IT INCLUDES A HISTORY AND THEORY OF PREVENTION THAT DESCRIBES THE DEVELOPMENT OF RUNAWAY SERVICES AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE RUNAWAY PROGRAM MODEL FROM CRISIS INTERVENTION TO PREVENTION. A DISCUSSION ON PAST PREVENTION THEORIES LEADS INTO THE MODERN DEFINITION OF PREVENTION WHICH EMPHASIZES CLIENT PARTICIPATION IN SELF-HELP ORIENTED PROGRAMS. TEN PRINCIPLES OF PREVENTION ARE OUTLINED, INCLUDING THE NECESSITY OF MOBILIZING THE TOTAL COMMUNITY NETWORK, PROVIDING LONG-TERM COMMUNITY RESIDENTIAL ALTERNATIVES FOR YOUTH WHO CANNOT LIVE AT HOME, AND PROMOTING THE ACCESSIBILITY AND RESPONSIVENESS OF PREVENTION PROGRAMS TO ALL COMMUNITY RESIDENTS. A SURVEY OF THESE FIVE BASIC KINDS OF PREVENTION SERVICES HAS ALSO BEEN DEVELOPED: (1) PREVENTION COUNSELING AND TRAINING; (2) RECREATION AND CULTURAL ARTS; (3) YOUTH PARTICIPATION AND ENABLEMENT; (4) COMMUNITY OUTREACH, ORGANIZING, AND NETWORKING; AND (5) ALTERNATIVE LIVING SITUATIONS AND AFTERCARE. STRATEGIES FOR PROMOTING PREVENTION IN COMMUNITIES AND PROGRAMS FOCUS ON SERVICES (I.E., DEVELOPING PARENT EDUCATION AND SUPPORT GROUPS), INSTITUTIONS (I.E., DEVELOPING ADVOCACY SERVICES), AND SYSTEMS (I.E., DEVELOPING NETWORKS FOR SHARING INFORMATION). A LIST OF RESOURCES FOR PREVENTION AND THE RUNAWAY CENTERS PARTICIPATING IN THE 1978 PREVENTION STUDY ARE INCLUDED. ILLUSTRATIONS AND SOME FOOTNOTES ARE PROVIDED. (WJR)