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Empowering Youth Leaders: ASPIRING Young Leaders Program

The ASPIRING Young Leaders Program aims to empower youth who have experienced foster care by building leadership skills, fostering advocacy, and creating a supportive network. The program includes training components focusing on personality development, advocacy skills, and practice sessions. Post-training activities include alumni network, engagement events, and advanced training opportunities. Challenges addressed include transportation, commitment from participants, and group size management. Lessons learned include strategies for engaging younger participants and handling learning disabilities. Funding considerations involve staff time, program materials, incentives, transportation, and communication essentials. Results show positive outcomes in youth leadership experiences.

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Empowering Youth Leaders: ASPIRING Young Leaders Program

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  1. A New Generation of Leaders Creating Youth Leadership Institutes in Your Community

  2. Jim Casey Youth Leadership Institute • Rationale • Core • Competencies • Timeline • Results

  3. Customizing the National Model • Planning and Development • Training Components • Outcomes

  4. ASPIRING Young Leaders Program

  5. Origins of the ASPIRING Young Leaders Program • Youth Leadership Institute (YLI) at Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative • One young leader from each site annually • Training helped participants blossom • Wouldn’t it be great to send more than one • Finally started with a talk on the beach • Hired an expert – YLI graduate

  6. ASPIRING Young Leaders Program Goal & Results To build upon the strengths of youth who have experienced foster care & empower young leaders across the state to succeed. • Increase understanding about issues in foster care • Develop leadership & advocacy skills • Create & have a network of relationships with peers and supportive adults

  7. National vs. State Training

  8. Pre-Work • Develop training components - Create agenda - Facilitation - Decide on venue - Identify & Recruit young people • Applications & Interviews • Welcome packets (three weeks prior) • Transportation to training

  9. Training Overview: Day 1 Theme: Personality and Relational Development • MBTI Leadership Development (Trained Facilitator) • Objective: Young People have an understanding of their personality style and learn to work and balance with others

  10. Training Overview: Day 2 Theme: Advocacy • Scavenger Hunt: Overview of Programs (Young people introduce themselves to staff around the office, learning more about the program) • Terms and Language (Young people understand basic terms and language used in child welfare) • Effective Leadership (Young people understand different leadership styles and learn how to work with each other) • Strategic Sharing (Young people learn to share their story in a safe and meaningful way. • Case Planning Engagement (Young people acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to lead their own case/life planning)

  11. Training Overview: Day 3 Theme: Practice Skills • Practice Panels (Young People put skills into practice & receive feedback) • Creating Bios (Young People have bios for professional engagements)

  12. Post Training -Follow up • Alumni Network • Quarterly engagement events (social & educational) • Youth Board Engagement • Advanced Training

  13. Lessons LearnedChallenges • Transportation • Commitment – from youth & staff/guardian • Size of group & No. of groups matters • Training POD leaders well –identifying weaknesses & strategies to overcome • Learning disabilities/difficulty reading can be challenging • Younger age = challenge for representation at conferences out of state • Dealing with history

  14. Lessons Learned Solutions • List of participants given to POD leaders ahead of time to strategize • Tell participants to “check” history at door (part of being a professional & a leader) • Add a learning disability/reading level question to application • Find meaningful ways to keep younger youth engaged locally • Discuss transportation issues during interview

  15. Lessons Learned Solutions • Staff/guardians & youth need to specifically be told that this is a serious commitment • Allow enough time for recruitment • Be very thorough with POD leaders around expectations & allow for time to train them • Talk candidly about POD leader strengths & weaknesses

  16. Lessons Learned Funding Considerations • Staff & consultant time – outreach, program & material development, implementation • Material - binders, applications, “fun buckets”, certificates, pens, etc. • Communications – brochures, website • Incentives – prizes, stipends • Transportation – bus passes • Food – home-cooked, delivered, snacks

  17. Results • Youth Board & other leadership experiences… • Works Wonders

  18. Q & AJim Caseywww.jimcaseyyouth.orgMike Penomichael.s.peno@wmich.eduTiffany Barbosatiffanie.barbosa@fosterforward.netLiz Squibblsquibb@jimcaseyyouth.org

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