Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #104542

Christina Goette Carpenter, MPH, Community Health Promotion and Prevention, San Francisco Department of Public Health, 30 Van Ness Ave, Suite 2300, San Francisco, CA 94102, Isabel Auerbach, MPH, CHES, Community Health Education Section, San Francisco Department of Public Health, 30 Van Ness Ave, Suite 2300, San Francisco, CA 94102, 415.575.5684, isabel.auerbach@sfdph.org, and Iman Nazeeri-Simmons, MPH, Community Programs, Department of Public Health, 1380 Howard St, San Francisco, CA 94102.

This session will provide an overview of youth development, describe the San Francisco Department of Public Health's (SFDPH) Youth Development Standards of Practice, and share the challenges and successes of the implementation process. Youth Development is an approach that builds on assets, and creates supports and opportunities to help young people develop to their fullest potential. Youth development is not issue specific, focusing instead on creating environments that build strong, positive youth, thereby making it a particularly effective primary prevention strategy. In July 2004, SFDPH adopted the Youth Development Standards of Practice (Standards). The purpose of the Standards is to both promote a common understanding of youth development and to establish a consistent set of standards for practicing youth development within city agencies and funded community based organizations. The Standards will help to ensure that young people acquire the skills and support they need to be healthy adolescents and eventually to become healthy adults. The Standards were developed with community organizations and other city agencies, and are being implemented in partnership with locally-based, nationally-recognized experts in health and youth development. To ensure maximum effectiveness of the Standards of Practice, SFDPH is working with other city agencies to adopt the same or similar Standards to achieve consistent, high-quality youth programming in San Francisco.

Learning Objectives:

• By the end of the session, participants will be able to describe at least three core elements of Youth Development.
• By the end of the session, participants will be able to describe why youth development practice is an effective primary prevention strategy.
• By the end of the session, participants will be able to describe the four components of the SFDPH Youth Development Standards of Practice.

Keywords: Youth, Policy/Policy Development

Related Web page: www.dph.sf.ca.us/Reports/YthDevStdsPract012005.pdf

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.