SY 2026-2027
Youth Communication (YC) is partnering with the NYCPS Office of Safety and Youth Development (OSYD) to provide culturally responsive professional development (PD) for their Respect for All (RFA) program.
The goal of RFA is to foster a “supportive learning environment that is free from harassment, intimidation and/or bullying, sexual harassment, and discrimination on account of actual or perceived race, color, age, creed, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship/immigration status, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, or weight.”
At Youth Communication we publish true teen-written stories that develop students’ sense of belonging. Through this professional development series, educators will be given the tools necessary to help students be seen, heard, and valued, in their communities (in and out of school).
Sessions will have a maximum of 30 registrants!
Funded by OSYD, this program is of no cost and provides 2 CTLE credits to all NYCPS staff. All sessions will be remote through Zoom. We will provide a link shortly after Jotform registration in the corresponding buttons below.
Our students experience stress as a normal part of the school experience. They may feel stress because of positive events, like finally getting into that honors class, or negative ones, like not being sure where they’re going to be living from one day to the next. In this session, we will examine the difference between stress, chronic stress, and trauma, and read true, teen-written stories to illustrate each type. Participants will examine their own teaching practices with a lens to what stressors their students might be facing as a result. If the stress is unavoidable, we will discuss how to grow students’ social and emotional learning skills to deal productively with the stress. If it is avoidable, we will discuss alternative approaches that will be healthier and more supportive of students.
Dates:
Tuesday, November 3rd from 9-11 AM
Tuesday, November 3rd from 12-2 PM
The most effective educators name and interrogate biases they have been taught, and confront how they impact students and how they can actively work toward breaking them. In this session, we will read and discuss excerpts from stories by teens about how being known by their teachers—or, at a minimum, having their teacher communicate that they want to know them—has benefited the writers socially, emotionally, and academically. The YC facilitator will lead participants in a group brainstorming session to share ideas for the best ways of getting to know all their students better as individuals.
Dates:
Tuesday, November 3rd from 9-11 AM
Tuesday, November 3rd from 12-2 PM
During this session, participants will be able to identify ways that stress, anxiety, and trauma impact our students of immigrant families. That said, we’ll discuss the strengths of our students of immigrant families and how we can identify ways to collaborate with each other and discuss strategies for how to better support our students. Participants will listen to story excerpts written by four youth writers which will give participants a window into each writer’s experience as immigrants themselves and as a young person in an immigrant family.
Dates:
Monday, February 1st from 9-11 AM
Monday, February 1st from 12-2 PM
For many students and staff of color, it can be difficult to reconcile the history of the American education system with their place in it. In this session, we will read a true, teen-written story about interrogating internalized racism. We will review key terms like internalized racism, colorism, and white supremacy culture. Participants will leave the session with a deeper understanding of the impact internalized racism has on their students and tools to help create healthy racial identity development.
Dates:
Monday, February 1st from 9-11 AM
Monday, February 1st from 12-2 PM
“Who am I?” It’s a question that all adolescents wrestle with. Young people with strong social and emotional learning skills—especially self-reflection, relationship-building, and responsible decision-making—are better equipped to create a positive identity for themselves. In this session, we will read true stories by teens about how they developed a positive identity for themselves, what resources they used to do so, and how teachers and other adults helped them.
Dates:
Tuesday, June 8th from 9-11 AM
Tuesday, June 8th from 12-2 PM
According to the 2025 National School Climate Survey, 71% of trans students felt unsafe at school because of their gender. Compounded with issues of racism, transgender youth of color are more likely to be subjected to racial discrimination than their cisgender peers. In this session, we will read a true, teen-written story about being a young trans person and discuss how to create a healthy environment for trans and non-binary students to thrive. We will review key terms like cisgender, transgender, gender queer, and nonbinary, as well the impact racism has on education and a student’s sense of belonging. Participants will leave the session with a deeper understanding of trans and non-binary students and actionable steps they can take to support them.
Dates:
Tuesday, June 8th from 9-11 AM
Tuesday, June 8th from 12-2 PM
Research tells us that culturally responsive education not only acknowledges students’ experiences but welcomes them as an integral part of learning communities, ultimately resulting in greater academic success. Through reading and discussing true stories written by Youth Communication’s teen writers, educators will be given mirrors (stories that reflect their own experiences) and windows (stories that provide insight into another’s experiences) through which they can better understand themselves and the youth with whom they work.
Dates:
Thursday, June 10th from 9-11 AM
Thursday, June 10th from 12-2 PM
From birth, children have been taught that gender norms dictate a person’s behaviors, activities, or interests. In this session, we will read stories by young people of many gender identities to understand how a strict gender binary—and all of society’s expectations their students in creating a healthy gender identity.
Dates:
Thursday, June 10th from 9-11 AM
Thursday, June 10th from 12-2 PM
For any questions, please reach out to [email protected].