Each day of the 3-day conference focused on a theme. The theme for the first day addressed research trends and emerging issues. It featured an address by First Lady Laura Bush that emphasized the importance of community coalitions that address issues that impede and enhance positive youth development. The luncheon plenary session talked about the Helping America's Youth initiative, which aims to provide needy youth with the support of families, schools, and communities. Mentors and role models were discussed as important means of helping youth make positive choices for their lives. Twenty-one workshops were conducted on issues, programs, problems, and resources related to research trends and emerging issues in youth development. The second day of the conference focused on "what's happening in the field." Conference participants spent most of the day in 35 workshops that addressed how various problems and barriers in youth development are being addressed through an assortment of initiatives and institutions. Topics concerned the work of juvenile justice agencies and resources, the work of schools, and comprehensive communitywide initiatives. The theme for the third day was putting research into practice and "holding ourselves accountable." This was another full day of workshops, and a number of informative plenary sessions were conducted. Nineteen workshops considered the importance of basing programs related to youth development on proven strategies and techniques that have proven effective. Examples of such programs were profiled in the workshops. Conference highlights were summarized on the concluding day. Appended resources of the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention