The Prevention Researcher, Volume 15, Number 2, 2008, Item# 152

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Neighborhoods matter. So do the adults within them. Whether looking at youth’s immediate neighborhoods or larger communities, the environments in which adolescents live and the adults who live and work there can have positive or negative effects.

This issue of The Prevention Researcher explores the impact of neighborhoods and communities, with the goal of showing how adults within these environments can make a difference – whether through casual encounters with youth on the street, through partnering with youth in collective action, or through the creation of community-based coalitions to implement proven prevention programs.

The first two articles set the foundation for this issue: the first summarizes the latest research findings and theoretical developments and the second provides an organizing framework to explore how the characteristics of neighborhoods, families, and children interact to shape youth development over time.

It is rare for researchers to ask youth how they feel about their community. Our third article uses qualitative research to explore youth perceptions of life in their community. This article highlights the importance of unknown adults – those adults, such as store clerks and police officers, who have brief encounters with youth.

It is possible for youth to help create change within their own communities. Our fourth article explores the power of youth-adult partnerships to impact youth, adult staff members, community leaders, and – ultimately – community institutions.

Finally, some communities need to implement prevention programs in order to address their concerns. One way to guide communities through this process is the Communities That Care system. Communities That Care assists communities in selecting and implementing proven prevention programs.

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