• Mar 31, 2010  |  Campaign for Youth, Linda Harris Co-Chair Letter to House and Senate Budget Committee Members on the FY 2011 Budget We have an opportunity deficit in our nation. An estimated 5.2 million youth ages 16-24 are out of school and out of work. Without purposeful efforts to connect unemployed youth to jobs, paid work experience, education, and training to prepare them for openings in the new economy, those youth will most likely spend the better part of a decade with few opportunities to work, gain skills, or earn family sustaining wages. The Campaign for Youth urges Congress to increase opportunities for low-income and disconnected youth and young adults with limited labor market to access training, education supports, and good jobs that will help spur economic development in local communities across the nation. Download PDF
• Mar 09, 2010  |  Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt, Linda Harris, and Kisha Bird Follow the Money: Funding and Legislative Opportunities on the Horizon for Communities to Serve Disconnected Youth Several pieces of legislation have been proposed or passed that present opportunities to fund programs in communities to keep young people connected to school and recapture those who have fallen by the wayside. Most of these resources, however, are from competitive funding streams which will require communities to demonstrate innovative practice in planning and implementation. Communities need to be aware of these potential opportunities very early in the process in order to plan strategically and create partnerships to program at-scale and meet the needs of their disconnected youth. Download PDF
• Mar 05, 2010  |  Kisha Bird (CFY) and CCRY Network Building on the Legacy of Youth Opportunity: Implications for Federal Policy For young people who live in communities plagued by high dropout rates, high youth unemployment rates, greater incidence of juvenile crime, violence, and gang activity, the prospects are bleak and there are few pathways to education, work and responsible citizenship for those disconnected from work and school. Fortunately, we have a roadmap for reaching out to, reconnecting and providing opportunities to disconnected youth. Agencies and organizations that serve youth who are disconnected from school and employment are increasingly working together using a systems approach that improves outcomes and reduces the gaps in services and supports that can occur in more fragmented systems. In the first half of last decade nearly 100,000 disadvantaged and disconnected youth nationwide were able to continue or complete their education and enter the workforce thanks to Youth Opportunity Programming. Unfortunately, funding was discontinued in 2005, and in the ensuing years federal funding for comprehensive youth programming continued to decline despite this being the most difficult economic environment since pre-World War II for the nation's youth. This paper outlines the key lessons of the Youth Opportunity Experience and building on existing strength, experience, and capacity describes its implications for current federal policy, including the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and the Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Download PDF
• Mar 05, 2010  |  Kisha Bird and Chris Scott Youth Opportunity Community Profile: Baltimore By implementing a service delivery philosophy that relied on highly skilled youth service professionals and neighborhood-based youth centers, YO! Baltimore not only became a hub for training and education but also for relationship and community building among residents young and old. YO! Sites were safe havens where caring adults gave young people the resources, skills and opportunities they needed to stay on track and to get back on track to achieve their goals. Download PDF
• Mar 05, 2010  |  Kisha Bird and Chris Scott Youth Opportunity Community Profile: California Indian Manpower Consortium In 2000, the California Indian Manpower Consortium, Inc. (CIMC) was awarded a $15.9 million Youth Opportunity Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. The YO! CIMC Project was a collaborative effort of 23 Indian Tribes and CIMC aimed at providing comprehensive development activities and support for youth, ages 14- 21. The YO! CIMC experience afforded disadvantaged youth (many of whom attended schools in rural and isolated areas, which lacked qualified teachers or adequate curricula and serious health, social, and economic disparities) the opportunity to gain educational and occupational skills through Internships and Subsidized Employment, Life Skills Training, Job Readiness Training, and College SAT Prep programs. Download PDF
• Mar 05, 2010  |  Kisha Bird and Chris Scott Youth Opportunity Community Profile: Hartford In 2000, Hartford was awarded a $28 million Youth Opportunity (YO) Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, YO! Hartford. This fact sheet outlines the lessons, legacy and impact YO had on community practice in the city of Hartford. The Hartford site served as an example of how collaborations and partnerships can increase educational options for under-credited, over-aged students and for those who have dropped out of school. Download PDF
• Mar 05, 2010  |  Kisha Bird and Chris Scott Youth Opportunity Community Profile: Southeast Arkansas In 2000, Rural Arkansas was awarded a $19.8 million Youth Opportunity Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. This fact sheet outlines the lessons, legacy and impact YO had on community practice in rural Southeast Arkansas. Much was accomplished in a relatively short period of time in this community. The YO Arkansas experience gave Phoenix Youth and Family Services (PYFS) a unique opportunity to address the needs of young people and help the community move toward its goal of reversing the economic decline of the area and the consequent departure of its young people. Download PDF
• Nov 09, 2009  |  Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt (CLASP) & Kisha Bird (CFY) Comments to United States Department of Education: Notice of Policy Priorities for Investing in Innovation Fund The Investing in Innovation (I3) Fund offers local education agencies (LEAs) and nonprofit organizations an opportunity to rethink how they educate children and youth and to use school reform efforts as a foundational vehicle to work across sectors and explore new and innovative ways to support student learning from birth through postsecondary education. Our comments and recommendations relate specifically to ensuring the needs of struggling students and disconnected youth are adequately addressed. Download PDF
• Sep 03, 2009  |  Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt & Linda Harris Community-wide Systems That Promote High School Completion Youth develop across multiple domains that are relevant to academic success. While schools focus primarily on cognitive development, many of the supports young people receive in other developmental areas come from community-based out-of-school programming. Stimulation of development in these additional key areas builds skills that support connections to school and achievement. This article explores the need for a community-wide approach to support dropout prevention for struggling youth and re-engagement of disconnected youth. Read Online
• Jun 19, 2009  |  Linda Harris and Sara Hastings Youth Opportunity Grant Evaluation Fact Sheet At the end of 2008, the Department of Labor released the findings of an independent evaluation conducted by DIR, Inc. showing positive results from the YO initiative and highlighting effective practices for serving youth. During the grant period, these 36 communities enrolled 92,000 mostly minority youth -- 48 percent of them out of school. The evaluation documented that for this population, grantees were able to increase educational attainment, Pell Grant receipt, labor market participation, and employment rates and earnings. The evaluation also showed that when adequate resources are targeted at building community capacity to serve youth, labor force participation and education outcomes can improve. Download PDF
• May 21, 2009  |  Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Provisions Which Can Support Programming to Improve Outcomes for Black Men & Boys Prior to the economic downturn, Black males already faced disproportionately negative outcomes in so many areas, including education, health, justice, and employment. The recession has only exacerbated the problems faced by this population. There is a case to be made for targeting American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) resources to this population and for using these one-time resources to begin to put in place programs and efforts which will have lasting effects for Black males. This document highlights the funding streams in the ARRA which may provide such opportunities. Download PDF
• Apr 15, 2009  |  Linda Harris Considerations for WIA Reauthorization: Title I Youth Provisions WIA reauthorization provides the opportunity to re-think and strengthen the youth delivery system across the country. CLASP recommendations focus on increase targeting to high risk youth and more strategic alliances among youth serving systems. Download PDF
• Mar 25, 2009  |  Linda Harris Making the Connection: Opportunities in ARRA to Serve Older Youth Even before the economic downturn, youth in our economically distressed urban and rural communities were hurting. This audio conference will identify opportunities in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to serve older youth and will outline approaches states and local communities should consider to improve youth outcomes. Download Audio
• Jan 01, 2009  |  Rhonda Tsoi-A-Fatt Lessons Learned: Community Perspectives on Supporting the Path to Positive Outcomes for Youth CLASP convened city leadership from eight communities around the country which face the problem of high levels of youth distress. These city leaders provided their grounded perspective on the challenges that communities face when trying to create a continuum of supportive services at sufficient scale to serve all their youth. They also discuss the role that national policy organizations can play in supporting their work. Download PDF
• Dec 08, 2008  |  Sara Hastings Harnessing the Power of Advocacy: Massachusetts' Efforts to Increase State Resources for Youth Across the country, cities and states struggle to garner the resources necessary to address the many issues facing their disconnected young people. Over the last several years, a highly coordinated local and statewide advocacy movement has experienced groundbreaking legislative success in the state of Massachusetts. This policy brief outlines the ways in which advocacy coalitions were formed at the state level in Massachusetts and the approaches advocates used to garner support and resources for systems and programs that serve youth. Download PDF
• Nov 13, 2006  |  Linda Harris with Charles Modiano, consultant Making the Juvenile Justice - Workforce System Connection for Re-entering Young Offenders: A Guide for Local Practice This guidebook is designed to provide advice from the field to communities who are interested in pursuing more formal connections--or strengthening existing connections--between the workforce and justice systems. It draws on experiences in eight communities and focuses on on-the-ground challenges and solutions related to blending the cultures, adapting programming, engaging employers, and meeting performance. Download PDF
• Feb 27, 2006  |  Linda Harris Learning from the Youth Opportunity Experience: Executive Summary This brief summary accompanies the 50-page full report detailing the experiences of 22 communities that received U.S. Department of Labor Youth Opportunity Grants to support education, work exposure, and youth development for under-served young people. Download PDF
• Feb 16, 2006  |  Linda Harris Learning from the Youth Opportunity Experience: Building Delivery Capacity in Distressed Communities In 2000, the U.S. Department of Labor awarded significant Youth Opportunity (YO) Grants to 36 high-poverty urban, rural, and Native American communities. The grants were designed to serve all young people in these areas, regardless of income or connection to school or work. Communities were required to assess and integrate existing youth-serving systems and agencies to support education, work exposure, youth development, and other services for young people. Despite evidence of considerable community accomplishments, the YO grants were ended in 2005. This report, based on a survey of 22 of the 36 sites, examines the approaches' strengths, challenges, and lessons learned, and offers recommendations for policy and practice. The appendix of this report contains a brief description of the collaborative efforts in which these YO communities were engaged. Download PDF
• Aug 19, 2005  |  Linda Harris What's a Youngster to Do? The Education and Labor Market Plight of Youth in High-Poverty Communities Statistics show that many young adults in economically distressed communities are being left behind in educational systems and in the job market. This article highlights the magnitude of distress in selected communities and outlines a set of considerations for policy-making and action at the national and community level. Pub No. 05-40. 9 pages. August 2005. Download PDF
• May 06, 2005 Audio Conference 05/06/2005 - Connecting Disconnected Youth and Disconnected Systems: Innovative Community Approaches Download Audio   |   Additional PDF