In this article, the author describes an experiment. One that came alive, grew in complexity, sprouted wings, caught updrafts and spiraled to reach a national audience with compelling personal stories of people living with HIV. The epicentre for this programme was a re-habilitation centre for intravenous drug users and female sex workers, many of…

In this article, the author discusses the United South End Settlements' (USES) Arts Incentives Program (AIP), a clinically informed, arts-based, youth and community development program working with high-risk girls ages 11 to 19. These girls face a convergence of risk factors, such as trauma, abuse, neglect, poverty, substance abuse, and…

This article focuses on psychosocial barriers to sexual health and their implications on the design and delivery of mass media-based public health campaigns. A family planning campaign that attempted to address barriers to seeking sexual health information and services by promoting positive attitudes toward couple's communication about sexual…

The American economist, Frank Knight (1921), introduced risk as far back as the early 1920s with his analysis of profit legitimisation. In the profession of law, by the latter part of the 19th century risk had entered into mainstream social law in Europe (Ewald, 1991). Risk discourse seems to have regained popularity since the 1970s. Despite the…

Transition into middle school presents complex challenges, including exposure to a larger peer group, increased expectations for time management and self-monitoring, renegotiation of rules with parents, and pubertal changes. For children in foster care, this transition is complicated by their maltreatment histories, living situation changes, and…

This directory lists 257 organizations with therapeutic adventure and experiential programs for special needs populations. The information was generated from a survey of members of the Association for Experiential Education. Special needs populations include youth-at-risk, persons with addictions, juvenile and adult offenders, inpatient and…

This book consists of a compilation of brief descriptions of legislation on issues critical to children and families enacted during 1995 by the states and the District of Columbia. The laws pertaining to various issues are listed by state. The issues are: (1) abuse and neglect (including screening, court procedures and considerations, offenses and…

This report describes first year activities and results of a project comparing two early interventions with 102 children (grades 1 and 2) at risk for emotional or behavior disorders. Fifty-nine children received an intervention involving social skills lessons given on a whole-class basis at least twice a week with information sent home regularly…

This Program Focus discusses the strategies of the Beacon Community Center Program (the Beacons), the history of its crime prevention programs, and general operations. It focuses on the activities of one particular program, Red Hook in Brooklyn (New York City), before analyzing the Beacons' potential for preventing crime. A core concept of the…

Based on the premise that school reform efforts must consider the needs of at-risk children, this paper discusses parallel reform efforts that focus on community service. The first part discusses logical linkages between community service and "at-risk" education and describes how Arizona is attempting to formalize these linkages within…

This report examines recent research and program developments designed to improve the education of children by improving the literacy skills of their parents, particularly their mothers, who did not graduate from high school. Traditional research has revealed that more highly educated mothers have greater success in providing their children with…

This report summarizes information about Indiana's children and the institutions that touch their lives. Chapter 1 examines current demographic trends that relate to Indiana families. Chapter 2 reviews work and income patterns among adults and working teens, and reports on youths' aspirations for future careers. The growing issue of poverty among…

Noting that a majority of adults believe something is fundamentally wrong with America's current moral climate, this booklet presents a framework for discussing the issue of troubled youths. The booklet presents three approaches, or choices, for addressing the problem: greater parental focus on children's needs; social partnerships in…

This annual report on the quality of care for the mentally retarded in New York is organized in three sections focusing on obligations, opportunities, and the future, respectively. Subsections are organized into discussion, findings, and conclusions/corrective actions or recommendations. The first section examines issues in protecting individuals…

This booklet discusses the origins and components of Head Start, a federal project launched in 1965 to help break the cycle of poverty by providing preschool children of low-income families with a comprehensive program to meet their emotional, social, health, nutritional, and psychological needs. The description of the program notes that in fiscal…