This section features
research, publications and program materials related to youth ages
12 to 18 years old and their families. Topics include adolescents
development, physical and mental health, violence prevention, parent-adolescent
relationships, peer relationships, formal and informal education,
transition from school to work, opportunities for civic engagement,
and community supports for youth.
Child Welfare
Research Agenda for the State of Minnesota
The MN Child Welfare Research Agenda was prepared by the
office of the Gamble-Skogmo Land Grant Chair. It is a product
of many discussions with Minnesota Department of Human
Services workers, supervisors and administrators; various
Advisory Groups; the U of M School of Social Work, Center
for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare, and Children, Youth
and Families Consortium; child welfare service provider
agencies; advocates; researchers and experts in the field.
The
Center for Adolescent Nursing (C.A.N.)
Located within the University
of Minnesota's School of Nursing, the Center for Adolescent Nursing offers
public health nursing
masters and doctoral programs
focused in adolescent health; intensive learning institutes
for on-site and distance learners from all disciplines; as
well as technical assistance and
consultations to state, regional, national and international
institutions and organizations serving youth. C.A.N. also
publishes its own quarterly newsletter,
Adolescent Nursing with an international distribution
of 1000+ nurses and other health professionals who work with young people.
The
Center for Child and Family Health Promotion Research (CCFHPR)
Located within the University of Minnesota's School of Nursing, the Center for Child and Family Health Promotion Research develops and disseminates community-based interventions that seek to improve the lives of children and families. Research topics range from home visiting programs to community-wide violence prevention, and from healthy births to youth development.
Proceedings
for Developing a Child Welfare Research Agenda
On June 3, 2002,
researchers, policy makers, legislators, and child welfare professionals
gathered at the University
of Minnesota to participate in
developing a child welfare research agenda for the State of Minnesota. The
program included a presentation of the Illinois experience using research
for program planning and evaluation. In
addition, the current status
of child welfare research in Minnesota was reviewed. Participants
then identified critical research questions for Minnesota and prioritized
them by topic. This report summarizes
discussions and lays the groundwork
for further consolidation of the
information. All of this work will result in a joint Child Welfare
Research Agenda for Minnesota
to be published by the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department
of Human Services. Our plan is that
it will reflect not only the
thoughts of the publishers, but also the views
of the citizens of Minnesota
who are committed to the constant
improvement of child welfare service delivery.
Minnesota
Student Survey
The Minnesota
Student Survey is a triennial report that looks at student
attitudes and behaviors. The report is prepared by the Minnesota
Department of Human Services and the Minnesota Department
of Children, Families and Learning.
Center
for Applied Research & Educational Improvement (CAREI)
The Center for
Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) is a collaborative
organization that brings the resources of the College of Education
and Human Development and the University of Minnesota to bear on educational
issues in Minnesota and across the nation.
Center
for 4-H Youth Development
The Center for
4-H Youth Development is linked with the University of Minnesota Extension
Service. The Center supports research, teaching, and outreach in community
based non-formal youth development education. The Center is particularly
interested in youth development opportunities which, foster resiliency,
promote safe and healthy behaviors, support youth in communities and
use effective methods.
Children
and Money - Income and Expenditures
Children and money
issues are being discussed more and more in recent years. Within this
discussion there is little agreement either between parents, among
sets of parents, or among professionals in terms of approaches to
the issues. This research report highlights some of the critical issues
related to the income and expenditures of today's youth.
The
impact of caring and connectedness on adolescent health and well-being
This study of
over 36,000 7th-12th grade students focused on protective factors
against the quietly disturbed and acting out behaviours, which together
represent the major social morbidities of adolescence. Multivariate
models developed separately for girls and boys repeatedly demonstrated
the protective function of caring and connectedness in the lives of
youth, particularly a sense of connectedness to family and to school.
Division
of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health
The Division is
about all aspects of adolescent health and development and the health
of adolescents at risk. They provide interdisciplinary research, training,
and clinical services collaborating with the disciplines of medicine,
nursing, nutrition, psychology, public health and social work.
The
KDWB Variety Family Center
The KDWB Variety
Family Center is a collaboration between the Division of General Pediatrics
and Adolescent Health at the University of Minnesota, the Variety
Children's Association and KDWB Radio. Activities at the center are
focused on maximizing the developmental potential of all children
by creating human environments that reduce risks and provide resources
that contribute to child competence and well-being. The center is
dedicated to teaching, research, outreach and community service.
The
Konopka Institute for Best Practices in Adolescent Health.
The Konopka Institute
is built on a foundation of research that articulates what has been
demonstrated to be effective in healthy youth development. Strategies
based on the interrelatedness of youth health problems‚ a commitment
to programs that work (“best practices”) or show promise
of doing so (“best bets”)‚ and an understanding that
adolescents must be viewed in the context of their families and their
families in the context of neighborhoods and communities‚ are
organizational hallmarks. Building upon these core values, the Konopka
Institute is positioned to provide information‚ programs‚
and policy support to the youth-serving community.Improving the Odds:
The
Untapped Power of Schools to Improve the Health of Teens (PDF)
Schools that have
classrooms where students get along with each other, pay attention
, and hand in assignments on time could be a key to reducing teenagers’
risk for violence, substance abuse, suicide and pregnancy according
to the findings from the largest survey ever conducted with adolescents
in the United States. Released in April 2002 by the Division of General
Pediatrics and Adolescent Health.
Growing
Absolutely Fantastic Youth: A Guide to Best Practices in Healthy Youth
Development (PDF)
“Growing
Absolutely Fantastic Youth. Produced by the University of Minnesota’s
Konopka Institute for Best Practices in Adolescent Health. This guide
represents a synthesis of the research on effective prevention, intervention
and health promotion strategies within families, schools and communities
as they pertain to seven different health concerns. These adolescent
health areas (alcohol/tobacco/other drugs, motor vehicle accidents,
violence, suicide, risky sexual behavior, nutrition and physical activity)
have been identified by the U. S. Surgeon General as needing critical
attention.”
Health
Futures of Youth/MN: Developing Programs, Practices, and Policies
That Make a Difference for Youth (PDF)
This report from
the University of Minnesota’s Konopka Institute for Best Practices
in Adolescent Health presents recommendations for creating a health
youth agenda, generated from meetings with nearly 300 people across
Minnesota who work with or on behalf of youth. It is also identifies
action steps for policy makers, funders, government employees, youth
workers, youth, parents and citizens so that the vision can be realized.
“Best
Bets” Policy Briefs
“Best Bets”
Policy Briefs are concise presentations of research findings on issues
of critical concern to those who make or shape policies and programs.
Produced by the University of Minnesota’s Konopka Institute for
Best Practices in Adolescent Health
Commanding
English
Commanding English
sponsors a couple of programs that work with non-native English speakers
in high schools. Currently, two Somali students are mentoring Somali
high school students in Minneapolis.
El
Puente
El Puente is a
mentoring program for Latino and Chicano youth. The mentors conduct
work in the community.
Fresh
Force
College students
lead teens in an after-school program geared towards community improvement
projects.
Teens
Take Action on Health
Young people will
work to develop project management, communication, and health promotion
skills.
Center
for School Change
This program works
to improve attitudes of adolescents toward school, strengthen the
communities of these adolescents and raise high school graduation
rates.National
Teen
Pregnancy Prevention Research and Training Center
Researches the
best methods of teen pregnancy prevention.
Reducing
Underage Drinking through Coalitions
Works to reduce
underage drinking through prevention programs and research.
Teens,
Crime and the Community
Teaches adolescents
how crime affects their families, their communities and themselves.
Places teens in service-learning projects to help with community improvement
and to lower crime rates.
Tucker
Center for research on girls & women in Sport
The first and only one of its kind in the world,
the Tucker Center is an interdisciplinary research center leading
a pioneering effort to examine how sport and physical activity affect
the lives of girls and women, their families, and communities.
Research has discovered important connections between
participation in sport and physical activity and healthy development,
yet most sports-related research has focused on men. The Tucker Center
is changing this by exploring how sport and exercise influence women’s
physical, psychological, and social development, as well as how social,
cultural, and economic factors influence girls’ and women’s
participation in sports, recreation, and physical activity.
Upward
Bound
Helps low-income and
minority students complete high school and matriculate to
college.
