Provides an expanded version of a speech given at the 1992 American Library Association conference reflecting on 25 years of young adult literature. Issues and trends in American society and their relationship to the emerging literature written for adolescents are discussed. (EAM)

Empowerment as originally used referred to a political process in which systemic power was analyzed and redistributed. To translate concepts of empowerment into foster care terminology, an indifferent society fails to support families at risk, then increases their powerlessness by removing their children. Foster children are primarily children of…

The beginnings of the Boy Scouts are traced, with particular emphasis on ideological foundation, social reform objectives of the founders (Sir Robert Baden-Powell, Daniel Carter Beard, and Ernest Thompson) and its relationship to other reform movements of the Progressive Era. The philosophical base of scouting is characterized as: 1) a…

Uses the developmental-contextual perspective to examine the extent to which contextual and individual factors dynamically interact in the career development of black South African adolescents. Provides examples of interventions that may assist their career development, and discusses implications for counselors. (JPS)

Illustrates the role of the family in linking sociopolitical changes to adolescent development by outlining some differences in structures of families of East and West Germany. Synthesizes survey data on this topic. Areas discussed include family formation, unmarried couples and parents, maternal employment, public child care, divorce and…

Right-wing conservatives and religious groups have mobilized grass roots support for a campaign to eradicate sex education from schools. To meet the challenge posed by these groups, the nature of this opposition and what they are saying, must be understood. (FG)

Factors that make autism a vexing public policy issue are identified, including incidence increases, lack of consensus on etiology and methodology for clinical intervention, coincidence of the age of diagnosis with the upper age limit of early intervention programs, a shift to a family-centered decision-making paradigm, and litigation. (Contains…