In 1999, Health Resources in Action launched the BEST (Building Exemplary Systems of Training for Youth Workers) Initiative to develop local infrastructure for youth worker training and support a national network of community-based efforts.
This training provides participants with grounding in the Positive Youth Development Approach. Foster positive outcomes, healthy relationships and collective resilience.
Supervising Youth Trainings
This 6-hour training will help participants become familiar with best practices in supporting young people in an employment setting while examining their role as both youth worker and supervisor.
Youth Development 101
Participants will gain common language and frameworks for discussing youth development including positive youth outcomes, developmental outcomes, and increasing youth participation in their programs.
I want to say real clearly and unapologetically that my framework of youth development came from the BEST Initiative. Youth voice, understanding how young people work, how we need to minimize adultism—the whole strategy of how I work with youth is informed by my BEST training. And I have used that training with scores of staff who are now leaders in their own right. Unfortunately, youth work is often seen as babysitting and not necessarily providing opportunities for development for young people. BEST changed the landscape of youth work by empowering our staff to feel respected for their work.
Andrea Swain, Chief Impact Officer for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston
The best part about this training was “the open space for dialogue among the large group of educators with different roles. Also, the dialogue led by the [facilitators] and the follow up questions/recaps after people contributed answers.
Lawrence Family Charter School participant
The BEST Initiative from HRiA is the gold standard for professionalizing the youth development field. Their trainings move beyond simple theory; they provide our practitioners with the trauma-informed, equity-centered, and practical tools necessary to foster genuine belonging for Boston’s young people. We are proud to partner with HRiA in building a more resilient, skilled, and passionate youth work ecosystem.
Pedro Cruz, Executive Director of Boston’s Office of Youth Engagement and Advancement
FAQs
Registration is not final until payment is received. You will receive confirmation from a BEST INITIATIVE staff member via email with training details. If you do not receive an email from us within five business days after submitting your registration form, please contact us at best@hria.org.
Training fees vary by each training offering. Please refer to the training flyer and/or the website event page for fee information.
Payment must be received prior to the training. We accept payment via credit card through Stripe, electronically via ACH, and personal or company checks.
All registrations are non-refundable. If you can no longer attend the training, you may either 1) substitute another individual from your organization for no additional fee or 2) apply the training fee to another BEST Initiative training within the fiscal year. Please reach out to best@hria.org regarding cancellations.
Weather Cancellations: All of our in-person trainings follow the Boston Public Schools (BPS) schedule, so if BPS is closed due to inclement weather the training session will be rescheduled.
No more than three people from one organization may participate in the same training. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and invite you to contact us to discuss the possibility of arranging for a BEST training at your location.
Training hours and locations vary by training. Please refer to the training flyer and email communications from the BEST Initiative for this information.
