Professional Development
MARCH
Register for STEM Academy with TPT -
Wednesday, March 19th 9:30am-12:30 at Frogtown Community Center
Unleash the wonder of STEM with this special training from Twin Cities PBS! Dive into strategies for engaging youth in STEM in a fun and equitable way in your after-school programs.
Topics will include:
• What does STEM look like in informal learning spaces?
• Using media to enhance STEM learning
• Equitable teaching practices
• Activity examples
APRIL
Register for Building Skills for Future Youth Work Careers: Grant Writing Essentials
Tuesday, April 8th |10:00am-12:00 | Arlington Hills Community Center
Are you a youth worker looking to enhance your skills and open doors to new opportunities? This hands-on workshop will introduce you to the basics of grant writing, an essential skill for securing funding and supporting your youth programs. You'll understand the key components of a successful grant application and learn how to use your youth work skills to craft compelling proposals. Whether you're looking to grow your current projects or prepare for future career opportunities, this workshop will provide you with the tools and confidence to start writing winning grants!
Facilitator: Georgina Chinchilla Gonzalez, Executive Director, ComMUSICation
Georgina is a mission-driven leader passionate about helping youth and families thrive. As ComMUSICation's Executive Director, she works to ensure young people have access to high quality after school music programs. Before taking a leadership role at ComMUSICation, she was in youth development at Girl Scouts of MN and WI River Valleys and as a Peace Corps volunteer, then moved into fundraising roles at Think Small and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.
Register for Creating a Healing-Centered Environment through Cultivating Staff Resilience
Friday, April 11th | 10:30am-12:30 | Rondo Library
Since the COVID-19 pandemic there has been an increased interest and awareness of mental health and the impact of stress and trauma. However, as helping professionals there is a persistent focus on the health and wellbeing of young people rather than ourselves. Research has shown us that we cannot have a healing or trauma-informed organization without tending to our own wellness and self-awareness. Join us as we dive into the impact of stress, trauma, and compassion fatigue on professionals and organizations. We will define the different types of compassion fatigue and different relational cycles that perpetuate it such as the trauma re-enactment triangle and parallel process. We will discuss what we can do to build our resilience and foster our own wellness.
Facilitator: Lucille Amis-Rosario, MSW, LICSW
Lucille is the founder of Amis Therapy and Consulting, PLLC and the Behavioral and Mental Health Supervisor for the Brooklyn Center Community School District. Previously she was a community faculty member at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work, Senior Fellow at the Minnesota Institute for Trauma Informed Education, and has worked as a clinician/therapist, trainer, and leader in the social work, education, and mental health fields for over 20 years. She has a specialization in trauma, healing, gender based violence, and anti-racist practice and worked in Mexico, South Bronx, and Minnesota. Lucille has her Bachelors in Social Work from St. Olaf College, her Masters of Social Work from Columbia University in New York City. Currently, she is in the Ed.D in Leadership in Educational Administration at Bethel University and completing her dissertation on the intersection of educator wellness and trauma-informed care in schools.
Register for Youth Mental Health First Aid
Wednesday, April 23rd & Thursday April 24th | 9:00 am - 12:00 *
Frogtown Community Center
*Attendance at both days is required. In addition, approximately thirty minutes of online pre-work and post training surveys are required to complete the Youth Mental Health First Aid certification.
Youth Mental Health First Aid is designed to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers, and other caring citizens how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis. Youth Mental Health First Aid is primarily designed for adults who regularly interact with young people. The course introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews typical adolescent development, and teaches a 5-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations. Topics covered include anxiety, depression, substance use, disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD), and eating disorders.
Facilitator: Jocelyn Wiedow, Sprockets
Register for Active Bystander Training
Friday, April 25th | 10:00am - 12:00 | Palace Rec Center
This workshop empowers individuals of all ages with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to step in when you see a situation that could develop into violence in community spaces. We will discuss different ways of intervening that feel realistic for you to use, the barriers that stop us from stepping in, and what we all can to to prevent violence, and shift the cultural and social norms.
Facilitator: Kohpa Vang, Women's Initiative for Self Empowerment (WISE)
*Interested in bringing this training to your youth program? WISE is looking for youth programs interested in bringing this work shop to youth group!
