https://www.partnersforyouth.org/

Partners for Youth Empowerment - PYE Global, A Program of Commonweal, Bolinas, CA (2026)

06/19/2024

What an incredible honor it was to bring our training to this year's HAPPENING Multicultural Festival in Toronto, Canada! This annual event, produced by our long-standing partner, MUSE Arts, is the first and ONLY Toronto festival created by community artists that gives center-stage to the talent and skills of immigrant, newcomer, and refugee artists.

Thank you to the entire MUSE ARTS team and brava 🙌🏼 to our amazing trainer, Brigid Tierney, for a remarkable event! We can't wait to see you next year 😄

05/09/2024

Joy embodied. Humanity uplifted. What an incredible group we welcomed last weekend at our Seattle Creative Facilitation 2 Training 😍 .

Participants from more than 10 organization convened to deepen their creative facilitation learning, guided and inspired by our amazing facilitators, Claudia and Alan.

THANK YOU to everyone who showed up to learn, imagine and grow in community with us.

05/02/2024

Creative Facilitation 2 Training (CF2) in Seattle starts tomorrow...are you READY?!

We have an amazing training in store and can't wait to welcome all of our participants, whether they are returning or joining us for the first time! There are some incredible youth organizations from across Washington State participating, and we can't wait to see the possibilities that are sparked over the next two days.

We only have a couple seats left, grab a last minute spot now before it's too late! https://buff.ly/435AjBM

04/19/2024

Sunday, April 21st is World Creativity and Innovation Day and as we bring to a close, we thank all of you for being part of our creative community! We hope our tips inspired you to continue building your creative prowess.

Why do we do this work? Why do YOU do this work?

At PYE, our grand hope through our collective efforts is to facilitate empowerment through creative expression, and reframe what is possible when we unleash the creative potential in youth─and within ourselves. This journey toward empowerment is rooted in the deep belief in humanity and the manifestation of our collective power: moving from a place of fear to love, from deficits to strengths.

We awe in the shifts made possible when we begin to facilitate toward empowerment, and are honored to be on this journey with you 💫

Tips for Facilitating Empowerment:

Fear ➡️ Love
Protective mode ➡️ Curiosity Mode
Persona ➡️ Essence
Victim ➡️ Personal Agency
Can’t do ➡️ Can do
Ego-centric ➡️ Eco-centric
Ethno-centric ➡️ Relational
Focus on deficits ➡️ Focus on strengths
What’s wrong? ➡️ What’s right?
Extrinsic motivation ➡️ Intrinsic motivation
It’s all about ME ➡️ It’s all about US
I live in a hostile universe ➡️ I live in a friendly universe

04/18/2024

First impressions are important and can leave a lasting imprint. Similarly, HOW you begin your activity, workshop or event can drive the rest of your facilitation success. While a weak start isn’t the end of the world, it can take A LOT of energy to get back on track. Momentum is a powerful force and starting your program off strong 💪🏼💪🏽💪🏾 is key to setting a positive tone.

On Day 4 of , we are sharing some tips for creating a POWERFUL BEGINNING to help you jumpstart your facilitation success! This is one of PYE’s best open secrets so be sure to share with anyone looking to enhance their connections with youth:

👉🏼 SET UP A COZY AND INVITING SPACE: Colorful signs, chairs in a circle, engaging music, and refreshments all help to say, “You are welcome here.”

👉🏼 WELCOME PARTICIPANTS AS THEY ARRIVE: This will make them feel comfortable and make it easier for you to relate to the group when you start facilitating.

👉🏼 INVITE THE IMAGINATION INTO THE ROOM: Begin with an activity that engages the imagination: creative name tags, a group rhythm or an imaginative warm-up game.

👉🏼 SET THE TONE: Share a quote, a poem, or a short performance piece (perhaps offered by a participant) that signals that you consider this time together special.

👉🏼 ESTABLISH YOUR CREDIBILITY: Introduce yourself with energy and enthusiasm. Briefly share who you are and why you are leading this program. Why are YOU excited to be there?

👉🏼 SHARE GOALS WITH THE GROUP: Present a set of clear, concise, action-oriented, open-ended and doable goals. Use goal sharing as an opportunity to convey your philosophy and set context for what you’ll be doing together.

👉🏼 ESTABLISH COMMUNITY AGREEMENTS: Introduce several basic agreements and then ask the group to add their own ideas. What will make this a safe and fun environment for all of us? Involving participants in building community agreements increases buy-in.

👉🏼 CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR EVERY VOICE TO BE HEARD: Always begin and end with an activity that gets every voice into the room. Use warm-up games that give each participant the chance to say something or come up with something creative.

04/17/2024

It's Day 3 of and today, we're sharing ideas that you'll definitely want to bookmark 🔖 for later!

Imagine you're in a room full of young people bursting with energy, laughter and chatter. It's a lively scene but you need to regain their attention - What do you do?

Raising your voice may feel like the only option, but it can be straining and prove ineffective - or worse, it can set a negative tone or classroom culture.

Instead, try one of these activities next time you need to get a group's attention! They work in a variety of settings and can promote a positive learning environment that is fun, engaging and interactive:

✋🏼 Raise Your Hand, Close Your Mouth
👏🏽 If You Can Hear Me, Clap Your Hands
🤫 And a Hush Fell Over the Crowd (or create your own!)

What are some creative attention-getters that you would add to this list? Share below!

04/16/2024

It's Day 2 of and we are excited to share some creative PYE tips to level up your engagement with young people (Spoiler: this also works with groups of adults!).

Let us know if you've given these facilitation techniques a shot and what the impact has been - is there anything you would do differently?

Creative Tips for Effective Facilitation:

✨ Make eye contact with participants as they enter the room - this will put them AND you at ease to start your work

✨ Begin with physical activity - movement helps to get participants involved and relaxed

✨ Find ways to bring every voice into the room early on - it becomes much easier for folks to engage, speak up and share how they're feeling

✨ Give the group early opportunities for success - an achievable but challenging activity can help ground the sense of "groupness" and positivity

✨ Make eye contact - don't be afraid to look directly from one person to another, and move your attention around the room so no one feels ignored

✨ Put yourself into the room - act like YOU deserve to be there, too!

✨ Don't speak above the chatter - find ways to bring the group's attention together before you talk

✨ Let the silence be - after you ask a question, wait for someone to speak out (eventually they do!). Jumping in to fill the silence too quickly may interrupt an important thought process

✨ Affirm the group - find authentic, believable and specific ways to praise the group

✨ Set up a pattern of shared leadership - ask for volunteers in your activities

✨. Give participants a sense of control and voice - they will be more likely to participate fully!

✨ Change the energy in the room every 15-20 minutes - take a stretch break, do a quick energizer, etc. Trust us - this is based on brain research that shows the average attention span is

04/15/2024

DID YOU KNOW that today marks the start of World Creativity and Innovation Week?

is a a global community dedicated to celebrating all forms of creativity, and culminates on World Creativity and Innovation Day on April 21st to celebrate the transformative power of creativity and innovation in shaping our world. This UN-designated day is a global reminder to empower everyday creativity in homes, schools and communities for social change.

To jumpstart this year's theme of "INSPIRE," we are sharing some inspirational facts about creativity from UNESCO (you can learn more by visiting https://buff.ly/3ej8P3p):

🎨 The creative economy employs over 30 million people worldwide, generating more than 2 billion USD.

🎭 Creative industries employ more young people than any other sector, and populations that are often marginalized by traditional job markets - women, indigenous peoples and migrants - find their place in this dynamic sector.

📽️ The creative economy holds incredible power to drive sustainable livelihoods, careers, and economic opportunities for millions worldwide.

We will also be sharing creative tips and resources throughout the week to help YOU get inspired to maximize your creative potential (HINT: many of these activities are part of our Creative Facilitation 2 Training coming up if you want to dive deeper! YIPPEEEE 🥳 )

Be sure to comment how you practice creativity below!

04/09/2024

Meet your upcoming Trainers! 🎉

We are thrilled to welcome back CLAUDIA PINEDA REYES and ALAN WONG to lead our Creative Facilitation 2 Training on May 3rd & 4th. Both Claudia and Alan are based in the Seattle area and have deep roots in the community.

Registration is OPEN for this training! Come join two of PYE's most seasoned facilitators to build your power as a creative facilitator, and meet other youth organizations doing incredible work in the community. Practice ways to build a positive group culture and elevate your voice, body, confidence and joy in working with young people.

We highly recommend completing Creative Facilitation 1 before taking this training or joining as an experienced facilitator ready to level up your craft through the use of arts.

Register your spot today! https://buff.ly/435AjBM

WHEN: May 3rd & 4th // 9:30am-5:00pm
WHERE: 6532 Phinney Ave. N Seattle, WA

For questions, email [email protected]

03/19/2024

Creative thinking will be one of the most important workplace skills by 2027 and is predicted to grow by 73%, according to The Future of Jobs Report 2023 by the World Economic Forum. Surpassing other vital skills for the workforce - including analytical thinking, technology literacy, and curiosity and lifelong learning - the demand for 💡 CREATIVE THINKING ✨ reigns supreme, recognizing the importance of out-of-the-box imagination.

Join our upcoming Creative Facilitation 2 Training to flex your creativity muscles and expand your toolbox for creative expression, thinking and capacity. Learn how to adapt to a disrupted workplace and move beyond resistance, joining a community of other youth practitioners and organizations unleashing positive change in the lives of young people.

This training is geared toward facilitators with prior experience, or those who have completed Creative Facilitation 1! More details below 👇🏼

WHEN: Friday, May 3rd & Saturday, May 4th
WHERE: 6532 Phinney Ave. N Seattle, WA
REGISTER: https://buff.ly/435AjBM

03/05/2024

We're back with a Creative Facilitation 2 Training in Seattle, WA!

This training is ideal for those who have completed Creative Facilitation 1 (CF1) and/or are confident facilitators, and are eager to level up their creative capacities in their work with young people. Learn both the art AND science of creative facilitation through deep listening, authentic speaking, and establishing presence in a step-by-step community building process. Join others in the field of youth development and explore what is possible through creative learning and collaboration through the arts.

🗓️ Friday, May 3rd & Saturday, May 4th
9:30AM - 5:00PM
6532 Phinney Ave. N Seattle, WA

Space is limited, register today 👉🏼 👉🏼 👉🏼 https://buff.ly/435AjBM

01/17/2024

A new year = new opportunities to set your creative intentions. No matter who you are, there is no better way to inspire others than to show up as your authentic, beautiful selves.

Here are some of the ways Partners for Youth Empowerment can help YOU build your creative confidence for 2024 and lean into your fullest potential.

Reach out to learn how to infuse creative practices into your school, program or workplace, and tell us about your creative intentions for 2024 below! 👇🏽

Partners for Youth Empowerment - PYE Global

06/19/2024

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