YPN provides national, regional and local training for key volunteer and full-time children and youth workers. YPN partners with national organizations to provide the highest quality of training, inspiration and moments of retreat for those on the front-lines of ministry.
YPN provides training training events for youth workers and leaders. We also strive to provide information on both local and national training events for youth workers.
View the Training Calendar
Read about Executive Director Leadership Training
A growing niche in our unique program is our two-day intense practical training called "Building Your Boat & Keeping It Afloat". This unique and first of its kind training for small evangelical urban ministry executives is designed for those called of God with a heart and passion for reaching the "least of these" in our nations "high-risk communities".
Due to our national partnership with FASTEN, YPN received a significant grant to help urban ministry ED's become better equipped and focused on the critical task of fundraising. This grant was used to develop a 180 page professional fundraising and management manual provided exclusively to those who attend our ED Training. The great thing about this manual, prepared especially for YPN's Executive Director Leadership Training, is that it contains expert advice and "user friendly" forms and formulas for efficient faith-based 501 (c)(3) organizations.
YPN is partnering with several national organizations and denominations to provide our ED training to their local and national staff. This is an exciting development as YPN's reputation is growing for providing the most up-to-date and practical "hands-on" training for faith-based urban ministries.
The results from past ED trainings have been very encouraging and we've received requests to do more around the country.
YPN's Board of Directors determined that we do not have the capacity or funding to continue the CompassionWorks conference. Therefore, we have given our 15,000 urban youth mailing list to another national organization, Urban Youth Workers Institute (UYWI), to carry on this tradition and combine resources to support and promote their conferences and city trainings.
UYWI currently hosts a national training event in LA along with numerous RELOAD one-day workshops throughout the country. Since this partnership, UYWI is now working on plans to bring their national training conference to the East coast in 2007.
YPN has been applauded by many national urban ministries for making this strategic and kingdom-honoring decision. We will continue to support and encourage these types of regional conferences as a partner and sponsor, but not as the sole provider.
YPN was one of the sponsors for the 2005 Fla.vor Fest Conference in Tampa, FL by Crossover Community Church. This conference is for people involved in ministry who reach out to people in the Hip-Hop culture. It is an incredible weekend of learning, experiencing and building new relationships with other youth pastors and leaders involved in similar ministries. Over 1500 attended the event this year.
A grant was provided to The Shelter Urban Youth Church in Chicago, IL for their upcoming "Heavyweight" Youth Discipleship Conference in September 2006. This 3 day intense conference is designed to train young people to be "heavyweight" disciples of Christ. Youth will be encouraged to go deeper in their walk with God, live a life of obedience, and will be challenged to develop the basic Christian disciplines. They are expecting 300 urban youth to attend.
YPN provided a grant to Vision Nehemiah toward their Leadership Development Training which provides urban youth workers in Chicago, IL with training and support through equipping and assisting each other with ministry tools, providing an atmosphere for relationships through sharing, praying and encouraging, and they unite for joint ministry partnerships quarterly. They currently have 100 youth workers in their network and will be hosting two monthly meetings in different parts of the community starting in January 2006.
YPN provided a grant to Camp Deerpark in Westbrookville, NY toward their Leadership Training Institute. This program is designed to develop and train potential leaders using a Christ centered model of mentoring and discipleship. The participants also learn practical leadership skills like time management, conflict resolution and public speaking. Each participant is assigned a personal mentor and that relationship continues after the completion of the 11 month course. This program currently serves 10 youth ages 16-18.
