This is an informative, brief article about professional development for youth workers and why it's necessary. It's a helpful foundational text for anyone curious about what professional development for youth workers could look like and why it's necessary.
BACKGROUND
Staff is a critical ingredient for quality youth-serving organizations. Programs often attribute their success to effective youth workers, and research shows that professional development can enhance the skills of both new and longtime staffers. Though the concept of professional development is not new, its significance for youth workers has been gaining momentum slowly. This brief summarizes the importance of professional development, identifies core competencies for youth workers, highlights professional development training delivery models, and sets forth next steps for professional development that can benefit youth programs.
The article goes on to describe:
WHAT IS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF YOUTH PROGRAMS
WHO ARE YOUTH WORKERS
THE VALUE OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
CORE COMPETENCIES FOR YOUTH WORKERS
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING DELIVERY MODELS
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