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February 2014Vol. 15, No. 2Starting a Youth-Serving Program

The National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth produced an online guide for adults or other youth who want to start a youth-serving program. The guide is divided into four parts, each with a series of videos featuring "Tamara," a youth and family services professional, and other downloadable tools.

  1. Define Your Niche walks users through identifying a problem to solve, how to help, and long-term goals for the program.
  2. Conceive Your Vision and Mission provides information on why every program needs a mission and vision statement and how to write these statements.
  3. Bring Your Nonprofit Into Being outlines the process for creating a nonprofit, building a board, and filing for tax exempt status.
  4. Plan Your Programs addresses the kinds of programming the youth-serving nonprofit will offer and financing.

The National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth is a free information service of the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB). Its purpose is to educate the family and youth work field—including FYSB grantees and aspiring grantees—about the research and effective practices that can improve the long-term social and emotional wellbeing of families and youth.

The Start a Youth Program guide is available on its website:

http://ncfy.acf.hhs.gov/start-a-youth-program/stage-4