WORKSHOPS
Opening Keynote: Dr. Brittany Patterson
Youth Thrive When YOU Do
Years into the COVID-19 pandemic, adults are facing unprecedented amounts of personal stress and trauma while trying to simultaneously support the increasing social-emotional needs of youth. Youth-serving organizations across the nation are enduring myriad consequences associated with unaddressed staff needs including burnout, demoralization, and high turn-over. Youth experiences are also inadvertently impacted because “you can’t pour from an empty cup.” Therefore, it is incumbent on us to prioritize adult well-being and intentionally “refill” to enhance our capacities for helping youth thrive. This keynote will highlight the current mental health and well-being needs of youth-serving professionals, discuss core skills that increase feelings of wellness, and share strategies for incorporating these practices into professional and personal environments.
Lunch Keynote: Marvin Toliver
Understanding the Whole Person
In this interactive keynote, the focus will be on connection. It will cover the ways in which trauma gets in the way of interpersonal connections. It’ll also cover how the prison-industrial complex benefits from perpetuating a culture of criminalizing and isolating system-involved individuals, and the various harms caused. We’ll discuss how the “us” versus “them” mentality creates a further divide. The presentation will also focus on why cultural awareness, community mapping, and doing research about a community should be a significant part of working with underserved populations. The presentation will include real stories to further explain the significance of how understanding the whole person in their environment will likely lead to empathy and ultimately benefit the healing relationship.
WORKSHOPS
Workshop Block 1 - 10:00am - 11:00am
The Fight: Practical Tools for Supporting Youth - Dr. Brittany Patterson
Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth & Youth of Color - Shawn Jeffers
Lap Around the Wellness Wheel - 1N5 (Youth Workshop)
Responding to Youth Gun Violence - Officer Lou Arnold & Mitch Morris
Workshop Block 2 - 11:00am - 11:50am
Miss Me With Your Malfeasance - Dr. Tynisha Worthy & Braxton Simmons
Fentanyl and Xylazine: What are they and how do we avoid them? - Chasity Rush
Finding Mental Health Resources As You Transition to Adulthood - Susan Shelton
The Fight: Practical Tools for Youth - Dr. Brittany Patterson (Youth Workshop)
Workshop Block 3 - 3:00pm - 3:50pm
Navigating Trauma to Create Connection by Marvin Toliver
Lap Around the Wellness Wheel - Sara Utecht, 1N5 (Adult Workshop)
Hip Hop @ 50 with Evelyn Sears, Jordan Dean, TJ Brame, and Deaunna Watson
Harm Reduction: Drug Prevention 101, HIV 101, and STI 101 by Rashida Pearson
