Colorado § 26-1-111.3 - Activities of the state department under the supervision of the executive director - Colorado state youth development plan - creation - definitions.

§ 26-1-111.3. Activities of the state department under the supervision of the executive director - Colorado state youth development plan - creation - definitions.

(1) (a) Subject to available funding, the state department, in collaboration with the Tony Grampsas youth services board, created in section 26-6.8-103, shall convene a group of interested parties to create a Colorado state youth development plan. The goals of the plan are to identify key issues affecting youth and align strategic efforts to achieve positive outcomes for all youth.

(b) The plan must:

(I) Identify initiatives and strategies, organizations, and gaps in coverage that impact youth development outcomes;

(II) Identify services, funding, and partnerships necessary to ensure that youth have the means and the social and emotional skills to successfully transition into adulthood;

(III) Determine what is necessary in terms of community involvement and development to ensure youth succeed;

(IV) Develop an outline of youth service organizations based on, but not limited to, demographics, current services and capacity, and community involvement;

(V) Identify successful youth development strategies nationally and in Colorado that could be replicated by community partners and entities across the state; and

(VI) Create a shared vision for how a strong youth development network would be shaped and measured.

(c) The plan must include a baseline measurement of youth activities, developed using available data and resources. Data and resources may be collected from, but need not be limited to, the following:

(I) An existing youth risk behavior surveillance system that monitors health-risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death and disability among youth, including:

(A) Behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence;

(B) Sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV;

(C) Alcohol and other drug use;

(D) Tobacco use;

(E) Unhealthy dietary behaviors; and

(F) Inadequate physical activity;

(II) The Colorado youth advisory council, created in section 2-2-1302, C.R.S.;

(III) The state department of education;

(IV) The state department of higher education, to assess workforce readiness and student achievement as youth transition through the secondary and postsecondary education systems;

(V) The state department of public health and environment;

(VI) The state department of health care policy and financing;

(VII) The state department of human services;

(VIII) The state department of labor and employment;

(IX) The state department of public safety; and

(X) The state judicial department.

(2) The state department shall be responsible for any costs associated with the development of the plan and is not required to implement this section until adequate funding is secured.

(3) The state department, in collaboration with the Tony Grampsas youth services board, created in section 26-6.8-103, shall complete the plan on or before September 30, 2014, and shall update the plan biennally thereafter.

(4) Beginning in January 2015, and every January thereafter, the department shall report progress on the development and implementation of the plan as part of its "State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act" hearing required by section 2-7-203, C.R.S.

(5) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) "Entity" means any local government, state public or nonsectarian secondary school, charter school, group of public or nonsectarian secondary schools, school district or group of school districts, board of cooperative services, state institution of higher education, the Colorado National Guard, state agency, state-operated program, private nonprofit organization, or nonprofit community-based organization.

(b) "Plan" means the Colorado state youth development plan created pursuant to this section.

(c) "Youth" means an individual at least nine years of age and no more than twenty-one years of age.

(d) "Youth service organization" means an entity that is community-based and:

(I) Promotes innovative and evidence-based strategies for positive youth development and for reducing the occurrence and reoccurrence of child abuse and neglect;

(II) Promotes innovative primary prevention and intervention services to youth and their families in an effort to decrease high-risk behavior, including but not limited to youth crime and violence; or

(III) Promotes innovative strategies to at-risk students and their families in an effort to reduce the dropout rate in secondary schools.

Source: L. 2013: Entire section added, (HB 13-1239), ch. 307, p. 1627, § 2, effective July 1.

Cross references: For the legislative declaration in the 2013 act adding this section, see section 1 of chapter 307, Session Laws of Colorado 2013.