TRUSTED by
Thousands

Exceptional training for youth workers by youth workers. 130+ learning opportunities, 29,000+ registrations in 2024

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Proven Results

99%

Immediate
Positive Impact

Participants confirm skill enhancement directly applicable to their youth work.

99%

Dynamic
Content

Respondents agree that YIPA's trainings are a seamless user-friendly experience from start to finish.

99%

Positive Outcomes for Youth

Respondents agree that YIPA’s training enhances their ability to positively impact the outcome of the youth they serve.

99%

Exceptional
Quality

Participants rate YIPA’s certificate course as a high-quality training program.

Training
Matters

1

94% of employees believe they would stay with a firm for a longer period if the employer were involved in their learning and development.

2

70% of employees prefer online/self-paced training courses.

3

70% of employees are relatively inclined to quit their current job to work for a company that invests in employee development and learning.

Why Become
a YIPA Member

Training youth workers since 1987!
99% of survey respondents agree that:

YIPA cares about me, youth work, and our young people

YIPA understands the needs of youth workers

YIPA understands the needs of youth-serving organizations

YIPA is a strong community of like-minded people that care deeply for young people.

What Members and Trainers Say

The Art & Science of Youth Work certificate course is an essential part of onboarding new staff. We also use The Professional Youth Worker for other learning opportunities during brown bag lunches and staff meetings.

Patrice O'Leary

Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota

The learning opportunities increase our counselors’ capacity to engage youth within a holistic framework. We appreciate the breadth of the topics which helps us become better all around youth workers.

Laurel James

Tri-County Youth Services Bureau

Our team definitely benefits from our YIPA membership. The quality of online learning is excellent and very cost efficient. All the learning opportunities are relevant to youth workers everywhere. It's great to know that we are able to access all of this remotely, no matter where we are.

Angela Hill

Children’s Centre

The podcasts, blogs, and training provide our team with everything we need to deliver great youth work to the young people in our programs.

Deb Nebosis

Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Minnesota

YIPA has a wealth of information for anyone working with other people, not just for people serving youth. Their trainings are top quality and their staff are extremely approachable and knowledgeable! The membership is worth every penny!

Elsa Swenson

Elsa Swenson, Missions, Inc

The work YIPA is doing is amazing. All young people deserve to be in spaces with adults who are trained in positive youth development. This program is the core of what schools and youth organizations need. Adults who are grounded and trained in best practices for youth intervention and youth development.

Yaya Cochran

InTENtions

I can only say great things about the YIPA staff! I was strongly encouraged to have all my ducks in a row long before the training. We had a trial run in the virtual classroom a few days prior to the actual presentation which really helped calm my nerves.

Sarah Hamlin

LSW, Main Street Family Services Program Director

YIPA’s professional and organized approach provided clarity to every step of the process, from creating the initial speaker agreement to navigating potential technical errors during the webinar. We were impressed to see YIPA’s attention to detail when creating the splash page, interactive quiz questions and polls; these were all new practices for us!

Christine Dittel & Andria Botzet

University of Minnesota, Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research

Working with YIPA as a trainer was phenomenal. Everyone involved in the coordination of my training from start to finish were kind, professional and engaging.

Lisa Herman

Owner and Clinical Psychologist, Synergy eTherapy

YIPA has clearly done a lot of trainings, because they have their system down. They handled all of the technical aspects of the training, and were so prepared for any eventuality that I stopped worrying about that end of things completely. All I had to worry about was taking care of the content, and even then, they had suggestions if I needed them and made sure I had everything I needed to be ready.

James Scott

Senior Training Manager, StreetWorks, Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota

Their well-developed process equips trainers to deliver engaging content. There’s a lot of preparation to provide high quality training and YIPA has the formula for success.

Tamara Stark

Senior Director of Housing and Youth Development, Tubman

I want all of my training to be with YIPA! The staff is organized beyond expectation, and more importantly, supportive, encouraging, and positive.

Katie Olson

Director of Training, Zero Abuse Project, Mitchell Hamline School of Law

Trusted by all types of youth work leaders in agencies of all sizes.

View Our Member Directory

DEI

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Our mission is rooted in equity and social justice. We do not accept the status quo and we commit ourselves, as an association and as individuals, to be actively antiracist allies.

YIPA is a community where everyone is welcome, everyone is respected, and everyone belongs.

Learn More

A diverse group of grass-roots YIPA members collaborated and identified eight essential focus areas for youth work excellence. These form our competency framework and are the basis for the learning modules of The Art & Science of Youth Work certificate course and every YIPA training.

Youth Work Competency Framework

The Field of
Youth Work

Youth
Development

Communications

Ethics

Intercultural
Engagement

Behavioral
Intervention

At-Risk
Behaviors

Mental Health
Basics

A diverse group of grass-roots YIPA members collaborated and identified eight essential focus areas for youth work excellence. These form our competency framework and are the basis for the learning modules of The Art & Science of Youth Work certificate course and every YIPA training.

Our one-of-a-kind Certificate Course

Our highly interactive online certificate course provides the fundamentals of the eight core competencies that comprise excellence in youth work.

You’ll identify your strengths and weaknesses, it offers motivation, suggestions for additional growth, and practical tools you can implement right away.

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LMS

Learning Management System

Each YIPA member gets their own customized LMS

1

90+ trainings,
18 new each year

2

Mobile
friendly

3

Add your
own courses

4

Track your
team's learning

Ask A Question

A diverse group of grass-roots YIPA members collaborated and identified eight essential focus areas for youth work excellence. These form our competency framework and are the basis for the learning modules of The Art & Science of Youth Work certificate course and every YIPA training.

Our one-of-a-kind Certificate Course

Our highly interactive online certificate course provides the fundamentals of the eight core competencies that comprise excellence in youth work.

You’ll identify your strengths and weaknesses, it offers motivation, suggestions for additional growth, and practical tools you can implement right away.

Become A Member

Ask A Question

Frequently Asked Questions

The variety and options help youth workers develop and maintain their knowledge, skills, and confidence to be the most effective youth advocate they can be. To learn more about becoming a member or about The Professional Youth Worker suite of learning opportunities.

Options For Youth Support Worker Training

A significant challenge for youth program leaders is building highly trained and motivated teams. YIPA is your partner in fulfilling your mission by offering exceptional personal and professional development opportunities and training for youth workers. We provide live online training for youth workers and recorded webinars in our extensive On-Demand library of trainings.

Join us. You’ll feel a sense of community and appreciation in every interaction you have with your YIPA team.

Variety of Youth Support Worker Training Options

YIPA’s youth worker training has options to meet the needs of various learning preferences. Our signature training is The Art and Science of Youth Work certificate course. Earn your certificate in youth work with our online, self-paced, comprehensive overview of what all youth workers need to know.

The Passionate Youth Worker podcast is your invitation to ignite or maintain your passion for supporting young people. You’ll be inspired to lean into your own life experiences by listening to the stories of amazing youth workers from around the globe. The podcast goes beyond working with young people training to help you bring your whole self to your work.

You’re busy! Our Quick Takes Youth Work Blog is your go-to source for insights and ideas you can grab in just three minutes or so. It is an ideal supplement for working with at-risk youth training because our blogs cover broad range of topics targeted to your work with young people.

Our entire suite of learning resources is available 24/7, 365 days a year. YIPA members enjoy unlimited access to a wide range of learning options. YIPA is your solution for introducing new skills to your team and providing ongoing professional development training for youth workers.

The variety and options help youth workers develop and maintain their knowledge, skills, and confidence to be the most effective youth advocate they can be. To learn more about becoming a member or about The Professional Youth Worker suite of learning opportunities, reach out to us today.

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TRUSTED by
Thousands

Proven Results

Immediate
Positive Impact

Dynamic
Content

Positive Outcomes for Youth

Exceptional
Quality

Training
Matters

Why Become
a YIPA Member