Thanks to those who submitted responses to the GW Retreat Survey, the Program Committee identified the following potential topics for staff training and professional development:
- Understanding Workforce Development: Understanding opportunities for youth work, emphasizing how to adapt to changing needs in the workforce and how to remain informed while maintaining focus on the organization’s core mission.
- Social Enterprise & Impact: Understanding GW’s social enterprise model and how it differs from traditional nonprofit models, as well as exploring the long-term impact of our programs on youth and communities.
- Mental Health, Student & Youth Development: Topics related to youth development, particularly around motivating young people, mental health support, and career coaching, were common, along with best practices for working with young people.
- DEI Strategies: Moving beyond basic DEI education to more actionable, role-specific strategies that address the challenges of fostering inclusivity and accountability.
- Cultural Competency & Conflict Resolution: Addressing different work ethics, unconscious bias, generational gaps, and providing training on conflict management and cross-cultural communication was also suggested.
- Manager & Leadership Development: Training focused on managerial skills, accountability, and supervisory practices, with a focus on goal-setting, staff engagement, and career growth opportunities.
- Fundraising & Corporate Partnerships: Building institutional relationships and understanding why large companies are vital to the organization’s success. Understanding sales cycle breakdowns and simulations for selling to C-suite executives.
We would like to use this survey as a call for proposals and speaker referrals. Please respond to the following questions, if you would like to propose yourself as a workshop lead/trainer for a professional development session or recommend a speaker/trainer to us.