Youth Development System

Building Toolkit

A positive youth development approach views youth as resources, builds on their strengths and capabilities, and helps them to develop within their own community. Youth development programs seek to build competencies in the following areas: physical, social, cognitive, vocational, and moral.

LearningWork Connection developed a series of tools to help organizations assess their progress in building a comprehensive youth development system. The Youth Development System Building Toolkit consists of:

• The Youth Development System Rubric – This growth chart aligns specific criteria for youth development systems with developmental stages of system building. It helps answer the question “What does a youth development system look like?”
• The Youth Development System Self-Assessment – Based on the Youth Development System Rubric, this assessment helps local organizations identify their growth stage in building a youth development system.
• Next Steps in System Building – You’ve taken the Youth Development System Self-Assessment and you’ve identified your community’s growth stage. Now what? Next Steps helps organizations focus their efforts in areas that will make the most difference in building a youth development system.

• Complete Toolkit PDF


• Rubric only PDF


• Self-Assessment only (print) PDF


• Self-Assessmemt only (online - coming soon)