This learning lab is divided into two, 2-hour sessions that are delivered in the morning and afternoon on the same day or over two days. Participants will develop their skills in creating social safety for the youth and families that they serve. A key focus of the course is to explore practical ways to incorporate a KinFirst lens into interactions with youth and families. Participants will be equipped with strategies to address their personal discomfort, fears, or biases around the topic. The course will provide participants with the tools to advocate for young people and families in educational, healthcare, and community settings. This learning lab builds upon the language and vocabulary introduced in the Intro to Building Social Safety for Young People, Families, and the Workforce course.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this experience, participants will be able to:

(1) Demonstrate proficiency around language, terms and definitions regarding servicing youth and families
(2) Identify the importance family, culture and community have on the social safety of youth
(3) Recognize that an individual’s identity is one part of one intersection within intersectionality and develop ways to implement this understanding in working with youth and families
(4) Identify strategies to attend to and address personal feelings of discomfort, concerns, fears, and biases that can impede professionals’ everyday work
(5) Integrate the KinFirst lens into all aspects of their work (conversations, interviews, assessment tools, assessing behaviors, etc.)
(6) Advocate for young people and families in education, healthcare and in community settings

This is an instructor-led course. Going through the units will lead you to register for the live training event session, which is hosted on Microsoft Teams. The live sessions are broken into two parts; both must be attended for full credit.

UPCOMING LIVE SESSIONS:
May 27 and 29, 2025 (1-3pm EST)
November 10 and 12, 2025 (1-3pm EST)