Mission

The Center’s mission is to assist the staff and management of all youth service organizations in the U.S. and abroad to improve services to children and youth. Our vision is a social service field that offers comprehensive youth development approaches.

AYWC’s Structure

The American Youth Work Center, founded in 1984, is a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. AYWC is funded through publication sales, donations, foundation support, contracts for training activities and fees from exchange programs and subscriptions to Youth Today.

AYWC deals with youth issues and helps support community-based, non-governmental “youth service” agencies through both domestic and international activities:

Domestic

• Publishes YOUTH TODAY: The Newspaper on Youth Work (circulation 10,000) which informs the youth work community about domestic and international events and issues of interest to the youth service field.
• Advocates for improved funding and for “at risk” youth (homeless, runaways, delinquents and others) with members of Congress
• Writes and distributes youth work publications

International

• The International Exchange Practical Training Program offers career-oriented practical training and other international exchange opportunities for American and Foreign staff of human/social service and youth agencies.
• Professional Practical Training Exchange Program – 18-month J1 visa sponsorship program for professionals or recent college graduates/post secondary certificate holders with at least one-year experience/or if no degree five (5)years paid experience required.
• Internship Program- 3-12 month J-1 visa sponsorship program for last year college/university students or graduates within 12-months of placement with limited experience.

AWYC’s Practical Training Program

The role of the American Youth Work Center’s Practical Training Program is to seek out and identify qualified and interested applicants. This is done through adverts in selected newspapers, online advertising and initial screening of applications by AYWC’s International Program Staff and possibly a representative from the participating Training Site Agency (TSA). Applications are then matched as best as possible with the appropriate TSA. After final selection by a TSA, AYWC initiates the J-1 Visa documents.

Since 1986 AYWC has worked with approximately 25 different Training Site Agencies with up to 200 practical trainees coming to the US annually from the UK, Ireland, Canada, Jamaica, Ghana, Brazil, Czech Republic, Philippines, Poland and other countries. They have been placed in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Florida, Oregon, Washington, California, Illinois, Georgia, Arkansas, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Arizona, Maryland and District of Colombia.