The YMCA of Greater Toronto, United Way Toronto and the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services decided to conduct a literature review to synthesize the best available current research on youth development. This synthesis is designed to make the review more easily accessible and useful to youth-serving programs and services within the GTA. We partnered with the Students Commission of Canada and the Social Program Evaluation Group at Queen’s University in 2013 to review and synthesize recent (2000-2013) academic and non-peer-reviewed literature on the developmental needs and critical transitions for youth, key outcomes for programs to focus on, and promising interventions.