This report contains case studies from six countries on local efforts to ease the transition of youth from school to work and to stop or prevent them from regressing to semiliteracy or illiteracy. The countries studied are Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, Yugoslavia, and Zimbabwe. A short summary of each of the case studies is also provided along with an action agenda for municipal decision makers. The document concludes that there are general lessons that are apparent from the projects studied, and a number of these are about a question of universal significance: how to improve the relevance and effectiveness of programs with resources that are limited. The 10 suggestions to municipal officials include: (1) being prepared to respond to the ideas of organizations working with the young; (2) encouraging existing groups; (3) ensuring a full understanding of the need by preliminary research; (4) continuing support; (5) building networks of people and organizations; (6) making clear statements of aims and objectives; (7) developing styles and structures that encourage maximum participation by youth; (8) enabling disadvantaged youth to become a more effective part of the labor circuit through the existing educational system; (9) identifying resources; and (10) modeling projects after successful local ones while maintaining as much local control as possible. (21 references) (KC)