Empower Youth Success 2026

What happens when a school or youth program organizes itself around the question, “Does every young person feel like they belong here?” What becomes possible when we shift from a focus on preventing problems to instead organizing around cultivating belonging, well-being, and positive outcomes for young people? This session explores how a shift in orientation -- from risk mitigation to well-being -- can subtly but powerfully influence mindsets, policies, and daily practice.
 
Drawing on a recent co-design process with young leaders, NYS Youth Bureaus, and NYS OCFS to create a positive outcomes framework, we will share insights about how centering well-being and belonging changes the questions adults ask, the structures they build, and the ways young people experience their environments. Participants will engage in guided reflection to consider what might shift in their own contexts if belonging became the driving goal, and how those shifts could strengthen relationships, motivation, and learning.

Leadership can be embodied at all levels of a program or organization. In this session, we will explore key leadership skills, staff development best practices, and how to support staff to exercise leadership and prepare for career pathways. The group will engage in a leadership self-assessment, explore PD and supervision strategies to boost staff skills, and receive tools to support their team's career advancement.

Learn the keys to creating positive environments for children and youth in school-age settings. This session will examine foundational philosophies of environments and include tips and tricks for creating great experiences and minimal problems.

Peaceful Power: Resilience, Restoration, Coping and Connection for Older Youth” is a dynamic, three-hour workshop designed for program staff working with high school students. Participants will explore hands-on strategies to foster resilience, teach effective coping skills, build social emotional skills, and lead restorative practices that empower youth to resolve conflicts and build strong relationships. The session combines interactive activities, real-world scenarios, and proven techniques to equip staff with tools for cultivating safe, supportive environments where older youth thrive, connect, and grow as confident leaders.

This session explores how informal spaces can be leveraged to build meaningful connections with students and their families. Participants will learn strategies for intentionally using these spaces to foster belonging and trust. The workshop will highlight practical examples showing how informal environments enhance youth experiences, strengthen family engagement, and support partnerships that improve student outcomes.

It seems like just when new staff are hired, another person leaves! Learn strategies to cut turnover from the recruitment through the orientation phase with new employees. This workshop is for managers and administrators responsible for hiring, training, and supervising employees in afterschool settings.

This interactive session, Rooted Teaching: Infusing Grounding & Mindfulness into Every Lesson, helps educators discover practical ways to weave mindfulness, emotional regulation, and presence into their daily teaching practice. Participants will explore grounding techniques and the basics of polyvagal theory to better understand how the nervous system influences learning and behavior. Through hands-on demonstrations, reflection, and co-created strategies, educators will learn how to bring calm, curiosity, and connection into their classrooms—creating environments where both students and teachers can thrive. Attendees will leave with ready-to-use tools, deeper self-awareness, and a renewed sense of balance in their teaching approach.

In our highly polarized times, we will use this session to train participants in facilitating teen dialogue across difference. Using the evidence-based teen antiracism facilitator's guide we developed, and looping for feedback practice, we will offer concrete tools that can productively transform conflict and bridge difference. 

We all know the importance of creativity and dramatic play in our school-age programs. But we also often
may find ourselves without the budget to bring all these amazing visions to life. This training will explore
creating on a budget through hands-on play. We will focus on incorporating loose parts and prop boxes
into our creative program spaces.

The benefits of engaging in play go well beyond our participants—leaders who play develop their own skills in creativity, social awareness, problem-solving, and more. Together, we will participate in teambuilding and strengthening activities that can be used during staff orientation, meetings, and beyond. Join us as we “lead by example” and play! 

This workshop equips program staff with dynamic strategies to engage and empower older youth. It explores innovative approaches to marketing, outreach, program design, and relationship building that attract youth and keep them coming back. Discover how high-quality programming, workforce development opportunities and enrichment activities foster authentic youth participation and belonging. Learn how to meet youth where they are-empowering them to become active agents in their learning, growth, and future successes.

Join the competition and play your way to stronger youth engagement! In this high-energy, gameshow-inspired workshop, participants “climb the pyramid” through four fast-paced rounds to build youth competencies, opportunities, perceptions, and motivations for belonging. In between rounds we’ll explore how social, cultural, temporal, and environmental contexts shape each one. You’ll collaborate with teammates, tackle real-world scenarios, and unlock strategies that help every young person feel seen, valued, and connected.