Digital Commons Network^™

Just "Level The Playing Field" And Watch Me Excel!, Baruti K. Kafele, Baruti K. Kafele

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

This engaging, interactive, self-reflective session focuses on equity at the classroom level. It challenges teachers to look within themselves relative to how they relate to and engage with their at-risk students of color and other underserved students. It challenges teachers to confront whatever biases they may bring to these students that may be either blatant, subtle, undetected or unacknowledged. It argues that high-performance is an impossibility in classroom environments where equity fails to exist.

Willowcreek Middle School Alternative Program: Successfully Working Through Trauma, Debra B. Ekdahl, Taria Nicole Taylor, Michelle Stewart

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Not your typical Alternative School, Willowcreek Middle School offers trauma informed practices in place of student expulsions. A safe structured environment, reduced class time, academic strategies, mindfulness, yoga, and community service, all help to provide the educational and social/emotional supports necessary to help students at risk reach their potential and eventually transition back to the traditional classroom.

The After School Escape Room: Providing Engaging Activities For All Students, Sharon H. Walters, Pam Leinberger, Lindsey Moore

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

The presenters will demonstrate through a hands-on, "escape room" experience how STEM activities can be incorporated in an after school program activity to support learning in a diverse setting while incorporating the needs of all students. Come escape with us!

Reach Children By Teaching Children, Not Content: A Road Map To The Whole Child, Christopher Williams

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Teaching children is what teachers want to do, but all too often teachers end up teaching content and the children are left behind in the rear-view. Experience and discuss what it is like to teach using a curriculum map like a road map. Student engagement and positive school culture will be used to show how at-risk students can surpass expectations when they are taught and the subject area content information is used as the vehicle to shape a more positive future. During this session you will experience the ups and downs of the at-risk student and what you can do …

I Am Because We Are, Jennifer Baker

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Youth of today are given a bad name when relating to behavior and understanding of those behaviors. Many of those who are giving those bad reps do not spend "relatable" time with youth. Relatable time is when time spent with youth is not demanding but getting to know the youth as a person. During my time with youth, the best rapport I developed was when I had conversations that were accepting and understanding. So I started performing youth groups to see if the dynamics of the youth would change. IT did!

Growing The Youth Of Tomorrow: Applying Leadership Skills In A Hands-On Effort For Food Security, Chasity D. Tompkins

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

The objective of the poster presentation is to highlight the development of student leadership and goal setting skills through 4-H. The collaborative effort with local school systems and the County Extension Offices provides a strong foundation to pursue student growth outside of the classroom. This presentation benefits school officials and community partners.

L.O.V.E. Is The Answer: The Movie, A.J. Ali

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

The presenter will show a 60-minute, condensed version of their film, “Walking While Black: L.O.V.E. Is The Answer,” followed by a 15-minute question-and-answer of the L.O.V.E. Is The Answer principles that make up the foundation of the film.

Stop Beating Around The Bush And Get To The Root!: An Examination Of How Racist And Classist Structures Produce “At-Riskness” For Poor Students Of Color, Anthony Outler Eds

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Presenter will provide.

Revolutionary Tools To Transform “At Risk” Youth, Jeff C. Dane

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Students dealing with poverty, homelessness, behavioral issues, learning disabilities, learning English, or incarceration can present severe teaching challenges. Meet the challenge with the structures, activities, and procedures you’ll learn in this workshop. Combining tools from Cooperative Learning, Win-Win Discipline, and Brain-Friendly Instruction, this workshop empowers you with knowledge and strategies you will put to work immediately in your classroom. You will reach and support your hardest to reach and teach students. While individual teachers benefit greatly from this workshop, it is even more powerful when the entire school (or a school team) implements these powerful tools to transform the school …

Stop, Look, And Listen To What Your Data Is Telling You!, Simone Danielson, Jeffrey Harris, Jeff Barnett

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Join us for a ride on the Data Train where you will STOP, LOOK, and LISTEN to what your data is telling you and use the information to develop a process of continuous improvement in your after-school program to be an effective co-collaborator of closing the achievement gap. This workshop will provide information and strategies to be used in K – 12.

1. Participants will learn the importance of data analysis in afterschool.
2. Participants will learn how to work with regular day school professionals in determining what data sources to use.
3. Participants will be able to analyze sample data and develop …

Unveiling The Mask:Sexual Trauma's Impact On Academic Achievement, Behavior, And Self-Identity, Teshaunda Hannor-Walker, Sarah Kitchens, Lacey Ricks

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Sexual trauma is an unfortunate but a common and often masked experience for many students in America. While sexual trauma in itself is not a mental health disorder, it can become a risk factor for many academic and mental health problems. Trauma-informed schools can play an important role in helping students deal with the aftercare of a traumatic experience.

Technology And Addiction: How To Have A Healthy Relationship With Tech, Katie L. Greer

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Studies show that kids ages 8–18 are spending an average of 7.5 hours a day in front of screens. Additional studies show that the amount of time kids are spending on devices is negatively impacting their performance in school, along with social and emotional consequences. Brain activity while using devices has been compared to that of a heroin user, as schools and families struggle to find an appropriate balance. Learn the impact that devices, social media, and gaming are having on kids, and how we can help strike a healthy balance.

Implementing Youth Programs With Excellence: From Concept To Sustainability, Quinn M. Gentry, Reinette Arnold

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

This presentation addresses eight key areas that must be addressed to create, scale up, and sustain highperforming programs implemented in collaboration with after-school programs. The program draws heavily from seven years of successful federal funding and local support to reach and engage approximately 5,000 youth throughout Georgia through the use of 16 modules for comprehensive youth development. The presenters integrate lessons learned in program leadership and management.

Youth Experiencing Homelessness: Five Things They Want You To Know, Corbin Hannah, Tricia Eskridge

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

This workshop will invite participants to identify their current knowledge and biases related to youth who are experiencing homelessness. Presenters will share information gathered from focus groups of youth in Louisville, KY, who have utilized the services of the YMCA Safe Place Services. The presenters will walk the participants through the top five things that youth want the adults in their lives to understand, highlighting resiliency factors for this specific population. Finally, presenters will work with participants in developing the skills of understanding and expressing empathy with this population. Participants will gain a greater knowledge for working with this population. …

“Kids These Days!” Preparing “At-Risk” Youth With Social-Emotional Skills For Workplace Success, Steve B. Parese Ed.D.

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

A good job is an essential stepping stone into adulthood. It provides not only a paycheck, but a sense of pride and purpose as well. Unfortunately, troubled teens who had difficulty getting along with peers and authority figures in school typically find themselves struggling to get along with co-workers and supervisors as well. This interactive workshop for teachers, counselors, and community staff explains why youth at risk have trouble adapting to workplace culture. It explores employers’ unspoken expectations, and offers cognitive behavioral strategies for teaching social-emotional skills to adjust successfully to the world of work.

Reach The Heart To Teach The Head: Bringing Resilience To Your School!, Ayesha Fawzi, Reginald Hurns

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Resilience is the ability to cope from negative events, challenges, difficult situations, adversity, and knowing how to return to an appropriate level of emotional well-being. We have connected being resilient to academic success because if the student is doing well in the heart, it helps us teach the head. The objective of the presentation is to present how to teach resilience to the school through creative mediums. The target audience is high school but the strategies can also be duplicated at all levels.

Windows And Mirrors Literacy Experience: Open Books, Open Minds, Bethany Louise Scullin, Jennifer Allen

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Are you hoping to create an inclusive classroom and school environment where families of all backgrounds feel welcome and valued? In this session, you will learn how you can invite educators, students, families, and caregivers to read “window and mirror” books and create a virtual discussion space where they are able to have genuine and open conversations surrounding those books that celebrate the differences and similarities that make us all human.

Examining Teen Suicide, Then And Now: Research Prevention Among Special And General Educators And Counselors, Renitta L. Goldman, Sharyn W. Hillin

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

The presenters will discuss educators’ progress over a 30-year period to recognize high-risk behaviors for teenage suicide, will compare identified factors, what still is lacking among educators’ knowledge and training, and indicate effective programs, methods, and practices to assist professionals in developing comprehensive intervention plans.

Rural Education Panel, Robert L. Lake, Gina Williams, Torian A. White, Kim Morgan, Summer Pannell

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Schools in rural areas and small towns face difficult challenges in serving the needs of children and public education. This panel presentation discusses how best to serve the special needs of rural youth and schools. The presentation will also share successful programs, strategies, and tools for meeting the challenges of rural education.

Mindfulness: The 21st Century Superpower For Teachers And Students, Erin Tashian

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

This experiential workshop meets teachers where they are on their journey to creating a mindful classroom so that they can support their emotional needs as well as the needs of their students. Participants will explore mindfulness by definition and understand the value of mindfulness as a superpower for both teachers and students. We will uncover the science behind mindfulness and its ability to change the brain by decreasing stress, improving mood, and increasing focus and performance. Quick, easy to implement, mindfulness practices for both teachers and students will be reviewed.

Bullying Comes In Different Looking Packages, Jacqueline Y. Smart

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

The purpose of this session is to share bullying behavior strategies with adults who work with youth at risk. We want teachers, administrators, parents, and community leaders to leave this interactive presentation with a comprehensive approach to prevent and intervene against bullying and cyberbullying as part of a broader strategy to create a safe environment for all students.

“What Were You Thinking?”: Using Cognitive Behavioral Interventions To Influence Antisocial Attitudes And Actions, Steve B. Parese Ed.D.

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

This intriguing workshop explores the thinking and behavior that sabotages youth at risk in the community and propels them toward incarceration. We will first establish the rationale for cognitive-behavioral interventions (CBI), then delve into cognitive skills training, a CBI approach to help youth gain self-control skills, social skills, and/or problem-solving skills. Then, we will examine common distortions in thinking, and explore cognitive restructuring, a CBI approach used to challenge the false logic that youth at risk use to justify their actions. Participants will leave with new insights and skills for helping this challenging population develop a more prosocial mindset.

Unmasking “Mean Girls” Panel, Mary A. Felton, Irma J. Gibson, Quinn M. Gentry, Reinette Arnold, Stephanie Leggett

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

This featured panel discusses the prevalence of female juvenile violence; reported incidences of this violence; factors associated with violent behavior; and implications for families, schools, and communities for ending violent schoolgirl behavior.

Reading, Writing, And Learning With Incarcerated Youth, Mary E. Styslinger, Janie Goodman, Victoria Oglan, Timothy R. Bunch

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

This interactive, panel presentation will challenge deficit perspectives as four teacher-researchers share their experiences reading and writing with incarcerated youth. Evidence-based curriculum and pedagogy that expands literacy instruction in correctional facilities will be shared, and the voices of students and teachers will be validated.

A Teen Activist Takes On Sex Trafficking And Social Media, Isabelle Schwartz, Martha A. Tudor

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Sex trafficking is a crisis happening in every community in the U.S., with predators primarily targeting those 12 to 14 years old. This presentation features the research and perspective of a 16-year-old who has grown up in our public school system. She gives staggering statistics about sex trafficking activity, with special focus on how traffickers use social media apps to lure young people.

Technology And Addiction: How To Have A Healthy Relationship With Tech, Katie Greer

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Studies show that kids ages 8–18 are spending an average of 7.5 hours a day in front of screens. Additional studies show that the amount of time kids are spending on devices is negatively impacting their performance in school, along with social and emotional consequences. Brain activity while using devices has been compared to that of a heroin user, as schools and families struggle to find an appropriate balance. Learn the impact that devices, social media, and gaming are having on kids, and how we can help strike a healthy balance.

For Principals And Administrators Only!, Hotep Hotep

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Educational leaders face the same challenges that plague all organizations: program implementation (with fidelity), staff/employee accountability, team building and buy-in, improving organizational climate and culture, and engaging and involving the community. This administrators’ only workshop will explain why and how these organizational dynamics occur, and how to effectively maximize your school staff and student outcomes with minimal headaches.

20 Years Of Parent University: Going From The Grassroots To Long Term, Michael O'Neal

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Parent University of Savannah is a 20-year-old community collaborative that supports families. This initiative encourages parent involvement and participation in the education of our community’s children and youth. In this session, we will describe how we have stitched together various community elements to create a capacity-building model in which the parents have an opportunity to play a major role in directing what our program does and how it does it. We will discuss how we have maintained a vitality that has attracted stakeholders and service providers to collaborate and make us more capable than ever to serve our families.

Attachment-Seeking Behaviors: How Children Who Need Love Ask For It In Unloving Ways, Samuel Marion, Elizabeth Marston

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Attachment is a vital aspect of human development. Without healthy attachment, a child will often engage in behaviors that are off-putting and difficult as they attempt to connect. This workshop will present attachment theory and attachment styles. We will discuss how these styles manifest in challenging behaviors and propose interventions that target healing attachment wounds through empathy and connection.

Four Pillars To Reducing Achievement Gaps In Urban Schools, Gastrid Harrigan

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

The culture of a school has far-reaching impacts over every aspect of the organization. Participants will be exposed to researched-based strategies, and ideas to revitalize their school culture for minorities in urban schools. Participants will learn ways to make positive shifts, build relational trust, and recharge their students, staff and school culture.