Professionals in educational and recreational settings work hard to understand and address the problems faced by underserved youth. Yet the dedicated people in these institutions are often limited in what they can achieve because they tend to remain within the confines of their own work environment rather than sharing their expertise and resources.

Instead of accepting this as an unfortunate fact of life, the coauthors of this book see the situation as an opportunity to develop an approach in which the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts. In Youth Development and Physical Activity: Linking Universities and Communities, they draw on their considerable teaching experience to present innovative new ways to serve underserved youth.

The book describes practical strategies for breaking down the walls between universities and communities so they can combine their strengths to improve young people's lives. You'll find a wealth of guidelines for creating physical activity programs that instill a sense of social and personal responsibility, including numerous real-life examples of successful programs.

Youth Development and Physical Activity: Linking Universities and Communities is divided into four parts, each enriched with the colorful "voices" and stories of real kids and youth leaders who have put these ideas into practice:

-Part I provides a sobering look at the challenges today's young people face and introduces positive ways to improve physical activity youth programs so they're meaningful in today's world.

-In Part II, you'll learn how to move from "how it is" to "how it could be," using a breakthrough model for working with kids and building programs. Here the book provides a road map that shows the way for university students and faculty to connect with youth in their communities through service learning, internships, and other outreach programs

-Part III spells out how to develop a variety of proven youth physical activity programs--from adventure experiences and Coaching Clubs to mentoring and teen parent programs. You'll find many great ideas that work in virtually any setting, including public schools, alternative schools, recreation programs, youth service groups, and social agencies.

-Part IV provides a variety of helpful tools for evaluating programs and improving outcomes, as well as insights on how professionals can develop the skills they need to respond to the changing demands on youth leaders.

Written by professionals with a combined 70 years of experience working with underserved youth, this book is must reading for both professionals and organizations practicing in a world where youth too often slip through the cracks. It provides a clear and hopeful framework for improving the lives of kids as well as the communities in which they live.