Positive Youth Development 101 Web Series

At a time when face-to-face trainings are not feasible, please join us for a series of webinars exploring positive youth development (PYD) and its core principles and strategies. Drawing from the PYD 101 training curriculum we will introduce updated material and new resources. Although the PYD 101 training was developed with professionals new to the field of youth work in mind, it may serve as a good refresher for experienced youth work professionals.

July 7 at 10:00AM – PYD I: Foundations

In this webinar we will define positive youth development and explore key theoretical frameworks and research findings. We will also summarize the current understanding of adolescent development.

Register for PYD I here.

July 10 at 10:00AM – PYD II: Positive Youth Development Outcomes

One important principle of PYD is to focus on building positive youth outcomes instead of preventing or fixing problematic behavior. We will take a look at different outcome models. In addition, we will discuss and practice strategies for building positive outcomes through a strength-based approach.

Register for PYD II here.

July 14 at 10:00AM – PYD III: Youth Voice and Engagement

Another key principle of PYD is youth voice and engagement. We will explore ways to provide young people with meaningful roles and responsibilities. Authentic youth engagement, however, does not happen without addressing barriers such as adultism and other forms of adult resistance.

Register for PYD III here.

July 21 at 10:00AM – PYD IV: Youth Development Programming

In this final webinar we will review features of effective youth development programming, reflect on inclusive program environments, and explore youth-centered learning approaches and resources.

Register for PYD IV here.

~ Jutta

Reading Club Selections for June 26, 2020

6/18/19 UPDATE – NOTE NEW DATE. This meeting will be held on June 26 rather than June 19, due to the Juneteenth holiday.

This week we turn to the topic of the effects of smart phones on young people. We have two articles. The first one makes large claims about the negative effects of smart phones, especially for mental health. The second is, in part, a critique of that view.

Jean M. Twenge, The Atlantic: Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?
Lisa Guernsey, Slate: Don’t Take Away Your Teen’s Phone

(If you have time to read just one article, make it the second one –Guernsey touches on the first article’s main points, so you’ll get the gist.)

Remember to register for the reading club meeting and join us at 11:00 on Friday!

Shared Resources from the SRAE Work Group

In April and May, SRAE providers presented on material they have developed and material they are still working on. Since SRAE is still a fairly new initiative, work group meetings also offered providers the opportunity to introduce themselves, their agencies, and the services they provide. Thanks to all for sharing ideas and resources!

April 20

Work Group meeting – April 20 (recording)

Jennifer Quick, City of Rochester, presented a plan for a pilot “Caregiver and Me Circle,” a small group of caregivers and youth coming together and discussing puberty and other challenging topics. Several video clips and written material were explored.

Pilot: Caregiver and Me Circle Download

Kerslie Valerio, BronxWorks, presented a video she produced for young people on keeping your mind active (during quarantine and other times).

Ways to Keep Your Mind Active (video)

April 27

Work Group meeting – April 27 (recording)

Marissa St.Onge, Caitlyn Miller, and Tyler Julian of Oswego County Opportunities presented on their SRAE work in rural Oswego County. They also shared material they developed for several social media platforms.

Oswego County Opportunities SRAE Program Download

May 11

Work Group meeting – May 11 (recording)

Vickie Allen, Najua Baaith-Mercado, and Victor Norflee of Action for a Better Community in Rochester presented on their current virtual group meetings, including a gardening group.

ABC: Connecting Virtually Download

May 18

Work Group meeting – May 18 (recording)

Elafteria Kopanos and Amrita Seegobind of the Leadership Training Institute presented on their virtual group meetings and topics, introducing a new virtual platform: ClassDojo.

Leadership Training Institute: SRAE Initiative Download

May 26

Work Group meeting – May 26 (recording)

Keila Jimenez, Committee for Hispanic Families and Children, discussed their virtual weekly meeting schedule, highlighting partnerships such as a collaboration with a local bodega to provide food supplies for a weekly virtual cooking class.

Additional Reading Club scheduled for 6/12/20

To many of us our 6/5 discussion of this interview with Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum (main conversation starts 15 minutes in) felt like it just scratched the surface, so we are adding a meeting on Friday, 6/12, 11-12, to continue the discussion.

If you missed the first meeting, don’t hesitate to join us for this one. One topic to consider (though the discussion will not be limited to this):

Are there ways we can help young people connect across racial/ethnic lines?
What support or preparation do we need to do this?

Join us–I’m sure we will have another rich conversation! Register here.

~ Karen

Reading Club Selection for June 5, 2020

“If we can’t talk about it, how can we solve it?”
Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum

This week our selection is a video rather than a reading–an interview with Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum. The former president of Spelman College, Dr. Tatum is author of Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Next to Each Other in the Cafeteria?, a book that many of us also highly recommend! Originally published in 1997, it has been updated for our time in a 20th anniversary edition.

This Friday we’ll discuss this recent Kansas City Public Library interview with Dr. Tatum . Note that the conversation really gets going about 15 minutes in.

Please remember to register for the June 5 discussion at 11:00!

Hope you can join us!

~ Karen