Youth Development Network offers training for youth and adults

by Andy Paul
Youth Development Trainer, Youth Development Network
and a proud papa of two sweet, young girls

It’s that time of year again: The Youth Development Network (formerly the YSPN) is offering two of its most popular trainings — Group Facilitation on Feb. 28 and 29, and Youth Development 101 on March 20 and 21. You can expect these trainings to be both fun and thought-provoking. They also will, of course, feature icebreakers and plenty of small-group discussion to keep things engaging and interactive. Youth are welcome to participate, as all of our trainings are youth-friendly and benefit from the additional perspective that youth bring. Sign up for a spot today, as these trainings almost always fill up.

The Group Facilitation training is designed for staff who would like strategies for working with groups of youth. This training offers ideas for structuring group time and discussion, consensus building, project planning, how to be an excellent group facilitator and more. So are you seeking tools to help you work with a challenging group of youth (or even adults)? Then join us on Feb. 28 and 29.

Youth Development 101 is for staff from youth-serving programs (line staff or managers) who are seeking an introduction to the key concepts of youth development. This interactive and experiential training walks through the five youth development supports and opportunities that youth need to experience in order to become successful and healthy adults. If youth development is a new concept to you, or you want to discuss youth development with other dedicated professionals in the field, check us out on March 20 and 21. Note: This is not a YDI (Youth Development Institute) training; however, it is an excellent introduction to the concepts and activities we cover in our well-known four- and 10-day YDI.

All trainings are held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and include a light breakfast, a hearty catered lunch, and lots of helpful materials and tools to take back to your program. The cost of either training is $150 for adults and $100 for youth, but YDN offers a $25 discount for early registration. To register, contact Jennifer Cotton at jcotton@ydnetwork.org, (916) 231-5333, ext. 13. Visit the YDN Web site.