Building a Positive Community with Teens – Part 1 – VIRTUAL

Participants are REQUIRED TO ATTEND ALL TRAININGS in the series and create and try out tailored activities in between trainings.

Part 1 – Building Positive Community with Teens – Laying the Foundation

Part 2 – Building Positive Community with Teens – Meaningful Relationships

To learn, stay engaged, and develop as individuals, teens need a safe, predictable, joyful, and inclusive space where they can experience belonging, significance and emotional safety. They also need to feel comfortable taking risks and working with their peers. How can you create such a space for the teens you work with? This lively training series explores the environment in which you work with youth and provides strategies, fun group activities, and relationship-building meeting structures that will help you establish a community that promotes positive experiences for teens. 

Please note: Only afterschool practitioners working with teens should register for this training. 

Upon successful completion of this training series and follow-up assignment(s), the participant will earn 6 clock hours (.6) CEUs of training.  

Core Knowledge, Skills and Competencies Addressed (CKSCs) 

Learning Environments and Curriculum   

Physical Environment and Activities 

Identify-A. Recognizes the importance of creating a developmentally and culturally responsive learning environment and following a curriculum. 

Identify-C. Identifies aspects of a developmentally and culturally responsive environment and learning plan. 

Apply-B. Shows warmth, caring, and respect for children, youth, and others as individuals. 

Apply-C. Employs schedules, routines, and structured transitions. 

Physical, Social/Emotional, and Cognitive Development 

Apply-B. Implements strategies to develop young people’s self-awareness, social awareness,  self-management, relationship building, and responsible decision making. 

Apply-C. Models healthy interactions and guides children and youth in self-awareness, social awareness, relationships, and responsible decision making. 

Language and Communication Development 

Apply-C. Encourages children and youth to communicate in a variety of ways. 

Creative Expression 

Apply-B. Supports individual expression, including cultural influences. 

Relationships and Interactions with Children and Youth 

Individual Child/Youth Guidance 

Apply-A. Provides a supportive environment in which children and youth can learn and practice pro-social behaviors. 

Apply-D. Practices positive, health interactions and guides children and youth in self- awareness, social awareness, relationship building, and responsible decision making. 

Youth Engagement, Voice, and Choice 

Apply-A. Encourages youth to express their ideas and feelings to support healthy development, meaningful relationships, and program quality. 

Equity and Inclusion 

Inclusive and Accessible Physical and Social Spaces 

Apply-A. Creates an inclusive, welcoming, and respectful environment for all. 

Primary QIS Scales Addressed

I. Safe Environment: 

I-E: Creating Safe Spaces 

III. Interactive Environment:  

III-K: Sense of Belonging 

Training Objectives: Part 1 

Participants will 

• discuss the importance of belonging, significance and emotional safety for youth 
• outline the methods involved in establishing a positive community 
• utilize interactive learning structures and brain breaks that provide opportunities for youth to feel a sense of belonging and significance  

Training Objectives: Part 2 

Participants will 

• explain the Responsive Advisory Meeting structure 
• practice developing Responsive Advisory Meetings as a way to help youth build positive relationships