Training and Professional Development

Each summer, current BPS parents and high school students are recruited and trained in an intensive 4-day, 28-hour Community Health Worker “core competencies” training facilitated by the CoNECT/CHWNB training team, building knowledge, skills, and relationships to prepare them to work in schools and the community.

• Ongoing training and professional development is provided in family and public advocacy, restorative practices, environmental responsibility, research and policy, and more. A strong focus on popular education and experiential learning takes theory into practice.

• Senior parent and youth CHWs are engaged in a “training of trainers” model, leveraging their lived experience and trust to connect with and empower their peers.

Service Learning

• Parents and student join School Wellness Teams and clubs/initiatives in their schools to participate in efforts related to health and wellness in their own school communities.

• Youth CHWs are supported as mentors and engage in projects in partnership with International School #45 such as sports, tutoring, restorative practice/conflict resolution, and recycling/composting.

• Field trips take youth to places and to have experiences that broaden their understanding of the world. Seasonal hikes at Tifft Nature Preserve, kayaking at Beaver Island, and a visit to the Underground Railroad Museum at Niagara Falls are a few favorites from the past year.

• Outreach events, community cleanups, food giveaways, and more provide opportunities for youth and parents to learn through action!

Family and Public Advocacy

We believe that “nothing about us without us is for us.” Parents and youth must be actively engaged in their education, well-being, and issues that impact families and community.

• Parent and youth CHWs accompany families through service navigation, family/school conferences, restorative meetings, suspension hearings, and more.

• A “Solutions not Suspensions” campaign focuses on the high suspension rate in Buffalo Public Schools, which impacts students of color and those who are low-income and have disabilities disproportionately.

• We work closely with the BPS Food Service department and have helped to implement salad bars in all schools, a Farm to School program, culturally responsive menu items, and campaigned for a new Commissary, which broke ground in Fall 2025. Read more on our News & Media page.