Youth Development: The Vital Link Project LIFE held a two-day conference presented by the National Resource Center for Youth Services in Charlottesville, VA on August 16-17, 2010.
Youth are a tremendous and often overlooked resource when it comes to providing quality programming for youth in foster care. Agencies can improve their independent living programs by actively engaging youth at all levels of programming.



Participants in the conference:
Learned the fundamentals of positive youth development and youth-adult partnershipsLearned how to prepare agencies for youth engagementDeveloped strategies for forming successful youth-adult partnerships In addition:
Adults learned to practice ways to effectively involve youth as equal partners.Youth identified contributions they bring to committees, councils and organizations. Here’s what some of our youth participants had to say about Project LIFE’s Positive Youth Development: The Vital Link Conference:
“I really learned alot and I had alot of fun. It was very educational because I learned things I didn’t know and things that I can carry with me for the rest of my life and that is one thing that really means alot to me.”
“When I went to the workshops I was not expecting the adults to be so understanding and so open to the ideas that the youth had. I was very impressed with the progress that was made and with everything that was discussed.”
“This was a fun interactive program that I hope to be involved in again.”
“I liked that we all, youth and adults, both came together and shared new ideas and innovative ways to further relationships between youth and adults. I also learned that we all have to work together if we want to get things done.”
Before the trainings held at this conference, only 40% of adult participants understood the basics of strategies for forming successful youth-adult partnerships; afterwards 71% of adult participants reported that they substantial understood and would be able to regularly apply these strategies effectively in practice.

If you would like to participate in future events similiar to this conference, please contact your local IL Consultant:
Eastern Region: Melissa Peele
Western Region: Norma Wood
Piedmont Region: Leah Hatcher
Northern Region: Heather Wines
Central Region: Andrew Martin