Youth Services

Youth services and supports are essential to the development of young people to prepare them for adulthood. The range of youth programs include:

Afterschool and Out-of-School time programs
Academic enrichment activities
Mental health services
Job and skills building programs and training, summer employment
Case management
Delinquency prevention services

Recent Advocacy:

FPWA is currently actively engaged in advocacy to maintain current state funding levels for Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA), Special Delinquency Prevention (SDPP) Programs and Youth Development and Delinquency Prevention (YDDP) Programs. Unfortunately, these programs were cut once again as part of the state's December 2009 budget cuts.

Recent Policy Documents:

The Youth Workforce Toolkit: A Standard Employer Guide to Support Youth and Young Adults in the Workplace. View: Youth Workforce Toolkit pdf (1137095 bytes)
This Toolkit provides a consolidated source of standard information for employers about best practices to support young people in the workplace.

Recommendations:

Adequate resources should be provided to community-based programs that can lower future public expenditures for incarceration, social support and welfare payments. Examples of where sufficient support is needed include assistance for programs that help runaway and homeless youth, delinquency prevention programs, after-school initiatives and dropout prevention programs.
Recruiting and retaining a high quality workforce is critical to youth service providers to assure positive relationships are formed and services are effective.

Portfolio Expert: Kathleen Fitzgibbons, MPA
Kathy Fitzgibbons

Fact Sheet: Key Facts on Youth Services pdf (31922 bytes)

GET INVOLVED:

E-fax a letter to the Governor and your state legislator supporting youth programs.

Did You Know?

*After school programs have a positive impact on youth at risk of delinquent behaviors.

*Police reported in one community that there were fewer felonies among juveniles with access to counseling and enrichment programs.

*It is estimated that the savings of preventing a youth from being incarcerated is $1.3 -$1.5 million over the course of the lifetime.

Where We Stand:

The Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies believes that it is essential to develop the academic, vocational, life skills, and employability of young people to better prepare them for adulthood through effective youth services programs.{[Link to full Policy Statement in the folder}

Strategic Collaborations:

The New York City Youth Alliance is a consortium of youth-focused organizations that together represent hundreds of thousands of youth and families in New York City, advocating on their behalf on both the city and state levels.

Click here for a list of additional collaborations.