Professional Development
Summer 2026 Offerings
Full Schedule
May - August 2026
Registration
Registration is required. Registration closes 3 days prior to event or when session is full.
Time & Location
All workshops take approximately 2.5 - 3 hours and locations vary. Specific time & location details are listed on the workshop’s event registration page.
Parking
For workshops that occur at CoLab18, APOST will provide parking validation for attendees who park in the Nova Place garage.
Details
Workshop topic descriptions are below. All workshops marked with (Youth Work Methods) are part of the Weikart Youth Work Methods curriculum & those marked with (SEL) are part of Weikart’s social emotional learning sequence.
In the event of low registration, Weikart Workshops may be cancelled. Advance notice will be provided.
Wednesday, May 13
10am - 12:30pm
Thursday, May 14
10am - 1pm
Friday May 15
10am - 12:30pm
Wednesday, June 17
10am - 12:30pm
Thursday, June 18
10am - 1pm
*Pre-Requisite: FASA of Cognitive Development
Wednesday, August 26
10am - 12:30pm
Thursday, August 27
*Pre-Requisite: FASA of Cognitive Development
10am - 1pm
Friday, August 28
10am - 12:30pm
1) Foundations & Self-Awareness of Cognitive Development (May 14)
2) Engaging Youth in Supported Struggle (6/18)
3) Facilitating Problem Solving (8/27)
SEL Series
Participants are encouraged to complete a full set of the Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) Youth Work Methods Workshops from The Forum for Youth Investment | The Weikart Center for Program Quality, in one season! Those sessions are indicated below.
We strongly encourage registering for and taking all three workshops in a single season, because they build off one another. All three workshops are being offered this season and are indicated with an asterisk(*), which also indicates the workshops must be taken in sequential order:
May - August 2026
Offerings By Topic
Explore APOST’s event collection on Eventbrite for PD and more opportunities!
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This workshop helps staff establish appropriate structure (routines and rituals) and clear limits (norms and behavior guidelines), fostering a feeling of fairness and predictability that supports young people to explore and express themselves in a conducive learning environment.
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As programs work to facilitate skill building for young people, youth workers must think about their readiness to facilitate cognitive skill building with young people. In this workshop, youth workers will take time to identify their own strengths, needs, interests, and constraints related to learning and cognitive development. Additionally, participants will strengthen their understanding of how their background, experiences, privilege, bias, and/or discrimination have affected their attitudes toward learning and their expectation about other’s learning.
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This workshop guides staff to support young people by providing opportunities for voice and choice. With proper support and scaffolding over time, young people grow in responsible decision-making and leadership.
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This workshop introduces methods for building supportive, youth-centered relationships and prepares participants to ask effective questions, listen actively to youth, and encourage young people by tapping their intrinsic motivation.
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It is in struggle that we all grow. Helping support young people through that struggle helps promote that opportunity for growth and learning. In this workshop, participants will practice fostering growth mindset to help young people persevere when they struggle and explore strategies that staff can use to support them. Participants will identify nuances for how these strategies may apply to work with the young people they work with in balanced, equitable ways.
Pre-Requisite: FASA of Cognitive Development
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Problem solving is the ability plan, strategize & implement complex tasks. Youth workers have the opportunity each day to build problem solving opportunities into programs and support young people with in- the- moment problem solving, all to support skill building. In this workshop, participants will learn the basics of how our brain solves problems, and will practice a model for helping young people define and explore problems, preparing them to take action and learn from them. Participants will apply the skills and content to problem-solving with young people in their context.
Pre-Requisite: FASA of Cognitive Development
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This workshop explores staff practices to effectively support young people with academic efforts at any time by framing academic support as an opportunity to build relationships and nurture positive growth, beyond getting the work done.