ACT for Youth Center for Community Action
The ACT (Assets Coming Together) for Youth Center for Community Action connects research to practice in the areas of positive youth development and adolescent/young adult health.
ACT for Youth offers training, capacity building, and evaluation services to public health agencies, youth development organizations, and community projects focused on adolescent health and development. Based at Cornell University, we have decades of experience supporting community partners who work with youth.
With generous support from the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), ACT for Youth provides:
- Resources to aid those working in the areas of positive youth development and adolescent health: publications and presentations, the ACT for Youth Update, and the websites actforyouth.net and nysyouth.net.
- Capacity building, training, and evaluation services for initiatives funded by NYSDOH, including Comprehensive Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (CAPP), Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP), Sexual Risk Avoidance Education (SRAE), and HIV/STI/HCV prevention programs for young people.
Additional support from federal and other sources has allowed us to create resources for youth development professionals, including:
- Positive Youth Development (PYD) 101 (curriculum)
- PYD 101 Online Courses
- PYD Network Webinar Series
- Creating Inclusive Program Environments for Youth with Different Abilities (curriculum)
ACT for Youth operated under the name "ACT for Youth Center of Excellence" from 2000 through 2017. In 2018, the name was changed to reflect the commitment of NYSDOH to provide the highest quality services among the many varied and diverse communities across the state. In 2023, we adopted our new logo, which reflects our connection to Urie Bronfenbrenner's ecological model of development — a foundation of positive youth development.
ACT for Youth Partners
ACT for Youth is a partnership among Cornell University Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, Cornell University Cooperative Extension of New York City, and the Division of Adolescent Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center. From 2000 to 2017, our partnership also included the Center for School Safety at Ulster BOCES.
Cornell University Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research (BCTR) leads the partnership. A multidisciplinary academic center within the College of Human Ecology, BCTR forges closer links among research, practice, and policy. BCTR projects extend research-based knowledge into practice and incorporate practitioners' needs and insights into research agendas in order to solve real-world problems. BCTR brings expertise in positive youth development, sexual health promotion, evidence-based programming, implementation research, program evaluation, and community collaboration.
Cornell University Cooperative Extension of New York City (CUCE-NYC) is a research-based educational organization that addresses the evolving needs of communities, families, and individuals by engaging them in experiential learning opportunities. CUCE-NYC brings expertise in school-based and out-of-school programming, diversity, community health and nutrition, parenting education, and youth civic engagement.
University of Rochester Medical Center Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Medicine, has more than 40 years of experience in providing community-oriented care to adolescents and their families. The University of Rochester brings expertise in adolescent health and development, sexual health, preventive care, program evaluation, and linking public health with positive youth development.
More on the ACT for Youth Initiative
Implementing Evidence-Based Programs: Lessons Learned From the Field
Describes ACT for Youth's findings regarding the impact of real-world factors on the implementation of evidence-based programs for pregnancy prevention. Applied Developmental Science, volume 19, 2015.
Lessons from ACT for Youth: The First Five Years
Describes how ACT for Youth unfolded over the first five years, identifying common themes and lessons learned across the eleven community partnerships that made up the first round of the ACT for Youth initiative.
Journal of Public Health Management and Practice
Under the theme "Improving Public Health Through Youth Development," this supplement spotlights the ACT for Youth initiative. JPHMP November 2006 Supplement.
