Half-Day & One-Day In-Services for Educators 
- Below are the titles and descriptions of the many one-day workshops that Opn.Wyd offers educators and administrators working at all levels and in every discipline.
- Each can be offered for In-service; CEU; ACT 48; and/or Professional Development credit.
- All workshops are experiential, interactive, and even fun, but never polarizing or accusatory.
- You will complete each workshop equipped to return to your area of discipline and use what you learned immediately with students and even colleagues.
- If you would like to offer any of these in-service workshops at your educational institution, please feel free to contact us to schedule.
Diversity Awareness in Education: An Introduction
This 90-180 minute training provides participants with the comprehension and motivation to begin to infuse more diversity awareness into your educational community. Those who attend will complete this introductory training with a clear definition of what "diversity" really is and the value of each of us within making it work, not to mention a few helpful tools to take back to the workplace and put to use right away.
The 5 Steps That Make Diversity Work
In this training, we will cover the necessary components that make diversity work and begin to teach you how these steps merge with one another in order to be beneficial for your educational community.
Solidarity in the Workplace: An Inclusive Environment for All
By defining the importance of "valuing diversity" vs. just "being diverse", this interactive and enlightening training presents tools, strategies, and the comprehension to create a genuinely inclusive environment for all employees (administration, professional staff, and support staff) within your workplace.
The Danger of a Single Story
By exploring culture in a more comprehensive way participants will better understand youth and their families. Participants will explore how the media and individual experiences can alter and manipulate worldview which may inadvertently shape beliefs about a group of people or culture. Frequently, the media highlights “single” stories which may cause people unfamiliar with other cultures to assume that the single story is representative of an entire culture. Participants will discuss strategies for working with youth from different cultural backgrounds and will learn to interpret common assumptions that may have unintended negative consequences for students from diverse races and ethnicities. Participants will explore beliefs that educators may have which are based on misinformation or misunderstanding or may have some basis in common experience on widely held ideas about the influences on learning. Participants will identify and incorporate strategies for responding to stereotypical statements, racial slurs, etc. in a youth serving environment.
Exploring Adolescent Subcultures
Youth benefit from a caring and supportive school environment; participants will explore strategies to encourage youth bonding in an educational setting. Participants will learn about adolescent subcultures and will be able to distinguish between normal adolescent adaptation versus temporary or symptomatic adjustment reaction requiring intervention. Participants will explore specific at-risk adolescent populations including youth in poverty, G.L.B.T. Q. (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning), and youth who are targets or engage in bullying behavior. In order for youth to commit to learning they need to feel empowered and competent, participants will identify techniques to foster positive values and social competence among youth. Participants will identify strategies for involving youth in learning engagement by exploring facets of meaningful youth involvement.
A Strength Based Approach to Fostering Academic Success
A youth in crisis struggles to learn and apply new information until some balance has been restored to mental and emotional wellbeing. Participants will explore methods of instruction that can support learners who may be overwhelmed by emotional and cognitive complications. Participants will identify risk and protective factors among youth by focusing on enhancing the strengths of the individual. Participants will examine interventions which will increase learning and can lead to academic successes. Participants will identify techniques to motivate youth to achieve, bond, and engage with their learning environment.
Team Building for Educators: A Great Motivator
Innovative, fun, relevant activities combined with the focused components your educational community needs to motivate faculty and staff. You may be amazed what participants learn by having this much fun.
Team Building Through Comedy Improvisation
By combining the talents and skills of a comedy improvisational troupe and highly trained educators, this unique team building program is tailored specifically for those employed in the education sector to attend.
Parent Workshops
"Happy, Healthy, Safe & Kind: How To Talk To Your Kids About Anything"
"Effective Communication: Strategies For Your Family"
- Understanding the Origins of Anger & Anger Management
- Interpersonal Communication Formulas
- Healthy Communication Strategies
"Healthy & Effective Discipline That Works"
- Obedience Based vs. Responsibility Based Discipline
- How to Develop Critical Thinking Skills
- Positive & Negative Reinforcement Strategies
"How to Have Those Difficult Conversations With Your Kids
How to Talk to Kids About...
- Personal Identity
- Safe Sex and Sexual Identity
- Grief & Divorce
- Race
- Staying Safe When You Can't Be There
This three-part parent workshop is designed to equip parents of children of all ages, with important Information on how to talk to their kids about difficult topics such as healthy discipline strategies; their bodies, sex; drugs; race; sexual orientation; and even standing up for themselves in constructive ways. Those who participate in this interactive and fun, yet, non-invasive workshop will leave with the knowledge, strategies and confidence to have those difficult conversations with their children that will help them in all aspects of their lives AND equip parents with great tools on how to effectively discipline their kids while enhancing the important critical thinking skills that children need when parents are not present in order to make healthy decisions for themselves.