Professional Development for Youth Professionals

Intentional learning that supports the premise that well-trained, high caliber educators who naturally connect well with teens are key to effective education and engagement. 

Research affirms that educators seek professional growth, recognition by their organizations, support, and mentorship—investments which will not only increase their effectiveness but also contribute to job satisfaction and help stem the tide of rapid turnover. 

Implemented by Jewish LearningWorks (JLW) and under the guidance of Debra Sagan Massey, the professional development effort offers a menu of regional and community-wide learning opportunities, utilizing a faculty of master educators and content experts to meet learning needs identified by the professionals themselves. Utilizing four primary modalities, participants are able to engage with any or all of the following opportunities:

• Regional Networks: To encourage educators serving specific regions to develop a sense of regional community, to provide peer to peer learning, and to respond to emergent training needs. Four regional networks will focus on the East Bay, North Peninsula, South Peninsula, and San Francisco/Marin.
• Annual community-wide convenings: Offering content-rich training and experiences to our entire network of youth professionals. These events will also provide an opportunity for networking, collaboration, recognition and celebration.
• Immersive learning:  An immersive experience will be offered each year for a smaller cohort of youth professionals seeking more depth and breadth in training. In the first year, this has been provided by M²: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education, offering three 2-day intensives, the last of which will be an overnight retreat in Fall 2018. In the next year, a 4-day Teen Wellness and Mental Health conference will occur in February 2019. Annual retreats will continue as a way to further build community and enable participants to delve more deeply into topics of interest. 
• Mentorship:  Providing individualized support through structured mentor relationships between veteran and new youth professionals in the Bay Area will be critical to scaffold professional growth and ensure individuals receive meaningful coaching connected directly to their work.