Information on more workshops coming soon
Mentorship
Speaker: Sandra Oestmann (MSN, RN,CNML)
Description: This workshop will focus on effectively navigating the mentor-mentee relationship, setting clear goals, and actively participating to achieve desired outcomes. It will include interactive activities to practice setting SMART goals, sharing best practices, and delivering feedback effectively.
Trauma Informed Care in Schools · Collaborative Mental Health: Building Community Resilience with Schools and Police
Speakers: Jackie Wallen (MA LCPC) and Meghan Meyer (Ed.D)
Description: This interactive workshop focuses on fostering effective collaboration between law enforcement, schools, and community stakeholders through trauma-informed care principles. Participants will explore strategies for creating trauma-sensitive environments within schools, supporting officer wellness, and enhancing community safety through empathetic engagement. Topics will include developing partnerships that enhance resilience across systems, integrating trauma-informed practices into school and law enforcement settings, and navigating tricky partnerships and competing priorities. Attendees will leave with actionable tools to improve well-being and foster safer, more supportive communities for the entire community.
Connecting Communities through Trauma-informed Care: Bringing Trauma Informed Care to Kenya
Speakers: Michelle Desideri, MA LCPC Programs Director, Youth Crossroads, Inc.
Description: During a Community Solutions Fellowship with Youth Crossroads, Judah Njoroge Wambui was inspired to bring the idea of Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) to Kenya. Currently, TIC plays almost no role in supporting the mental health of Kenyan citizens, especially in rural areas where disability and a legacy of trauma from colonialism and political violence to tribal warfare and sexual abuse have gone undiagnosed and untreated for decades. Learn how 3 organizations have come together to address the mental health needs of the citizens of Kenya and our hope for educating medical, mental health and community leaders about trauma and TIC.
Empowering Youth: Strategies for Effective Engagement and Self-Driven Growth
Speaker: Michelle Parker
Description: This interactive workshop will explore proven techniques and strategies for effectively engaging youth in workforce programs while encouraging them to take ownership of their futures. Participants will learn how to create supportive environments that empower young people to identify their strengths, set their own goals, and craft their own career paths. Through dynamic discussions and hands-on activities, attendees will leave with practical tools to foster youth-led success and build strong, lasting relationships with the young individuals they serve.
Restorative Justice and Peace Circles, Gros Institute
Speakers: Christie Billups, Beka Flanagan, KC Crino
Description: The restorative circle “is a process that brings together individuals who wish to engage in conflict resolution, healing, support, decision-making, or other activities in which honest communications, relationship development, and community-building are core desired outcomes” (K.Pranis, et al, 2003). This session will be experiential during which participants will be asked to engage in reflection, share narratives from life experiences, and listen deeply to themselves and others. Toward the conclusion of the session, those in attendance will be invited to debrief and imagine ways that restorative practices such as Circles might enrich their work with youth and the transformative communities they are striving to build. MORE INFORMATION · CLICK HERE
Trauma Informed Care for Adolescent Newcomers
Speakers: Susan Buechele, Jacqueline Rincon, Rachel Hogue and Marcela Hernandez
Description: This interactive workshop will be led by the Social Workers and Nurse Practitioners at the Loyola University Chicago, Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, School-Based Health Center at Proviso East High School. They will provide an overview of trauma informed care, trauma that adolescent newcomers may encounter, screening tools, treatment options, and potential barriers to care. Each participant will learn how to create a culture of trauma informed care in their workplace and begin to examine steps they can take to practically implement a trauma informed approach when working with adolescent newcomers.
Youth in Crisis: Impact of Social Media
Speaker: Kevin Polky
Description: On May 23, 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory warning about the impact that social media is having on the mental health of young people. Youth are reporting higher levels of anxiety, depression, loneliness, and suicidality than ever before. This workshop is designed for youth, parents and professionals to address this growing crisis. During this workshop, we will discuss parenting styles, Eric Erickson’s developmental stages of growth and how this is impacted by technology and social media. The impact of social media use on academic performance and the mental health of our youth. We will introduce techniques to minimize the negative impact of social media on the family.
Objectives: Introduce different parenting styles and the pressures of modern parenting. Introduce and implement Eric Erickson’s development model for children and youth and how social media is having a negative impact on development. Impact of social media on our youth academic performance and mental health development. Techniques and tips for parents and professionals regarding social media and our youth.