The Legacy of YouthAlive!: Transformative Youth Programs Continue to Thrive in Science Centers

This report discusses the legacy and impact of YouthALIVE! (Youth Achievement through Learning, Involvement, Volunteering, and Employment), an initiative in the 1990s of the Association of Science-Technology Centers with support from the DeWitt-Wallace Reader’s Digest Fund to enable museums and science centers to establish programs for youth from underserved populations. YouthALIVE! programs are characterized by intensive, multi-year engagement in the life of the institution, including a wide variety of opportunities for science teaching, learning, and mentoring, and conducting scientific research. The success of this project demonstrates that philanthropic initiatives that are thoughtfully planned in collaboration with museums and science centers, meet multiple needs, and are based on clear principles, can survive and thrive when major funding ends.