When I assumed the editorship of this journal last spring, I did so with a great sense of excitement… to a large degree because I felt the field of Child and Youth Care was at a critical point in its development. We were well on our way to being widely recognized as a profession, as our Code of Ethics was increasingly influential in the field and the North American Certification Project was advancing. Our literature was growing and flourishing. My dream last spring was to document our development as a field with as the professionalization movement progressed, starting with a special millenium issue of the journal that would focus on our future and reflect on our past.

Here we are…the first spring of the twenty-first century...and you have in your hands the special millenium issue of the Journal of Child and Youth Care Work.

It is a double issue encompassing two important volumes.

Volume 15 for 2000 consists of the Proceedings of Together 2000, the international conference which took place in Cleveland, Ohio last June. In it you will find a representative collection of papers based on talks and workshops presented at the conference. These articles, like the authors themselves, are astounding in their diversity, and represent every aspect of Child and Youth Care Work as it is practiced around the world. Some are written by veterans of our field, whose work has inspired a generation of practitioners. Other contributions are from relative newcomers, who brought the same new perspectives and energy to the conference as you will experience in their writing.

Volume 16 for 2001 is an invitational issue focusing on the future of Child and Youth Care Work. Many esteemed colleagues responded to the call for papers, and you will find words of wisdom here that can guide us into a new century of caring and professionalism. While the articles highlight different elements of Child and Youth Care, all the contributions to this special issue acknowledge the increasing complexities of the work and our ever -growing capacity as a field to respond to these challenges with rigor and clarity of purpose.

Thank you to all our authors for their thoughtful and thought provoking contributions to this issue. Thank you too to the members of the new editorial board whose knowledge of the field is considerable and whose support was invaluable. There are a few other individuals whose dedication, vision and spirit helped make this issue possible: Patricia Hook-Painter, who assisted me in every phase of the editorial work with dedication and intelligence; David Thomas and Mark Krueger, who supported me actively through providing leadership and management ; Karen Van Der Ven, my predecessor, who provided great advice and ice cream sundaes to get me started on this issue, and last but not least, Henry Maier and Jerry Beker, who were true editorial advisors, and mentors to me over this last year.

Lastly, you will notice that the journal also has a fresh new look. Our talented new production team led by John Korsmo and Ryan Lefebr in Milwaukee worked hard to capture the renewed energy and vitality of Child and Youth Care Work in the year 2001 with our cover.

Happy Spring!

Enjoy the special issue and share my great pride and excitement in being part of this dynamic and evolving field!

Varda Mann-Feder