BTCC

Advocacy 101: Supporting Children and Families at the Indiana Statehouse

Sarah Kumfer (she, her) 

MCCOY's Public Policy and Advocacy Director will share updates on legislation passed in the 2023 session that are of importance to children and families, and will teach participants about the basics of advocating for children and families at the Indiana Statehouse during the legislative session. This discussion will cover the basics of the state legislative process; how to effectively communicate with legislators; how to track legislation; and how to ensure that legislators support children, families, and youth service providers when they cast their votes on bills.

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Recognizing and Resisting Adultism in Youth-Centered Work

Jessica E Adams (she, her), Shaleen Guthrie (she, her), James R. Brown (he, him)

Adultism is the belief that adults are in some way superior or of greater worth than children, and can lead to harmful outcomes for children. Our work with youth should communicate that they are valuable, and our interactions with them should demonstrate that there are shared expectations for behavior for all people, regardless of age. This session will examine how parents, caregivers, and youth service workers can collaborate with youth. This workshop will provide strategies for creating and implementing more effective and positive youth-adult partnerships. Learning will take place through interactive activities and discussions, and we hope that folks will walk away with implementable strategies to protect youth from adultist leadership.

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Strengthening Family Coping Resources

Marjorie DeBruyne (she, her), Marsha McCarty (she, her), & SCCAP Thriving Connections Families 

 In this discussion, panelists will share the model of Strengthening Family Coping Resources (SFCR), highlighting both Multi-family Group and Peer-to-Peer work around a trauma-focused, skill-building intervention, designed for families to build and strengthen healing resources through storytelling, spirituality and fun & laughter. 

In SFCR, families celebrate their uniqueness and cultural rituals while exploring new ways of coping and connecting. This work builds the coping resources necessary to help families boost their sense of safety, function with stability, regulate their emotions and behaviors, and improve communication about and understanding of the traumas they have experienced. Hear from trained facilitators, families, youth, and agencies who have requested and worked with SFCR to gain a well-rounded perspective on this valuable model. 

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Digital Safety Skills for Youth-Serving Professionals

Lauren Baney (she, her)  

As there are increasing concerns related to technology and social media use among youth, it is critical to help youth learn how to protect themselves online while still enjoying all of the benefits of the Internet. How might we do this? Strengthening the health and well-being of our relationships to others and ourselves, both in and outside the digital realm, are keys parts of this process. Attendees will explore topics related to digital safety strategies for youth, integrating technological literacy (e.g., digital citizenship) into youth programming, and ways to cultivate positive relationships among children - online and offline.