Youth Communication NY Center

Writing program: we base our professional development programs (see section 4b below) on autobiographical stories by teens in our writing and Youth development program. Each year, our instructors work intensively with 50 teens (including 15 in foster care) as they write about personal experiences and social issues. Most writers are young people of color and/or are from lower income households. Last year writers produced 78 stories on covid, racial justice, inequality, race, friendship, grief, gender, sexuality, foster care, families, and immigration. More than 19,000 teachers, foster care staff, advocates, parents, and other significant adults in teens' lives are reached through the stories. These stories offered educators insights into the lives, strengths, struggles, and aspirations of the Youth they teach and counsel. These insights helped educators to build more supportive learning settings and to improve staff-youth relationships.

Professional development: we train educators to use story-based curricula to strengthen youths' social-emotional learning skills (sel). These stories-developed by teens in our writing program- highlight sel skills defined by the collaborative for academic, social and emotional learning: self-awareness, social awareness, responsible decision-making, self- management, and relationship management. Our training enables them to create settings that foster engagement, nurture positive staff-youth relations, and make all students feel welcomed and valued. Staff also improve their facilitation skills: leading open-ended discussions, drawing out reluctant participants, active listening, etc. Last year, we trained over 1400 educators at schools, afterschool programs, foster care agencies, and other organizations. They worked with more than 25,000 Youth. We launched our culturally responsive training program, mirrors and windows. It provides unique professional development, centered on Youth voices, and concrete strategies to youth-facing adults to help them build supportive classrooms.