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Best Practices

Best PracticesEvery interaction counts. Each day new mentoring relationships are born, innovative strategies for helping youth succeed are built and young people throughout the Commonwealth surpass their own expectations. With each achievement, we should all grow. Here you'll find the strategies that are working today to raise youth up and give them viable options for the future.

Out of Harm's Way

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Nationwide studies report that exposure to community violence and chronic poverty increases depression and aggressive behavior among adolescents, and can even lead to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It also affects how children learn and achieve in school. A United Way partnership with Boston Public Schools called Out of Harm's Way is working to reduce violence and improve school climate for the healthy development and learning of middle school students.

Connecting Schools and Afterschools

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United Way's Connecting Schools and Afterschools Initiative was designed to improve communications, align curriculum and foster new policies to build collaborations among staff of schools and afterschool programs. The initiative is grounded in findings from the 2005 Massachusetts Afterschool Research Study (MARS) and has been extended to 56 program sites from 27 community afterschool programs Read more information about the initiative. Learn fifteen ways to improve partnerships between schools and afterschools.

United Way's Increasing Youth Opportunities Impact Papers

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United Way's Increasing Youth Opportunities impact area seeks to ensure all youth will stay in school and have positive options for the future as responsible involved members of society. Within this area, we are focused on six core measures that sound research identifies as the key ingredients for inspiring youth to succeed in school and have positive options for the future.

A complete list and explanation of these measures can be found by accessing the Increasing Youth Opportunities Impact Area Paper.

Engaging Families Initiative

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The Engaging Families Initiative (EFI) is a United Way effort to develop model programs and proven strategies for increasing family engagement that can be replicated. Eight after-school programs serving black and Latino children ages six to 10 years in Roxbury, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, East Boston and the South End were selected to participate in the initiative, which is funded by The Wallace Foundation and managed by BOSTnet.

Faith and Action

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Reaching high-risk youth is no easy task. That's why United Way has taken an unconventional approach. We call it Faith and Action (FAA). Young people's involvement in faith-based activities often provides transformational opportunities and protects them from choosing negative behavioral responses to everyday challenges. FAA seeks to reach high-risk youth in under-served communities who do not seek help through traditional human services.

Read more about the High Risk Youth Needs Assessment.

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