Reimagine Youth Development Training

The Convening Coalitions and Community Collaborations virtual classroom training series introduces participants to foundational strategies for convening and facilitating collaborative prevention groups, including community coalitions and advisory boards/groups (primarily comprised of adults or adults and youth, but not youth-only groups). The three courses in the series include:

Convening Coalitions and Community Collaborations 1: Collaborative Purpose and Participation Search below for upcoming dates.

Convening Coalitions and Community Collaborations 2: Structuring for Success Search below for upcoming dates.

Convening Coalitions and Community Collaborations 3: Productive Group Processes and Facilitation Search below for upcoming dates.

Award-winning TEDx speaker De’Amon Harges is a highly sought-after speaker and trainer for the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) Institute of DePaul University. He became nationally and internationally recognized after his ten-minute TEDx Indianapolis speech about his experience as “The Roving Listener.”

Participants will discover and explore asset-based community development, social banking, the five community currencies, and their functions in the first session. In the second session, participants will learn strategies for implementing asset-based community development and social banking and practice using the five community currencies.

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Trauma and substance use disorders run in families across generations and are often fueled by dark family secrets. Topics covered in this presentation includes: The role of youth development, prevention, and clinical professionals in breaking intergenerational patterns of trauma, substance use disorders, and dark family secrets; breaking intergenerational patterns by focusing on the unique needs of children of parents with substance use disorders and children on the FASD spectrum; the role of parents and persons in recovery in breaking intergenerational patterns; mobilizing the entire community to help break intergenerational patterns of trauma and substance use disorders. You will learn about successful programs in breaking intergenerational patterns in Iceland, Native American, Metropolitan, and rural communities.

By the end of this presentation, you will be able to:

• Begin to use strategies to help break generational patterns of trauma, substance use disorders and dark family secrets in your role as a treatment provider.
• Begin to use strategies to help break intergenerational patterns of trauma and substance use disorders in your role as a prevention specialist.
• Articulate the importance of prevention and treatment providers working together to break intergenerational patterns.
• Utilize strategies to help parents break intergenerational patterns of trauma, substance use disorders and dark family secrets.
• Address the unique needs of children of parents with substance use disorders.
• Learn strategies to break intergenerational patterns from Iceland, Native American, Metropolitan, and rural communities.

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During this course, participants will discuss how to establish the function and purpose of community coalitions and collaborations and identify strategies for recruiting a diverse group of stakeholders. To maximize learning opportunities, participants should have a specific collaboration in mind when completing training activities.

*This course is 3 hours with an additional 30 minutes of prework required.*

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During this course, participants will discuss how to structure and organize a community coalition or collaboration for success and infuse cultural respect and responsiveness into their processes. To maximize learning opportunities, participants should have a specific collaboration in mind when completing training activities.

*This course is 3 hours with an additional 30 minutes of prework required.*

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During this course, participants will discuss best practices for coordinating and facilitating community coalition or collaboration meetings, keeping stakeholders engaged, and evaluating the group’s effectiveness in making improvements. To maximize learning opportunities, participants should have a specific collaboration in mind when completing training activities.

*This course is 3 hours with an additional 30 minutes of prework required.*

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In this interactive webinar, training participants will cultivate shared language, support increased organizational capacity for equity work, and develop commitments that build individual responsibility and capacity for systemic change.

Learning Objectives

Objective 1: Participants will build their own skills toolbox that addresses three main areas that support anti-racist/pro-queer approaches:

• Protecting and empowering young people’s right to self-determination
• Thoughtful and intentional communication
• Addressing complex needs of harm, justice, and healing

Objective 2: Participants will be able to develop commitments that build individual responsibility and capacity regarding systemic change and increase personal understanding of systemic oppression and their role in the system.

Objective 3: Participants will be able to discern between different types of accountability and understand the complexity of being accountable as an ongoing, ever-evolving practice.

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Motivational Interviewing has proven to be an effective evidence-based approach with adolescents as it allows the adolescent to have a voice in the direction and goals of counseling. Topics covered in this presentation include: the 8 stages of learning motivational interviewing, mastering the basics, the spirit of motivational interviewing, and integrating motivational interviewing with other clinical approaches.

By the end of this presentation, you will be able to:

• Articulate the 8 stages of learning motivational interviewing.
• Identify strategies to improve motivational interviewing skills in youth development and intervention and violence prevention programs.
• Integrate motivational interviewing with other evidence-based and classic clinical models.

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By the end of this webinar, training participants will be able to define and apply principles and practices for establishing and elevating inclusive relationships. Participants will learn strategies for cultural humility and accountability.

Trainer Bio:

Sylvester Baugh is the owner-operator of Baugh Training & Consulting (BTC) in Illinois. Sylvester is an author, speaker, trainer, and life coach.  Sylvester has assisted various educational institutions, businesses, and individuals in developing and sustaining quality relationships and viable systems. Sylvester has dedicated his life to serving and improving others for over 35 years. Sylvester provides training and workshops in cultural awareness, managing conflict, effective leadership, team building, diversity, equity and inclusion, and much more. Before the tragedy of 9/11, Sylvester worked with United Airlines in the area of Diversity Management. His background is in communications and diversity coaching. His messages are inspiring and life-changing.

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During this course, you will learn how to support young people in your life and engage the families and communities of the youth connected to your work.

Everyone’s an Asset Builder (Part I)

Developmental Assets are listed under all prevention-focused, youth development service areas around which the RYD program will be designed. These include improving academic performance, life skills education, caregiver involvement, recreation, sports, cultural and artistic activities, positive adult mentors, service learning, and STEM Learning.

The first day of the two-day training introduces the Developmental Assets® framework and the powerful role of individual asset builders in the lives of youth. This workshop will help participants:

• identify the characteristics of effective asset builders and their own personal strengths and challenges
• understand “circles of influence” and identify those circles in which there is potential for asset-building
• make and share a personal commitment to asset-building action 

Sharing the Asset Message (Part II)

The second training day will prepare community members and groups to deliver various asset-building messages to multiple audiences. This workshop will help participants:

• discuss how the assets relate to other positive youth development efforts
• develop engaging presentation strategies to meet the unique needs of any audience
• download free curriculum materials to use in their program presentations

 * Note: This is a two-day training; participants must attend both training days to receive credit.

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“Emergence is the way complex systems and patterns arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions. Emergence is a system that makes use of everything in the iterative process. It's all data.” - adrienne maree brown

As storytellers and strategists, we understand that data is everywhere and in everything. However, the field of evaluation and research can often feel very exclusive, especially when it comes to sharing findings. In this workshop, participants will tap into their imaginations and explore how photo elicitation and photo-voice can be an exciting, accessible way to reach their audiences and better understand their points of view. Using these creative methods, participants will also be able to practice and collaborate with one another, utilizing their learning in real-time.

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QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the three simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide.

According to the CDC, youth suicide attempts soared during the pandemic. Rates of suicide among youth in Black and Brown communities have risen faster than in any other racial/ethnic group in the past two decades.  Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how in a short timeframe to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help.

In the OEND bonus/add-on training, we will offer a 30-minute training session on “How to Use Naloxone aka “Narcan” which is the medicine that reverses an opioid overdose.

In the training, you will be trained on how to use the Naloxone Nasal Spray during a crisis and given a kit for your organization.  Please see the flyer for additional information.  Once you register for the QPR Training, you will receive an email where you can confirm whether you will attend the bonus training. This training is open to anyone who attends the QPR Training.  

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By the end of this webinar, training participants will be able to define and apply principles and practices for building and sustaining strong relationships in families, schools, and communities. Participants will learn strategies for effective communication and conflict reconciliation.

Trainer Bio:

Sylvester Baugh is the owner-operator of Baugh Training & Consulting (BTC) in Illinois. Sylvester is an author, speaker, trainer, and life coach.  Sylvester has assisted various educational institutions, businesses, and individuals in developing and sustaining quality relationships and viable systems. Sylvester has dedicated his life to serving and improving others for over 35 years. Sylvester provides training and workshops in cultural awareness, conflict management, effective leadership, team building, diversity, equity and inclusion, and more. Prior to the tragedy of 9/11, Sylvester worked with United Airlines in the area of Diversity Management. His background is in communications and diversity coaching. His messages are inspiring and life-changing.

*Attendance is required to receive a certificate of completion and CEUs.

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Many people who work in human services consider their work to be a "calling." There are two occupational hazards, burnout and compassion fatigue/secondary trauma, which threaten to undermine that calling and diminish your effectiveness. Burnout is caused by feeling ineffective in your work and organizational/team stress. Compassion fatigue (also called secondary trauma/secondary PTSD) is caused by absorbing the traumatic stories and experiences of clients. Both occupational hazards can lead to a loss of energy, loss of hope, loss of enthusiasm, loss of idealism, spiritual distress, and decreased effectiveness.

This virtual presentation focuses on how to prevent and recover from burnout and compassion fatigue. Emphasis will be placed upon self-care, four things high performers do to prevent burnout and compassion fatigue, how to maintain energy and reduce frustration in your youth development and/or clinical work, and feel a greater sense of success.

OBJECTIVES: By the end of this workshop, participants will:

• Be aware of the 4 stages of Burnout
• Understand the differences between burnout and compassion fatigue
• Evaluate your personal vulnerability for developing compassion fatigue
• Be able to utilize 10 strategies to help prevent burnout and compassion fatigue 
• Have skills to reduce frustration in your youth development/clinical work
• Be able to feel a greater sense of success in your work.

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Trauma-informed supervision is important for youth violence prevention programs to succeed. This presentation covers trauma-informed leadership and supervision, the supervisory relationship as a mirror of trauma-informed care, the 6 features of trauma-informed supervision, and the supervisor's role in promoting self-care in a trauma-informed system of care.

By the end of this presentation, you will be able to:

• Articulate aspects or components of a trauma-informed system of care.
• Be a more effective supervisor in a trauma-informed system of care.
• Recognize how the supervisory relationship can be a catalyst for improved competencies and direct practice in a youth violence prevention program.
• Help staff with self-care practices.

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This course teaches you how to support young people in your life and your work.

Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among adolescents ages 12-18. You will build the skills and confidence you need to reach out and provide initial support to young people who are struggling. You will also learn how to help connect them to appropriate support.

After the course, you will be able to:

• Recognize common signs and symptoms of mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD).

• Recognize common signs and symptoms of substance use challenges.

• Understand how to interact with a young person in crisis.

• Know how to connect a young person with help.

• Better understand trauma, substance use, self-care, and the impact of social media and bullying

Bonus OEND Training

Immediately after the Youth Mental Health First Aid training, we will offer a 30-minute bonus training session on “How to use Naloxone, also known as “Narcan,” the medicine that reverses an opioid overdose. This training is open to anyone who attends the Youth Mental Health First Aid Training.  You will be trained on how to use the Naloxone Nasal Spray during a crisis and given a kit for your organization. 

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Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can impact a child’s immediate and lifelong health as well as the well-being of their families, communities, and even society. Thankfully, ACEs are preventable, and with the right support, children can develop the resilience necessary to heal from the ACEs they’ve endured. This online training will not only help you understand and recognize ACEs but will also provide useful strategies for trauma-informed care. Get the insights you need to create positive childhood experiences for kids today, leading to bright futures for adults tomorrow.

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This online training provides general information about substance use disorder and the impact of substance use on the brain and adolescent development. The training introduces drug classifications and types. Participants will further explore the effects and trends of the most widely used substances by teens - alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and prescription drugs. Participants will learn about the effects of each drug on the brain and body, signs and symptoms of use and state and national rates and trends of use. The training includes information and resources for IDHS SUPP providers to make referrals for early intervention or treatment services. It also provides strategies for applying this information to their work. Participants will obtain additional resources to learn more about the effects and trends of alcohol and other drugs (AOD).

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Youth are critical partners in developing and implementing programs and strategies that impact them. This course gives learners the knowledge and skills to authentically engage youth in prevention and youth development programs. Topics include adolescent development, the advantages of youth involvement, phases of authentic engagement, combating stereotypes and discrimination, adultism's impact, and effective youth recruitment and retention strategies. Participants will explore the importance of equitable power-sharing, recognize misconceptions, and understand how to engage youth effectively while navigating complexities in engagement practices.

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This training was originally delivered as a live webinar in March 2023. After identifying the need for both live and self-study training opportunities, Prevention First partnered with Dr. Lance Williams, Professor of Educational Inquiry and Curriculum Studies at Northeastern Illinois University, to offer the training in an asynchronous format. Dr. Lance Williams, known for his keen intellect and fierce determination to uplift youth at risk, will share his extensive research related to inequities surrounding recruitment, retention, and graduation rates of young Black men and will share his vast experience of introducing youth to their inner strengths. By taking this course, participants will feel empowered to help prepare young Black men for college success. Participants will learn about historical points of view, examine data and prominent barriers that impede many urban youth’s educational and career aspirations, identify potential strategies to overcome barriers, and understand why Black and Brown males should consider enrolling in highly selective colleges and universities. This course will take approximately 90 minutes to complete.

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This online course will increase participants’ knowledge and skills in building relationships and collaborating with key community stakeholders. Participants will learn strategies for identifying and engaging key stakeholders, building relationships, getting stakeholders on board, and convening local coalitions.

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This online training will increase participants' knowledge of how the teen brain develops, how adolescent brain development differs throughout various stages, and how adolescent brain development influences adolescent thinking and behavior. The impact of early life trauma and racism will also be explored. Participants will examine their beliefs and attitudes about adolescence and how they affect their work with youth. This training will also highlight the value of authentically partnering with young people.

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This online course is designed to equip participants with a comprehensive understanding of health equity, emphasizing the urgent need for preventative measures in healthcare. Learners are invited to embark on a transformative journey from foundational knowledge to actionable strategies, ensuring that health equity is not just conceptualized but integrated into daily practices and organizational policies. Modules include: Health Equity 101, Health Equity 102, Exploring the Social Determinants of Health, Addressing Inequities, and Health Equity in Action. 

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In this course, participants will explore the complexities of loss and how to help adolescents cope with loss. Topics include grief and mourning, types of losses, stages of grief, finding meaning through loss, factors that complicate grief, characteristics of effective grief counselors, and signs of healing. By the end of this course, participants will be equipped to provide compassionate and effective support to grieving adolescents, fostering their emotional resilience and promoting healthy healing processes.

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This online training will provide an overview of youth engagement and best practices for working with youth committees/councils. Participants will learn about the benefits of engaging youth, levels of youth participation, strategies for addressing barriers to youth engagement, and best practices for youth/adult partnerships.

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Preventing Prescription and Opioid Drug Misuse is an online course designed for substance use prevention professionals who would like a better understanding of prescription drug and opioid misuse. During the course, participants will learn about the most commonly abused prescription drugs, including opioids, use rates and trends among U.S. and Illinois teens, factors that contribute to prescription drug and opioid misuse, and effective prevention strategies and applicable resources.

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This webinar was recorded on February 20, 2024. There are no CEUs available for recorded webinars.

Alcohol use and gun violence are leading causes of preventable injury and death in the United States. These issues are most deadly when they intersect with one another. This webinar will discuss research and policy recommendations from the report “Alcohol Misuse and Gun Violence: An Evidence-Based Approach,” pointing to alcohol misuse as a risk factor for all forms of gun violence, including homicides and suicides, confirming the urgent need to adopt evidence-based policies that address this troubling link.  

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Trauma and substance use disorders run in families across generations and are often fueled by dark family secrets. Topics covered in this presentation include the role of treatment and prevention specialists in breaking intergenerational patterns of trauma, substance use disorders, and dark family secrets; breaking Intergenerational patterns by focusing on the unique needs of children of parents with substance use disorders and children on the FASD spectrum; the role of parents and persons in recovery in breaking intergenerational patterns; mobilizing the entire community to help break intergenerational patterns of trauma and substance use disorders. You will learn about successful programs breaking intergenerational patterns in Iceland, Native American, Metropolitan, and rural communities. 

View Recording

The webinar was recorded on Tuesday, February 15, 2024.

Reimagine Conveners and Violence Prevention Coordinating Councils are expected to facilitate and engage in collective strategy planning by working closely with other RPSA-funded organizations and non-funded RPSA community groups to: 

1. Highlight high-impact and effective interventions and programs in the service area and from other communities/regions.
2. Encourage and assist RPSA providers to create linkage agreements with each other and other providers.
3. Organize community events/ forums/ panel discussions (in-person and virtual, per current COVID guidance) to provide space for community members to speak about their experiences; celebrate community pride by highlighting organizations, leaders, or advocates who support public safety; and keep the community informed around local and state gun violence prevention efforts.

Training Objectives:

• Explore how groups facilitate attitude and behavior changes
• Discuss how groups reach decisions around planning, organizing, and communicating efforts
• Receive a high-level overview of the Strategic Prevention Framework
• Discuss and share strategic plans

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During these complex times of change and transition within the healthcare environment, we need to know more about strategically building robust networks and measuring and evaluating our networks' effectiveness. In this webinar, Dr. Danielle Varda, Associate Professor at the University of Denver and Founder/CEO of Visible Network Labs, shares her expert knowledge on applied network science, with specific expertise in health, public health, and educational system approaches. 

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