Social Sessions

Mark Redmond, Executive Director of Spectrum Youth and Family Services, examines how to meet at risk youth where they are at and why it is so important to believe in them. Under his leadership Spectrum has become a nationally-recognized program helping youth who are homeless, addicted to drugs or alcohol, suffering from mental illness, and in the criminal justice system. www.markaredmond.com

Steven Healy, the CEO of Margolis Healy shares some of the insights and the wisdom he has from traveling the country working with  thousands of schools on matters related to their climate and safety and security and wellness.

Outright Vermont's Associate Director, Amanda Rohdenburg helps us understand the way that individual experiences (like rates of self harm and suicide) often point to larger, systemic issues, i.e. a cultural context that makes it difficult for LGBT youth to thrive.

Why is this topic so important to me? Suicide and self harm are immediate, pervasive, and preventable within the community of youth that Outright is mission-driven to serve.

One piece of advice is: Trust is built in small moments, over time. If you show that you are trustworthy with the small stuff, youth will be more likely to come to you when it's critical.

Website/social: Outrightvt.org @outrightvermont

Dr. Julie Roberts, Executive Director of American Dialect Society and Professor of Linguist & Dialectologist at the University of Vermont and Dr. Gary J. Margolis, Founder and CEO of Social Sentinel explore “The Changing Language of Our Times”.

Pioneer of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and DBT from McLean Hospital, Dr. Blaise Aguirre and Dr. Gary J. Margolis explore early childhood development in the classroom . Dr. Aguirre will give a broad overview of the nature of mental disorder in today's school classroom and consider proactive approaches to mitigate the impact of current and future stressors in children and adolescents. There will be a particular focus on risky behavior including suicidal and self-injurious behavior, as well as the effects of mental illness and medication on school participation and functioning and a review of practical measures a school can take.

Alexandra Tursi, MPA, Social Media & Digital Content Marketer dissects what is this phenomenon called social media? Much of what we know about it likely comes from watching students and our children using it. Learn the basics of social media, and how it’s used to create, share, view and react to content generated around the world.