School-based mentorship programs help students navigate financial aid, college admissions and stay on track.

The post Paying it forward: how mentoring organizations are helping students with college admissions appeared first on Youth Today.

A podcast discusses five concrete changes that can be made in any youth development setting.

The post Five shifts that would change everything appeared first on Youth Today.

The scholarship didn’t just help me go to college. It helped me build a life.

The post How a scholarship for homeless youth gave me the stability to build a future appeared first on Youth Today.

Workforce readiness must start in high school with paid opportunities, responsibilities, and cross-sector partnerships.

The post Workforce readiness should start before college appeared first on Youth Today.

At the 2026 National Conference on Education hosted in Nashville by the School Superintendents Association, I heard a sentence that defined my first experience attending this event. “Being nice doesn’t cost anything,” said Superintendent Kyle Estes of Russellville Independent Schools in Kentucky, “but it means everything.” Representing Healthier Generation, I attended the conference to listen […]

The post Strengthening school/afterschool partnership: Tips and trends from the 2026 School Superintendents Conference appeared first on Youth Today.

Helping youth thrive is about designing learning environments that prioritize consistency, challenge, and agency.

The post What John King’s teachers were actually doing appeared first on Youth Today.

Youth practitioners play a critical role in shaping youth environments by establishing norms, safety, and a larger vision — not by controlling every note.

The post Structure, control and leaving room appeared first on Youth Today.

Katherine Plog Martinez speaks with Erica Van Steenis on how sparks — deep interests, qualities, or talents — are central to positive youth development.

The post On sparks and social capital appeared first on Youth Today.

If we want young people to relish the joy of learning and grow into capable, compassionate adults, youth dance deserves its place school curriculum.

The post Dance builds the skills young people need. I credit dance with my pursuit of medicine. appeared first on Youth Today.

OST can move from a patchwork of programs to a cohesive ecosystem boosting equity and learning; becoming a vital part of the continuum.

The post Beyond fragmentation: Advancing continuity of care and cumulative opportunities in OST appeared first on Youth Today.

Karen Pittman speaks with Rajiv Vinnakota about cultivating civic skills that develop effective citizens.

The post Civic skills for 20 million young people: A Q&A with Rajiv Vinnakota appeared first on Youth Today.

Even with juvenile justice reform, the underlying conditions that result in court-involved youth remain firmly in place.

The post What 20 years with court-involved youth has taught me about breaking systemic cycles appeared first on Youth Today.

Child abuse deaths are needles in a haystack. But we’ve spent half a century making the haystack bigger.

The post Children suffer when child welfare ignores the evidence base appeared first on Youth Today.

The U.S. invokes child protection to justify family separation, prolonged detention and forced placements, but this distorts the origins of child safety.

The post Child safety was never meant to look like this appeared first on Youth Today.

Merita Irby speaks with LearnerStudio's Courtney Garcia about a new anthology exploring what it means for young people to flourish in the Age of AI.

The post Flourishing in the Age of AI: Q&A with Courtney Garcia of LearnerStudio appeared first on Youth Today.

With chronic absenteeism still 50% above pre-pandemic levels, schools are using ineffective punitive or reward-based strategies instead of family supports.

The post To fix student absenteeism, schools must support families first appeared first on Youth Today.

Katherine Plog Martinez speaks with Gene Roehlkepartain on how strong developmental relationships are the "active ingredient" in successful youth programs.

The post On developmental relationships appeared first on Youth Today.

We must ensure kids are experiencing high-quality recess and a school climate that makes them want to attend every day.

The post Joy, partnership and play create belonging and increase attendance appeared first on Youth Today.

Youth Today's Karen Pittman, often referred to as the godmother of positive youth development, received the award on February 13.

The post Q&A with Karen Pittman, 2026 recipient of the NEA Foundation’s Outstanding Service to Public Education Award appeared first on Youth Today.

MCA’s legacy, when seen through a developmental lens, offers a clear example of how gratitude can emerge alongside maturity, identity and purpose.

The post Look inside: What MCA taught us about gratitude, growth and growing up appeared first on Youth Today.