Focus 

The training program presents information about adolescents that every youth family worker should know. It offers a unique framework for conceptualizing youth development services. Training participants will also gain substantial knowledge and skills in program planning and building the capacity of families, organizations, and communities to serve youth. 

 

Content 

The Strategies for Success: Competency and the Asset Approach module introduces key youth development competencies and Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets as powerful tools in building organizational and community support for young people. 

 

The Preadolescent and Adolescent Development module reviews the many factors that influence development and sheds light on some of the ways that encouraging developmental assets can enrich and protect the lives of adolescents. 

 

The Family Involvement module provides information about families and family involvement to assist youth workers in forming partnerships with families. 

 

The Program Development module explains how to use youth development as a framework for creating and evaluating programs that encourage developmental assets and help young people gain the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that prepare them for adulthood. 

 

The Community Involvement module presents approaches to foster support of youth through strategies such as assessment, leadership, collaboration, and facilitation to involve stakeholders. 

 

The Diversity and Assets module covers issues of cultural competency and the appreciation of diverse assets and abilities that are important to the inclusion and support of all youth. 

 

Intended Use 

In response to the challenge of building leadership and. organizational capacity, this competency-based curriculum is designed to address two key outcomes: (1) to expedite Youth Development as well as staff of youth-serving agencies and organizations and (2) to promote the integration of youth development practices into day-to-day work at both agency and community levels. In order to maximize service capacity, it is strongly recommended that all modules be completed within a one year period of time. 

 

The Target Audience: The target audience foster/adoptive parents, youth workers, families in crisis, supervisors, agency directors, youth advocates, planners, program managers, local leaders, and others serving preadolescents and adolescents.