Boys & Girls Club staff around Washington attended the YDP (Youth Development Professional) Conference in April. The event was an opportunity for YDP staff and their managers to gather, network, and learn from their counterparts as well as by attending workshops.
Dr. John Gains, a Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound alumni and the creator of PUSH, was the keynote speaker. Addressing the power of believing in oneself and the youth they serve was a pillar of his speech. He also discussed the impact the Boys & Girls Club had on him. Not only as a youth, but the lessons he learned while a Club kid have helped him throughout his career. Tying his personal story to the conference’s theme of “Imagine the Impact,” Dr. Gaines’s keynote speech was one of the highlights of the conference.
The “Imagine the Impact” Conference also hosted an alumni panel. It was facilitated by a Club alumni Ashley Mangum and consisted of current and former Youth of the Year winners from Thurston County and South Puget Sound. The panel shared their experiences with Clubs and how it has shaped them into the people they are today.
Other sessions, ranging from Building Community, Cooperative Learning, and Workplace Safety, were broken down into tracks for both management and YDPs. The management track covered how to be an employee centered leader and how to build resilience through burnout and communication styles. The YDP track discussed trauma-informed practices, positive peer relationships, and other elements of high-quality programming.
The conference also held a community exhibition hall, in partnership with organizations from across the state, such as the Washington Retail Association, Calculus Roundtable, HearMeWA and more!
It was a day on which our staff came away energized, inspired, and highly engaged.
