Professional Development Series
An annual series of no-cost professional learning opportunities for youth-facing individuals and organizations.
The OYEA Professional Development Series is an effort to support Boston's youth population by offering high quality professional educational opportunities to the individuals and organizations who serve them every day. This annual series is planned with Boston's youth workers in mind, offering access to trainings focused on youth work including best practices, mental health, first-aid, and much more.
Furthermore, these opportunities are offered at no cost to participants. Do you work with Boston youth ages 14-25? Register for a training today to gain valuable new skills, make connections in the field, and further your personal and professional growth!
Upcoming Workshops
| Date | Title | Trainer | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, December 5 10:30am-12:30pm |
Addressing Youth Substance Use Disorder |
Dishon Laing and Jade Ealy, BPHC Youth Prevention Team | Roxbury BPL | This workshop will explore youth substance use disorder (SUD) through the lens of adolescent psychological development, highlighting key risk and protective factors that influence substance use. Participants will also review local data to understand how youth SUD manifests in Boston. The session will cover harm reduction principles and their role in addressing youth substance use, along with practical strategies and best practices for engaging young people in conversations about substances. |
| Tuesday, December 10 10am-12pm |
Creating Safe Communities for LGBTQ+ Youth |
Tate Duffy, GBPFLAG | Bolling Building | How can we all contribute to making safer and more accepting communities for LGBTQ+ students and youth? For educators, staff, and anyone who wants to help support LGBTQ+ people but don’t necessarily know where to begin. Learn LGBTQ+ basics and inclusive language, conversation techniques including micro affirmations and pronoun use. With this training, develop your skills and adapt actionable tools to create more inclusive and affirming learning spaces and communities. |
Past Workshops
Past WorkshopsTuesday, November 19, 9am-12pm
Allyson Shifley and Winston Daley, Health Resources in Action
This 3-hour training focused on exploring the concept of healthy youth and youth worker relationships in programs. Participants had the opportunity to reflect on their own values and perspectives for healthy working relationships. This training also provided participants with an opportunity to examine best practices for the four types of boundaries and ways they can continually support their youth to thrive.
Thursday, November 14, 10am-12pm
Jillie Santos, Citizens for Juvenile Justice
This training was all about the juvenile legal system with Citizens for Juvenile Justice. Juvenile Justice 101 explored how Massachusetts young people become involved with the juvenile justice system, how they move through it, and how different groups of young people are impacted by the decisions our system makes for them.
Tuesday, October 29, 10am-12pm
Rick Cresta, BU School of Social Work
This 2 part training series was engaging and interactive. The 2 parts were designed to go together but each could stand alone if participants could only attend one or the other. It covered the following topics:
- Healthy coping skill development
- Understanding and Managing Resistance
- Building Healthy Relationships
Tuesday, October 22, 10am-12pm
Rick Cresta, BU School of Social Work
This 2 part training series was engaging and interactive. The 2 parts were designed to go together but each could stand alone if participants could only attend one or the other. It covered the following topics:
- Healthy coping skill development
- Understanding and Managing Resistance
- Building Healthy Relationships
Program Partners
At OYEA, partnerships are at the heart of everything we do. We're proud to be partnered with these outstanding community organizations to provide high quality professional skills training to Boston’s youth workers.
