Centering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at TNOYS’ 38th Annual Conference

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TNOYS is excited to offer new resources to help youth-serving providers put diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) best practices into action.

Our team has heard time and again that DEI training and leadership development are top priorities for youth-serving providers. In fact, a 2020 survey of our member network showed that DEI and leadership development were in our top-five most requested trainings. In response to this feedback, we’re excited to bring DEI to the forefront through a wide range of workshops and in-depth trainings geared toward leadership teams.

We invite you to explore our program preview and read on to learn how your organization can take advantage of these exciting opportunities at the 38th Annual Conference. Learn more about the conference and register here.

Learn How to Lead with Equity During The Equity Chair for Leadership Teams

While our Leading Through Change Conference, specifically targeted to executive leadership, was unfortunately postponed due to COVID-19, we have listened to and learned from our member network over the past year about the ongoing need to prioritize DEI best practices in their work and leadership. 

To address the needs of the executive leadership of our member network, TNOYS is partnering with The New Philanthropists (TNP) on the pre-conference institute The Equity Chair for Leadership Teams. This institute was adapted from an existing TNP training and has been re-developed specifically for TNOYS’ audience of youth-serving organizations.

During the institute, nonprofit leaders will go beyond the basics, learn to truly advance DEI in their organizations, and take active roles as inclusive leaders. Through guided discussions, role playing, breakout groups, and individual reflection, nonprofit leadership teams will explore concepts such as culturally relevant leadership, speaking your truth, tokenism, majority culture, and leaving your legacy on an organization.

Although this training is appropriate for individuals to attend, we encourage participants to attend in leadership teams of 3 or 4, including an executive-level staff member, a higher-level/manager-level staff person, and a board member. Learn more about the institute here, and register here.

Explore Youth Engagement During Introduction to Youth Thrive™

TNOYS believes that to create equitable systems, we must elevate the voices of young people who have been impacted by them. The pre-conference institute Introduction to Youth Thrive™ will help you bring this value to your own organization. 

This training is led by Josue Rodriguez, Lyric Wardlow, and Prince Hayward, three members of the TNOYS team who will bring a uniquely youth-focused perspective to the training materials and insights. Attendees will explore strategies to assess and make changes to the programs, training, services, partnerships and systems that impact young people. 

Although the pre-institute is just a preview of the Youth Thrive™ training, we’re pleased to offer the full training this fall. We hope you’ll join us! Learn more about the institute here, and register here.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Full Conference

In addition to pre-conference institutes, the full conference dedicates an entire topic track to understanding and advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in youth-focused systems. Workshops are designed to challenge the status quo and motivate participants to take action to create more equitable, inclusive, and diverse services, systems, and support for youth and young adults. 

Many sessions also explore youth-adult partnerships and the benefits effective youth engagement can have not only on youth outcomes, but also on service and program efficacy, policy decisions, youth-focused systems, and communities at large. As always, young adults with lived experience are involved in every step of the conference process, from planning to presenting to participating, to ensure that the conference programming promotes youth-adult partnership and advances equitable strategies, skills, and practices. 

We’re especially excited to collaborate with members of our newly reimagined Young Adult Leadership Council (YALC) on this year’s workshops. YALC members will present on topics such as youth homelessness prevention, youth-adult partnership, supporting youth in higher education, and much more.
We encourage you to share this opportunity with the young people you serve and register youth attendees here.


Be sure to review the conference program preview for more information on this year’s sessions. Learn more on the conference website and register here.

One Response to “Centering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at TNOYS’ 38th Annual Conference”

  1. John Carston

    It helped when you mentioned that sessions also benefit not only the youth engagement but also communities at large. My cousin mentioned to me last night that he and his friends are planning to go to a youth conference and asked if I have any idea what is the best option to do. Thanks to this informative article and I’ll be sure to tell him that it will be much better if they consult youth conference service as they can answer all their inquiries.

    Reply

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