Youth and Family Development
Our strength-based approach is rooted in scientific findings on trauma and healthy development, which show that working with a child’s family and community is crucial for their success.
We foster real change by coordinating our programs across the fields of education, child welfare, and youth justice.
History of Youth and Family Development at Good Shepherd Services
In the 1990s, facilitated by the Youth Development Institute, Good Shepherd Services and other New York City-based youth serving organizations came together as The Networks for Youth Development, in a formal process to review research, literature, and their own practical experience. Our work together resulted in a set of guidebooks that detailed the structures, principles, practices, and outcomes of a successful framework of youth development.
Today, Good Shepherd Services continues to incorporate these principles into our work and customize our programs and organizational structure, maximizing our ability to collaborate with young people and families to achieve positive outcomes leading to self-sufficiency.
We have adopted this Youth and Family Development Model as it most resembles the rich heritage and philosophy of care passed on to us by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd who sponsor Good Shepherd Services. Their legacy of compassion, care, and acceptance has shaped the mission and values that inform our practice today.