Youth Programs

The Community Partnership Center's (CPC) community partners have expressed a great interest in the development of programming to reach youth in low-resource communities. In response, the CPC is working with community and university partners to create programs that involve youth in various ways to increase their educational skills and their capacity for civic engagement.

The approach we have developed as a framework for our youth outreach is called the Youth in Development Initiative (YDI). Its purpose is to develop, promote and implement community youth development programs that engage youth in hands-on service activities through digital technologies. Community youth development is a holistic approach to youth development that simultaneously engages youth in civic issues, community change, and personal development. It provides after-school activities for youth, enlists them in community change efforts and volunteer activities, builds capacities and skills for the future, and forges inter-generational linkages between adults, elders and youth. This focus on youth has become a widely-articulated and implemented component of building better communities and an important vehicle for bridging the digital divide.