Trauma Informed Care and Self-Care for Youth
2024-05-16 09:30 - 14:00 UTC
Thursday May 16th, 2024
9:30 AM – 2:00 PM
Training Location:
Roxbury Tenants of Harvard
835 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
Training Fee: $225 per person

Please Note: Registration is on a first come, first served basis. Thank you for your understanding.
A core value of our work at the BEST Initiative is Positive Youth Development. We believe in the voices and power of young people, and train youth workers to support their youth in all areas of their growth. With that in mind, we are in-person Trauma Informed Care and Self Care for Youth Training, This one-day, four and half-hour training will help participants understand the elements of a trauma informed approach and how to apply the principles of trauma informed care to their work. It will teach participants to recognize the body’s stress responses and the effects of primary and secondary trauma on young people and staff. The training will focus on how to support young people to thrive by building on strengths and protective factors while fostering collective resilience. The training will help advance youth wellness by exploring self-care strategies and centering relationships and collective care as vehicles to healing.

To view a PDF version of the flyer, please click here.
REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED

Youth Development 101 Training
2024-09-24 09:30 - 15:00
Tuesday, September 24th, 2024
9:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Training Location:
Health Resources In Action
2 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116
Training Fee: $275 per person

A core value of our work at the BEST Initiative is Positive Youth Development. We believe in the voices and power of young people, and train youth workers to support their youth in all areas of their growth. With that in mind, we are offering this session of Youth Development 101, a one-day, 5-hour exploration of youth development principles and practices. Participants will learn how to build positive youth outcomes and Developmental Outcomes (DO’s) into their programming.  This training will also provide participants with an opportunity to explore youth participation and name strategies to build Youth Participation (YP) in their programs.

To view a PDF version of the flyer, please click here.
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED

Motivational Interviewing Training
2024-10-29 09:30 - 14:00
Tuesday, October 29th, 2024
9:30 AM – 2:00 PM
Training Location:
Health Resources In Action
2 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02116
Training Fee: $250 per person

Please Note: Registration is on a first come, first served basis. Thank you for your understanding.
A core value of our work at the BEST Initiative is Positive Youth Development. We believe in the voices and power of young people, and train youth workers to support their youth in all areas of their growth. With that in mind, we are offering an in-person Motivational Interviewing training, This one-day, 4.5-hour training will explore Motivational Interviewing as a strategy for working with young people. In this training, we have adapted this counseling style for youth work practitioners working in youth programs. This training is a very hands-on approach to supporting youth, specifically in examining risky or problematic behaviors. Participants will take away tools and activities to use with the young people that they work with.

To view a PDF version of the flyer, please click here.
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED

Building Belonging Spaces for Youth: Unpacking our Biases and Re-examining our Program Practices
2025-02-11 10:00 - 13:00
Tuesday, February 11th, 2025- Wednesday, February 12th, 2025
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Training Location:
Online via Zoom
Training Fee: $200 per person

Please Note: Registration is on a first come, first served basis. Thank you for your understanding.
The training will equip participants with the knowledge and skills to be able to recognize their own biases, what their biases are rooted in, and how they can overcome them. On a larger scale, we will discuss how unpacking our biases and being culturally inclusive can promote a culture of equity. We will then look at our own program practices to see where and how we can be more inclusive. When we begin to disrupt the systems that have continued to perpetuate inequities, we are able to promote more just strategies in our work.

To view a PDF version of the flyer, please click here.
REGISTRATION IS OPEN

Youth Worker Certificate Training
2025-03-25 09:30 - 14:00
Weekly, every Tuesday
March 25th – May 20th, 2025
*No training April 22nd, 2025
9:30 AM – 2:00 PM
Training Location:
Health Resources in Action
2 Boylston Street, 4th Floor
Boston, MA 02116
Training Fee: $750 per person

Please Note: Registration is on a first come, first served basis. Thank you for your understanding.
A core value of our work at the BEST Initiative is positive youth development. We believe in the voices and power of young people, and train youth workers to support their youth in all areas of their growth. With that in mind, we are offering an in-person comprehensive Youth Worker Certificate Training. This eight-session, 32-hour training is based on the nationally recognized advancing youth development curriculum. This training provides participants with grounding in the positive youth development approach. Participants are introduced to shared frameworks for discussing youth development, and will explore information about positive youth outcomes, healthy relationships and boundaries, cultural responsiveness, trauma informed practices, collective resilience, and other critical issues.

To view a PDF version of the flyer, please click here.
REGISTRATION IS OPEN

Youth Worker Certificate Training
2025-08-18 - 2025-08-22
August 18th – August 22nd, 2025
9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Training Location:
Health Resources in Action
2 Boylston Street, 4th Floor
Boston, MA 02116
Training Fee: $925 per person
We’re excited to share that this training is now eligible for full reimbursement through the Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund Express Program. If your organization is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit with fewer than 100 employees, it may qualify! If your organization does not qualify for reimbursement, a discounted rate is available.
Please click here to view the infographic outlining next steps for reimbursement.

A core value of our work at the BEST Initiative is positive youth development. We believe in the voices and power of young people, and train youth workers to support their youth in all areas of their growth. With that in mind, we are offering an in-person intensive Youth Worker Certificate Training. This 32-hour training provides youth workers with the tools and knowledge to better support the young people they serve. Participants will dive into key topics such as positive youth outcomes, trauma-informed practices, collective resilience, increasing youth participation and engagement, and other critical issues impacting youth work.

To see a PDF version of the training flyer, please click here.
REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
Please Note: Registration is on a first come, first served basis. We limit 3 people per organization. Thank you for your understanding.

Parent/Caregiver Engagement
2025-10-16 10:00 - 13:00
October 16th, 2025
10 AM – 1 PM
Training Location:
Health Resources in Action
2 Boylston Street, 4th Floor
Boston, MA 02116
Training Fee: $200 per person
This 3-hour training explores strategies to foster meaningful engagement of parents and caregivers in out-of-school time (OST) programs. Grounded in a youth development framework, participants will learn how to apply a strength-based approach to relationship-building with parents and caregivers. This training will also provide practical strategies for cultivating trust and collaboration with parents and caregivers over time.
We’re excited to share that this training is now eligible for full reimbursement through the Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund Express Program. If your organization is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit with fewer than 100 employees, it may qualify!
Please click here to view the infographic outlining next steps for reimbursement.
To see a PDF version of the training flyer, please click here.
REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
Please Note: Registration is on a first come, first served basis. We limit 3 people per organization. Thank you for your understanding.

Youth Development 101
2025-11-13 10:00 - 14:30
November 13th, 2025
10 AM – 2:30 PM
Training Location:
Health Resources in Action
2 Boylston Street, 4th Floor
Boston, MA 02116
Training Fee: $250 per person
This 4.5-hour training provides participants with grounding in the Positive Youth Development (PYD) approach, including a focus on building positive developmental outcomes for youth.  Participants will gain common language and frameworks for discussing youth development including positive youth outcomes, developmental outcomes, and increasing youth participation in their programs.
To see a PDF version of the training flyer, please click here.
REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
Please Note: Registration is on a first come, first served basis. We limit 3 people per organization. Thank you for your understanding.

Supervising Youth Training
2026-01-13 10:00 - 2026-01-15 13:00
January 13th and January 15th, 2026
10 AM – 1 PM
Training Location:
Online via Zoom
Training Fee: $300 per person
This two-session, 6-hour virtual training will provide adults who supervise youth with best practices for finding the right balance between helping youth gain developmental outcomes while also meeting job expectations. Participants will learn about building developmental outcomes for youth, the four leadership styles of supervision and how to use both frameworks to help youth employees thrive.
We’re excited to share that this training is now eligible for full reimbursement through the Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund Express Program. If your organization is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit with fewer than 100 employees, it may qualify!
Please click here to view the infographic outlining next steps for reimbursement.
To see a PDF version of the training flyer, please click here.
REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
Please Note: Registration is on a first come, first served basis. We limit 3 people per organization. Thank you for your understanding.

Youth Worker Certificate Training
2026-03-24 09:30 - 2026-05-19 14:00
Weekly, every Tuesday
March 24th – May 19th, 2026
*No training April 21st, 2026
9:30 AM – 2:00 PM
Training Location:
Health Resources in Action
2 Boylston Street, 4th Floor
Boston, MA 02116
Training Fee: $975 per person
This eight-session, 32-hour training is based on the nationally recognized advancing youth development curriculum. This training provides participants with grounding in the positive youth development approach. Participants are introduced to shared frameworks for discussing youth development and will learn how to foster positive youth outcomes, healthy relationships and boundaries, belonging and inclusion, collective resilience, and other critical issues.
We’re excited to share that this training is now eligible for full reimbursement through the Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund Express Program. If your organization is a Massachusetts-based nonprofit with fewer than 100 employees, it may qualify! If your organization does not qualify for reimbursement, a discounted rate is available. To be eligible for reimbursement, you must register for the training and apply for reimbursement by March 3rd.
If your organization does not qualify for reimbursement, a discounted rate is available. Please email best@hria.org for more information.
Please click here to view the infographic outlining next steps for reimbursement.
REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

Please Note: Registration is on a first come, first served basis. Registration fees are non-refundable but are transferrable. Please limit registration to three people per organization. Thank you for understanding.

To view a PDF version of the flyer, please click here.
