Western States Youth Services Network
Advancing Youth Development Training
"Youth Development" is a philosophy, a concept and a set of practices not necessarily understood by all youth services professionals. Youth development is an ongoing developmental, strengths based approach to working with youth and their families and is a radical paradigm shift away from the deficit or problem solving model. Youth development also means providing opportunities for youth to work in their schools, churches, neighborhoods, communities, or local agencies in a variety of creative and unique ways.
However, it is necessary to embark on a training journey and experience for the youth services workers first before expecting them to be able to redesign services from a developmental, strengths based approach or to create meaningful youth development opportunities for youth.
The Advancing Youth Development Curriculum takes the worker through the whole spectrum of youth development from philosophy, theory and definitions to best practice models. The training is divided into seven four hour sessions which are outlined below:
Session 1 Introduction to the Youth Development Approach
Session 2 Developmental Youth Outcomes: The Bottom Line of Youth Work
Session 3 Cultural Assumptions and Stereotypes About Young People: From Adultism to Caring
Session 4 Strategies of Youth Participation
Session 5 Opportunities and Supports for Youth Development: Identifying Best Practices
Session 6 Core Competencies of Youth Workers
Session 7 Review, Practice and Celebration
Trainers with the Western States Youth Services Network (Sheila Leslie, Consultant, Reno, NV and Linda Lyons, Consultant, San Diego, CA) have been trained and certified as Trainer/Facilitators in the new Advancing Youth Development curriculum written by the Academy for Educational Development and the National Network for Youth. Anticipated results are an increased understanding and awareness of youth development as well as a change in practice and delivery of services to youth and families.
Costs would be $200 per day for WSYSN members and $350 per day for non-members.