The Youth Connection - Preparing to work with children and teens

The Youth Connection interactive training is a collaborative effort of OSU’s Service-Learning Initiative, P-12 Project, and the College of Education and Human Ecology. The training contains modules to prepare university students to engage in community service projects focused on youth. The training is based on a video series originally developed by Dr. David Andrews, Dean of the College of Human Ecology, in collaboration with OSU Extension’s 4-H program. About the Project

The research-based series consists of four sections.

 
Communication Communication

Practice with easy messages
Make sure someone’s home
Encourage reflection and expression
Use public and private comments wisely

 
 
Motivation Motivation

Take small steps
Find their niche
Help them to take charge
Teach them to try and try again

 
Relationships Relationships

Take a chance with caring
Get to know the whole child
Relationships have stages too
Stay connected while they figure it out
Behavior Guidance Behavior Guidance

Understand the coercive cycle
Actions speak louder than words
Focus on the positive
Give them the green light
Each of the sections contains
  • An introduction of a concept and related points;
  • 1-3 examples to illustrate the concept;
  • Video clips to further illustrate the concept;
  • A summary of points raised;
  • A brief evaluation.

The videos have been partitioned into short clips -- simulating a situation where a facilitator might stop the video and lead a discussion about what was just viewed.

The examples are worded as situations that you might find yourself in during your work in the community. Each situation has several possible responses, and feedback on the kind of interaction that the response might elicit.

The web-based learning module is intended to be interactive and useful in a service-learning course or independently by any person interested in preparing to work with youth in the community. The module may be used alone or with other modules developed for training for community service, located on the Community Connection web site.

 

Technical Requirements

You will need either QuickTime Player (recommended for faster connections) or RealPlayer (recommended for slower connections) in order to view the video clips presented in this site.  If you need help installing or using QuickTime or RealPlayer, please check out the following pages:

 

Ideas for using the Module

The module can be used in a variety of ways, ranging from complete integration into a course to independent use by students with no planned or focused classroom discussion. The Facilitator's Guide provides ideas for using the material in a course; faculty or service project coordinators are encouraged to develop innovative approaches for using the material.

Click here to download the Youth Connection Facilitator's Guide.