Serving the developmental needs of the dependent
youth is the main purpose of the Youth Activities
Program. The youth using the program are all
growing and changing significantly, and their
leisure-time activities play a vital role in their
development. It is important to understand the key
developmental issues, to appreciate their implica-
tions for the design of DYAC facilities. The follow-
ing summary organizes these issues into three ma-
jor categories- identity development, social
development, and physical and cognitive develop-
ment-based on the primary variables commonly
referred to in the psychological developmental
literature.