Description: To provide youth with the best services and supports, we must be versed in the best practices of the youth development field. The Youth Development Practitioner Academy is a nine-month training certificate program geared towards youth development professionals and individuals interested in working directly with youth. This training certificate will cover professional standards and best practices which guide the field of youth development. It consists of nine courses covering a range of youth development topics such as; “Effective Communication with Youth and Families”, “Program Development and Management” and “Legal and Ethical Issues in Working with Youth”. It provides a comprehensive approach to case management that takes a holistic view of youth from assessment to referral and follow-up. This training program provides youth development practitioner’s an opportunity to sharpen their tools/skill sets as well as network and collaborate with others in their field.
You may take one or all of the nine courses, in any order. After successful completion (attendance at all scheduled class sessions, completion of all reading assignments, and completion of a final project for each course) of all nine of the courses, you are awarded a Youth Development Practitioner Certificate. All classes are held from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM at the Village for Families and Children South Campus 331 Wethersfield Avenue in Hartford.
Please note: All students enrolling in the full nine-course certificate must attend a one-hour Orientation on Wednesday, September 28, 2011 9:00 am-10:00am.
Wednesdays, January 11, 18, 25 & February 1
Y.D.P.A. #4: Program Development and Management”
This course will focus on the practical skills needed to develop and manage a youth program including planning, recruitment and retention, relationship building with youth, setting and meeting program goals, fulfilling grant requirements and measuring outcomes.
9:00 am – 12:00 noon
Facilitator: TBD
Location: The Village for Children and Families, South Campus
331 Wethersfield Ave. Hartford, CT
Wednesdays, February 8, 15, 22 & 29
Y.D.P.A. #5: “Legal and Ethical Issues in Working with Youth”
This course explores the professional ethical code of conduct as well as issues of agency policy, confidentiality and mandated reporting laws.
9:00 am – 12:00 noon
Facilitator: Stacey Violante Cote, JD, MSW-Center for Children’s Advocacy
Location: The Village for Children and Families, South Campus
331 Wethersfield Ave. Hartford, CT
Wednesdays, March 7, 14, 21 & 28
Y.D.P.A. # 6: “Cultural Competencies”
This course explores different cultures — ethnic, regional, generational, etc.— and will learn ways of integrating a cultural framework into program development.
9:00 am – 12:00 noon
Facilitator: Kamora Herrington, Mentoring Program Director
True Colors Inc., Hartford, CT
Location: The Village for Children and Families, South Campus
331 Wethersfield Ave. Hartford, CT
Wednesdays, April 4, 11, 18 and 25
Y.D.P.A. # 7: “Linking Youth to Community Resources”
This course describes a comprehensive approach to case management that takes a holistic view of youth from assessment to referral and follow up.
9:00 am – 12:00 noon
Facilitator: Nicholas Jakubowski, High School Coordinator
Pathways Senderos, New Britain, CT
Location: The Village for Children and Families, South Campus
331 Wethersfield Ave. Hartford, CT
Wednesdays, May 2, 9, 16 & 23
Y.D.P.A. #8: “Educational and Career Development with Youth”
This course covers tools and strategies for moving young people toward their goals, with a focus on college readiness and employability skills.
9:00 am – 12:00 noon
Facilitator: Althea Bates, Career Development Program Specialist
Capital Workforce Partners, Hartford, CT
Location: The Village for Children and Families, South Campus
331 Wethersfield Ave. Hartford, CT
Wednesdays, May 31, June 1
Y.D.P.A. #9: “Adolescent Sexual Health Certification”
In this training participants will receive a holistic overview of human sexuality; mine their values and beliefs as it pertains to adolescent sexuality and build their skills in answering difficult questions.
8:30 am – 2:30 pm
Facilitator: Planned Parenthood of Southern New England
Location: The Village for Children and Families, South Campus
331 Wethersfield Ave. Hartford, CT
Friday, June 8
Y.D.P.A. Graduation Breakfast
9:00 am – 12:00 noon
Location: Riverfront Boathouse
*Please Note:
Students registering for the full certificate program must attend a 1-hour Orientation on Wednesday, September 28, 2011 from 9:00 am – 10:00 am
*Cost is $50 per course
Please make checks payable to:
City of Hartford-Department of Families, Children, Youth and Recreation- YDPA
Training courses can be paid in full or upon completion of each individual course. For those paying individually; should your account reach 2 months delinquent you will be unable to continue the Youth Development Practitioner Academy until the balance is paid in full.
