Icebreakers enable a group of people to get to know one another by learning a little about each other. For example, have each person state her name and why she is there, or say a word that describes her that begins with the same letter as her name; e.g., "Shelly is silly." This gives each person a chance to get involved, and lets members of the group learn about each other.
When each person shares any previous experiences related to the training topic, it enables each to tell a little bit about why he is there for the current training and what experiences he can bring to the training. For example, if the training is on mentoring and some of the youth have either been mentored or mentored others, they can share what they liked best and least about the experience. This is helpful and credible information to the rest of the trainees.
Create mock situations similar to those the trainees will experience in the field. This will help prepare them to find real solutions to real problems. For example, if the training topic is volunteering in a homeless shelter, the mock situation could be a client who wants more food than is allotted and is causing a scene. Role playing creates a safe environment in which the youth can discuss ideas and solutions to problems and better understand real-life ground rules.
Gather experienced people to form a question-and-answer panel for youths in training. This is an ideal way for them to learn what the work they are being trained for is really like through people who have done it. For example, if you are training youth to volunteer in an animal shelter, the panel would consist of animal shelter employees, volunteers and adoptive-pet families. The youths can ask each of the people questions and receive answers to help advance their training.
Conclude the activities with a discussion and note-taking session on what was learned from the different activities. This would be an ideal time to allow each trainee to make a final decision about signing up for the next step in the process or to move on to work in the field.