Adult Training Offerings

Youth At The Center provides a variety of trainings for young people and the adults who support them. Our trainings focus on leadership development, diversity, equity, inclusion, and community engagement with the goal that youth and adults have interactions with people from different backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences where they feel seen, heard, and valued.

Times below are approximate. Our facilitators will work with your agency to design a program that meets your needs.

Strategies to Effectively Engage Youth (2.5 hours)

Key components of this training:

• Top 10 Assumptions: Assumptions adults make about young people and young people make about adults

• Aspirations for Young People: Aspirations that adults hold for young people and the aspirations young people hold for themselves. Adult participants can explore their aspirations, hopes and fears for young people.

• 3 A’s: The 3 A’s are Authority, Authenticity, Accountability and this activity helps adults focus on what it takes to be accountable and authentic in their interactions with young people, while having a deep understanding of the community to speak with and be seen as an authority

• Respect Camps: There are many ways that respect is defined and this activity helps us explore the messages we received about respect growing up and how we define respect today.

Foundations for Equitable Leadership (3.5 hours)

This training focuses on exploring messages each of us has received to better understand the assumptions and judgments we hold and how they can potentially limit the choices, opportunities and access of others.

Key Components:

• Silent Interview: Participants will understand how assumptions drive their interactions or lack thereof with other people.

• Trading Places: Participants will understand how their assumptions can become judgments that limit the access, options or choices of other people. This activity also allows individuals to identify the values they hold closest and understand that others might hold different values.

• Identity Awareness Map: Participants will reflect on aspects of their identity development and explore how messages they received impact their view of major identity markers, including race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, socio-economic, and ability.

Engaging Across Generations (1 to 1.5 hours)

Engaging Across Generations explores generational differences. There are currently 4 different generations in the workforce and 2 more generations in school preparing to enter the workforce and this variation can lead to a variety of assumptions and expectations. By exploring generational differences, we can better understand how to engage colleagues and work with young people.

Moved to Action (3 sessions can be done in one 8 hour day or 3 sessions of 2.5 hours each)

This training is designed to bring together a diverse coalition of individuals to learn from one another and collectively develop the leadership in addressing issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• Session 1: What Do I Believe?: Setting the foundation of the series by having participants reflect on their beliefs regarding issues of identity (race, gender, age, etc.) and practice sharing these within diverse groups.

• Session 2: Why Do I Believe This?: Exploring the messages and experiences that shaped your beliefs and examining the experiences which impacted your actions.

• Session 3: How Do I Engage Those Who Believe Differently?: In the final session, participants will challenge themselves in THE work of engaging in courageous conversations with individuals from different backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences.

The Path to Cultural Proficiency (1.5 hours)

The messages that govern how we view ourselves and others are ingrained in us from an early age and have helped shape the people we have become. We must also take ownership of those things that have contributed to the attitudes, believes, behaviors, and biases that may prevent us from being able to connect with youth and colleagues. When developing cultural competence, one becomes more aware of other's backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences. To become culturally proficient, we have to understand the messages related to our own identity markers, in particular race, class, ability, religion, gender, and sexual orientation, and use that information to develop an approach that allows us to better relate and understand the role identity plays in our interactions with young people.

Intent vs Impact: The Role of Race in Engaging Youth of Color (2 hours)

For diverse staffs, this workshop can also be conducted as part of a white affinity breakout group. Typically, affinity groups are used to deepen understanding and learning after having conducted a shared experience among racially diverse participants.

This session is designed for educators, social workers, case managers, etc. who identify as white and work primarily with youth of color. The workshop will explore the role whiteness plays in our own racial identity development and our interactions with others, particularly when there can be a power dynamic as a result of our role. Recognizing that building relationships with young people is key, this workshop will help participants recognize the importance of how they show up and engage.

Additional Topics Offered

Our team is trained to facilitate on the topics below and Trainings can be designed to best meet the needs of an organization.

• Tools for Dialogue

• Facilitating Courageous Conversations

• Navigating Organizational Change

• Management vs Leadership

• Conflict Management and Resolution

Rates

Our typical facilitation rate is $200 per hour per facilitator, but we try to work with all budgets. Our approach emphasizes the importance of interracial co-facilitation, so most trainings require at least two facilitators.

Contact

To schedule a consultation, please contact Shawn Jeffers, Director of Leadership Development at shawn@youthatthecenter.org or 513.404.8191.