Institute for Youth Success

For nonprofits and community-based organizations serving youth, we provide professional development and a wide range of capacity-building support through the Institute for Youth Success at Education Northwest. Services include training and technical assistance, research, and consultation for mentoring, tutoring, and out-of-school time programs.

Supporting Programs That Serve Youth

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Playing a vital role in supporting youth programs, the Institute for Youth Success (IYS)―originally Oregon Mentors―was started in 2001 by leaders within the business community and merged with Education Northwest in 2015. With a mission to empower youth organizations to improve outcomes and reduce social costs, IYS supports more than 190 youth programs, including camps, sports, STEM, leadership, afterschool, independent living, and mentoring programs. In addition to providing professional development to volunteers and staff of youth programs, IYS provides relevant, evidence-based information on topics ranging from recruitment to program management and offers services that create efficiencies and make youth-development programs stronger.

We believe that young people win when schools are deeply connected to community-based youth-serving nonprofits.
—Institute for Youth Success at Education Northwest Director Celeste Janssen

Youth Work Methods Trainings

Training Your Staff on Youth-Development Fundamentals The Institute for Youth Success offers 10 workshops that empower direct-service staff with tools to increase the quality of their work. These...
Technical Assistance for Mentoring Programs

Helping Youth Programs Improve Mentoring The Institute for Youth Success (IYS) at Education Northwest is a national leader in providing assistance to new and developed mentoring programs. We can help...
SAFE Training: Screening Youth Program Volunteers

With more than 80 million children having some kind of contact with nearly 35 million adults through volunteer and youth-serving programs each year — and with the increase in the number of articles...
Improving STEM Best Practices for Mentoring Programs

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math = STEM The Institute for Youth Success (IYS) at Education Northwest works with STEM programs to put the "R" in STEM... relationships! We know that adults...
IYS Trainings for Youth Serving Programs

Building Stronger Youth Programs Through Training and Technical Assistance The Institute for Youth Success (IYS) at Education Northwest trains staff members and volunteers at nonprofits, churches,...
Coaching, Change, and Assessment Workshops for Managers

The Institute for Youth Success offers two workshops that support managers with data-informed program improvement. These trainings were designed by the David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program...

Doing Right by Kids at the Intersection of Equity, Trauma-Informed Practice and SEL

August 5, 2019

Understanding how to integrate different approaches can go a long way toward helping students of color build a sense of belonging at school.
How Schools Can Get the Most From Youth Program Partnerships

September 6, 2018

Youth program partnerships can help districts and schools accomplish more than what they can do alone. How can you build your capacity to manage them?
Structure and Clear Limits: Strategies for Creating a Safe and Productive Learning Environment

August 12, 2017

Providing students with structure and boundaries doesn't have to take a big effort and can help young people learn more effectively.
Beyond Math and Reading: New Booklet Highlights Social and Emotional Skills

April 19, 2017

What is social and emotional learning (SEL)? What about nonacademic skills; workplace-essential skills; 21st-century skills; and mindsets, essential skills and habits (MESH)?
Four Principles for Meaningfully Incorporating Youth Voice into Programs and Services

May 23, 2017

Incorporating youth voice into academic settings requires educators and other adults to be mindful and think critically about when they need to step up (and step out) to best support youth.
Developing Youth Through a Growth Mindset

March 31, 2015

Since this post appeared in March, 2015 as part of our series on collective impact, the Institute for Youth Success has joined Education Northwest to better support youth-serving agencies in Oregon...

What the Research Says on Supporting the Social and Emotional Well-Being of Students

Research shows that developing students' social and emotional skills can lead to better academic and life outcomes. Check out this collection of recent, readily available studies and articles.
Exploring Youth Voice and Youth-Adult Partnership

An effective and evidence-based way to improve schools, nonprofits, and government agencies is to make decisions in partnership with those being served. This six-page resource provides an overview and tips for educators and youth workers.
Understanding and Cultivating Social Emotional Learning

Want to learn the basics of social and emotional learning? Download this primer to learn concepts you can use to help students develop “nonacademic skills” and reach their full potential.
National Collaborative Webinar Series for Mentoring Programs

The Institute for Youth Success (IYS) at Education Northwest is a a lead organizer of the National Collaborative Webinar Series . Each month, we partner with MENTOR: The National...
Podcasts for Mentoring and Youth Development Programs

The Institute for Youth Success (IYS) has been supporting youth programs since our inception as the Oregon Mentoring Initiative in 2002. Today, as part of Education Northwest, we...
Youth Worker Symposium 2015

On October 15, 2015 youth development staff from across Oregon attended a Youth Worker Symposium in Portland, Oregon hosted by the Institute for Youth Success at Education...