There are many agencies in Massachusetts that provide outstanding services -- if you know where to look. Since funding for youth services is often in flux and services can come and go, it is important to maintain a user-friendly guide to services with regular updates.
The community notebooks are guides to local resources for youth in the Boston area. Bar advocates, court professionals, and other youth workers can use the community notebooks to connect their clients to services that fit their needs. Each notebook includes an extensive guide to local programming as well as articles on pertinent legal and educational issues. The community notebooks are published jointly by YAD and the Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts. Click below to access pdf versions of the notebooks.
Girls Edition
The Girls Edition was created to help professionals better serve the fastest-growing population of the Massachusetts juvenile justice system. The Girls Edition contains a guide to nearly 70 programs in the Greater Boston area that have a gender-specific focus appropriate to girls in high-risk situations. It also contains articles outlining how to become the caring adult that girls need, information on how mental health issues particularly affect system-involved girls, and some reflections from girls themselves about what issues they think about and face everyday.
Out-of-School Time
The Out-of-School Time Programming Edition of the Community Notebook features a resource guide listing over 55 specific programs and services in the Boston area. It also contains several brief articles about children in the juvenile justice system and suggestions for how to best serve them. This resource was created for attorneys and other court professionals who work with juveniles, but should be useful for anyone who works with youth and wants to connect them to the services and programs they need.
Health and Counseling
The Health and Counseling edition of the Community Notebook focuses on young people’s health as an important factor in their overall development into successful members of their communities. Research has shown that youth in the juvenile justice system experience mental health disorders at over twice the rate of youth in the general population, and a clear link has been made between mental and physical well-being. Therefore, the Community Notebook: Health and Counseling Edition pays special attention to issues that affect young people’s health, and details health services that are available to juveniles within both the justice system and the community. In addition, this edition also includes a guide to resources for addressing the range of health concerns that affect youth in high risk situations.
Education
The Education Community Notebook is intended as a primer to the educational system in Massachusetts. Failure in school is one of the clearest pathways to court-involvement. This Notebook navigates topics to help lawyers, other court professionals, case workers, youth workers, and all caring adults ensure that students have the best chance for school success. The topics covered include, among others, No Child Left Behind, the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, special education services, and the rights of homeless students. A listing of advocacy resources and helpful websites is also included.
Worcester GED/Job Readiness Resource Guide
The YAD Worcester office has compiled a list of GED and job readiness programs available in Worcester county. The guide includes contact information as well as information on program eligibility and services provided.
Worcester GED/Job Readiness Resource Guide
Worcester After-school Program Guides
These guides provide a listing of after-school programs available to youth throughout Worcester county. The second guide focuses specifically on programs available in communities in the northern region of the county, including Fitchburg and Leominster
Worcester After-school Program Guide
North Worcester After-school Guide
Worcester Summer Program Guide
The Worcester Summer Program Guide provides a comprehensive listing of youth summer programs, including information on program activities, costs, and registration.