SAMHSA: Practices for Engaging Youth Before and During Times of Emotional Distress

When:

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

3 p.m.– 4:30 p.m. ET
(2 p.m. CT; 12 p.m. PT)

Presenters:

Letty Elenes, Community Trainings & Groups Manager at Peers Envisioning and Engaging in Recovery Services (PEERS), Advanced Level Facilitator in the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP), and the first WRAP facilitator to run youth-to-youth groups in the Nation

Stephany Bryan, Program Officer and Consumer & Family Liaison for the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health and a gubernatorial appointee to the Texas Integrated Funding Initiative and the Texas Transformation Workgroup

Wendell Waukau, M.A., Ed.S., the Superintendent for Menominee Indian School District located on the Menominee Indian Reservation in Northeast Wisconsin, who in 2012 was honored at the White House by President Obama as a “Champion of Change,” or what the White House calls a “school turnaround leader”

Teleconference Overview:

How do we create safe and supportive communities that engage youth? How can parents build relationships with their children in which their children perceive their guidance as respectful and contributing to their intellectual and emotional growth? How can a school district build strong relationships with families and students that teach resiliency and culture while improving students’ health, well-being, and academic performance? 

These questions and others will be explored as we hear diverse perspectives on creating communities where youth feel safe and accepted. Our presenters will share their successes in creating opportunities for youth to learn how to maintain their wellness; take good care of themselves; make good decisions; and feel connected to their family, peers, and larger community. 

When young people don’t get their emotional needs met and don’t have guidance and support to learn and grow, problems can arise. If unaddressed, these problems can grow and increase in intensity until they reach crisis proportions. With incidents occurring in homes, schools, and universities across the country, families, young people, and professionals working with young people may want help with recognizing the needs of young people who may be experiencing trauma, neglect, or bullying, all of which can lead to social isolation, and with learning ways to address these issues.  

During this webinar, the second of a two-part series focused on mental health promotion and early intervention, you will hear three speakers describe how young adults, families, schools, and the entire community can play a part and collaborate in improving the emotional health and well-being of young people in their communities. You’ll hear how young adults are learning how to support one another, developing skills to take care of and be responsible for their own wellness, and learning how to actively and effectively participate in discussions with policymakers about issues that affect them. You’ll learn about the importance of parents’ getting the support they need to address their own issues, for their own healing and so they can become better parents, and the skills parents need to acquire and practice to support their children in becoming happy and successful adults.  And you’ll learn how one school district, whose superintendent was one of 12 educators in the Nation recognized by the White House in 2012 as a Champion of Change, has adopted new practices that have led to tremendous gains in on-time graduation rates, substantial reductions in suspensions and expulsions, and other positive outcomes. 

We invite you to join us in learning about innovative practices that are making a difference in the lives of children and their families and how you can bring these practices to your community.

Learning Objectives: 

• To provide participants with information about youth-led support groups and initiatives that are providing young adults with the skills to take care of their health and wellness and supporting them in learning to share their perspective on issues of importance to them. These efforts are important strategies for reducing social isolation and increasing a sense of purpose and engagement. 
• To learn about family healing, the importance of compassionate listening when talking with your children, recognizing when your children are experiencing difficulty, and supporting them in developing personal responsibility and decision-making ability so they can grow into healthy, responsible adults.
• To learn how one school district is building strong relationships with families and students that acknowledge the impact of individual and historical trauma and teach resiliency and cultural pride and how these shifts are leading to significant increases in students’ health, well-being, and academic achievement.

Target Audiences:

• Youth and young adults, including those experiencing or in recovery from mental health, substance use, and trauma-related challenges 
• Parents, other family members, and friends
• Parent-teacher associations and teachers, counselors, and administrators for grades K-12
• People in recovery from and those experiencing mental health, substance use, and trauma-related challenges 
• Peers, consumers/survivors/ex-patients
• Gender queer and gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, and asexual organizations, allies, supporters, and advocates
• Community members
• Leaders of community- and faith-based organizations
• Mental health and substance use treatment service providers
• Healthcare providers
• Federal, State, and local staff, policymakers, and community leaders

Questions:

If you have any questions, please contact the SAMHSA ADS Center at 1-800-540-0320 or by e-mail atpromoteacceptance@esi-dc.com.