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Youth Today

Youth Today provides news, opinions and updates from and for people who believe that when youth thrive we all thrive.

Subscribe to Youth Today: https://youthtoday.org/subscribe/ Youth Today is a national, nonprofit, independent news source for people who care about and work with children and youth. For more than 35 years we’ve published in-depth reporting on issues including foster care and child welfare, juvenile justice, youth with disabilities, education, out-of-school time, youth development and more.

08/14/2025

Coaches have the power to shape more than athletic performance—they can be catalysts for healing, trust, and community change. The Million Coaches Challenge is working toward this vision by mobilizing organizations nationwide to train and retain coaches.

In this week’s From the Field article Dawn Anderson-Butcher, OSULifesports and the Community and Youth Collaborative Institute (The Ohio State University College of Social Work); Megan Bartlett, The Center for Healing and Justice through Sport; Peter Feldman, Laureus Sport for Good USA ; and Katlin Okamoto, U.S. Soccer Foundation highlight:

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙖𝙘𝙝-𝙈𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙈𝙤𝙙𝙚(U.S. Soccer Foundation) that trains coaches to lead with empathy and connection.

The 𝘾𝒆𝙣𝒕𝙚𝒓 𝒇𝙤𝒓 𝑯𝙚𝒂𝙡𝒊𝙣𝒈 𝒂𝙣𝒅 𝑱𝙪𝒔𝙩𝒊𝙘𝒆 𝑻𝙝𝒓𝙤𝒖𝙜𝒉 𝑺𝙥𝒐𝙧𝒕 which brings trauma-informed practices to youth sports.

The 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝘾𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 (Laureus Sport for Good USA) that creates local coalitions for coaches to collaborate and drive systemic change.

The 𝘾𝙤𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝘽𝙚𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢 (LiFEsports at Ohio State University) that teaches coaches to support athlete well-being beyond traditional technical skills.

📖 Read more https://youthtoday.org/2025/08/shifting-culture-youth-sport-supporting-coaches/

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08/13/2025

🏅 Sport is more than a game — it’s a place to grow. Sports foster:

✅ Belonging & inclusion
✅ Life skills beyond the field

Jessy Newman of the American Institutes for Research (AIR) shares and explains why positive youth development (PYD) should be the foundation for youth sport and how support for coaches can help guide youth growth

When sport is done right, it’s more than a game — it’s a life-shaping experience where every young person can thrive.

📖 Read more https://youthtoday.org/2025/08/reimagining-youth-sport-putting-positive-youth-development-first/

08/12/2025

Too much pressure. Too little fun. Too expensive.

Competitive culture, burnout, and financial barriers are driving youth out of the sports programs designed to keep them healthy and engaged.

👟 70% of youth quit sports by age 13

💸 Families spend over $1,000 a year—just for one sport

🥇 Young people want less pressure and more fun

A new article from Youthcast Media Group student journalists, Rossy Soto, Grace Wang and Amaya Manzano, share real stories from teens across the country — exploring why youth are burning out — and what makes them stay.

📖 Read more https://youthtoday.org/2025/08/competitive-youth-sports-culture-leads-burnout-quitting/

08/07/2025

📊 New research shows: Mentoring changes lives.

In a 4-year study of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America's Community-Based Mentoring program:

💥 Less violence-related behavior

🏚️ Fewer property offenses

🚫 Reduced substance use

While arrest rates stayed about the same, these modest wins mean major impact when scaled. 💡

Mentorship isn’t just feel-good—it’s evidence-based progress.

📖 Full story https://youthtoday.org/2025/08/effects-big-brothers-big-sisters-community-based-mentoring-program-crime-delinquency-four-year-findings/

Youth Today + University of Illinois Chicago

08/06/2025

🚨 Did you Know?

❗ 1 in 3 girls in juvenile detention has been pregnant
❗ Most have never received basic menstrual or reproductive health education
❗ Their menstrual health issues often go unrecognized and untreated
❗ The lack of supplies and knowledge for detained young women keeps them out of school — and deeper in the system

Mentraul health education provided in juvenile detention facilities may be the first chance young women get to understand and care for their bodies.

It’s not just about periods—it’s about power, health and a chance at a future.

➡️ Read more in the latest Youth Today piece by Kathryn Tapp.

🔗https://youthtoday.org/2025/08/detained-and-in-the-dark-girls-in-juvenile-detention-need-menstrual-health-education-now/

08/05/2025

💥 California is about to spend $31.5M not on helping foster youth — but on helping foster agencies buy insurance after abuse lawsuits.

In a must-read op-ed Richard Wexler says what many won’t:

👉🏽 Most foster removals aren’t about abuse — they’re about poverty.
👉🏽 Institutional care = highest risk of harm.
👉🏽 The “insurance crisis” is proof the system is broken.

Instead of propping up agencies that failed children, let’s:
✨ Reunite families with the right support
✨ End harmful group placements
✨ Invest in real solutions like in-home care

🔗 Read the full op-ed — https://youthtoday.org/2025/08/seize-foster-care-insurance-crisis-opportunity-curb-foster-care/link in bio

National Coalition for Child Protection Reform

07/31/2025

"Service learning isn't just about volunteering — it's about purpose, leadership, and academic growth."

Karen Pittman talks with Scott Ganske, vice president of education at Youth Service America (YSA), exploring how high-quality service learning transforms classrooms and communities.

Unlike traditional classroom learning or even project-based learning, service learning integrates academic objectives with real-world issues, allowing students to investigate, plan, act, reflect, and demonstrate their knowledge while making meaningful change in their communities.

Scott shares how service learning helped his own students outperform state growth metrics, and why this method still faces roadblocks in many schools. From training tools and summer programs to afterschool resources, he highlights ways educators can bridge the purpose gap for students starting as early as elementary school.

👉Learn how service learning helps kids lead, grow, and thrive.

📖 Read full story here. https://youthtoday.org/2025/07/qa-how-service-learning-done-well-changes-lives/

07/30/2025

✨Honoring Karl Dennis: A Legacy of Unconditional Care✨

Karl Dennis, known as the Father of Wraparound, transformed youth work by insisting that systems adapt to youth and families—not the other way around.

💡As founder of 4KIDS (Kaleidoscope Inc.), he pioneered care that was youth- and family-driven, unconditional, and culturally responsive.

🌍His leadership reshaped how we support youth, inspiring wraparound practices now used in child welfare, juvenile justice, and mental health systems across the country.

📝 David Osherr reflects on Karl’s legacy — a must-read for anyone committed to equity, youth development, and transformative care.

📖 Read the full tribute: https://youthtoday.org/2025/07/path-blazed-karl-dennis-father-wraparound/

07/29/2025

👊 Why are we so afraid to let young people lead?
💬 “Youth don’t need more permission. They need more partners.”

In a must-read article from Youth Today, Scott Ganske ( Youth Service America (YSA)) makes the case for real youth leadership—not adult-scripted service projects or one-day symbolic events.

📍From 5th-grade ambassadors to teenage nonprofit founders, young people have shown they’re ready. The question is: are we ready to trust them?

🌱 Leadership starts early. It’s time to stop applauding youth from the sidelines and start co-creating with them.

📖 Read the article here: https://youthtoday.org/2025/07/why-are-we-so-afraid-to-let-young-people-lead/

07/25/2025

Teens today are facing more anxiety and loneliness than ever before—but connection is the key to helping them thrive. 💬❤️

In a recent Youth Today interview, managing editor spoke with CEO Allison Williams about the Teen Connection Project (TCP) — a game-changing program that supports teen mental health through social connection.

💬 TCP helps high schoolers build trust, communication skills, and deeper peer relationships through 12 guided lessons facilitated by caring adults.
🌟 Research shows it leads to better mental health, stronger friendships, and increased school engagement.

With a goal to reach 100,000 youth by 2030, Wyman is calling on partners across the country to take action.

👉 Read full conversation https://youthtoday.org/2025/07/qa-from-anxiety-connection-how-wyman-helps-teens-build-social-skills/

📧 Learn more or bring TCP to your community: [email protected]

🎥Hear teens share their stories: https://lnkd.in/g4Tyez2m

07/24/2025

💡 What if we didn’t have to choose which adolescent issue to solve first?

Whether it's mental health, academics, or civic engagement—the same foundational supports work across ALL areas of youth development. In this week’s When Youth Thrive, We All Thrive column, Karen J Pittman and Merita Irby share the connection between foundational youth development research and the more recent findings of the Science of Learning and Development Alliance and highlight the importance of “non-negotiable” developmental supports..

📊 Ensuring young people have supportive relationships, challenging learning experiences, and meaningful involvement can:

✅ Boost youth success by 50%
❌ Cut the odds of struggling in half

They challenge us to consider how we build ecosystems where these non-negotiables are part of every young person’s experience — both in school and in community settings.

🔗read the full article https://youthtoday.org/2025/07/we-dont-have-choose-which-adolescent-challenge-tackle-all-linked-same-five-non-negotiables-optimizing-development/

07/18/2025

🚨 Our systems for youth are under attack — and building back isn’t enough.

In her latest When Youth Thrive, We All Thrive column, Karen Pittman urges us to rethink and redesign the systems that support education and youth development. Drawing on decades of research, she outlines five bold shifts to help youth thrive — from redefining learning to advocating for a new educational architecture that values anywhere, anytime, never-too-late learning.

Let’s value mentors, counselors, coaches, artists — the full learning ecosystem. Let’s give young people the tools and relationships they need to be productive, healthy and connected.

👉 Read the full piece: https://youthtoday.org/2025/07/education-youth-development-under-attack-time-talk-differently-act-together/

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