Pierce County Summer Learning Symposium

Supporting youth means more than managing behavior — it means building trust, repairing harm, and creating spaces where young people feel like they belong. This training introduces restorative practices as a practical and relationship-centered approach to working with youth. Participants will explore how to respond to conflict in ways that support healing and accountability, rather than punishment. Through real-world examples and interactive activities, you’ll learn tools like restorative circles, reflective language, and community agreements that can strengthen your daily practice. Whether you're navigating day-to-day challenges or responding to deeper harm, this session will help you create a culture of care, connection, and responsibility in your youth space.
Participants will:

• Describe the core values and principles of restorative practices and how they differ from punitive approaches
• Recognize how restorative practices help shift the culture from correction to connection in youth spaces
• Practice using affective statements, check-ins, and circle prompts to support emotional safety and belonging
• Respond to harm in ways that prioritize relationships, accountability, and repair — not punishment

Escalated behaviors arise in our programs all the time. How we respond before, during and after youth are exhibiting unwanted behaviors can strengthen a young person’s capacity, build skills and impact how they respond next time. When youth walk in the door to our programs, they bring with them layers of emotion and needs. As youth workers we are responsible for laying a foundation with a responsible and emotionally safe environment and responding to youth with empathy, compassion, and accountability.
Participants will:

• Understand how outside factors impact youth behavior
• Understand levels of escalation and gain strategies for intervention
• Understand best practices for creating a responsive and emotionally safe environment

Supporting youth means more than managing behavior — it means building trust, repairing harm, and creating spaces where young people feel like they belong. This training introduces restorative practices as a practical and relationship-centered approach to working with youth. Participants will explore how to respond to conflict in ways that support healing and accountability, rather than punishment. Through real-world examples and interactive activities, you’ll learn tools like restorative circles, reflective language, and community agreements that can strengthen your daily practice. Whether you're navigating day-to-day challenges or responding to deeper harm, this session will help you create a culture of care, connection, and responsibility in your youth space.
Participants will:

• Describe the core values and principles of restorative practices and how they differ from punitive approaches
• Recognize how restorative practices help shift the culture from correction to connection in youth spaces
• Practice using affective statements, check-ins, and circle prompts to support emotional safety and belonging
• Respond to harm in ways that prioritize relationships, accountability, and repair — not punishment

Escalated behaviors arise in our programs all the time. How we respond before, during and after youth are exhibiting unwanted behaviors can strengthen a young person’s capacity, build skills and impact how they respond next time. When youth walk in the door to our programs, they bring with them layers of emotion and needs. As youth workers we are responsible for laying a foundation with a responsible and emotionally safe environment and responding to youth with empathy, compassion, and accountability.
Participants will:

• Understand how outside factors impact youth behavior
• Understand levels of escalation and gain strategies for intervention
• Understand best practices for creating a responsive and emotionally safe environment