Events

Location: Durfee Innovation Society, 2470 Collingwood St. (Auditorium), Detroit, MI 48206

We are excited to invite you to YDRC’s 2026 Fall Network Kickoff. By the end of the Fall Network Kick-Off, participants will:

Build connections with peers across the YDRC network through networking and shared learning.
Explore workforce readiness, career-connected learning, and the skills young people need for future success.
Learn practical strategies from workforce and education leaders to strengthen staff capacity and better support youth career pathways.
Exchange ideas on what it takes to build strong workforce pathways for young people.
Preview YDRC's 2026–2027 Professional Development calendar and upcoming learning opportunities.
This event is free and open to all youth development professionals.

Location: Durfee Innovation Society, 2470 Collingwood St. (Dive), Detroit, MI 48206

Join YDRC for an interactive, in-person grant writing workshop led by Monique Phillips. Participants will learn how to identify well-aligned funding opportunities, understand funder priorities, strengthen proposal narratives, develop realistic budgets and measurable outcomes, avoid common grant-writing mistakes, and build greater confidence in developing strong, competitive proposals.

This workshop is open to all youth development professionals and requires registration. The registration fee is $30.00.

Location: Durfee Innovation Society, 2470 Collingwood St. (Dive), Detroit, MI 48206

Strong programs start with staff who feel supported, prepared, and able to grow. Designed for individuals responsible for staff quality and support, this interactive workshop, facilitated by Jasmine Cooper, will help youth-serving leaders reflect on their staff culture and explore practical approaches to coaching, feedback, development, and accountability.

Participants will leave with evidence-informed strategies and one concrete action they can use to strengthen staff support and program quality.

This workshop is intended for youth development professionals who support, lead, or supervise other staff members. The registration fee is $30.00.

Location: Durfee Innovation Society (Room: Dive), 2470 Collingwood St., Detroit, MI 48206

Join us for the Acting With Data Kickoff for 2026-2027! We look forward to welcoming you to the Acting With Data learning community, sharing resources on continuous quality improvement, and connecting you with your coaches and peers! Lunch will be provided.

Location: Durfee Innovation Society, 2470 Collingwood St. (Dive), Detroit, MI 48206

Youth-serving professionals want every young person to feel welcome, valued, and able to fully participate. Yet many barriers to participation remain invisible until we intentionally examine how our programs, practices, and assumptions shape young people's experiences. This interactive workshop introduces KBD Collaborative's Know Better, Be Better, Do Better framework to explore accessibility as an essential component of high-quality youth development rather than an added responsibility. Participants will deepen their understanding of disability, reflect on personal and organizational beliefs, examine how ableism and other systems influence practice, and explore practical strategies grounded in Positive Youth Development. Throughout the day, participants will develop concrete action steps to create more accessible, inclusive, and relationship-rich environments where every young person can experience belonging and thrive.

Participants will:
-Increase understanding of disability, accessibility, and belonging by examining historical, social, and systems-level perspectives that influence youth experiences.
-Reflect on personal beliefs, assumptions, and organizational practices to identify how ableism and other barriers can unintentionally limit participation and belonging.
-Explore practical inclusion strategies to reduce barriers and expand meaningful participation.
-Develop an action plan to create more accessibility and belonging within youth programs and organizations.

This workshop is open to all youth development professionals and requires registration. The registration fee is $30.00.

Location: Durfee Innovation Society, 2470 Collingwood St. (Dive), Detroit, MI 48206

Strong youth programs are intentionally cultivated through clear purpose, supportive relationships, meaningful learning experiences, stakeholder voice, reflection, and sustainable systems. Facilitated by Kiylise Lowe, this interactive workshop will introduce participants to the Seed to Systems Framework and help them explore how these elements work together to strengthen program quality.

Participants will leave with practical strategies for creating programs that are purpose-driven, psychologically safe, responsive to stakeholder voice, and supported by reflective systems that sustain quality over time.

This workshop is intended for all youth development professionals. Registration is required. The registration fee is $30.00.