ACT for Youth

The ACT (Assets Coming Together) for Youth Center for Community Action promotes positive youth outcomes and works to reduce risky behavior among youth by advancing the principles of positive youth development and supporting the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based programming.
Principal Investigator and Project Director
Project Website
Launched in 2000 with generous support from the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), ACT for Youth is a partnership among BCTR (lead agency), Cornell University Cooperative Extension of New York City, and the Adolescent Medicine Division at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

ACT staff Brian Maley, Jenny Parise, Karen Schantz, Jane Powers, Vanessa Amankwaa and Marisol de Leon photo: Beth Mickalonis
ACT for Youth develops and disseminates information and resources, including publications, presentations, online training modules, and curricula to aid those working in the areas of positive youth development and adolescent health.
ACT for Youth is also home base for the ACT Youth Network, which serves as s a channel for youth voice, particularly in regard to health. The ACT Youth Network is available for consultation on health projects that seek to reach youth. For more information, see the ACT Youth Network brochure.
From 2000 through 2017, ACT for Youth operated under the name “ACT for Youth Center of Excellence.” In 2018, the name was changed to reflect the commitment of NYSDOH to provide the highest quality services among the many varied and diverse communities across the state.