Updated Fall 2009!
Resource Guide

Programs have diverse staff who are responsive to participants, create practices and policies that make services available to (and are inclusive of) a variety of populations and help participants understand and value all people.

Cultural competence has been highlighted as its own principle to emphasize that it is an important aspect of a quality after-school program; however, it must be embedded within everything that an agency does. Adolescence is a time when youth struggle to develop a sense of identity and, although the research has not made a direct link, some evidence indicates that culturally competent programs can help promote this developmental goal.

For organizations, cultural competency means creating the practices and policies that will make services more accessible to diverse populations, including special needs youth, and that provide for appropriate and effective services in cross-cultural situations. Programs can also build the participants' cultural competence by helping the preteens to understand and value their own and other cultures, languages and communities.

• The program provides a diverse staff that youth can identify with in terms of race, gender, culture, sexual orientation, language and special needs.
• The program collects data on the demographics of the youth served and the youth in the community to determine whether any groups need further outreach, appropriate languages for program materials and what kind of cultural staff training is needed.
• The program is physically accessible and culturally and linguistically inclusive.
• The program provides activities that encourage youth to affirm their cultural and ethnic heritage.
• The program provides youth with opportunities to interact with and learn from youth with different cultural identities.

Addressing Equity and Diversity: Tools for Change in After-School and Youth Programs (April 2005)
http://www.californiatomorrow.org/resources/publications/index.
php?cat_id=3&pub_id=37
This toolkit consists of specific strategies and tools after-school programs can implement to expand their diversity and equity efforts to engage more effectively with a range of children and families. The document emerged from a three-year study of after-school programs across the country (the research results of which are published in Pursuing the Promise). This evaluation revealed five strategies programs use to successfully engage diverse youth: 1) inclusive and culturally responsive programming; 2) development of strong identities; 3) intergroup experiences and cross-cultural understanding; 4) recognizing and challenging inequities; and 5) healing the wounds of exclusion and discrimination. The toolkit offers specific ways for programs to reflect on their current strategies, understand participants’ backgrounds and needs, and create an action plan.
Author/Publisher: California Tomorrow.

Pursuing the Promise: Addressing Equity, Access and Diversity in After School and Youth Programs (2003)
http://www.californiatomorrow.org/resources/publications/
index.php?cat_id=3&pub_id=31
California Tomorrow’s Equity, Access And Diversity in After School and Youth Programs project was established in 1999 with the support from the Mott Foundation. The intent of the project was to develop a vision for how after-school programs could best support youth from all communities, with a particular focus on youth of color, immigrants, low-income youth and those from other frequently underserved groups. California Tomorrow visited after-school programs across the country, conducted a national survey and did a literature review to learn more about how programs were dealing with the challenges of equity, access and diversity. The report presents the findings from their research and provides clear recommendations for pursuing equity and diversity at the policy and program level.
Author/Publisher: Oakland, CA: California Tomorrow.

What Differences Do Racial, Ethnic and Cultural Differences Make in Youth Development Programs? (1992)
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_
storage_01/0000019b/80/13/1e/3a.pdf
This paper provides an overview of the research on the role that race, ethnicity and culture play in youth development, analyzes the implications for the design of youth development programs and makes recommendations to program planners. The author includes program examples and highlights the implications of her findings.
Author/Publisher: Camino, Linda A. Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development. Washington, DC.

Positive Youth Development in the United States: Research Findings on Evaluations of Positive Youth Development Programs. Chapter Two: Defining and Evaluating Positive Youth Development: Positive Youth Development Constructs (November 1998)
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/PositiveYouthDev99/
Chapter Two of the report, “Positive Youth Development in the United States,” provides a list of criteria for positive youth development including: 1) promote bonding, 2) foster resilience, 3) promote social competence, 4) promote emotional competence, 5) promote cognitive competence, 6) promote behavioral competence, 7) promote moral competence, 8) foster self-determination, 9) foster spirituality, 10) foster self-efficacy, 11) foster clear and positive identity, 12) foster belief in the future, 13) provide recognition for positive behavior, 14) provide opportunities for prosocial involvement and 15) foster prosocial norms.
Author/Publisher: Catalano, Richard F., M. Lisa Berglund, Jeanne A.M. Ryan, Heather S. Lonczak and J. David Hawkins. US Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation and National Institute for Child Health and Human Development.

Cultural Competency: The Role of After-School Programs in Supporting Diverse Youth (2002)
http://www.coloradoafterschoolnetwork.org/admin/uploads/
Resources/Cultural_Competency_Best_Practices_Booklet_Jill.pdf
This document was created to support after-school programs funded by the Colorado Trust After-School Initiative. It discusses the development of youth in relation to culture and identity development, explores the social, civic and moral development of youth, and provides ideas and resources for after-school programs that want to explore issues of culture and diversity.
Author/Publisher: The Colorado Trust.

Developing Adolescents: A Reference for Professionals (2002)
http://www.apa.org/pi/cyf/develop.pdf
This resource was developed to help professionals understand crucial aspects of normal adolescent development and relate more effectively to the adolescents with whom they work. The guide discusses the physical, cognitive, emotional, social and behavioral development of adolescents. It also notes the importance of understanding the cultural and ethnic groups that are served so competent services can be provided. The guide discusses the development of personal identity and self-concept and the importance of developing a strong ethnic identity in order for ethnic minorities to develop self-esteem. It provides the research background necessary to understand the need for cultural competence within an organization.
Author/Publisher: Gentry, Jacquelyn and Mary Campbell. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Kids Included Together (KIT)
http://www.kitonline.org
Kids Included Together (KIT) is a nonprofit organization specializing in providing best practices training for community-based youth organizations committed to including children with disabilities in their existing recreational, social and child-care programs.

Cultural Competency: What It Is and Why It Matters (2006)
http://www.lpfch.org/informed/culturalcompetency.pdf
This brief was prepared for grantees of the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health. It defines cultural competency, explains its importance and discusses what it looks like at an organizational level.
Author/Publisher: Olsen, Laurie, Jhumpa Bhattacharya and Amy Scharf. Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health.

Culture and Context. Collaborative Fund for Youth-Led Social Change (Spring 2006)
http://ms.foundation.org/user-assets/PDF/Program/ex+sum.pdf
The Collaborative Fund for Youth-Led Social Change (CFYS) grew out of an effort of funders and youth practitioners to support work at the intersection of youth development, youth organizing and gender. Twelve youth organizations and 20 donors were engaged in a collaborative partnership. This report provides an overview of the themes and knowledge gained from the project, the capacity-building effort undertaken by the partners and key recommendations for the field and donors.
Author/Publisher: Ms. Foundation for Women.