School Web sites highlighted in this column do not necessarily excel in any single component. Please send your suggestions and comments to Kathy Rutkowski whose address appears at the end of this article. The Youth of the World have discovered the World Wide Web. For the most part, their forays into Cyberspace are unchaperoned solo journeys in search of fun, companionship, and knowledge. Some serve as a center and offer a full range or combination of activities, such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and others focus on a specific activity area, such as Little League Baseball, or the American Youth Soccer Organization.
Some groups are wholly local in terms of membership and financial support.
All youth groups share a common general desire to provide youth with positive social learning experiences that build character, confidence and a commitment to the betterment of community and self. Today, the World Wide Web empowers youth groups in new and exciting ways. Youth groups are using the Web to target potential members and adult leaders as well as to better support existing current leaders and members. Some groups are using the Web to expand and extend their reach to a regional, national, or global level. Many communities around the world can turn to the World Wide Web to find examples of successful youth associations and programs in other communities that can be modified and used to better support their local youth.