Foster Care Training

Racism, oppression, and current events all shape the experiences of youth served by Fred Finch. Engaging youth in conversations about these critical topics is an essential aspect of supporting youth. Unfortunately, a range of barriers and challenges often result in staff avoiding these conversations or failing to meet youths’ needs through these conversations.

This interactive workshop will present various methodologies needed to engage meaningful, effective, 1:1, large, and small intergroup conversation related to issues of racism, oppression, and current events, and will provide participants with opportunities to practice these skills during the workshop. We will cultivate a critical and compassionate understanding of the difference between “safety” and “comfort,” the common confusion between these terms, and learn to identify opportunities for change within these conversations. By increasing our ability to clearly define, explain, and discuss the construct of systemic oppression and deepening our understanding of how to establish safer spaces using ground rules, dialogue principles, and non-judgmental listening– we will explore and practice tools and techniques necessary to support and engage difficult conversations with the youth served by Fred Finch.