Jerry Fest

Jerry Fest, author of Street Culture: an epistemology of street-dependent youth, has advocated for youth since 1970. He founded Janus Youth Program’s Willamette Bridge -- a continuum of services for street-dependent youth, and created the ‘self-government’ model for residential services; one of the earliest program models based on the principles of Youth Development.
Working nation-wide from his home in Portland, Oregon, Mr. Fest trains and consults with programs including outreach, residential, and runaway services. Certified in the Advancing Youth Development curriculum, Mr. Fest served as lead trainer for the Portland BEST Initiative (Building Exemplary Systems of Training, a national Youth Development training project) and developed a unique one-day presentation of the Youth Development approach; Youth Development: A Winning Hand.
Mr. Fest has served as a federal Peer Monitor/trainer and as an Expert Witness for cases involving street-dependent/homeless youth. His clients include a diverse community of government and private non-profit organizations.