When educating youth, one must be aware of their uniqueness as it relates to a variety of demographics, including the community where they are living. If youth cannot take the information you are providing and use it in their daily lives and in their community, then all of the education is for nothing. The evidence-based Love Notes Sexual Risk Avoidance Education(SRAE) curriculum is being used successfully in two SRAE programs that serve high-risk youth in very different communities – one in rural West Virginia and the other in New York City. In this webinar, we will discuss how, while these youth may seem like they are worlds apart, we have found that their response to this curriculum and relationship experiences are not all that different. Presenters: Torri Childs, MA, Field Research Associate who has worked with AMTC and Associates since 2008. Crystal Agnew, Deputy Director of Trinity Church, Peacmeakers Family Center Melissa…
At-Risk Youth
David Murphey, Ph.D., research fellow and DataBank director at Child Trends, will review the science of childhood trauma, and the prevalence of childhood experiences that can create it. Trauma, or toxic stress, can have lasting harmful effects on multiple body-systems, affecting lifetime health and well-being. Drawing on recently released data collected nationwide, the presentation will highlight implications for those who work with children and families, or on their behalf. Learning objectives: Identify some of the adverse childhood experiences (“ACEs”) that can create toxic stress Understand the overall prevalence of ACEs, as well as how that varies according to type of ACE, region of the country, and race/Hispanic origin. Identify some strategies that can reduce the negative impacts of ACEs Presenter: Dr. David Murphey, PhD, Research Fellow and Director of Child Trends DataBank Resources: ACES Brief
A record 55 percent of Millennial parents (ages 28-34) have put childbearing before marriage, according to a new analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistic’s Panel data by the American Enterprise Institute and the Institute for Family Studies. The rise of nontraditional routes into parenthood among Millennials is one indicator that today’s young adults are taking increasingly divergent paths toward adulthood, including family formation. New research by Dr. Wilcox and others shows that the success sequence works even for young adults today. In fact, 86% of Millennials who follow the sequence have now moved into the middle class and only 3% of Millennials who follow the sequence are poor today. Given the importance of education, work, and marriage—even for a generation that has taken increasingly circuitous routes into adulthood—Dr. Wilcox challenges policymakers, business leaders, and civic leaders to advance public policies and cultural changes to make his sequence both more attainable…
As a facilitator, the ultimate hope for program participants is to find meaning in curriculum sessions that eventually lead to behavior change. For some young people who have experienced trauma and adversity, the capacity to experiment with change can be frightening and overwhelming. By incorporating a Harm Reduction Framework into your facilitation, young people are given more opportunities to experience success, believe change is possible, and to strengthen their resiliency. During this webinar, participants will: Review and define Harm Reduction as a framework Discuss the benefits and challenges of Harm Reduction framework Review the role of resiliency and its importance in changing behavior Gain practical tools to improve resiliency for program participants Presenter: Kim Frierson, Training Specialist for RHYTTAC, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center
Learn from two experienced youth leaders who work with risk immersed youth and young fathers how they successfully implemented Love Notes in their settings. Clay Rojas from California works with young men and women in correctional settings while Avis Files from Ohio supports young fathers in realizing their hopes and dreams for their children and themselves. They will cover ways to 1) build rapport and connections with youth, 2) think outside the box to make concepts fun and interesting, 3) move from skepticism to optimism especially in terms of addressing dating and domestic violence. Presenters: Clay Rojas, Prison Families Aftercare Avis Files, Brothers United Fatherhood Program, Pathway Inc Resources: July 2017 Webinar PPT
Young people who have experienced trauma and toxic stress often have difficulty regulating their emotional responses when facing challenges in school, life, and relationships The Dibble Institute is pleased to introduce Mind Matters, a new curriculum to help young people begin to say, “I am not a victim of what happened to me.” Mind Matters’ 12 one-hour lessons teach participants to respond to negative experiences with innovative methods based on current neuroscience. Students learn to address their physical, relational, and mental needs. The skills taught in Mind Mattersare designed to be practiced over a lifetime. The curriculum is not meant to be group therapy or to replace psychotherapy. Rather, it is intended to be facilitated by paraprofessionals to inspire, uplift, and set young people on the journey of healing as they cultivate deeper resilience. Presenter: Carolyn Rich Curtis, MFT, Ph.D., Developer of Mind Matters, Founder of the Relationship Skills Center in Sacramento, CA….
ChildBuilders of Houston, Texas faced many challenges when introducing Relationship Smarts PLUS to disadvantaged youth. Limited instructional time, untrained staff, lack of funding, discipline issues, student mental health concerns, low parental support, and inconsistent attendance were some of the barriers that discouraged schools from fully participating in the program. They found, however, that one way to overcome these barriers was to partner with community organizations that worked in schools. The successful collaboration between ChildBuilders and ProUnitas now makes it possible for students in Houston public schools to learn the essential social and emotional skills presented in Relationship Smarts PLUS. Learn how their partnership is beneficial for both organizations as well as for the students they serve. Gain an understanding of what it takes to seek and develop new partnerships, communicate goals and expectations, share resources, and secure funding. At the conclusion of this webinar, you will be able to: Identify ways that community…
Relationships, whether sound or not, are central to the lives of disconnected youth. When at-risk youth learn healthy relationship skills they discover how to make beneficial decisions about their lives, their romantic relationships, and their family connections. We will identify risk factors that foster youth and runaway, homeless youth experience and how healthy relationship education offers protective factors that empower them to make healthier choices for their futures. At the conclusion of this webinar, attendees will: Identify the risk factors that disconnected youth experience and the protective factors that healthy relationship education offers them. Learn how healthy relationship education increases social and emotional well-being as well as decision making for youth. Discover how the evidence-based curriculum Love Notes is being used to improve outcomes for at-risk, homeless youth. Presenter: Dixie Zittlow, Director of Outreach l The Dibble Institute Resources: April 2017 Webinar PPT
Participants will: Learn how to use Rational Emotive Theory to support effective workshop facilitation Increase their understanding of the importance of theoretical frameworks Decrease their frustration and increases effectiveness Identify effective methods of thinking We also want to hear what you are experiencing through interactive opportunities during this webinar. Eric will explore plausible solutions based in counseling theory and curriculum content. Presenter: Eric Murphy, MS, MA, Master Trainer, The Dibble Institute, Cooperative Extension Agent for West Virginia University Resources: February 2017 Webinar Resources
Relationships are important in helping youth achieve their goals and a successful transition into adulthood. Having the skills to manage healthy relationships can make a difference as youth make decisions related to school, employment, and pregnancy prevention. These skills may be especially important for youth involved in or aging out of the child welfare system. This webinar will provide participants with a better understanding of the importance of healthy relationships for youth in foster care. This webinar also will summarize current research and evaluation evidence on relationship education for youth in foster care. At the end of this webinar, participants will learn: Why healthy relationships matter for youth in foster care What types of programs focus on healthy relationships for youth in foster care Key program elements that are critical for successfully improving relationship skills among vulnerable youth Presenters: Mindy E. Scott, Ph.D., Deputy Program Area Director and Senior Research Scientist; April Wilson,…
At-risk youth, like many young people, are eager to build healthy, long lasting relationships. Yet, they lack the confidence and skills to do so. The recently revised Love Notes: Relationship Skills for Love, Life, and Work helps disconnected youth learn those skills to succeed in love, life, and work. Love Notes takes an integrated approach that embeds pregnancy, STI, and interpersonal violence prevention into a comprehensive relationship skills program applicable to personal and work life. Love Notes was recently placed on the Office of Adolescent Health’s list of evidence based pregnancy prevention programs based on its strong results in preventing pregnancies in an evaluation at the University of Louisville. Learn from program developer, Marline Pearson, more about Love Notes and its innovative theory of change that helps at-risk youth learn relationship skills for love, life and work Presenter: Marline E. Pearson, MA, Author of Love Notes and Relationship Smarts Plus
Childhood trauma impacts growth and success in all areas of a young person’s life, including their capacity to form and maintain healthy relationships. How do we most effectively address the needs of traumatized youth in relationship skills programs? First, everyone in an organization needs to understand trauma, including administrators, supervisors and instructors. Then, we need to provide young people relief from distressing experiences by teaching them effective skills to calm and manage their emotions. Learn some modest yet proven programmatic changes that will enhance your organization’s effectiveness with young people who have experienced adversity in their childhoods. Presenter: Carolyn Rich Curtis, PhD, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Founder of the Relationship Skills Center in Sacramento, CA Resources: March 2016 Webinar PPT
Healthy relationships are important in “all” young people’s lives! Disconnected and vulnerable youth including Runaway Homeless Youth, Pregnant Teens, LGBT, and youth living in low-socioeconomic neighborhoods want to have healthy relationships. What’s the best way to help them achieve their dreams? Join us to see how the healthy relationship education curriculum – Love Notes – is changing attitudes, behaviors and lives of these most vulnerable young people. Guest speaker Vanessa Mejia will present a successful model of healthy relationship education with disconnected youth in schools, and community centers, as well as a shelter in Brooklyn, NY. Presenter: Vanessa Mejia, MPH, Youth Services Program Coordinator, Diaspora Community Services, Brooklyn, NY Resources: September 2015 Webinar PPT
Do your students show little interest in learning money management skills? Can they understand the skills but do not connect them to the relevancy of them in their lives, therefore show little progress in their personal saving, spending, budgeting behavior? Learn about the newest Dibble program, Money Habitudes 2®, a quick way to introduce vulnerable youth to the non-technical, human side of money – a critical element of successful money management. Learn how Money Habitudes 2® Is relevant for many grant programs including pregnancy prevention, teen parenting, and workforce development. Is valuable for building both financial competence and relationship skills. Is quick and easy to teach. Is youth friendly, fun, and activity focused. Presenter: David Durand, Leadership Development Manager, CCEO YouthBuild, Lennox, California Resources: May 2014 Webinar PPT
Recruiting and appealing to young adults ages 18-24 can be challenging for a multitude of reasons. In this webinar, Vanessa Logan describes her unique “boots on the ground” approach for how to build trust with marginalized young adults and consequently is able to provide them with tools to develop self-sufficiency. Integrated into her approach is the essential building of healthy relationship skills with pregnant and parenting youth, empowering them to successfully parent or even co-parent when no longer together. With a heart for people, Vanessa identifies critical needs of the underserved and builds bridges by partnering with organizations and community initiatives to uncover resources and move others toward economic mobility and self-sufficiency. Vanessa has a voice in the community for what makes a community thrive: it’s people. Objectives: Through the example of Vanessa Logan webinar attendees will learn to: Recruit young adults 18-24 years old into Healthy Relationship programming; Build…