At the international Youth Employment Summit, September 7-11, 2002, representatives from 140 countries gathered in Alexandria, Egypt to share knowledge and experience and to advance the cause of better preparation of youth for entry into, and success in, their respective national economies. At the Summit, for the benefit of those with little familiarity with the American experience, Glenda Partee, Ph.D., then president and co-director of the American Youth Policy Forum, presented an overview of leading U.S. youth development and employment preparation programs. The American Youth Policy Forum is pleased to reprint Dr. Partee's remarks and to suggest updated resources for further study. This report reflects material contained in the American Youth Policy Forum's 2006 study by Nancy Martin and Samuel Halperin, "Whatever It Takes: How Twelve Communities are Reconnecting Out-of-School Youth, particularly Chapters 13-18." This overview paper is designed for practitioners in both the public and non-governmental sectors who design and implement youth employment and youth development programs, the policymakers who support them, and others who wish to learn more about principles and characteristics of leading youth development programs. This report presents (1) principles of effective youth development and employment programs; (2) trends in U.S. youth employment policy and practice; and (3) program summaries of Job Corps, Jobs for America's Graduates, National Guard Youth ChallenNGE, Opportunities Industrialization Centers, Youth Service and Conservation Corps, and YouthBuild.