YIPA's People-Centered Leadership Certificate Course
- Interactive Certificate Course
- 8-hour self-paced course
- FREE for YIPA members
- Become A Member
- Already a member? Log in to your YIPA LMS to access this training
Your Certificate Course Description
Effective youth workers are often promoted to leadership roles without proper leadership training. Our People-Centered Leadership Certificate Course fills this gap by providing foundational training in nine essential leadership competencies. Whether you’re in a leadership role now or just starting out on your path to leadership, this course will equip you with the skills to lead effectively by fostering meaningful relationships and aligning your team with a Just Cause.
People-Centered Leadership is a mindset that is driven with heart, focusing on building trust, empathy, and accountability to create a positive, collaborative work culture. By completing this course, you will develop and enhance your leadership skills through practical strategies. You’ll gain skills to align your team with a shared vision, navigate challenges with confidence, and make a lasting impact on those you lead.
Get started on your leadership journey today!
How to Earn Your Certificate
- There are 10 sections to complete. Each has a competency Chat video and an interactive micro course with a quiz.
- You must complete each section in order. Start with the Introduction to People-Centered Leadership section. Complete each activity within that section before you move to the next section.
- We estimate it will take about 8 hours to complete the full course, allowing time for self-reflection, watching videos, completing quizzes, and reviewing each competency infographic. Go at your own pace. There is no need to complete the course all at once.
- After completing all ten sections, navigate to the Course Completion section to take the final quiz. You'll need a passing score of 80% or better in order to download your certificate of completion.
Your Trainers
A.J. Rinaldi has served in many roles within the youth services field, from juvenile justice officer, residential care staff to school administrator. Mr. Rinaldi has devoted nearly two decades to youth care and family services with a track record for creating successful behavior management systems and adding value to professional development. He is an independent certified coach, trainer, and speaker with the John Maxwell Leadership Team. Mr. Rinaldi is the founder of Pit 2 Purpose, a motivational speaking company that aims to inspire people, empower youth care workers and educators, and transform the lives of youth. A.J. has an inspirational and unique style of delivering experience-infused techniques with practical strategies rooted in human behavioral science. Mr. Rinaldi believes that everyone is presented with two choices in life; to remain in the proverbial pit where life places you, or to relentlessly pursue your purpose.
Paul Meunier is the executive director of the Youth Intervention Programs Association (YIPA) and has spent the majority of his adult life working to improve the lives of young people and the communities he’s served. A trained psychologist with a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from St. Mary’s University, Paul worked for 14 years as the lead of a setting IV emotional behavioral disorder (EBD) therapeutic program. Paul’s experience as an elected official began in 2004 as a member of the Ham Lake City Council. He was elected mayor of Ham Lake in 2006 and served until 2011.
Before joining YIPA’s staff in 2011, Paul was a member of YIPA’s Board of Directors and served as its vice president. Currently, Paul spends a considerable amount of time building bipartisan relationships and coalitions with lawmakers serving in the Minnesota State Legislature. He thoroughly enjoys politics and advocating for youth and the youth workers that serve them.
Your Competencies for Effective Youth Work Leadership
Your People-Centered Leadership certificate course is built around nine core competencies essential to effective youth work leadership.
The competencies are: CHANGE, COACHING, COMMUNICATION, DEIA, ETHICS, INNOVATION, RELATIONSHIPS, RESILIENCE, and TEAM BUILDING.
This course will count as 8 CE hours for most boards. Please contact your board directly with questions on submitting. You are encouraged to print or save this training information as a PDF for your records.