This training is presented by The Professional Youth Worker. It's our mission to help you and your team build your skills and boost your passion for serving young people. Join us!
Starting and Sustaining Equity and Antiracism Work

- On-Demand Webinar
- Recorded on Thursday, November 18, 2021
- 1.5 hour training
- FREE for YIPA members
- $30 for non-YIPA members
- 100% approval rating
- Not a member? Annual membership is $124 for individuals or $300 for organizations. Join now or learn more.
Learners' Own Words
"This was a very well written and presented training. The thought and research that went into it is so apparent and appreciated."
"Really loved the grounding in understanding how we create assumptions, how we can ask better questions, and using/building self-awareness."
"There was so much information that will be helpful to the work that I do. I will be watching it again in order to glean more and more. A person could go deeper with any number of topics in this session."
Your Training Description
The population of young people in the United States is increasingly more diverse. Addressing systemic racism and changing practices that sustain disparities is vital to positive youth development. But equity and antiracism work can feel overwhelming. And the challenge to create change extends beyond the boundaries of your own programs. It is personal work alongside systems work. Resistance or a lack of understanding within the organization or systems you work with will pose more challenges. You may also have personal barriers to identify and address. Without awareness of where you’re at in your own equity journey, you could be reinforcing problematic narratives.
Knowing where to start, how to sustain your effort, and how to pivot when you encounter resistance is key. When the work gets too big, there are still small things you can do. Practicing intercultural reflection and dialogue will help you lean into and stay in the discomfort that’s needed to bring real change.
Join us to learn how to better navigate the gravity of the deep, personal work for equity. Learn how you can overcome barriers, minimize harm, and hold space for difference in dialogue. You’ll explore how to find personal and professional access points to influence change. You’ll learn how to step into, start, and sustain equity work and continue your personal journey while affecting greater levels of change.
Your Learning Objectives
- Identify and address personal barriers to engaging in equity and antiracism work
- Explore access points to jump-starting or sustaining equity work in your personal and professional life
- Learn to create conditions that support intercultural reflection and dialogue that promotes more equitable experiences
Your Trainer

Wendy Lorenz-Walraven, LICSW, LSSW is a Clinical Social Worker and the Director of Equity and Diversity, Interim Assistant Executive Director, and Interim Co-Principal MTS Secondary for Minnesota Transitions Charter School. She currently trains educators in Trauma Informed Practice, Restorative Practice, and Culturally Proficient School Systems. She has studied racial equity for 20 years and actively engages in her own self-study daily. Whether she is circle-keeping, providing one-to-one dialogue sessions or engaging with our community, she honors the dignity and worth of all people. She meets people of all ages and backgrounds where they are at with curiosity and genuine dedication to deepening connection and understanding. Equity work is constant and always changing to meet the needs of the community. When we breathe life into our whole selves we create space for the whole self of others. This is the space where stories can be shared, vulnerability is welcomed, and our potential for growth lies. Her hope is to offer some invitations and practical frameworks to guide your personal and professional journeys towards collective freedom.
Your Competency Focus Area

Each of YIPA’s trainings are designed around a broad framework of eight youth work competencies. The competency focus of this training is: INTERCULTURAL ENGAGEMENT.
You'll raise your awareness to embrace diversity, foster equity, ensure inclusion, recognize and address bias and prejudice, and cultivate respect for all cultures.
Your Training Details
- On-Demand Webinar
- Recorded on Thursday, November 18, 2021
- 1.5 hour training
- FREE for YIPA members
- $30 for non-YIPA members
- 100% approval rating
- Not a member? Annual membership is $124 for individuals or $300 for organizations. Join now or learn more.
This training will count as 1.5 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.