Regardless, we hope you find some time this summer to revisit some of the most popular AfterSchool Today articles of the year, written by leaders in the field with great suggestions on growth and improvement.

The Power of 8 - New Leadership Skills of the Future focuses on skills that haven't always been thought of as leadership qualities in the past, but  are skills that truly change people, circumstances and societies for the better. Click here to read this article by Judith Addington, founder and CEO of COOL CATS Super Leadership 4 Kids, LLC, a multimedia communications company specializing in innovative programming and the creation of inspirational and motivational products to enhance leadership awareness.

Foundations for Young Adult Success promotes skills beyond academics to help youth transition to productive, fulfilling adulthood. Research from the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research synthesizes knowledge from the youth development, psychology, sociology, education and cognitive sciences fields. Click here to learn more about the fundamental components of this developmental framework.

Building Social and Emotional Skills Through Relationships explores new Search Institute research that finds youth are highly motivated by relationships with parents, teachers and other adults when five actions—express care, challenge growth, provide support, share power, expand possibility—occur within the relationship. From a youth perspective, these mean:

• Show me you like me and want the best for me.
• Insist I try to continuously improve.
• Help me complete tasks and achieve goals.
• Hear my voice and let me share in making decisions.
• Expand my horizons and connect me to opportunities.

Click here to read more about integrating these suggestions for building relationships with youth written by Kent Pekel, President and CEO, and Peter C. Scales, Senior Fellow, Search Institute. The nonprofit applied research organization Search Institute is based in Minneapolis.