Update from ACT for Youth
Youth Development Research, Resources, Opportunities
August 2022
Featured Resource
Toolkit: Youth Mental Health
In this new addition to the ACT for Youth Adolescent Development Toolkit, youth-serving organizations will find resources to help them:
  • Understand adolescent mental health and illness
  • Understand adolescent mental health inequities
  • Respond to mental health crises
  • Put prevention strategies in place
  • Direct young people to online resources and help lines
Research and Resources
Measuring Sex, Gender Identity, and
Sexual Orientation

National Academies of Sciences Engineering Medicine: This report offers principles for data collection for sex and gender, and criteria for selecting recommended measures for sexual orientation identity. The report recommends specific questions that can be used within the general adult population to assess sexual orientation identity, sex assigned at birth, and gender identity, and to identify people with transgender experience and intersex traits.
Teens, Social Media and Technology

New data from Pew Research Center sheds light on the current social media and technology behaviors of teens in the U.S.
Offering Sexual and Reproductive Health Services to Adolescents in School Settings Can Create More Equitable Access

Child Trends: While sexual and reproductive health education and services help adolescents more safely navigate their early relationships, these services are too often inequitably distributed and unavailable to students from minority communities.
Community-Based Alternatives to Juvenile Confinement

National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges: This infographic explains the benefits of community-based alternatives to secure confinement for justice-involved youth as well as the communities where they live.
School Bullying Prevention

Stopbullying.gov: Bullying can threaten students’ physical and emotional safety at school and can negatively impact their ability to learn. The best way to address bullying is to stop it before it starts. There are a number of things school staff can do to make schools safer and prevent bullying.
Barbershop Books

PASE: Barbershop Books inspires Black boys and other vulnerable children to read for fun. Their e-library offers a diverse collection of fun independently published e-books from Black and Brown authors. They also offer storytime videos of books read aloud by Barbershop Books staff for youth to enjoy.
Professional Development
BOMBARDED:
How To Recover Young People From Electronic Screen Addiction
Pediatric Focus: A new training program from pediatric occupational therapist Paul Newcombe aims to help parents, teachers, and health professionals:

  • Reverse the neurological harm already caused by electronic screens.
  • End screen addiction and difficult screen-driven behaviors.
  • Fill the void with non-screen interests.
  • Restore family relationships.
  • Provide children, adolescents and young adults with a balanced, healthy, happier life where screen time is a servant, not a master.
Grants
Accessible Info and Plain Language Training

The New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council is announcing availability of grant funds to fund one grantee the amount of up to $150,000 per year for 2 years ($300,000 total) to develop a plain language training and toolkit for agencies and other organizations to translate their communications in more accessible ways, including but not limited to visual samples, audio recording, and plain language writing.

Deadline: 9/30/2022
Youth Suicide Prevention Programs

New York State Office of Mental Health (NYSOMH): In light of the increased number of adolescents and young adults who have reported trying to die by suicide, as well as the unique cultural factors that must be considered in the development of programs and suicide prevention activities, the NYSOMH is
announcing the availability of funds to nonprofit agencies and tribal organizations serving at-risk youth and/or young adults.

Deadline: 9/8/2022
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.