Youth as Resources (YAR) is a philosophy and a program that recognizes youth as valuable community resources and engages them as partners with adults in bringing about positive community change.

The three principles of YAR are--

* Youth-adult partnership in governance

* Youth as grantmakers

* Youth-led service

Community-based YAR programs, governed by a board of youth and adults, provide grants to young people to design and carry out service projects. The youth and adult board members work in partnership to solicit and evaluate project proposals from local youth. The proposals must address a clear community need.

Young people in neighborhood centers, youth organizations, community foundations, classrooms, and clubs identify social issues that concern them and design projects to address them. Popular issues range from health, housing, education, and the environment to drugs, gangs, illiteracy, and crime. The youth are the key leaders and decision-makers in implementing their idea.