Update from ACT for Youth
Youth Development Research, Resources, Opportunities
November 2021
Featured Resources
Adolescent Development Resources
Many rich resources have recently been added to the ACT for Youth clearinghouse.

Recent reports and research summaries on adolescent development increasingly take the effects of structural racism and inequities into account.

The resources in this section focus on specific domains of development. Cognitive Development features adolescent brain development. Under Social and Emotional Development, the focus shifts to the emotional life of adolescents and the challenges involved in regulating emotions. Physical/Sexual Development addresses body changes, puberty, and evolving sexuality. 
Research and Resources
Turnaround for Children Toolbox: Science Foundations

This brief summarizes key points the science of learning and development, calling out racist, sexist, heteronormative, ableist assumptions and presenting complex ideas in a clear and useful way.
Supporting the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) of Systematically Marginalized Students in a Pandemic

Having one’s identities affirmed is central to the ability to learn. Students whose identities are marginalized and/or those who have a low sense of safety and belonging pay a “cognitive tax.” This report presents these issues within the context of the pandemic and offers recommendations.
Why Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Alone Isn't Enough and Why We Can't Afford Whitewashed SEL

Dena Simmons cautions that SEL practiced in the absence of racial justice can be harmful, and offers "strategies for teaching fearless SEL." Simmons founded LiberatED in 2021 to center healing, justice, and radical love in social and emotional learning so that all children live, learn, and thrive in the comfort of their own skin.
STEM Family Engagement: A Planning Tool

STEM Next: This planning tool introduces a new framework for family engagement in STEM known as CARE: Connect, Act, Reflect, and Empower. CARE is a simple way of organizing ideas from research and practice to provide a shared and equitable vision for family engagement in STEM.
Schools Can Reduce Barriers to Mental Health Access by Ensuring That Services Are Supportive of LGBTQ Youth


Many LGBTQ youth experience stigma and discrimination related to their sexual orientation and gender identity that has been associated with greater risk of suffering from mental health problems. To improve LGBTQ students’ access to relevant and affirming mental health care, schools must continue to expand their efforts to establish referral networks with mental health professionals in the community. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has recognized the importance of providing culturally and linguistically competent mental health services to LGBTQ youth.
Health Equity Guiding Principles for Inclusive Communication


CDC’s Health Equity Guiding Principles for Inclusive Communication emphasize the importance of addressing all people inclusively and respectfully. These principles are intended to help public health professionals, particularly health communicators, ensure their communication products and strategies adapt to the specific cultural, linguistic, environmental, and historical situation of each population or audience of focus.
Professional Development
Foundational Series: Behavior Management

PASE: To successfully manage groups, practitioners need to understand the underlying causes of common behavior problems. In this workshop, participants will explore these causes, learn developmentally appropriate strategies for managing challenging behaviors, and make links to program policies regarding dealing with these behaviors.

Date: November 18, 10:00 AM EST
Grants
Child Care Stabilization Grant

The goal of the Child Care Stabilization Grant is to provide financial relief to child care providers to help cover unexpected business costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and to help stabilize their operations so they may continue to provide care.

Deadline: November 30, 2021
This newsletter was developed with funding provided by the New York State Department of Health Bureau of Women, Infant and Adolescent 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.