Core Values
What we believe about young people and the strategies that will best promote their success informs what we do and how we do it. We believe that:
Youth possess important strengths, resources, and skills, and are central actors in their own development;
All young people require:
- a sense of safety and structure,
- belonging and membership,
- self-worth and an ability to contribute,
- independence and control over one's life,
- closeness and several good relationships, and
- competency and mastery;
Effective youth initiatives connect young people with competent, caring adults who serve as advocates on their behalf, who guide them, and who connect them to the broader institutions of society;
Programs that stick tenaciously with young people through the adolescent years can increase the number of youth that successfully transition to the roles required of responsible adulthood; and
Youth are best served when programs to educate and guide them are coordinated and complementary.
