The Pacific Southwest MHTTC is pleased to announce the Region 9 Cohort of the Youth Advocate Leadership Academy (YALA), a training for youth and young adults seeking to build their own leadership skills to create positive change in the mental health field and world around them.
This no-cost opportunity includes access to PS MHTTC/Youth MOVE’s leadership curriculum in four online training sessions designed to create a peer-led environment that builds off each participant’s current skills. We blend experiential learning with peer facilitated group discussions and activities. All youth and young adults (YYA) ages 14 – 29 who are passionate about mental health, and who identify as having lived experience in a youth-serving system, are encouraged to apply.
This second Cohort within the YALA series is designed to serve YYA who work and reside in the MHTTC Region 9, which includes Arizona, California, Hawaii and Nevada. (Due to the disparate time zone of the Pacific Islands and the US mainland, a specific YALA Cohort for this region was scheduled in March)
YYA who may be interested in working as a youth peer provider in the future, or who are currently serving as a youth peer, would be a great fit for this training opportunity.
Apply here, by Friday, March 25, 2022
All sessions will take place from 3:00PM – 7:00PM PT.
Tuesday, 04/5/22
3:00- 7:00 p.m. PT
Tuesday, 04/12/22
3:00- 7:00 p.m. PT
Tuesday, 04/19/22
3:00- 7:00 p.m. PT
Tuesday, 04/26/22
3:00- 7:00 p.m. PT
Kristin Thorp, MPP
Youth Program Director, Youth MOVE National
Kristin has ten years of experience in advocacy and youth leadership and program development with a special focus on the mental health and criminal justice systems. She currently serves as a Youth Program Director, where she is a national technical assistance provider on the development, implementation, and sustainability of quality youth programming and supports organizations develop meaningful and mutual partnerships with youth, young adults, and system leaders to advance best practices for youth engagement. Prior to joining Youth MOVE National, Kristin was the Continuous Quality Improvement Coordinator for Maine’s System of Care. In this role, she offered technical assistance, training, and consultation to government agencies, providers, and communities on incorporating and embedding trauma-informed principles and practices and developing a youth guided system. Kristin has utilized her own lived experience, passion, and expertise in the field of positive youth development to bridge multiple perspectives to promote trauma-informed approaches to recovery.
Michelle Vance
Peer Support Specialist, Youth MOVE National
Michelle’s advocacy work began when she attended a planning meeting where she met project stakeholders interested in hearing what they could do better for young adults. She was a great person to connect to as she has never had a shortage of ideas to create change in the foster care, juvenile justice, and mental health systems. Michelle spent extensive time working on youth voice and youth engagement within Utah’s Systems of Care and Healthy Transitions Initiatives. She is a trained Peer Support Specialist who helped develop a Youth MOVE chapter in Utah. Michelle is proud of the work she led creating intentional spaces for youth to share their experiences directly with those involved in policy and systems change efforts. On the weekends, Michelle is an avid gamer; PS4 and Switch are her favorite past times. She also has two dogs, a hedgehog, and a day gecko that keep life interesting.
If you are interested in joining a FREE YALA training, please complete the Interest Form. The Interest Form will ask about your availability to attend the above training options. A waitlist will be developed should the trainings fill and YMN will notify applicants of future training sessions as they are scheduled.
For more information, or to participate in the Youth Advocate Leadership Academy, please complete the participant information form or send an email to [email protected].
