Transcript Theme: Practice Skills - Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative

A New Generation of Leaders
Creating Youth Leadership Institutes in Your Community
Jim Casey Youth Leadership Institute
• Rationale
• Core
Competencies
• Timeline
• Results
Customizing
the National Model
• Planning and Development
• Training Components
• Outcomes
ASPIRING
Young Leaders Program
Origins of the ASPIRING
Young Leaders Program
• Youth Leadership Institute (YLI) at Jim Casey
Youth Opportunities Initiative
• One young leader from each site annually
• Training helped participants blossom
• Wouldn’t it be great to send more than one
• Finally started with a talk on the beach
• Hired an expert – YLI graduate
ASPIRING
Young Leaders Program
Goal & Results
To build upon the strengths of youth who
have experienced foster care & empower
young leaders across the state to succeed.
• Increase understanding about issues in
foster care
• Develop leadership & advocacy skills
• Create & have a network of relationships
with peers and supportive adults
National vs. State Training
Pre-Work
• Develop training components
- Create agenda
- Facilitation
- Decide on venue
- Identify & Recruit young people
• Applications & Interviews
• Welcome packets (three weeks prior)
• Transportation to training
Training Overview: Day 1
Theme: Personality and Relational
Development
• MBTI Leadership Development
(Trained Facilitator)
• Objective: Young People have an
understanding of their personality
style and learn to work and balance
with others
Training Overview: Day 2
Theme: Advocacy
• Scavenger Hunt: Overview of Programs (Young people
introduce themselves to staff around the office, learning
more about the program)
• Terms and Language (Young people understand basic
terms and language used in child welfare)
• Effective Leadership (Young people understand different
leadership styles and learn how to work with each other)
• Strategic Sharing (Young people learn to share their story
in a safe and meaningful way.
• Case Planning Engagement (Young people acquire the
knowledge and skills necessary to lead their own
case/life planning)
Training Overview: Day 3
Theme: Practice Skills
• Practice Panels (Young People put
skills into practice & receive
feedback)
• Creating Bios (Young People have
bios for professional engagements)
Post Training -Follow up
• Alumni Network
• Quarterly engagement events
(social & educational)
• Youth Board Engagement
• Advanced Training
Lessons Learned
Challenges
Transportation
Commitment – from youth & staff/guardian
Size of group & No. of groups matters
Training POD leaders well –identifying
weaknesses & strategies to overcome
• Learning disabilities/difficulty reading can be
challenging
• Younger age = challenge for representation at
conferences out of state
• Dealing with history
•
•
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•
Lessons Learned
Solutions
• List of participants given to POD leaders
ahead of time to strategize
– Tell participants to “check” history at door
(part of being a professional & a leader)
• Add a learning disability/reading level
question to application
• Find meaningful ways to keep younger youth
engaged locally
• Discuss transportation issues during interview
Lessons Learned
Solutions
• Staff/guardians & youth need to specifically
be told that this is a serious commitment
• Allow enough time for recruitment
• Be very thorough with POD leaders around
expectations & allow for time to train them
• Talk candidly about POD leader strengths &
weaknesses
Lessons Learned
Funding Considerations
• Staff & consultant time – outreach, program
& material development, implementation
• Material - binders, applications, “fun
buckets”, certificates, pens, etc.
• Communications – brochures, website
• Incentives – prizes, stipends
• Transportation – bus passes
• Food – home-cooked, delivered, snacks
Results
• Youth Board & other leadership
experiences…
• Works Wonders
Q&A
Jim Casey
www.jimcaseyyouth.org
Mike Peno
[email protected]
Tiffany Barbosa
[email protected]
Liz Squibb
[email protected]