Update from ACT for Youth
Youth Development Research, Resources, Opportunities
January 2023
Featured Resource
Competencies in Youth Work
What does it take to be a good youth worker? How can we plan for effective professional development? Here we discuss core competency areas and connect you to valuable resources.
Research and Resources
Access to Comprehensive Reproductive Health Care is an Adolescent Health Issue

This post from PolicyLab and Guttmacher reviews the legal framework supporting adolescents’ access to sexual and reproductive services, as well as research on the impact of restrictions on reproductive care for adolescents, particularly racial and ethnic minority youth.
Students Offer Lessons on Enhancing Engagement in Youth Programs

In this brief, Child Trends highlights four programmatic engagement strategies provided by ninth-grade students. The brief closes with additional resources to help youth-serving professionals and program staff promote greater youth engagement.
Engaging, Safe, and Evidence-Based: What Science Tells Us Adolescents Need When Online

A new report from the National Scientific Council on Adolescence looks at research on youth development and technology use to offer specific suggestions to ensure that digital tech used by middle-school-aged youth.
Know Your Reproductive Rights and How to Access Reproductive Health Care

Reproductive health care, including access to birth control and safe and legal abortion care, is an essential part of health and well-being. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is committed to providing accurate and up-to-date information about access to and coverage of reproductive health care and resources.
Youth Partnership: A Call to Action for State Advisory Groups

The Coalition for Juvenile Justice has released a new resource to help state advisory groups (SAGs) engage with youth impacted by the juvenile justice system.
National Disability Employment Awareness: Ideas for Educators and Youth Serving Professionals

Discover ways to engage students with the topic of disability employment, approaches for spreading awareness of the contributions of employees with disabilities, and more!
Professional Development
Understanding and Supporting Student-Led Activism

Learning for Justice: Young people have always been at the forefront of movements for justice in the United States. In this self-paced, free professional development course, you’ll learn the history of student-led activism and receive tools and actionable strategies for supporting student activism.
This newsletter was developed with funding provided by the New York State Department of Health Bureau of Perinatal, Reproductive, and Sexual Health. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the ACT for Youth Center for Community Action and do not necessarily represent the views of the New York State Department of Health.