Do No Harm: The Youth Worker's Promise

by Don Carpenter

In Do No The Youth Worker’s Promise, Don Carpenter lays out 15 core commitments that define the heart of ethical, relationship-centered youth work. Grounded in decades of practice and lived experience, he offers a guide for those who understand that real transformation takes time and is rooted in trust, nurtured through presence, and sustained by integrity. Whether you are a new practitioner, a seasoned professional, or a community leader, this book is both a pledge and a companion, reminding us that lasting change begins not with programs, but with relationships.

224 pages, Paperback

Published January 26, 2026

About the author

Don Carpenter was an American writer, best known as the author of Hard Rain Falling. He wrote numerous novels, novellas, short stories and screenplays over the course of a 22-year career that took him from a childhood in Berkeley and the Pacific Northwest to the corridors of power and ego in Hollywood. A close observer of human frailty, his writing depicted marginal characters like pool sharks, prisoners and drug dealers, as well as movie moguls and struggling actors. Although lauded by critics and fellow writers alike, Carpenter's novels and stories never reached a mass audience and he supported himself with extensive work for Hollywood. Facing a mounting series of debilitating illnesses, Don Carpenter committed suicide in 1995.