APRIL Youth Resources and Material
Welcome to the APRIL Youth field guide (field guide sounds cooler than manual).
Step 1: Find the closest mirror and stare directly at it. If you have a vision loss, ask the nearest person to stare at you. If you notice any gray hairs, please discontinue reading this guide and find a young person with a disability to run your youth programs! JUST KIDDING…
The first myth the APRIL Youth would like to bust is that only a young person with a disability (ages 13ish-30ish) can relate to youth or get them excited. Don’t get us wrong! A young person taking over these programs should be the ultimate goal, and if you have a youth who would like to take the lead already, definitely encourage them. The real secret to success, however, is the level of passion with which these ideas are presented. Passion is the only must have for a person to relate to young people!!
So, sit back, relax and learn from us! Remember that these are our ideas. That doesn’t mean that you won’t have to tweak them or change them to fit your needs, in fact, we encourage you to do just that. Maybe you will contact us and add your material to the kit (hint hint).
Youth Peer to Peer Mentoring: Getting Started
Youth Peer to Peer Mentoring: Recruitment and Retention
Youth Peer to Peer Mentoring: Transportation
IL-NET Team: Youth Curriculum List
Engaging Youth Through Social Media
Finding and Connecting with Youth
Youth Advocacy Trainings
Self-Advocacy and Systems Advocacy
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Youth Training
Fair Housing Act Youth Training
Check back for more sections that are being added monthly!
For more information contact Abby Ritter, Youth Advisory Specialist at
Many THANKS to those that have helped make this material a reality!!
ADAPT brothers and sisters, Billy Altom, Josie Badger, Mike Beers, Mike Blatchford, Rebecca Cokely, Mike Collins, Rene Cummins, Justin Dart Jr., Yoshiko Dart, Ellisa Ellis, Barry Fox-Quamme, Letiah Fraser, Gloria Garton, Chiaki Gonda, Linda Gonzales, Carrie Greenwood, Kathy Hatch, June Hermanson, Judy Heumann, Travis Hoffman, Alex Jackson, Mary Leary, Melissa Madill, Mike Mayer, Jude Monson, Michael Murray, John Nousaine, Tom Olin, Mary Olson, Sierra Royster, Julia Sain, Tom Seekins, Tim Sheehan, Amber Smock, Julia Thomas, Sarah Triano, Craig Ravesloot, Eddie Rea, Curtis Richards, Ed Roberts, Betsy Valnes, Amber Wallenstein, Glen White, YLF Alumni from Montana, YLF Alumni from North Carolina, YLF Alumni of Oklahoma, ABLE CIL, Erin Weierbach, Center for Independent Living of Central PA, Alie Kriosfske-Manielle, Susan Cerverlla, Dustin Gibson, Moriah Grace, Grant Heffelfinger, and Rachel Kaplan.
This Training is a Partnership with University of Montana RTC: Rural Research & Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities. RTC: Rural research is supported by grant #90RT50250100 from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research within the Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services. The opinions expressed reflect those of the author and are not necessarily those of the funding agency.