Engaging Youth | youththrivevt

Engaging Youth In Youth Thrive Trainings

Authentic youth engagement is highly valued within the Youth Thrive framework, so in this section of your resource guide, we will provide you with some strategies for actively engaging youth in your trainings. We will share four main strategies for including youth: (1) as co-facilitators, (2) as panelists, (3) as guest presenters, and (4) as participants, and encourage you to think outside the box about other possibilities. Be creative, and most importantly, be intentional. Note: We are defining youth as teens and young adults 15-25 years old.

Youth Stipends

Whenever young people are voluntarily participating in the education of our workforce – including receiving training to develop advocacy skills – they should receive a stipend for their time. At the end of this packet you will find a stipend request form and instructions. Here are the VT Youth Thrive standard stipend rates for youth participation:

3-Day Full Training (Co-Facilitator) – $300
Single Workshop (Co-Facilitator or Guest Presenter) - $75
Panelist - $50
Participant - $25/day

For all youth you engage, please have stipends ready to give to your speakers/ presenters/ participants that same day. Use the Stipend Request Form to prepare ahead of time. The Stipend Request Form should be submitted a minimum of two weeks before the training.

Strategies for Engagement

Engaging youth as co-facilitators: In this situation, the young co-facilitator is also a certified trainer. While you will be working as a team just like with any other co-facilitator, there are some things you will want to consider to make sure you’re both ready for the training:

The youth may not have the same level of access to training materials as you do, so be ready to provide all necessary flip charts, markers, handouts, etc.
Talk to them about transportation. Do they have their own car? Have they made plans to get a ride from someone each day? Should you be ready to pick them up?
Be flexible about when you plan for the training. Youth may not be able to meet during regular business hours, either because they’re in school or have another job that doesn’t provide time for their Youth Thrive duties. You may need to meet with them in the evenings or on weekends.
Debrief with them during breaks and at the end of each day. There is a good chance this is their first experience as a trainer, so talk to them about their style, what’s working well, and what still needs some work. Encourage them to give you feedback too!
Work with them on crafting their anecdotes. Telling stories can be a powerful training tool, but the stories youth are pulling from can be very personal. Make sure they understand the principles of Strategic Sharing (we’ll go into this more in the next section) and guide them through crafting some short anecdotes beforehand.

2. Engaging youth as a panelist: This is a great way to engage multiple youth with minimal preparation. Panels should last about an hour, so think about when it makes the most sense to include one. Perhaps there is one Protective and Promotive Factor that you would like a panel to talk about, or maybe you’d like to have one at the very end as an engaging summary. Think about what works best for you and the timing you have. Some other things to consider:

The best size for a panel is 3-4 speakers.
Provide your speakers with a basic overview of the Youth Thrive Protective and Promotive Factors and Guiding Principles. Knowing the terminology will help them fully understand the questions they’ll be asked and guide their speaking points to better relate to Youth Thrive.
Youth panelists should be paid for their contribution. The suggested rate is $50 for an hour-long panel. You may request funding from the Youth Thrive State Coordination Team. Contact YouthThriveVT@wcysb.org for more information and use the Expenditure Request Form located in the back of this packet.
Have a designated moderator. This is an essential role in any panel! The job of the moderator is to prompt speakers with questions and help them navigate through questions from the class.
Protect your speakers by ensuring they are prepared. Talk to them about strategic sharing, give them time with the questions beforehand, and only ask youth who are in a safe space (physically and emotionally) to participate. Youth who are currently in crisis are often not able to safely and effectively participate on a panel. Invite youth who are experiencing stability and have had time to reflect on their experiences. Strategic Sharing is a practice used by people who are telling stories about personal experiences. It is all about being in your storytelling by knowing exactly why and what you are sharing, and having a specific goal for how you want your sharing to be used and interpreted.
Ask thoughtful, strength-based questions. The first half of a panel should be questions that your moderator has prepared beforehand and shared with your panelists. When writing these questions, always be thinking about how you want to prompt your speakers’ to provide helpful information. Do not ask questions that require speakers to share personal information; rather ask them about their opinions on things that are relatable to all youth.
If you would like training or guidance on being a moderator, strategic sharing, or crafting panel questions contact YouthThriveVT@wcysb.org.

3. Engaging youth as guest presenters: If you have one or two youth who are interested in helping with the training, inviting them to be a guest presenter can be a great way to engage them in a way that doesn’t require a lot of prep time and can be flexible to their schedule. Here are some things to keep in mind with guest presenters:

Give them a clearly defined job at the training. It is intimidating to be in front of a group of people, so make sure they have a clear understanding of what they will be doing and when it will happen. Often the best role for guest presenters is to facilitate a specific activity. Youth Thrive has designed some group activities with youth presenters in mind.
Like panelists, guest presenters should also be paid for their time and given an overview of the Youth Thrive Protective and Promotive Factors and Guiding Principles.

4. Engaging youth as participants: When you have youth in your training group they need the same things other participants need – variety, breaks, room to speak, clarification of language, and patience.Additionally, keep in mind that they may not have the historical or structural knowledge that others might, so encourage your group to define acronyms and explain any industry-specific language.