Chapter 2: 15 Years After Community Programs to Promote Youth Development

In 2002, the National Research Council’s (NRC) Committee on Community-Level Programs for Youth published a book entitled Community Programs to Promote Youth Development (Eccles & Gootman, 2002). When the NRC book was released, it was clear how important this report was to the field, partly because it provided a cogent case for why youth activities are important developmental contexts. It also explained how and why organized afterschool activities should be considered, alongside the home and school, as primary contexts for youth development. The report provided a framework regarding key features of youth activities that promote positive development. The authors acknowledged the limited research conducted on activities directly, which led to their reliance on research conducted on activity, family, and school settings. It called for greater focus on theory and research on activities, and that call was answered by many researchers.