Navigating Stakeholder Dynamics in Youth-Serving Systems
New Virtual Workshop Giving Participants Practical Tools for Cross-System Collaboration
This interactive workshop supports youth‑serving professionals to address one of the most persistent challenges in system change: building and sustaining collaboration among partners operating under different mandates, priorities, and infrastructures. Participants will learn to diagnose stakeholder dynamics and power relationships, identify the incentives and burdens shaping engagement, and apply structured tools such as stakeholder mapping and system incentive profiling to clarify roles, responsibilities, and decision‑making authority.
The focus of this workshop is on real‑world application. Participants will analyze root causes of their own partnership challenges and develop concrete strategies to align diverse stakeholders around shared goals that promote youth well-being and long-term success.
This training strengthens staff capacity to lead and manage cross‑system initiatives that are collaborative and sustainable. Participants will gain practical skills to reduce silos, anticipate and troubleshoot collaboration breakdowns, and improve alignment across stakeholders (e.g., courts, justice agencies, law enforcement, schools, community providers, youth and family advocates)
What You’ll Learn:
- Diagnose stakeholder dynamics and power relationships using structured analytical tools.
- Identify incentives, benefits, and burdens shaping partner engagement across youth-serving systems.
- Design strategies to build and sustain cross-system collaboration, even in environments with competing mandates, timelines, and accountability structures.
- Clarify roles, responsibilities, and decision-making authority to reduce friction and increase follow-through.
- Apply stakeholder engagement tools and concepts to current initiatives.
Workshop Format and Details
Join Us For This Impactful Virtual Workshop!
Dates: Wednesday, May 6 & Thursday, May 7, 2026
Time: 1:00PM – 4:00 PM ET
Format: Virtual, highly interactive sessions with case examples drawn from youth-serving systems. The workshop incorporates small-group discussions and applied framing exercises with real-world scenarios. Throughout, opportunities for guided reflection and peer learning will be provided.
Target Audience
This workshop is designed for:
- Youth-serving professionals coordinating initiatives across agencies, departments, or sectors.
- Mid-level managers and supervisors translating leadership vision into operational practice.
- Policy, planning, and research staff convening stakeholders or managing cross-system workgroups.
- Court and legal partners engaged in system change or collaboration efforts.
- Community-based organization leaders navigating partnerships and power dynamics with government agencies.
- Grant-funded project staff responsible for building buy-in and alignment wihtout formal authority.