Enabling Young People to Thrive: New Understandings, New Methods for Today
Led by James Flaherty and Christy McClendon. Young people today are facing unprecedented challenges in a chaotic, uncertain, media-drenched world. So the adults already in their lives matter. Coaches. Therapists. Educators. School counselors. Parents. Mentors.
Enabling Young People to Thrive is a live Zoom course designed to help adults support young people. We’ll work with more openness, empathy, emotional attunement, and practical skills, drawing on brain research, cognitive science, experimental philosophy, sociology, and psychology over four modules: understanding young people, bonding and connection, developmental needs, rites of passage.Please direct questions and support issues to New Ventures West T: 1.415.221.4618 or https://newventureswest.com/contact-us/
We designed this class to be a powerful pragmatic response to the acute meta-crisis young people (15-25 year olds) are in the middle of today.
Schedule:
Module Times: Wednesday 5-7pm | Thursday 9am-6pm | Friday 9am-12:30pm PT
Module One: Sep 23, 24 & 25, 2026
Module Two: Oct 28, 29 & 30, 2026
Module Three: Dec 2, 3 & 4, 2026
Module Four: Jan 6, 7 & 8, 2027
Integration Sessions: 4:30-6:00 PT
– Tuesday, October 13, 2026
– Tuesday, November 17, 2026
– Tuesday, December 15, 2026
– Tuesday, January 19, 2027
The Meta-Crisis Facing Our Youth
Young people today face unprecedented challenges in our chaotic, uncertain, media-drenched world. Traditional approaches to youth development are no longer sufficient.
The reality: There simply aren’t enough psychologists and counselors to support our young people. This course prepares you to skillfully bridge that gap.
This program offers a powerful pragmatic response, bringing together decades of mentoring experience with cutting-edge findings from brain research, cognitive science, experimental philosophy, sociology, and psychology.
“We designed this class to be a powerful pragmatic response to the acute meta-crisis young people are in the middle of today.”
Transform Your Impact
Revolutionary Understanding
Learn to expand our understanding of young people and meet them with unbounded openness, empathy, and emotional attunement.
Deeper Connection
Discover and strengthen the bonds that heal and support development, moving beyond transactional to transformational relationships.
Skillful Response
Develop nuanced discernment about what’s most important to attend to now, with powerful methods for facilitating young people’s growth.
Sustainable Practice
Build your capacity for this vital work while maintaining your own well-being and sense of hope.