JRB/LIST Conference Open for Registration

5.23.2018

 

CYSA's JRB / LIST CONFERENCE
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Sponsored by CSSD & DCF


Location:  CCSU’s Institute of Technology and Business Development (ITBD)
185 Main St, New Britain, CT

Fee: $25 includes validated parking, light breakfast, and lunch

AGENDA
8:15-8:45 Registration
8:45-9:45 Welcome & Updates
  Keynote: Ryan Matthews,
Director of Community Programs,
Big Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters
10:00-11:15 Breakout Session I
11:30-12:45 Breakout Session II
12:45-1:45 Lunch
2:00-3:15 Breakout Session III
3:15-3:30 Evaluations

  

Registration is closed for the 2018 Conference.  See you in 2019!

BREAKOUT SESSION I 

Helping Families Raise Digital Natives with Character
Amy Alamar, EdD
This interactive presentation will address the use, over-use, and possible dangers of technology used for homework, leisure and socializing and the challenges it presents to families.  Dr. Alamar will offer practical strategies professionals, parents and children can use to truly embrace this new digital frontier without fear and within reason. Included will be strategies to:
• Teach digital citizenship
• Develop an open conversation for the unpredictable
• Help kids develop a strong moral filter
• Support kids’ social lives online and off

Helping Girls Make Themselves Heard
Tiana Brown, Norwalk Housing Authority
"GIRL CHATS" focuses on creating a safe zone for girls to relax and chat about their personal experiences with a mentor or a staff member. Through my experiences working with teenage girls, I have learned that our children's homes may not provide a place of refuge. When they arrive home a parent may not be home to start a conversation, “Like how was your day?" I believe that afterschool educators have a platform to start the conversation and provide girls with tools to make positive live choices.


"Restoring" Our Values – Restorative Practices Track Part A
Justin Carbonella, Director, Middletown Youth Service Bureau
We'll explore the concept of explicit practice and showcase the frameworks, theories, and research that guide how the Middletown Youth Diversion Team engages young people and their families. This primarily includes restorative practice, but will also touch on youth development, attachment, power dynamics, and adolescent brain development and how each shape the way we do business. We'll argue that by being explicit in your model, you can create a stronger culture on your JRB that benefits staff, volunteers, and the families we serve. This is the theoretical companion to Part B. 

Vaping 101
Youth and staff from Naugatuck Youth Services and Lymes’ Youth Service Bureau will present the latest information about vaping.  Learn how two YSBs have tackled the issue of vaping in their schools and communities.  Topics to be covered include vaping basics and how vapes work, why vapes are so attractive to kids, and how tobacco companies market to youth.  Strategies to reduce vaping will also be discussed.

BREAKOUT SESSION II

Cracking the Code: Listening as a Tool for Resolving Conflict
Tiana Brown, Norwalk Housing Authority
This workshop will help participants become confident leaders in conflict resolution techniques. They will begin developing a greater awareness of the pitfalls of ineffectual listening and realize the importance of using effective listening techniques when future conflicts arise.

Current Drug Trends
Officer Kevin E. Geraci, Drug Recognition Expert, South Windsor Police Department
In this workshop you will learn about current drug trends, signs and symptoms, and statistical data about drugs in Connecticut.  Also to be covered is the latest drug slang and lingo, paraphernalia including vaping, methods of concealing drugs, and how to identify drug culture through clothing.

Intro to DMST in Connecticut (Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking)
Isabel Alvarez, CSSD Training Academy, Multicultural Affairs Unit
This workshop is designed to enhance an individual’s understanding of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST). The training assists participants in identifying victims of DMST as well as receiving tips on how to best respond and support identified trafficking victims. Participants will learn definitions, federal and state legislation related to human trafficking, prevalence of DMST in CT, pathways to victimization, warning signs, impact to the victims, and who are the buyers/exploiters of this crime.

The Restore-o-Matic: How to respond restoratively to any situation - Restorative Practices Track Part B
Justin Carbonella, Director, Middletown Youth Service Bureau
Understanding that change is hard and theory doesn't always fit comfortably in the real world, we'll discuss some real examples of how restorative practices has been used in Middletown; both in our JRB and schools. We'll also field questions and scenarios from participants around their struggles to implement restorative practices and have a panel of Middletown diversion volunteers from varying sectors to give their perspectives. This is the practical companion to Part A, which is not required.

BREAKOUT SESSION III 

Adversity’s Impact: Inspiring Resilience
Mary Dineen Elovich, LCSW
This interactive presentation will initiate a conversation on the impact that adverse childhood experiences (ACES) has across the lifespan. Youth with trauma navigate chaotic surroundings, insecure attachment styles, and intergenerational transmission of abuse and neglect patterns.  Current Attachment research coupled with collaborating findings in neuroscience confirms the role relationships play in providing youth with the protective factors needed to thrive and be successful. Experiencing adversity is universal, being resilient is not. Communities with a shared understanding can create relational networks among multidisciplinary collaborators providing a tiered approach for high risk youth to experience safe, kind, strong and nurturing adult/youth relationships. Adversity impacts the human mind, body and spirit. Why do some people overcome great adversity while others do not? The answer lies within each of us. Changing the trajectory of a human life impacted by violence or abuse, begins with another human.  Out of relationship, resilience is born.

Assessing and Responding to School Threats
Francis J. Carino, Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney
In today’s environment, the safety of the students and staff in our schools is a serious concern and is the responsibility of everyone, not just law enforcement. The ability to assess a threat is critical to formulating a response that will be effective, but at the same time appropriate. This session will preview the threat analysis methodology suggested by the FBI in their publication “The School Shooter: A Threat Assessment Perspective.” The topics covered will include identification of the types of threats, factors in threat assessment, levels of risk and the four pronged assessment approach. Participants will come away from the session with a template for school officials and law enforcement to begin a rational process of assessing and responding to school threats.

Creative Diversion Contracts
Panel discussion.  Chris Montes, Moderator
How effective are your diversion contracts?  Could you use some new ideas and strategies?  In this interactive workshop you will hear from seasoned JRB professionals about the diversions that work for them.  Audience members will be encouraged to share their advice and experiences as well.  Possession of marijuana, shoplifting, fighting, cyberbullying, and vaping are some of the topics that will be covered.  You will leave with some new approaches for the routine cases we all see at JRB.

Mentoring for System Involved and JRB Youth
Rebekah Behan, Program Manager, The Governor’s Prevention Partnership
Deanna Krzykowski, Juvenile Justice Team Leader, Waterbury Youth Services
Funded by a federal grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Mentoring NOW network is working to enhance mentoring services for system involved youth in 5 of CT’s major cities (Bridgeport, Hartford, New Britain, New Haven, and Waterbury) by implementing youth initiated mentoring practices and increasing family engagement.  This session will inform participants of mentoring system involved youth, specifically the connection, engagement and impact on JRB referred youth.  Participants will have the opportunity to hear of lessons learned from this network and visions of this work moving forward.

 

Registration is closed for the 2018 Conference.  See you in 2019!
 
CYSA Mailing Address:  PO Box 551, Glastonbury, CT  06033


4/6/2018
Youth Development & Leadership Training
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