New Child Trends article focuses on interventions for youth in transition

Programs working with older youth or youth who are transitioning into adulthood may find this new article from Child Trends interesting: WHAT WORKS FOR OLDER YOUTH DURING THE TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD: Lessons from Experimental Evaluations of Programs and Interventions, by Alena M. Hadley, M.S., Kassim Mbwana, M.P.P., and Elizabeth C. Hair, Ph.D.

They synthesize the findings from 31 studies that implemented random assignment intent-to-treat experimental evaluations to examine the impacts of various intervention strategies on youth well-being outcomes during the transition to adulthood (ages 18 to 25).

The result of this synthesis indicates that education and career programs can be effective, especially for low income youth and for youth targeted from younger ages, for example, those under age 18. Furthermore, specific intervention strategies, such as mentoring, case management, and providing child care for young parents, are associated with program success across outcomes.

Of particular interest is that the mentoring programs, which were all career/education focused, showed positive outcomes not only in both academic and career areas but also in decreased delinquency.

To read the full article, go to:
http://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_Trends-2010_03_09_FS_WWOlderYout...