Groupwork-Youth Development Programming and Management

GPM305 Contemporary Issues in Youth Development (3 semester hours)
Overview and historical perspective on issues and practice in the human services. Focuses both on the individual professional in the field (knowledge, skills, and values essential to success), and on the various organizational contexts of human service delivery: missions, strategies, funding, community connection. Explores the interplay of managerial, fiscal, political, organizational, and practice issues in the design, delivery, management, and evaluation of human services.
No prerequisites

GPM320 GroupWork (3 semester hours)
Principles and methods, tools, settings, and resources for the development and delivery of successful programming in group settings. The theory and dynamics of groups: formation, process, roles, leadership, communication, non-verbal behavior; the individual and the group; issues in values and ethics. Explores successful groupwork and programming in the organizational contexts of various contemporary human service agencies.
No prerequisites

GPM340 Youth Development (3 semester hours)
The many aspects of the development of young people through the teen years: physical, cognitive, social, psychomotor, and the complex interaction of the individual and the environment. Issues of health and wellness in the younger years. Emphasizes the relationship of developmental issues to the planning, development, and delivery of appropriate youth services in the context of the family, the community, and the larger society.
No prerequisites

GPM360 Activities for Youth Development (3 semester hours)
Selection, development, adaptation, delivery, and evaluation of age-and developmentally- appropriate activities for youth. Strategic use of activities to promote social, cognitive, affective, and psychomotor development. Supervision, risk management, and adaptation to special needs. Assists students to develop a diverse repertoire of purposeful activities based on principles of youth development.
Prerequisites: GPM320 and GPM340 or permission of program.

GPM380 Effective Not-for-Profit Management (3 semester hours)
Practical applications of effective management principles in the setting of not-for-profit organizations: understanding and developing one's individual management and communication styles and skills; fostering cooperative effort and effective teams within the organization; translating the organizational mission into effective practice; planning; managing change; grant preparation and other issues related to external funding; personnel and supervision issues; evaluating organizational success.
No prerequisites

GPM400 Financial and Quantitative Basis of Management (3 semester hours )
Integration of accounting principles and applications, financial management in not-for-profit organizations, budgeting, and financial controls in the organizational setting. Economic issues in fundraising and the government funding of youth development services; community economic issues relevant to the field of youth development services. Applications of statistics and use of internal and external quantitative data for planning, projecting, and evaluating.
Prerequisites: College-level math skills as demonstrated by placement/proficiency exam, coursework, or standardized test.

GPM420 The Community Environment (3 semester hours)
The social environment of the community and its relation to youth development issues, needs, and programming: social structures and processes, social change, social control, and social stratification; socialization through community organizations and institutions. The role of youth development services in the community; interrelations with other institutions and with the family structure and individual development.
No prerequisites

GPM440 Effective Organization and Managerial Communication (3 semester hours)
Developing professional skills and strategies for effective written, interpersonal, and presentational communication, both within the organization and with external audiences. Communication as a managerial tool. Designing and developing effective outreach materials and employee communications; use of print and electronic media and adaptation to emerging digital technology. Grant preparation and other strategic communication with external audiences. Identifying and developing individual communication style and strategies for effective supervision and community relations.
No prerequisites

GPM460 Diversity and Special Populations (3 semester hours)
Understanding the many dimensions of diversity and special needs in communities, and developing strategies for appropriate design and delivery of youth services in response to this diversity. Legal and ethical issues in serving special populations. Issues in program design and development; innovative program design; evaluation of program effectiveness. Working with families and communities to celebrate diversity and meet special needs in youth development services.
No prerequisites


GPM480 Youth Programming and Supervision (3 semester hours)
Organizing, planning, managing, delivering, and evaluating recreation/activity programs for youth. Assessing needs; assuring adequate supervision; safety risk management; setting program goals and designing activities to meet them. Managerial issues related to the delivery of youth recreation/activity programming in the agency setting.
No prerequisites

GPM494 Practicum in Youth Development and Managerial Communication (3 semester hours )
Arranged with approval of program faculty.

GPM499 Professional Youth Development Practice (3 semester hours)
Required capstone course for all students in the groupwork program. Students are challenged to synthesize their learning from the program, and to begin to develop an individualized, ethical, and effective style of leadership in human service management. Includes developing resources for applied scholarship in the field to provide a foundation for continued professional growth and development. Students prepare a graduation portfolio for presentation to a review committee of faculty and practitioner/consultants.