Community Youth Development Resources
The following is a list of tools that we have found helpful in our youth engagement work. These are hands-on, how-to-do resources such as handbooks, manuals, reports of initiatives that proved successful in an organization or community, and so on. There is a link to a PDF for each listing, followed by a brief description of the content in the resource. All of these resources are free for you to use – just remember to acknowledge the source. Thanks.
- Appreciative Approach
An appreciative approach is strengths-based and solution-oriented. In youth engagement work it means that we view young people not as dependents, service recipients, or problems, but as competent innovators who contribute to the community, and as energized participants and leaders in social change initiatives. In a community development context, it means using local skills and existing resources to find/create solutions, rather than relying on outside “expertise” to fix problems.
- Coaching
This resource was created as part of a Canadian Volunteerism Initiative project where HeartWood “coached” 3 organizations (the Halifax YWCA, the Metro Food Bank Society (now Feed Nova Scotia), and the Nova Scotia Girl Guides Provincial Youth Council) in developing their youth engagement strategies. So, this is both a resource for organizations learning together (such as HeartWood learned about coaching with its 3 partners in this initiative), as well as individuals mentoring others (e.g., adults of youth, youth of youth, youth of adults).
- Community Asset Mapping
Asset mapping is a process of discovering the resources, relationships, energy attractors, and opportunities (as well as obstacles) that are at work in the community (or, system, organization, network). Identifying these components and mapping them out (i.e., seeing their connections, depth, overlaps, gaps, where assets may be under-utilized, etc.) allows the users to be more aware of what is going on in the community and more intentional in mobilizing these forces and resources to support youth engagement initiatives.
- Community Standards
When HeartWood is working with a youth group, one of the tools we almost always use is to have the group create its own “standards.” The process of doing this is empowering and it also provides a foundation for group development; i.e., when the group gets into its “storming” phase, the standards are a useful reference for how we can deal with issues and problems that come up. Experiential Learning Theory HeartWood uses experiential learning (i.e., learning by doing) in all of its youth programs and professional development work. This resource illustrates how a facilitator may guide a group through the learning process so that they maximize their learning experience.
- FWOC Shops
This is a fun, asset-building tool we use with groups to find out more about each other and what we all bring to the group as gifts, talents, and knowledge. FWOC stands for Fun-shop, Workshop, Outdoor-shops, and Cook-shops and refers to some of the items that groups come up with whenever they start exploring their own resources.
- Group Development
This tool has been around for ages and helps the facilitator – and the group – figure out where the group is at and why certain behaviour is happening and why some issues are coming up at this stage of the group’s life. Just as important are the suggested actions that can be taken at each stage to help move the group along so that it becomes stronger, healthier, and more autonomous.
- Guidelines for Aligning Teams
This is a useful guide for helping groups – whether a youth group or a professional team – go through change processes. It was originally developed by Bill Dillon, a friend of HeartWood and an excellent organizational development facilitator, who is now retired and roaming the continent with his partner Pat Watt. You can check out their thoughts on getting older, traveling on sailboats and RVs, as well as the general state of the world, by going to their web site, entitled the Trouser Rollers, at: http://www.callipygia600.com/
- Linking Community with Education: An Introduction to Service Learning
This booklet compiles interviews with students and teachers from a number of schools in Nova Scotia, including Robert Jamison Elementary School (Harbourside), Leslie Thomas Junior High School, and Sacred Heart School of Halifax, Sir John A. MacDonald, and Acadia University, as well as information gathered in the past five years from HeartWood's service learning initiatives and trainings with schools across the province.
- Participatory Action Research Manual
This is several resources all in one package: a report of a school-yard greening project that used participatory action research to get it going, a detailed description of all the steps that students took in the process, as well as the various tools that helped make it a success.
- Putting Teens At The Top of Rural Communities' Agenda
Retaining youth in our communities through volunteerism, civic engagement, employability and entrepreneurship. What would it take to put teenagers at the very top of our rural communities’ agendas? How do we create genuine opportunities for youth to be involved as contributing citizens, to volunteer, to be of service, to feel a sense of belonging? How do we build employability and entrepreneurial qualities in young people? How can we create the conditions in our rural communities that encourage young people to want to stay, or to move back to raise their families? The purpose of this discussion paper is to stimulate decision-makers to consider the meaningful roles teenagers can have in our rural communities.
- Ramping Up!
Welcome to Ramping Up!- a Nova Scotia Skatepark Resource. This handbook is intended to be a guide to help community members in the development of a skatepark facility using a Community Youth Development (CYD) approach. It is intended to be equally useful to adults and municipal staff as it is to skateboarders dreaming of a facility in their community. Though focused on skateboarding, the same information applies to the development of other action sport facilities including BMX bike and in-line skate users. This resource was developed by Kirstan Moore, a HeartWood staff member and skateboarding enthusiast, with the support of the Nova Scotia Department of Health Promotion and Protection.
HeartWood has hosted YouthScape HRM which is one of five pilot projects across Canada of a three-year national youth engagement initiative funded by the McConnell Foundation. The goal of the YouthScape initiative is to build resilient, strong, inclusive, vibrant and health communities by engaging youth Here are some resources developed by YouthScape HRM:
- Being A Supportive Ally For Youth
- Do It Yourself MarketPlace Guidelines
- New To YouthScape Facilitation
- Youth Participation In Governance
As part of the HRM Youth Engagement Strategy, Laena Garrison (a HeartWood employee) conducted an extensive literature review of young people being involved in the governance (i.e., running, decision-making, policy-setting, etc.) of organizations and communities.
This is a resource, developed as part of the Halifax Regional Municipality’s Youth Engagement Strategy, in partnership with HeartWood. The Tool Kit is a “hands-on” resource filled with lots of tools, concepts & ideas, suggestions for action, strategies for innovation, and tips & reminders to help adults engage young people. This resource comes in several sections:
- 1. Introduction to the Tool Kit
- 2. Actions just for you
- 3. Actions with others
- 4. Actions for the whole community
- Youth Engagement Strategy
This was a 2-year process undertaken by Recreation, Tourism, and Culture (RTC) in the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) to get young people involved in the development and implementation of RTC’s programs and services, and to help make HRM a more youth-friendly municipality.
- Youth Friendly Meetings
A few years ago HeartWood consulted a group of adult mentors who were supporting various youth action teams in Nova Scotia and we asked them, “What have you learned about creating or supporting youth-friendly meetings?” This is what they told us.
Through research, hard work and dedication, HeartWood has discovered various meaningful ways to engage youth. We want to share what we’ve learned about youth gathering places, service learning and youth inclusion with anyone who is interested in engaging youth more effectively. The following articles and publications are available to the public. Please contact us if you would like more information or to obtain copies.
- A Framework for Community Youth Development
by HeartWood Centre for Community Youth DevelopmentCommunity Youth Development (CYD) is the process of young people being engaged in meaningful participation through planning, decision-making, and program delivery in our governments, organizations, institutions, and communities. While encouraging the gifts and talents of individual young people, CYD places equal focus on the investment of these assets in the community. Individual youth and adults, organizations, and communities all benefit when youth are engaged as full and active participants. Heartwood’s Framework for Community Youth Development supports the engagement of young people in community building by identifying core values, program tools, and community resources. - Action Teams Empower Youth in Communities
by Judy HaivenJudy Haiven studies youth mentorship programs, and in an article recently published in the Halifax Herald, she discusses the practices of experiential learning involving youth taking place in Halifax and along the South Shore. She outlines HeartWood's work as a catalyst in this effort in helping to build experiential and participatory programs for young people, supporting them in strengthening their communities through Youth Action Teams. This article discusses how HeartWood is supporting youth as they redefine the problems, instead of focusing on trying to fix "problem" youth. - Appreciative concepts, principles and tools
by John Ure, HeartWoodHeartWood uses an appreciative approach for its work in youth development and community building, which altogether we refer to as community youth development. An appreciative approach focuses attention on strengths, potential, and possibilities. It increases capacity in individuals, organizations, and communities by identifying resources they already have - including their own knowledge and life experience - and building on that. Everyone has some kind of gift they can contribute. In a community development context, it means using all our assets, local skills, and existing resources first to create solutions, before seeking additional resources or relying on outside “expertise” to fix problems. - Changing Systems Through Youth Engagement
by Heartwood Centre for Community Youth DevelopmentHeartWood has been working with the Lunenburg District Office of Community Services for a number of years using youth engagement practices to help them change their system to better provide services to the youth they serve. "Changing Systems Through Youth Engagement: Sharing the Story of the NS Department of Community services" is a description of the impacts and changes that occurred and the lessons learned. - Feedback from Youth Action Teams Provide Keys to Successful Youth/Adult Partnerships
by Camille DumondCamille Dumond, a member of HeartWood's research team, discovered through feedback that all of HeartWood's Youth Action Teams (YAT) share common characteristics such as, supportive adult volunteers, team-structured meetings and activities, community association sponsors and participants. Her article published in the Recreation Nova Scotia's newsletter, focuses on the characteristics that promote positive youth development which, ultimately lead to community change through youth service and leadership. This article describes the keys to success in making youth/adult partnerships fun, rewarding and substainable. - In Service to Youth and Community
by Marc Langlois, HeartWoodFrom many corners of public and private life there are calls for more youth involvement in community processes, and within those agencies providing youth service. As a result the role of the youth-serving organization (YSO) in society is undergoing a significant shift. Traditional YSO have a very important role as an anchor in the multi-faceted nature of youth services in Canada. They have been a backbone to the sector; having established many of its traditions, and systems for investing resources. However the current demand for youth-inclusive practices has challenged them to re-tool, or risk a slow decline to the sidelines of the sector. For long established mature organizations, it is a daunting task to develop the competencies to facilitate young people in becoming central agents in building safe, just and vibrant communities. Never before has the youth-serving sector had such an opportunity to contribute to broader community outcomes, nor such a challenge. A fluid mindset is a prerequiste if a YSO is to thrive in this changing environment. In an effort to connect prevailing management theory with practice, this paper has applied the EcoCycle Model (C.S. Holling) in its look at YSO as a complex adaptive system. The article will ground the theories in the experiences of HeartWood, a YSO the author led through its own renewal process, as it attempted to link its work more directly to the needs and assets of communities. - Participatory Action Research with young people: A Leader's Manual
by Estair Van Wagner, Robynn Moody & Camille Dumond, HeartWoodThis manual describes HeartWood's approach to Participatory Action Research with young people. It includes the story behind HeartWood's work, and the theory that ties it all together. The bulk of the manual consists of practical PAR workshops and activities organized by theme. They are adaptable guides for youth groups and community associations to use when designing their own Participatory Action Research Project. We value your learning and experiences, so if you use these activity guides, please let us know what improvements you have made with them so we can share those with others. - South Shore Youth Guide Background: Behind The Scenes On How The South Shore Youth Guide Was Created
HeartWood's process for the creation of this youth guide was focused on youth engagement. Engaging youth in the process increases their capacity and skills as they are able to learn and apply decision making skills, teamwork skills, writing and editing skills as well as learn more about local resources and youth-adult partnerships.
- South Shore Youth Guide: "Through Our Eyes: Supporting Youth Independence"
by The Lunenburg/Queens County Youth TeamYou'll find information on education, health, and finance in this guide. We hope these contacts, tips and resources helps you become a more independent youth. - The ABEL experience: A lived curriculum
by Andrew ForanThis study examines the phenomena of lived experiences of students in an experiential-credit course taught at Sir John A. Macdonald High School. I believe ABEL (Adventure Based Experiential Learning) is an innovation, created from the benefits of a traditional educational experience, that can provide a new image of learning, leading and teaching. ABEL’s curricular foundation is experiential education that includes adventure education, outdoor education and service learning that became the impetus for a new youth leadership course. The intent of the course was to develop youth leadership through experiential learning. However, the power of experiential education was further revealed by the service learning projects. - Voices from Youth Teams: Creating Successful Partnerships for Community Action
by Alan Warner, Marc Langlois, and Camille DumondOur communities will only reach their potential as vibrant and healthy places when youth are welcomed as full participating members. Supportive adults, young people, and community associations often ask: How do we build the quality relationships that are the foundation for youth inclusion? What roles should we each take? How do we make the process fun, rewarding and sustainable? How can communities and youth work together to effect change? - What Makes For A Successful Youth Centre?
by Sandra Luken and Alan Warner, HeartWoodThis article, writen by a youth researcher and an accademic associate, is based on research in Nove Scotia by HeartWood, that has identified five key ingredients that make youth centres successful. Youth researchers spent time in a wide range of youth centres across the province interviewing those with the greatest investment in them. Although each ingredient is described sequentially, the success comes in the interconnections between them. If funding is cut, it is youth ownership, community connectedness and effective coordination that are the keys to survival. Youth develop ownership if the coordination process gives them opportunities to grow and learn, and if they find meaningful opportunities to mentor or be mentored through special relationships developed at the centre. Community connectedness grows and volunteers get involved when adult see that youth care about the centre. If energy is focused on all five interconnected concepts, a special youth gathering place can result. - Youth Engagement Spectrum
by John Ure, HeartWoodThe Youth Engagement Spectrum (YES) is a tool that we hope practitioners in the field of community youth development will find useful as they engage young people in their work. YES identifies opportunities for youth engagement in organizations, communities and systems .We can call these 'forms' of youth engagement (i.e. kinds of activities, practices, or ways in which it could happen). - Youth Realizing Their unlimited potential- Destination: UP
by The Caledon InstituteIf you had a choice between growing up in a neglectful or abusive family or living in the care of the state – a foster or group home – which would you choose? - Youth Volunteers at your Library
This report describes the youth engagement initiative that the Halifax Public Libraries undertook with HeartWood with the support of the Canadian Volunteerism Initiative (CVI). Their intention was to get youth more involved in libraries, while the library staff learned more about how to serve this clientele.
Our research allows us to explore new ground, to answer provocative questions that surface in the course of our work and to affirm or challenge perceptions about the nature, value and efficacy of community youth development.
- Growing Up in Cities
Getting youth involved in public policy decision-making and working with government to create a positive solution to the use of public space.
- YERC Final Report
Youth Engagement in Rural Communities (YERC) was a research project created to gather information on a promising program model for engaging youth in personal and community development.
- Youth Action Teams
Developing the tools and resources that youth can use to take action and create positive change in their communities. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and Saint Mary's University are partners.
Below are our annual reports. Check out our programs, information about our staff, funding and more!
- Annual Report 2011-12
- Annual Report 2012-13
- Annual Report 2013-14
- Annual Report 2015-2016
A summary of our Public Professional Development Workshops, Youth Leadership Programs, and Partnership Initiatives from the 2015-2016 year.
- Annual Report 2016-17