Community Resource Fair, Health Symposium & New Parent Social

On Saturday, March 18, 2023, we hosted a COMMUNITY RESOURCE FAIR, HEALTH SYMPOSIUM AND NEW PARENT SOCIAL. Social service agencies, nonprofits, community partners, and recreational organizations showcased their services.  Our Health Symposium included 10 Parent-focused workshops.  

Click on the Presentation Titles listed below to view the slide presentations from our 2023 Parent Workshops:

The Impact of Trauma on Teens: Trauma is an experience that is emotionally painful or frightening, and overwhelms a person's ability to cope. The impact of trauma can stay with us for a short time or for a lifetime. Trauma has a significant impact on children and impacts their functioning in all areas, particularly during adolescence. Learn more about how to help teens adapt to life's hardest challenges and recover their sense of well-being. Presented by Leslie Ten Broeck from Pinebrook Family Answers.

Support Your Child's Mental & Physical Health with InfoBase: Parkland subscribes to an online learning platform called InfoBase, which has bite-sized videos through full courses that all parents can access. Mental & physical wellness topics include Social Emotional Learning, Stress Reduction, Overcoming Test Anxiety, Anxiety & Depression, Conflict Resolution, Nutrition, Movement, and Emotional Wellbeing, and Improving Social Awareness. There are also a variety of topics in career and soft skills, college readiness, digital citizenship, writing and presentations, and more! Presented by JR Renna from Parkland School District. 

Nutrition for Adolescents: This presentation will focus on pediatric obesity rates, healthy grocery shopping, promoting healthy body image, and warning signs of disordered eating habits. Presented by Emily Wargo from St. Luke's Health Network. 

PREP-Prevention Resources  and Education for Parents: How to Talk to Your Children about Drugs and Alcohol- Parents and caregivers are the most powerful influence in deterring their children from alcohol, nicotine, marijuana and other drug use. When parents/caregivers have skills, knowledge, and resources regarding substance use and prevention, their influence on their children's actions and decisions increases. This program provides information that research shows can reduce the chances that young people will engage in substance use. Presented by Mallory Henry from Caron Foundation. 

Mindful Parenting-Strategies for You and your Family: Join Shanthi Project to explore how to approach caregiving from a mindful perspective. Learn about the science of mindfulness, the basics of how our brains work under stress and how mindfulness can support healthy regulation, and what it means to parent from a mindful point of view. The session will include practical self-care and caregiving strategies to implement at home. Presented by Maureen Wendling and Georgia Bomgardner from the Shanthi Project. 

Anxiety-Moving Forward: This presentation will focus on Anxiety. There has been an increase in youth who are identifying that they are experiencing anxiety both in general and socially which often leads to avoidance to things such as school, peer interactions, etc. The presentation will discuss both internal and external responses to experiencing anxiety as well as some strategies to help decrease anxiety. Nicole Graaf from St. Luke's Health Network. 

Navigating the Middle School Years: The middle school years are a time of growth, exploration and new understanding. It is also a time of confusion, frustration, and stress! Join me for a discussion on tips and ideas for helping your student navigate the social, emotional, and educational challenges of middle school. Presented by Michael Gross from Parkland School District.

#Trending: Social media is everywhere and more accessible than ever. Participants will engage in age-appropriate discussion around the effects of social media, the brain science behind social media addiction, uncovering the dangers at the click of a button, and how to stay safe while connecting to others. Throughout the presentation, participants will also learn to identify the signs and behaviors to look for in themselves, their friends, and children. Presented by Maria Duarte from The Center for Humanistic Change. 

Sports Psychology: This presentation will focus on performance enhancement strategies, habit formation/behavior loops, training progressions, and energy management for team and individual enjoyment and prolonged success. Presented by Dr. Christopher Williamson

Intro to Teen Dating Violence & Social Media: During our presentation we want to provide parents with the tools to recognize unhealthy relationships in youth, how respond effectively and information on how they can refer youth for support and resources. Presented by Braley Veras from Turning Point.

This event was made possible with a grant from the Parkland Education Foundation.