July 26 – July 29, 2021
8:30 am – 12:00 pm Central Time
Virtual Platform
Join us for the 2021 Virtual Summer Institute in Adolescent Health!
Over the last 18 months, young people have experienced tremendous levels of social change. Today’s adolescents are coming of age amidst a global pandemic, police violence, and social upheaval. These factors combine to amplify existing societal inequities and contribute to increasing mental health concerns among youth.
At the 2021 Adolescent Health Summer Institute, we’ll explore healthy youth development – what it means here and now. Building on four decades of research, we will explore how racial inequity, COVID-19, and mental health concerns are converging to affect young people’s health and healthy development. We will examine social determinants of healthy development, including structural and institutional racism, through the lens of schools, communities, and families. We will reflect on how COVID-19 has and will continue to transform the landscape of adolescent development. We will delve into effective strategies and best practices for supporting adolescents’ mental health and healthy development. We will also examine the importance of engaging young people as problem solvers and powerful change agents in their families, peer groups, and communities.
Guest Faculty Include...
Karen Pittman
Co-Founder, Former CEO, and Senior Fellow
The Forum for Youth Investment
Kenneth Ginsburg, MD, MS Ed
Professor, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Co-Founder & Director of Programs at Center for Parent and Teen Communication
Who should attend:
All who work with parents and young people – teachers, counselors, physicians, social workers, dieticians, mentors, coaches, school nurses, public health nurses and nurse practitioners, health educators, psychologists, school district personnel, youth ministers, religious leaders, law enforcement, policy makers, and youth advocates.
Day 1
• Identify positive developmental outcomes for youth.
• Examine how the economic, social, and cultural contexts in which young people grow up influence their development.
• Strengthen capacity to recreate environments in which youth thrive, across all the systems and settings where young people spend time.
Day 2
• Consider strengths-based, trauma-sensitive, resilience-building communication strategies rooted in healthy youth development.
• Investigate the traumatic impact of racism and discrimination on young people - and how to talk about it.
Day 3
• Explore systems-level best practices for promoting healthy youth development.
• Delve into culturally responsive leadership in schools and teaching practices.
Day 4
• Hear community, parent/caregiver, and youth perspectives on what is essential to support young people's mental health and healthy development.
• Investigate effective strategies and best practices for supporting adolescents' mental health and healthy development.
• Share resources and approaches for engaging young people as catalysts for positive change and community leaders.