Session 3: Youth voices and actions have sparked systemic and social change in societies around the world. In this historic moment in time,
- How can Youth Workers see, appreciate, and grow the skills in young people to take courageous and brave actions that will create a more just world that centers youth experiences and perspectives; and
- How can we ,through our OST programs and activities, help develop young people and Youth Workers to become more proactively engaged in their own learning and development?
In this frontline leadership development program, we are inviting teams of OST Youth Workers across Cambridge to build and co-create with a cohort of like-minded, passionate, and caring Youth Workers to encourage and prepare youth to skillfully and positively impact their communities and take charge of their own destinies.
Participants will have an opportunity to develop their personal Youth Worker identities, and clarify their own youth development practices and philosophies towards youth advocacy. Participants will take responsibility for their own learning and development, through a series of sessions to further understand oppressive factors, systems and structures that limit and challenge youth leadership and how to effectively address them. Participants will in turn develop the skills and acquire the tools to help youth attending OST programs in developing their own identities, self-confidence and self-awareness, and abilities to engage in age-appropriate advocacy around their own learning needs and interests.
This cohort is for Youth Workers who are:- Currently working in programs serving Cambridge youth and families of all ages;
- Committed to uplifting the voices of Youth;
- Thrive learning in community, alongside peers, through interactive and discussion based activities;
- Have some experience and/or deep interest in work centered on racial justice, social justice, and youth advocacy; and
- Willing to dive deeply into a personal exploration of individual and societal identities and how they intersect with our Youth Worker identities.
How will we do this?
- Three sessions (Friday March 12th, Friday March 19th & Saturday March 27th) to explore personal identity, youth development concepts, and outside barriers and opportunities for youth self-determination
- Project based learning that will culminate in the fourth celebratory session (Saturday April 3rd) where participants will share their projects they will take back to their OST organizations
- Conversations with guest speakers who are currently youth advocacy champions
- Creating connections in a network of youth advocates that will continue long after the program
Youth Worker Learning Goals, Outcomes and "Takebacks":
- Youth Development/Leadership Continuum
- Youth Worker Competencies
- Positive Youth Outcomes
- Personal Youth Leadership Style (using Leadership Compass)
- Personal VARK Learning Style
