Learning Center

The Learning Center at EDSC is where you’ll find archives of EDSC Research, Publications, and other helpful resources… at little or no cost.

You can also get caught up with EDSC President Edward DeJesus through his monthly youth engagement blog, and you can subscribe to his free engagement
e-zine as well. The Learning Center also includes a listing of helpful organizational links.

Pod Casts

These free Pod Casts cover a variety of topics, ranging from telephone answering machines to staff recruitment. Many of these pod-casts are excerpted from Edward DeJesus popular seminars and are offered here for free for the first time!

Listening to the Voices and Aspirations of Disconnected Youth

Listening to the Voices and Aspirations of Disconnected Youth,” a new report released by The Edward DeJesus Seminars and Consulting (EDSC) takes a candid look at America’s current drop-out situation from the perspective that matters the most—disconnected youth.

The Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University estimates that one out of every four African-American and one out of five Latinos between the ages of 16-25, are not in school, jobless, and on the street.

Focus groups were conducted with disconnected youth in five cities (Madera, CA; Fresno, CA; Dallas, TX; Gaithersburg, MD; and Baltimore MD). In these cities, the youth engaged in open and honest discussion regarding the reasons why such a large number of youth are out-of-school and jobless, and why they have little motivation towards changing this growing epidemic. Their candor provides insight into their lack of faith in the current educational and job training programs, by shedding light on the reasons for their resistance to returning to these programs. Written by Edward DeJesus, this report speaks directly to the parents, programs, and schools who are trying to get youth back on the road to greater success, offering ideas for policy changes that will spark greater interest in disengaged youth. Some of the included recommendations are:

• Strategically demonstrate evidence of engagement, collaborations, and positive outcomes
• Provide monetary incentives
• Secure credible endorsements
• Transform the program
• Provide meaningful transferable work experience
• Provide effective substance abuse and metal health services
• Build motivational triggers
• Alter traditional hours of operation
• Understand youth culture and methods to utilize it to address insidious behaviors and values.

Purchase A Copy for $19.95

Youth Cultural Competence Self Assessment Report

Based on in-depth research of ten programs that are effectively recruiting, retaining and engaging youth in workforce development, education and arts programming, the Youth Cultural Competence (YCC) Report provides a detailed look at how YCC is being used in programming to enhance program design and outcomes. The YCC Report was developed by EDSC after conducting interviews with program directors and front line staff, site visits and sampling of curricula; all of the information that was obtained was put together in a comprehensive report to provide a base of information on YCC and highlight specific best practices of the programs that were researched. EDSC’s definition of YCC includes: 1) youth involvement –engaging youth in shaping and designing program offerings, 2) Positive Peer Influence –harnessing the influence of youth’s peers through group activities and lessons to encourage youth to take part in program offerings and 3) Youth Popular Culture –utilizing young people’s music, fashion, creativity, language and entrepreneurial spirit to engage them.

Purchase A Copy for $19.95

Powerful Pathways

Powerful Pathways takes a hard look at the challenges facing vulnerable young people- youth who are out of school and/or in systems that include workforce development, welfare, juvenile justice, and foster care- and the efforts of the youth development community to meet these youth’s needs. Powerful Pathways highlights effective practices from practitioners, administrators, funders and policy makers that meet vulnerable young people’s needs and discusses how the youth development community can better empower this special group.

Download and read Powerful Pathways: PDF (460 KB file)

Perceptions on Out-of-School Youth Development and Research Fund

A free Copy of EDSC of "Perceptions of Out-of-School Youth". Findings from a national opinion poll on out-of-school youth.

Download and read PDF (355 KB file)

Barriers and Promising Approaches to Workforce and Youth Development for Young Offenders

A new report released by the Annie E Casey Foundation in collaboration with the National Youth Employment Coalition, the Youth Development and Research Fund, and the Justice Policy Institute, profiles break-the-mold juvenile justice initiatives that are reducing crime and making communities safer by facilitating youths’ economic self-sufficiency. Based on these workforce development successes, Barriers and Promising Approaches to Workforce and Youth Development for Young Offenders, concludes that greater victories against adolescent crime are within reach through workforce development programs that help youth prepare for a lifetime of meaningful employment.

This toolkit contains three separate reports: an overview, program profiles, and policy profiles. It was created to address three objectives: identify barriers to success in juvenile justice -- both for the system and for the young people in it; survey innovative state and local policy initiatives; and showcase exemplary employment and development programs for court-involved youth.

EDSC’s YCC Program Model

Traditional methods and strategies of serving at-risk youth are failing. Programs who focus on these strategies are finding that out more and more when faced with the daunting task of recruiting, retaining, and engaging these youth that they are committed to serve. Without question, there needs to be a fundamental shift in the way that youth workforce and development organizations approach this commitment.

Click to download PDF (487 KB file)

Introducing and Using the MAKiN iT Curriculum Survival Scale

Click to download PDF (77 KB file)

Edward DeJesus Youth Engagement Blog

Everyone is looking for an answer to the high drop-out and unemployment rates among today’s youth. EDSC’s President Edward DeJesus created this blog to be an online “open door” for youth service professionals to ask him questions (and get his feedback) about their programs, policies and youth.

Visit the Youth Engagement Blog 

Free Marketing E-zine

“Youth Engagement Marketing Tips” is our free weekly e-zine for youth service professionals. You can subscribe here to start receiving this publication that’s filled with practical direct engagement tips to help improve recruitment and retention. You’ll receive these insider secrets and proven engagement tactics delivered directly to your inbox every week.

Sign up here

Conference Presentations

View presentations from recent EDSC conferences.

CWA 2010 Youth Conference

DMT Recruiter’s Course 2010

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