Youth Development & Youth Leadership. A Background Paper

A Edelman, P Gill, K Comerford, M Larson

Abstract

All effective youth programs have youth development at their core. Effective youth leadership programs build on solid youth development principles, with an emphasis on those areas of development and program components that support youth leadership. This paper has been created by the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) to assist youth service practitioners, administrators, and policy makers in defining, differentiating, and providing youth development and youth leadership programs and activities, which are important components of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA).

How its relevant to scouting

This paper is highly relevant for Scouting because it reinforces the principle that effective youth leadership must be grounded in broader youth development. Scouting’s educational method already emphasizes holistic growth—social, emotional, physical, and intellectual—but this research highlights how leadership skills are most successfully nurtured when embedded in a strong youth development framework. For Scouts, the paper offers useful guidance on how to define and differentiate youth development and youth leadership activities, ensuring that leadership training is not isolated but integrated into all aspects of programming. By aligning with these principles, Scouting can strengthen its role as a youth leadership movement while also contributing to policy conversations on workforce readiness and lifelong skills development.