Mind Matters An Intervention for Substance Use and Misuse Prevention Youth across the nation are dealing with trauma and toxic stress like never before. Many times, their response is to act out or to start using. Parents, teachers, peers, family members, and the community can be frustrated by these behaviors and respond in negative ways, which can make matters worse. How can we help our young people make healthy decisions that are not based on emotional dysregulation or a response to trauma? We can educate them to recognize and regulate their emotions! This is currently being done in Gila County Arizona with the evidence-based program, Mind Matters. Arizona Youth Partnership is currently using Mind Matters in their Diversion Program, funded by Governor’s Office of Youth Faith and Families, in Gila County, Arizona schools. Students are referred to the Diversion Program who are at risk for substance issues based on excessive absences from…
Corrections
New Program! Project WITH Stories About Love, Life, and Relationships for System-Involved Youth Young people’s ability to form healthy relationships is significantly influenced by the examples they witness and the guidance they receive. Unfortunately, when youth become involved with the justice or child welfare systems, their opportunities to learn and practice these crucial skills are often disrupted. Project WITH is designed to change that! Join us as we explore this brand-new, research-based curriculum, tailored for system-involved youth aged 15-24 as it delivers engaging healthy relationship education through relatable storytelling. In 12 lessons, Project WITH empowers participants to explore the impact of “who they do life with” while equipping them with the knowledge and skills to build and nurture meaningful relationships. Objectives: Participants will: Discover Project WITH Explore its “Big Ideas” Understand the program’s theory of change Learn how Project WITH strengthens protective factors and builds essential assets Presenter: John Lewis,…
The Innovative Uses of Mind Matters to Promote Youth & Family Well-Being This webinar will describe implementation approaches, including adaptations, of Mind Matters across diverse populations and settings, including traditional school, alternative schools for at risk students/young adults, residential treatment for youth, community-based organizations, and college campuses. The presenters will then review data collected from a series of grants/research projects evaluating Mind Matters with a focus on the impact on knowledge of trauma, trauma related coping skills, PTSD symptoms, resilience, and social skills. This discussion will also include various evaluation strategies and guidance on how to gather essential data for continuous quality improvement and documentation of impact. Lastly, the presenters will share emerging opportunities for applications of Mind Matters to new populations and issues including parents and children affected by the opioid epidemic, racial trauma, and supports for refugee/immigrant youth and families. Objectives: Participants will be able to: Describe implementation strategies and adaptations of Mind Matters across diverse populations…
Solutions of Success: Using Mind Matters in Juvenile Justice Interested in working with youth and their families in the juvenile justice system? Join us as Arizona Youth Partnership (AZYP) shares their experience in collaborating with their Mohave County Juvenile Probation in rural Arizona where services and programming for youth are limited. Using OJJDP Title II funding, AZYP implements Mind Matters to prevent juvenile delinquency, to promote public safety, and to support positive outcomes for youth, families, and the community. AZYP focuses on youth both at-risk for delinquency and already in the correctional system. They implement Mind Matters in youth shelters, at tribal schools, in diversion classes, at a local PRIDE Center, and in weekly classes for youth on probation. They will share how they utilize Mind Matters in a variety settings. They will also cover how to effectively partner with local juvenile justice agencies on grant and community projects. Objectives:…
The Power of Relationship Education from a Policy Perspective Policymakers and policy analysts are increasingly turning to micro-level interventions to address large and widespread social issues. There is a growing recognition that what happens inside a home and family has broader social ramifications, which is turning policy conversations toward approaches that can strengthen couples and families. Relationship Education has proven to be effective for improving outcomes in a variety of settings related to families. Because many of the issues that public policy seeks to address are affected by family instability and parental conflict, Relationship Education can act as a preventative measure that diminishes risk factors that originate in the home. Also, addressing a problem after it has taken hold is often more expensive than stopping it from happening in the present. Join Dr. Jocelyn Wikle to learn how Relationship Education can be beneficial in diminishing serious and costly issues of…
The State of Youth Relationship Education Today Relationship education has moved from being an unfamiliar and unrecognized intervention to being an appreciated and effective intervention that can pull many levers in young people’s lives. We know from research that it can change sexual behaviors, reduce violence and the acceptance of violence. And, most recently, we see that relationship education can help build hope. Join Executive Director, Kay Reed, to learn about the current landscape for the field of relationship education. She will share new research outcomes, innovative funding streams and settings, along with challenges and opportunities for the field. Objectives: Participants will be able to: List outcomes that result from evidence-based relationship education. Target new state and federal funding to support relationship education programming. Share current challenges and opportunities for the field Presenter: Kay Reed, Executive Director Resources: January 2024 Webinar Slide Deck
Have you ever wondered what difference having an all male or all female* or co-ed group makes for youth outcomes? Well, so did John Lewis of Urban Strategies. John leads the collaborative, FuturoNow, which is delivering Love Notes SRA to approximately 1,300 youth annually targeting nine, majority-Latino neighborhoods of Los Angeles County that have teen birth rates far above state and national average. As part of their grant, FuturoNow is conducting a descriptive study to compare differences between implementing Love Notes with all male, all female, and co-ed groups. In this webinar you will learn what they learned about outcomes, outreach, and other key takeaways through surveys, focus groups, and in-depth interviews. *Self-identified Objectives: Participants will learn: How male and female youth experienced Love Notes in gender-based cohorts including what they liked and disliked Two strategies to increase recruitment and retention of male and female youth in by hosting these…
From underperforming schools to unsafe neighborhoods, from institutional racism to other structural barriers, hindrances often stand in the way of financial success for young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds. Given these challenges, many young adults lose hope, thinking they have no way of changing their life trajectories. However, there is a path that frequently leads to the “American Dream” and away from poverty. This path is called the “Success Sequence.” The sequence entails three steps: (1) getting at least a high-school degree, (2) working full-time, and (3) marrying before having children. Young adults who manage to follow the sequence – even in the face of challenges – are much more likely to forge a path to a better economic life. Join Brad Wilcox and Wendy Wang as they discuss how poverty is basically nonexistent among young adults who followed all three steps according to their new analysis of data from the…
Becky Antle, Ph.D., Professor of Social Work and esteemed University Scholar at the University of Louisville, won The Dibble Institute’s national competition to evaluate Mind Matters: Overcoming Adversity and Building Resilience in 2019. As a result, Dr. Antle and her colleagues have conducted a randomized controlled trial to examine the impact of Mind Matters on a host of outcomes related to trauma symptoms, emotional regulation, coping and resiliency, and interpersonal skills for at-risk youth in a community-based sample. Youth in the study reported high levels of childhood trauma and related trauma symptoms upon entry into the program. Following provision of this evidence-informed program by trained providers within community-based organizations, youth reported a reduction in trauma symptoms and improvement in resiliency despite a number of complicating risk factors and across multiple demographic groups. Join the researchers on this project as they discuss their most recent findings from the pilot of Mind Matters with high-needs youth in the…
Join Dr. Kristen Plastino and Jennifer Todd from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio as they define trauma and discuss Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). They will explore trauma’s effects on young people as well as youth’s reactions to trauma. You will learn how they shifted from the existing paradigm to a trauma-informed approach utilizing relationship education. They will share lessons they learned in the field as they implemented their approach with over 100,000 young people over the last 4 years in San Antonio. Objectives: At the end of the presentation, participants will be able to: Describe trauma. Name two causes of Adverse Childhood Experiences. List three either immediate or delayed responses to the “Effects of Trauma.” List one lesson learned from the field. Presenters: Kristen Plastino, MD, UT Health SA, UT Teen Health, San Antonio Jennifer Todd, JD, RN, UT Health SA, UT Teen Health, San…
Early family contexts can shape the trajectories of children’s adjustment throughout childhood. Families can provide a safe and stable base for children that is protective against adversity. However, when family environments are not stable (e.g., when parents/parent figures are moving in and out of the home), children may suffer. Join Dr. Elizabeth Karberg of Child Trends, as she explores how family instability in early childhood shapes children’s social (mal)adjustment over time. Objectives: How families in America are changing and what are common contexts for children’s early family experiences. Whether instability in families is linked with children’s social outcomes. Why instability in families is linked with children’s social outcomes. What this means for programming and interventions to support children’s positive development. Presenter: Elizabeth Karberg, PhD, Senior Research Scientist, Child Trends Resources: April 2020 Webinar PPT Child Trends Brief April 2020 Additional Resources Q&A from the Webinar
Becky Antle, Ph.D., Professor of Social Work and esteemed University Scholar at the University of Louisville, won The Dibble Institute’s national competition to evaluate Mind Matters: Overcoming Adversity and Building Resilience in 2019. As a result, Dr. Antle and her colleagues are conducting a randomized control trial to examine the impact of Mind Matters on a host of outcomes related to youths’ emotional regulation, anxiety, interpersonal skills, and resilience. Join the researchers on this project as they discuss their initial findings from the pilot of Mind Matters with high needs youth in the Louisville community. They will focus on youth-related outcomes, lessons learned, and tips for implementing the Mind Matters curriculum. Objectives: Specifically, webinar attendees will learn: 1. How Mind Matters is being implemented and evaluated in the pilot 2. How Mind Matters is making a difference with the youth being served. Presenter: Becky Antle, Ph.D., MSSW, MFTA, Professor and University Scholar, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY….
For the past five years, programs across the United States have been teaching healthy relationship skills to thousands of young people through Relationship Smarts PLUS 3.0 and Love Notes 2.1. Now, The Dibble Institute is excited to announce that both of these evidence-based programs have been updatedwith brand new information crucial to supporting teens and young adults in today’s world! They respond to changing conversations and conditions spurred on by #metoo, #timesup, smart phones, and social media. Relationship Smarts Plus 4.0 and Love Notes 3.0 both feature brand-new, age-appropriate content on: Sexual consent Online pornography Sexting Sexual assault Drugs and alcohol – and their impact on relationships Cyberbullying Relationship Smarts PLUS 4.0 is ideal for younger teens, and Love Notes 3.0 is ideal for older teens and young adults who are at risk of seeing their personal goals derailed by troubled relationships, unplanned pregnancy, and single parenting. Presenter: Marline E. Pearson. M.A., Author, Love Notes and…
Emily Abt, the producer/director of “Daddy Don’t Go”, will describe the “whys” and “hows” of her feature length documentary about four disadvantaged fathers in New York City as they struggle to beat the odds and defy the deadbeat dad stereotype. According to the U.S. Census, one in three children in America grow up without a father, placing them at a significantly higher risk to live in poverty, do poorly in school and run afoul of the criminal justice system. This is particularly true for New York City’s African-American and Latino children, of which 54% and 43% respectively grow up in fatherless households. A 2014 study of over 40 million children and their parents by researchers at Harvard University found that family structure showed the strongest correlation with economic mobility — more so than other factors such as racial segregation, income inequality, school quality or social capital. Esteemed sociologist/NYT bestselling author…
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
Join The Dibble Institute’s staff as they share their high-points from last year in the field of youth relationship education. Topics include: Research that relationship education is a potent new tool for pregnancy prevention, Robust relationship education as part of the sexual violence prevention toolkit, New settings for relationship education including corrections, child welfare, and dating violence prevention, New evidence that porn threatens the capacity to build intimacy, and Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) through relationship education. Presenters: The Dibble Institute Staff Resources: Love Notes ACES Poster Love Notes Issue Brief Soft Skills That Foster Workforce Success Teens Technology and Romantic Relationships
Teen parenting, poor refusal skills, early sexual involvement, and family complexity characterize the experiences of many youthful offenders. When teens and young adults are incarcerated, they often return to society still lacking healthy relationship skills necessary for successful family reunification and job retention. Relationship Smarts Plus and Love Notes curricula are about the building of the developmental assets missing in this population. Attendees will hear how a youth detention program is tackling this issue and a re-entry program experienced successful outcomes by addressing relationship skills first and job skills second. Presenters: Marcia White, IMPACT Community Action, Columbus, OH; Re-Entry Program, Relationship Education/Workforce Readiness and Laura Waggle, Perry County Detention Center, OH; Relationship Education in Juvenile Corrections; sponsored thru Forever Dads and the Ohio Office of Jobs and Families Resources: August 2014 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
Learn how understanding the emotional side of money can help young people make wiser choices in life, love and money management. Put two people in the same situation where they need to make a money-related choice and they’re likely to react to the situation differently. Our past experiences, values, and messages all influence our reactions. We know this, but we may not realize how much these influences affect our daily financial and social behavior. Guest presenter: Syble Solomon, creator of “Money Habitudes”