Capturing Promising Practices in Recruitment and Retention of Frontline Youth Workers

Submitted by LauraM on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 14:12

Research is clear that children and youth benefit from consistent, caring adults in their lives. Even though this is the case, local organizations continue to struggle to recruit and retain frontline youth workers. The National Collaboration for Youth surveyed its members and interviewed staff from local organizations to provide strategies they use to effectively recruit and retain staff who work directly with youth. Click here to view.

In addition, the Pre-Symposium Report provides case studies of local organizations and their strategies. Click here to view the Pre-Symposium Report.

»
A Concise Case for Investing in Youth Workers

In order to strengthen supports for youth workers, it is critical that new champions join the effort. We must not preach only to the choir! This two-page case statement is designed to make a clear, concise, convincing argument for investing in youth workers, not just youth programs. We hope it is useful as you reach out to new groups of stakeholders to engage in this work, including business, education, higher education and more.

Youth-Worker-Case-Statement-March2010.pdf
Strengthening the Youth Development/After-School Workforce

Despite major advancements in the field, staffing – everything from recruitment, retention, supervision, to performance – remains a major challenge. There is a need to reexamine currently held assumptions about what it will take to build a strong, stable, committed workforce. What incentives? What opportunities? What requirements? For whom? In what combination? This brief report by Nicole Yohalem, Karen Pittman and Sharon Lovick Edwards highlights lessons learned over the past six years by the Forum for Youth Investment, Cornerstones for Kids and the Next Generation Youth Work Coalition, with an eye toward implications for funders. We summarize what is known about youth workers, why investments in this workforce matter, and what funders (private and public) can do to spark and support these investments. The goal is to support discussions about how focused attention on workforce development can be a part of funders’ individual and collective efforts to strengthen and expand after-school and youth development programs and systems.

Find the document here: http://forumfyi.org/content/strengthening-youth-developmentafter-school-...