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!
Helping Youth Make Healthy Choices

- On-Demand Webinar
- Recorded on Thursday, March 29, 2018
- 1.5 hour training
- FREE for YIPA members
- $30 for non-YIPA members
- 98% approval rating
- Not a member? Annual membership is $124 for individuals or $300 for organizations. Join now or learn more.
Learners' Own Words
"I enjoyed this training and it helped me recognize the importance of adding more physically active elements to my programming"
"Great training! Very informative and engaging."
"This was a very well organized session with a balanced level of activities and strong content."
Your Training Description
We live in what many health experts call a “toxic environment” for making healthy choices. For youth, advertisements for high-fat, high-sugar and high calorie foods are everywhere, even in the school environment. Technology has led to a decrease in physical activity, even in very young children. It’s not just about food and physical activity, high levels of stress, sleep issues and other challenges to our health are more common than ever.
Youth don’t need lectures about health, they need help in understanding how to make healthy choices in this toxic environment. As a youth worker, you can help them understand their barriers to change, and give them realistic strategies to make healthy choices.
This training will focus on strategies to make healthy choices attractive and accessible to youth. You’ll learn to recognize common myths and misconceptions about making healthy choices. You’ll gain an understanding of behavior change basics, the dimensions of wellness, and how to increase interest and motivation for healthy behaviors in youth.
Your Learning Objectives
- Explore the dimensions of wellness and how they can improve health messaging in youth programs
- Identify various stages of change using the Transtheoretical model
- Analyze common myths and misconceptions about health behaviors
- Learn simple strategies to incorporate health education on nutrition, physical activity, stress, and sleep into youth programs
- Discuss ways health education can be used as a tool to reduce health disparities and inequities
Your Trainer

Christine Petrich is a health and movement educator who believes healthy choices have the power to transform lives. She has taught in a wide range of institutions, including K–12 schools, colleges, community-based programs, fitness centers, juvenile justice facilities and prisons. Her belief is that health education can be engaging, meaningful and accessible to all people. By encouraging small, healthy choices, Christine helps people find joy and possibility in the pursuit of improving their own health and wellness. Christine has a Master of Education in Kinesiology and a B.A. in Women’s Studies from the University of Minnesota. She is currently an Instructor with Inver Hills Community College, teaching health and physical education.
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: YOUTH DEVELOPMENT.
Strengthen your commitment to implement positive youth development strategies, understand development channels, and support youth through developmental changes.
Your Training Details
- On-Demand Webinar
- Recorded on Thursday, March 29, 2018
- 1.5 hour training
- FREE for YIPA members
- $30 for non-YIPA members
- 98% 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.