Life Long Learning

Thriving Strategy Four - Life Long Learning

Hear what youth workers have to say about this Thriving Strategy.

What it means:

You embrace continuous learning and adopt a growth mindset. You take time to invest in your career as a youth worker, reflect on the work and sharpen or expand skills — both for yourself and to better understand the everyday lives of young people.

Why It Matters:

The world young people are navigating is constantly changing, and that means the field of youth work is too. We’re always adapting, so life-long learning means our skills and knowledge need to evolve along with us. Professional development includes many different things and can take place in many different formats. You might attend a training, find a mentor (or mentor someone else!), go on a retreat, or meet regularly with colleagues to share techniques. All of those experiences help expand and deepen your knowledge. Adopting that growth mindset means you believe that with effort and persistence, you can learn and can improve. That’s the first step toward amazing accomplishments!

Manager Action Item:

Learning requires an investment of time and resources. Does your organizational culture value life-long learning? Is professional development included in your budget? Do This: Update (or create!) your staff professional development budget. Consider allocating a certain percentage for each staff member to use annually, and invite staff to propose a plan for how to use their annual funds.