Essential Elements of Youth Development Programming 

If you were developing an ideal Youth Development program, what would it look like? What structural, leadership, or programmatic elements would you include? How would ensure that youth in your program were being adequately served?

Join Momentum Nonprofit Partners for an informative session where you will explore central elements of Youth Development (YD) programming and learn which elements are essential to the support, encouragement, and positive development of the youth that your organization serves.

Objectives: In this workshop, participants will:

• Understand the fundamental tenets of YD from several research-informed frameworks and along a continuum - from YD services to YD engagement and organizing. 

• Identify critical areas of awareness around which it is important to cultivate knowledge and awareness in developing a YD approach. 

• Assess YD from an administrative point of view - paperwork, protocols, policies and child protection. 

• Expand your toolkit of YD activities and your network of local resources and allies via experiential learning and peer sharing. 

Who Should Attend this Session?

This workshop is designed for nonprofit staff who are new to youth development work, or individuals in the nonprofit sector who are interested in working in a youth development program.

Facilitator Bio:

Tawanna is pleased to share insights gained during her 30-year journey in the field of youth development (YD). She has had the opportunity to view the field of YD from several lenses -- i.e., as a staff member in an Upward Bound program, as director of a teen girls program, as the state liaison aligning YD efforts across multiple sites in a state-wide college readiness and scholarship program and as a peer evaluation coach, board member, deputy director, and committee leader in support of a variety of YD programs and initiatives. In her current role at Memphis Music Initiative, Tawanna is a part of a team working to assist a range of YD programs engaging youth in music and the arts in their efforts to build program capacity and enhance program effectiveness. Tawanna believes in the power of metaphor (including storytelling and other forms of art) as a healing tool of justice and liberation.