title: From youth worker professional development to organizational change.
abstract: An ongoing, innovative youth worker professional development is described in this article. This initiative began as youth worker professional development and then transcended to personal and organizational development. It grew from a moral response of Saint Paul Parks and Recreation staff and two faculty members of Youth Studies, University of Minnesota to offer higher-quality services to youth for their healthy development. Its underlying philosophies and ethos included building and sustaining meaningful relationships, cocreating a space for learning and change, becoming a reflecting practitioner, and community organizing. This professional development responded to the participants' interests and needs or to local situations in that moment, that space, and the discussions, and took on different shapes at different times. There were many accomplishments of, challenges and barriers to, and lessons learned from this professional development.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work at the University of Minnesota.
authors.forename: Sheetal
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rana
authors.forename: Briana
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Baumgardner
authors.forename: Ofir
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Germanic
authors.forename: Randy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Graff
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Korum
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Randall
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Simmons
authors.forename: Gina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stokes
authors.forename: Will
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Karen Kolb
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Peterson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D041923:Adolescent Development; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006801:Humans; D009111:Local Government; D008910:Minnesota; D009938:Organizations / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D011361:Professional Competence / Q000592:standards*; D011998:Recreation; D014495:Universities / Q000458:organization & administration*