Project Teen Plus Strategies for Building Youth Empowerment

• Inform youth of each program aspect and ask what they think might specifically work best for them. Be flexible in program activities and be willing to alter activities to best meet the needs of the teen.
  
  
• Complete a strengths-based interview with the youth.
  
  
• Complete an ecomap and a genogram with the youth.
  
  
• Ask the youth about their feelings regarding different adoption recruitment activities (i.e. television, newspaper).
  
  
• Include the youth in creating their adoption profile. Have professional pictures taken of the youth and have the youth pick which picture they would like used for adoption recruitment.
  
  
• Allow youth to pick topics, location, and activities of teen support groups.
  
  
• Be honest with the youth throughout the adoption process.
  
  
• Allow youth to read a potential family's information. Allow them to submit questions to the family.
  
  
• Allow youth to choose their forever family.