Youth at risk in Latin America and the Caribbean : understanding the causes, realizing the potential / / Wendy Cunningham ... [et al.].

• Superior document: Directions in development. Human development
• Author: ProQuest (Firm)
• TeilnehmendeR: Cunningham, Wendy V.; ProQuest (Firm)
• Year of Publication: 2008
• Language: English
• Series: Directions in development (Washington, D.C.). Human development.
• Physical Description: xv, 307 p. :; ill.

Table of Contents

• Why do young people deserve special attention?
• Key messages
• Designing effective interventions
• Policy conclusions
• Introduction
• The motivation for the study
• Definitions, data, and methodologies
• The organization of the report
• Laying the groundwork
• Motivations for focusing on at-risk youth
• The youth cohort, particularly those considered at-risk, is growing
• The costs of not investing in at-risk youth is very high for young people, their families, and society
• A conceptual framework and its application for policymaking
• The conceptual framework and definitions
• Moving from the conceptual framework to policy
• Identifying at-risk youth for better programming and targeting
• A characterization of at-risk youth
• Using the risk typology for targeting prevention programs
• Using the risk typology for targeting for second chances
• Conclusions
• Informing policy by understanding of the trends and causes of risky behavior in LAC
• Understanding the nature and the magnitude of risky behavior
• Leaving school without learning
• Difficult integration into the labor market : joblessness and job turnover
• Risky sexual behavior
• Crime and violence
• Substance use
• Identifying the factors that put youth at risk
• Why do young people engage in risky behavior
• Key factors correlated with risky behaviors
• Cumulative effect of factors
• Conclusions
• Helping young people to make good choices : programming, policy, and implementation
• Principles for building an effective portfolio for youth at risk
• Investing in at-risk youth leads to lower demands on the public purse in the future
• Preventing risky behavior begins at birth
• At-risk youth need second chances
• Effective targeting is the key to results
• The most effective portfolio will prioritize policies and programs that affect multiple risks
• Include only effective policies in the portfolio
• Prioritizing what works
• Core policies : strategies that work and are recommended for implementation
• Nine promising approaches that ought to work and should be tried, accompanied by careful impact evaluation
• General policies with a surprisingly strong effect on youth at risk
• Moving from a wish list to action
• Improving the portfolio for at-risk youth in a budget-constrained environment : reallocate resources away from ineffective programs toward recommended programs
• Improving the portfolio for at-risk youth in a budget-constrained environment : collecting, analyzing, and using data
• Assign and coordinate institutional responsibilities based on comparative advantages
• Investing in youth in LAC : key messages and conclusions
• Key messages
• Defining an effective portfolio of policies and programs
• Moving forward
• Appendix A : Population in LAC by age and sex
• Appendix B : Methodology for estimating the cost of negative youth behavior
• Appendix C : Methodology for devising the typology of at-risk youth
• Appendix D : Measuring youth outcomes
• Appendix E : Estimated taxpayer costs and crime-reduction benefits of 16 crime prevention programs
• Appendix F : Sources of information for evaluated programs.