About Professional Development

It is important to ensure the youth program staff are well-trained to deliver high-quality programming as they play an important role in supporting youth in their development and growth. Professional development of youth program staff should include foundations in positive youth development theory and practical application of specific skills that support the staff to be competent in their profession and excel. The REACH Center is committed to developing content that promotes the development of staff working with youth.

Expand all

+
More about the Positive Youth Development Modules

Learn about eight features of positive youth development programs as identified by Eccles and Gootman in their 2002 publication, Community Practices for Promoting Positive Youth Development.

Expand all

+
More about the Building Developmental Relationships with Youth Modules

Search Institute’s Building Developmental Relationships with Youth course prepares you to understand what makes a relationship developmental, how these relationships can positively impact youth outcomes, how to assess your current level of intentionality in relationship building, and how to integrate relationship-building tools into your interactions with youth. Search Institute’s Building Developmental Relationships with Youth course prepares you to understand what makes a relationship developmental, how these relationships can positively impact youth outcomes, how to assess your current level of intentionality in relationship building, and how to integrate relationship-building tools into your interactions with youth.

Expand all

+
More about the Youth Inclusion Staff Workshops

Workshops are related to various topics in the Youth Inclusion Training and are intended to be used by youth program managers or training staff to introduce the concepts to program staff. The workshops could be delivered over a series of lunch seminars where a manager leads an activity each week, during a quiet programming season, or over a training weekend. However it is done, the Workshops are a set of strategies intended to help staff understand the importance of helping youth to feel welcome and safe within the program.

Expand all

+
More about the Emotion Regulation Staff Workshops

Workshops are related to various topics in the Emotion Regulation and Positive Youth Development Training and are intended to be used by youth program managers or training staff to introduce the concepts to program staff. The workshops could be delivered over a series of lunch seminars where a manager leads an activity each week, during a quiet programming season, or over a training weekend. However it is done, the Workshops are a set of strategies intended to help staff understand the importance of helping youth learn to manage their emotions.

Expand all

+
More about the Bullying Module

A self-paced training for staff, the Bullying Module prepares staff to identify the various kinds of bullying, how they affect youth, how to know when bullying is occurring, and outlines several remediation strategies.

Expand all

+
More about the Effective Communication Staff Workshops

Workshops are related to various topics in the Effective Communication and Positive Youth Development Training and are intended to be used by youth program managers or training staff to introduce the concepts to program staff. The workshops could be delivered over a series of lunch seminars where a manager leads an activity each week, during a quiet programming season, or over a training weekend. However it is done, the Workshops are a set of strategies intended to help staff understand how to model and leverage communication to support youth and improve programs.

Expand all

+
More about the Coaching Modules

Learn about six elements that can be used to develop and maintain strong youth development programs through effective leadership, coaching, and facilitation. Modules are designed for coaches, managers, and those preparing for promotion into those roles.

Expand all

+
More about the Evaluation Modules

In partnership with the Children, Youth, and Families At-Risk (CYFAR) Initiative, these seven modules focus on all aspects of program evaluation from designing, to collecting and handling data, and effectively communicating the evaluation results to stakeholders.

Expand all

+
More about the Youth Program Staff Assessment

Staff can use this tool to conduct a self-assessment to help them reflect on their current program and identify strengths as well as opportunities for growth.