MidWest BEST is a regional training initiative comprised of up to ten communities throughout Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. It is designed to increase young people’s access to high quality youth programs by bringing professional development opportunities to youth workers throughout the four state region. In the youth development field, youth workers are the adults who work directly with young people in a variety of settings including community-based organizations, faith-based programs and public agencies.
MidWest BEST builds on the success of NTI’s 15-city BEST (Building Exemplary Systems for Training Youth Workers) Initiative which began in 1996, with YouthNet as one of the pioneer lead organizations. During the past five years, BEST communities have established local interagency systems of professional development, with training in Advancing Youth Development: A Curriculum for Training Youth Workers (AYD) at its core. To date, more than 5,000 youth workers have participated in BEST professional development activities in their communities.
programs and public agencies.