By providing young people with intensive skill-building and youth leadership training, as well as opportunities to turn these skills into action, youth leaders develop and strengthen the competencies needed to become successful, productive adults. Funding for North Star's youth developement programs is supported in part through the Arizona Department of Health Services Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program.
| Teen Outreach Program (TOP) Objective: Teens... now you can enhance your personal development through an exploration of values and relationships with parents, peers and the community. Why: TOP is one of the few youth leadership training approaches proven to be highly effective in preventing risk factors that contribute to: - drop out rates - academic failure - teen pregnancy - and other negative behaviors. Program: You participate in a two-part approach of community service and group discussions. Through a series of curriculum-guided interactive exercises, you develop life skills such as: - communication - decision making - goal setting. In conjunction with the group experience, you also participate in individual and team service projects that YOU design!  |
Teens Taking Action Objective: Providing you with the opportunity to make a difference, through youth leadership training in schools and service in communities. Why: Successful teen projects have included: - classroom presentations on sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS - an HIV/AIDS Fun Run - a musical showcase and dessert night during Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month - presentations on depression and the creation of a brochure to help parents recognize the signs of depression in teens - a girls’ sports scholarship program - the design of bookcovers - a student designed website - poster designs - a swim-a-thon - a Life Decisions book written for teens by teens. Program: Youth are selected through an application process and participate in leadership training and development.  |
| Peer Assistance Leadership Program (PAL) Objective: PAL builds resiliency and resources through youth leadership training, mentoring, conflict resolution, cross-age teaching, peer helping, service learning, and community prevention activities. Why: The programs provides effective training in “resiliency” strategies and combats problems such as: - violence in schools - drug abuse - teen pregnancy - gang participation - school dropouts. This provides a critical line of defense both at school and in the home. Program: The program’s over-arching goal is to help teens to become involved in their communities and acquire valuable life skills through leadership and service learning opportunities.  |
Girl Talk Objective: Girl Talk is a positive weekly mentoring program led by high-school girls to help middle-school girls to build self-esteem, develop leadership, and encourage community service. Why: Girl Talk’s three program pillars are: - leadership - mentoring - community service. Program: The program provides the opportunity for middle school girls to hear the right messages from the high school girls (in partnership with teachers, coaches, and guidance counselors) by whom they are so influenced.  |
