Training & Education

Grounded in the philosophy of peer support services and developmental theories, peers are in an ideal position to make a difference. This training targets unique and practical ways to engage and share empathic mental health support, reduce isolation, ease developmental angsts, help clarify confusions, build practical skills and pursue life roles that meet youth’s needs in the ways that matter. Individuals, in the metamorphic identity shift from youth to adult with mental health-social emotional disorders – raising voices, choices, and supports for a personal youth-quake. Certificate is provided.

Learning Objectives

• Discuss the peer-to-peer code of ethical conduct and boundaries to support positive youth development.
• Define youth/young-adult growth in the context of ACES and Assets, including impacts on healthy adult development and wellbeing.
• Review guidelines, differences, and strategies to offer safe and sensitive supports during crisis and emergency situations.
• Examine the many facets of wellness, self-care states, and strategies.
• Introduce a template to welcome, engage, and effectively support active participation in recovery and resilience processes.
• Develop and present an innovative 7-minute YaYA Welcoming Plan.

Understanding Trauma: A Safe Space for Youth and Young Adults

Has anyone ever talked to you about trauma? Whether we realize it or not, trauma can affect everyone in some form or another. Often, adults do not discuss trauma with youth, or understand its lasting impact over the course of a lifetime and how to support young adults and children. This training is designed to directly address trauma with youth and young adults and provide a safe and supportive environment to promote open dialogue and discussion. We use plain language to make this complex topic easier to understand, helping to facilitate as much learning as possible. Certificate of attendance is provided.

Learning Objectives

• What is trauma?
• How can unresolved trauma impact you now?
• How can unresolved trauma impact you as an adult?
• What can a person do to resolve their trauma?
• How can you help a friend who may be struggling?

Teenagers are putting an end to mental health stigma. To do it, they’re telling their own stories—unfiltered—in the documentary film and teen-hosted podcast series Our Turn to Talk. From skyrocketing rates of anxiety and depression to the impacts of racism, social media, and the pandemic, their struggles and triumphs carry a powerful message: storytelling saves lives. In this interactive video screening, participants will critically engage with the stories and themes brought to light through hands-on activities and group discussion.

Learning Objectives

• Learn how teens across the country are sharing their stories and speaking out about the youth mental health crisis.
• Define mental health stigma and develop an understanding of its impact.
• Gain knowledge of resources available to support mental wellness.

This is a suicide prevention training where the participant learns to recognize warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to Question, Persuade, and Refer someone to help appropriately. Youth MOVE PA provides this training to professionals and youth as an emergency mental health intervention for suicide. Certificate is provided.

Learning Objectives

• Recognize the warning signs of suicide.
• Know how to offer hope.
• Know how to get help and save a life.

This workshop talks to attendees about what trauma is, how it can affect us throughout our lives, and what we can do about it. This will help participants feel more comfortable talking about their trauma. There is a skill-building portion to help attendees feel more confident in using the skills they are taught, along with identifying what they already use to help organize their “trauma closet.” Along with the workshop, attendees will receive a participant packet and a bracelet included in the cost. Certificate is provided.

Learning Objectives

• Learn about trauma, triggers, trauma responses, coping skills, resilience, and post traumatic growth.
• A personal trauma story will be presented to help attendees learn about many different types of trauma.
• Attendees will learn about their triggers and how to manage them.
• Understand the importance of being understanding when someone around you may be triggered.
• Understand flight, fight, and freeze responses, why they happen, and how to handle them.
• Use the “trauma closet” concept as a new way of visualizing traumatic experiences and gaining tools to organize them.

Effective Planning for Transitional Age Youth.

Planning for transitional age youth should begin long before they reach this stage, and it's important to involve multiple parties and agencies in the process. This can be challenging, but effective communication and collaboration between agencies are essential. Our training program focuses on educating youth about the potential obstacles they may encounter during their transition into the adult system, providing strategies to overcome those obstacles, and encouraging pre-planning to prepare for this complex transition. Certificate is provided.

Learning Objectives

• Identify barriers and challenges youth may experience when transitioning into the adult system.
• Discuss interrelated domains including education, employment, housing, budgeting, and family formation.
• Learn how to plan ahead for the transition to adulthood.

The “Life Through My Lens” Workshop was created to help people see that stigma reduction starts within. If we keep focusing on how others treat us and ignore the negative ways we talk to ourselves, stigma will always win. This workshop is focused on turning the dial toward helping ourselves by not taking that type of treatment from our own internal voice. To change how others see us, we must first change the lens through which we see ourselves. Certificate is provided.

Learning Objectives

• What is stigma?
• What is self-stigma?
• How can we change the conversation around self-stigma?
• Learn about the “Life Through My Lens Campaign.”

Exploring the “Stand Against Stigma” Workshop.

The “Stand Against Stigma” Workshop aims to empower youth and young adults in the fight against stigma. Learn what stigma is, how to overcome the stigmas that we encounter, and discover ways to educate others on how to be more inclusive through their actions and words. Certificate is provided.

Learning Objectives

• Learn what “stigma” means.
• How can stigma be damaging to ourselves?
• What can be done to fight the stigmas that exist?
• What role do I play in that fight?

Youth MOVE PA's Social Media Training: Promoting Positive Mental Health

Youth, young adults, and professionals can benefit from this training to become more aware of how social media can impact mental health. The course teaches participants how to practice social media wellness, offers tips to manage excessive social media use, and identifies resources that can help reduce mental health conditions and risk factors. Certificate is provided.

Learning Objectives

• Learn statistics related to the impact of excessive social media use.
• Discuss mental health conditions and risk factors tied to social media use.
• Explore tips and resources for teens and children related to excessive social media use.
• Learn how to make a positive impact on social media.

Youth MOVE PA's youth engagement training offers a chance for participants to explore effective methods for attaining and retaining youth participants, enhance relationship-building skills with young individuals, and grasp the concept of empowering youth through the ladder of youth engagement framework. Attendees will also discover ways to establish leadership roles within their organizations and acknowledge the importance of youth engagement for both young individuals and communities.

Learning Objectives

• Explore best practices for youth recruitment and retention.
• Practice effective relationship building with youth and young adults.
• Learn how to empower youth by utilizing the Ladder of Youth Engagement framework.
• Identify strategies to develop leadership opportunities in your organization.
• Discover the value of youth engagement for youth and communities.

Bolster Your Communication Skills with This Training for Young Adults.

If you're looking to become a better communicator, this training is specifically tailored for young people. Effective communication helps us avoid misunderstandings, forge connections, and reach personal and professional objectives. This interactive training lets you interact with other young people and practice honing your communication and active listening abilities. Additionally, the workshop covers proper etiquette, its significance, and how young adults can follow it.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the different types of communication.
• Learn tips to communicate effectively.
• Outline etiquette in different social settings.
• Practice communicating with peers.

The Start With Art Training for Certified Peer-Based Professionals is a specialized program designed to equip individuals with the skills and knowledge necessary to integrate art activities into peer support services. This training is particularly beneficial for those with lived experience in mental health or substance use challenges, aiming to enhance their ability to support others through creative methods.

Learning Objectives

• Identify the benefits of art activities.
• Assess different art mediums and determine appropriate use.
• Incorporate art into your WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan).
• Design and plan your own art activities.

This dynamic and empowering training is designed to cultivate the next generation of thoughtful, ethical, and resilient leaders. Through a series of interactive workshops, reflective exercises, and collaborative activities, participants will explore the core principles of leadership and discover their unique potential to make a meaningful impact.

Learning Objectives

• Introduce leadership concepts and personal leadership potential.
• Encourage self-discovery through reflection on lived experiences.
• Develop communication skills, including assertiveness and active listening.
• Enhance teamwork and collaboration.
• Promote ethical leadership and decision-making.
• Build resilience and adaptability.
• Empower youth advocacy, social activism, and digital literacy.
• Encourage visionary thinking and action planning.
• Strengthen peer support networks and mentorship.
• Inspire long-term engagement in leadership and community impact.

Speakers: Kevin Puskaric and Chris Lunsford

When it comes to youth peer support, there needs to be clearer pathways that increase access to these services. Youth MOVE PA is striving to make these services more readily available throughout the state. This webinar also explores why training and education are crucial to ensuring Pennsylvania youth have the opportunity to learn about peer support as a career pathway and embrace resiliency and empowerment in their own lives.

The Copeland Center and Youth MOVE PA joined together to bring a training model to schools and communities throughout the Commonwealth. The Peer Generation Youth Empowerment Training model focuses on strategies for resiliency and offers pathways for individuals to get in touch with their unique and authentic selves.

Learning Objectives

• Explore definitions, evidence for, and values of peer support.
• Identify the need for youth peer support and national recommendations.
• Learn about models for peer support within school settings.