Programs that serve youth are not new in the U.S. or in New York State, but programs that focus specifically on youth development are relatively new, gaining prominence in the late 1980s. In contrast to programs designed to deal with specific risk behaviors, youth development programs have a broad and preventive focus, striving to promote the positive and enhance health and well-being. Youth development programs focus on the whole person, and on providing what young people need to grow into responsible and productive adults. New York State first provided funds for the ACT for Youth positive youth development initiative in July 2000; a second five-year round began in July 2006.

Community Collaborations

Building on the work of the eleven original  ACT for Youth communities, twelve (10 new) Collaborations for Community Change (CCCs) were awarded funding to develop and implement their own strategies to strengthen community support and opportunities for healthy youth development. The twelve CCCs are located in: Dutchess County, Erie County, Jefferson County, Madison County, Monroe County, Nassau County, Orange County, Oswego County, Queens, Seneca County, Staten Island, and Washington/Warren Counties.

What is the Center of Excellence?

The ACT for Youth Center of Excellence (CoE) provides technical assistance, training, and information resources to the CCCs and to certain youth-serving provider groups across New York State. The CoE is a partnership among Cornell University’s Family Life Development Center, the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Division of Adolescent Medicine, the New York State Center for School Safety, and Cornell Cooperative Extension of New York City. This partnership brings together professionals with expertise in child and adolescent development, child and adolescent health, school connectedness and safety, violence prevention, research and evaluation, training, collaboration and building community coalitions.

What services does the CoE provide?

The Center of Excellence supports these communities in their efforts to promote positive youth development and to prevent abuse, violence, and risky behaviors among youth by providing:

• Information on effective prevention programs grounded in social/behavioral science
• State of the art research on youth development and health issues
• Training and technical assistance in community and program development and coalition building
• Training and technical assistance for evaluation and research

Youth Network

In 2007, the Center of Excellence is forming a new state-wide Youth Network to inform and strengthen the Center's work. Young people from the ACT communities are welcome!