You’re invited to YCD’s PowerUp! Community Organizing for Youth Activists training, taking place on Saturday, October 3, 2026!
Power Up! is a training for youth, and adults who work with youth, who want to learn the skills to be an effective changemaker in their community. Take your leadership skills to the next level to act in line with your values and do your part to create communities where everyone can feel seen, heard and valued.
This youth-focused equity-centered leadership training provides tangible durable skills for youth and adults who are part of any group supporting positive social change. This could include
diversity or multicultural club or youth group, student council
peace/conflict resolution focused organization including PeaceJam and Interact
religious student groups interested in exploring interfaith dialogue and positive social change
Affinity groups celebrating specific student ethnicities including Black Student Alliance, LULAC, and Native/Indigenous student clubs,
GSAs, GLSN or other groups celebrating and supporting TQ2S+ and allied youth
youth environmental groups youth groups focused on mental health and substance prevention
youth commissions
library teen council
school district youth equity committees
Formats
We offer Power Up! in multiple formats to meet your needs and fit the timeframe of your group.
In person - Saturday, October 3, 2026 at the University of Denver
1:1 consultations - work with a YCD educator to facilitate any one or more of the Power Up! workshops either at your school or organization or via video conferencing. These sessions are designed for your students and adult mentors to be in person with a remote educator. See workshop descriptions below.
At your own pace - YCD offers videos that guide you through each of the Power Up! workshops at your convenience and in whatever time allotments you have available. See workshop descriptions below.
Workshops
Community Organizing - learn a step by step process to identify and recruit a team of people to work towards positive change in your community. Consider your why and practice active listening skills.
Fostering Communities of Belonging - learn tools for creating a space where everyone feels seen, heard and valued. Understand safe and brave spaces and how to create them.
Facilitation - Learn how to run effective, efficient meetings that keep belonging at the center.
Courageous Conversations - learn how to engage in high stakes conversations when people’s opinions and beliefs differ from your own and emotions run strong.
Icebreakerpalooza - Experience a variety of icebreakers. Understand how to choose icebreakers to meet the moment and how to lead them.
Just and Equitable Leadership - Learn key terms within JEDIBA space (including the terms within this acronym) and practice upstanding in a variety of scenarios.
For Adult Mentors: Power Sharing and Youth Empowerment - Examine your role within your YCD chapter as well as within the structures of your school and gain tips and best practices for leading with youth.
Cost
Power Up! is free for YCD chapters (in all formats) thanks to a grant from the Colorado Health Foundation and support from the University of Denver. If you would like to attend Power Up in person without becoming a YCD chapter, registration is $30 per person and includes, breakfast, lunch and all programming. However, we encourage groups to register as a chapter which brings significant benefits at a lower cost AND provides support for your students to complete an action project to help everyone feel seen, heard and valued in your community.
If you are not part of a student club or organization, you can attend Power Up with an adult mentor. Adults can attend Power Up as a representative of a club or organization without students.
Schedule for In Person Training
Saturday, October 3, 2026
9:30-10:00: Arrival/Breakfast
10:00-10:40: Power Up! Toolkit
10:50-11:40: Workshop Rotation 1
11:45-12:35: Workshop Rotation 2
12:35-1:15: Lunch
1:15-2:05: Workshop Rotation 3
2:10-3:25: Power Your Language and Actions
3:30-4:30: Power Forward: Next Steps