FAMILY/YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

We offer many site-based, on-demand, fee-for-service and tailored training programs in your community. Contact us for more information. Included below are many of the fee-for-service programs we offer on-demand.

4-H AND STEM EDUCATION

4-H ECO-BOT

This educational experience will increase the knowledge, skills and comfort level of teachers and/or after-school youth workers related to basic engineering and robotics concepts and programming. The Eco-bot experiment begins with construction of an autonomous robot from everyday household materials and progresses through an array of engineering concepts as the robot is used to clean up a simulated environmental spill. [3 hours]

JUNK DRAWER ROBOTICS

An engineering project that can be done using items readily available in your junk drawer. The project is designed for elementary – early high school aged youth to learn about basic robotics using cheap everyday supplies. Youth work with members of a team to design, build, and test robotic creations. The curriculum relates each activity to today’s robotics technology and applications. Through hands on activities participants will enhance their engineering skills by learning to think like a robotics engineer; view the world like an engineer and design, build and test various structures such as a marshmallow catapult and mechanical arm. [8 hours]

4-H POWER OF WIND

This workshop will introduce teachers and/or after-school workers to activities that involve young people grades 4th – 8th in the engineering design process as they learn about renewable and nonrenewable energy sources i.e. wind. Through these activities, youth work with members of a team to design, create and test a wind-powered device such as a wind turbine or wind powered boats. The device must solve a problem and requires the designers to balance options and constraints. Participants are guided to make adjustments and retest until the vehicle or machine solves the original problem. They learn about transfer of energy and using machines to make work easier. Some activities ask youth to use their research and analytical skills to examine national, state and local issues surrounding wind power. Skills such as teamwork, learning from others, planning, organizing and following through on a project are developed and utilized throughout. [8 hours]

 4-H ROCKETS TO THE RESCUE

You can be a rocket scientist! This workshop provides novice scientists (students, youth workers etc.) the opportunity to explore how aerospace engineering can be used to solve real world challenges such as food distribution in emergency situations. Participants learn basic rocket science, Newton’s laws, and aerodynamics; as they design and build a rocket to deliver a payload to a distressed island in a simulated emergency.

This STEM project is hands on fun, emphasizing teamwork, creativity, the engineering design process, problem solving and incorporates science, math and physics concepts. Extender activities are also discussed i.e. island survival and emergency preparation. [8 hours]

GROW WITH THE FLOW is a ten-session curriculum built around a hydroponic growing unit – a system for growing plants in a nutrient solution without soil.

pic5In this hands-on, inquiry-based project, youth construct a hydroponics unit, set plants in the system, watch the plants grow, and harvest them. Each session includes background information for group leaders/educators and activities for youth.

This information, presented in a concise and easily understood manner, serves two purposes: it helps clarify the teacher’s/ leader’s understanding of the scientific content, and it can be used as an outline for teaching young people.

Youth are provided with seeds to grow edible crops such as basil, Chinese cabbage (bok choi, le choi, mein quin) and lettuce, while exploring fundamental concepts in applied and biological sciences, technology, and environmental studies. [14 hours]

 

22196148905_d872f4b401_oThe HYDROPONICS LEARNING MODEL curriculum is a resource for formal and non-formal educators to implement the Hydroponics Learning Model Program. The HLM curriculum consists of over 30 sessions that help educators and their students’ design, implement, and monitor NDFT™ hydroponics systems to grow edible crops such as basil, bok choi, and lettuce, while exploring fundamental concepts in applied science, technology, and environmental studies. [21 hours]

4-H CHOOSE HEALTH ACTION TEENS PROGRAM

Cornell Cooperative Extension’s 4-H and Nutrition programs developed the CHAT program.   It integrates youth community action with efforts to encourage healthy lifestyles by engaging teens in teaching healthy eating and active living to younger youth in after-school programs, summer camps and other settings.  Training, conducted by nutrition and 4-H staff members, is provided to educators and/or youth workers to recruit, train, and mentor local teens to be CHATs, who then teach or co-teach our newly developed nutrition curriculum, Choose Health: Food, Fun, and Fitness. [14 hours]

 

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT 101

This highly interactive two-day training explores key principles of youth development such as building youth positive outcomes, supportive relationships and environments for youth, youth voice and engagement opportunities, as well as, effective programming strategies. In addition the role of the youth worker is examined through discussion and review of core competencies and dilemmas of youth work. The PYD 101 curriculum aims to provide an orientation to the youth development approach for professionals new to the field of youth work. [10 hours]

IMG_1449STRENGTHENING ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

This workshop engages teams from youth serving organizations and programs in learning how positive youth development principles can influence and strengthen their organizational policies and practices, thus creating a more supportive environment for effective youth development work. The primary audience for this workshop is key organizational leaders, administrators, managers and supervisors. [6 hours]

ADVANCING YOUTH DEVELOPMENT (AYD)

This 18-hour training is designed for front line youth workers, volunteers, program managers and supervisors. The training provides an in-depth introduction to positive youth development and its key concepts including an introduction to youth development approach; positive youth development outcomes; adolescent development; adultism/cultural assumption and stereotypes about youth; youth engagement; and youth worker core competencies. [18 hours]

AYD BASICS

This abridged workshop briefly and dynamically introduces the positive youth development approach to volunteers, supervisors, administrators, board members, funders and community members interested and involved in youth services and youth development. [4 hours]

AYD TRAINING OF FACILITATORS

A training of facilitators (TOF) is available for each of the AYD curricula (described above). TOF’s are intended for individuals interested in facilitating the distinct AYD curricula with their respective program audiences. TOF participants learn and practice how to deliver these curricula. In addition to facilitation tips, feedback and resource materials from AYD lead facilitators, all TOF participants receive a copy of the respective AYD curricula. [Training hours for the TOF for each curricula: AYD – 18 hours; AYD Basics – 6 hours; Strengthening Organizations – 8 hours]

FACILITATION SKILLS WORKSHOP / REACHING NOT JUST TEACHING

This program is for individuals with responsibility for public presentations/trainings who have experience in presenting or in training groups of staff, community members, and/or peers? The workshop will address group facilitation skills to encourage learner involvement, honor learning styles and sharpen presentation techniques.  It will also provide an introduction to adult learning principles and group facilitation skills with guided practice. Each participant will be asked to bring curriculum or an outline of a recently presented program to use in designing a teach-back session a brief presentation to the group utilizing skills and techniques that will be covered. [4 hours]

Note: Previous participation in an Advancing Youth Development – or AYD – workshop is a preferred prerequisite; however, experience in the youth development field and workshop facilitation will also be considered.

DIVERSITY IS ABOUT YOU, ME AND US

Diversity is about the things that make us different as well as those things make us similar. In this interactive workshop participants will learn a common language for talking about diversity in a way that is not about blame, shame and guilt. Participants will explore their individual group identities and identify the pride, pain and privilege associated with these identities. As a result of participating in this workshop participants will learn how sexism, racism, class-ism, hetero-sexism, able-ism and other forms of oppression affects all of us and the steps needed to end the cycle of oppression.   This workshop can be presented to youth workers or older youth (high school age).   [2.5 hours]

PARENTING

PARENTING SKILLS WORKSHOP SERIES (PSWS)

This program presents basic parenting skills in a hands-on learning format suitable for any level of literacy. Originally designed for court-mandated parents, this workshop has proved successful with a broad audience. The eight-week curriculum is based on themes consistent with familiar parent education programs such as STEP (Systematic Training and Effective Parenting), and PET (Parent Effectiveness Training). Each two-hour workshop becomes a setting for participants to learn new skills in a format that emphasizes action in “real” situations. “Five Basic Parenting Skills” posters and reproducible handouts, as well as a reproducible “Certificate of Achievement” included. [PSWS workshops require eight, 2 hour sessions. PSWS TOF – 21 hours]