I am often asked if I know of resources to educate youth about ACEs, I am excited to share with you that our next Better Normal- Education Upended will focus on just that! Join us Thursday 10/1 as we welcome our speical guest Samantha Wettje from the 16 Strong Project. 16 Strong is dedicated to empowering resilience to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) through educational workshops, school partnerships, and community outreach. 16 Strong strives to continue conversations that help young people recognize and navigate the challenges they are facing as a result of ACEs. They believe that with strong support systems, healthy coping mechanisms, and a positive mindset, the negative impacts of ACEs can be mitigated.
Samantha Wettje is the co-founder of the 16 Strong Project and an adolescent mental well-being advocate. She holds an Ed. M. from Harvard University in Human Development and Psychology. She created 16 Strong in response to what she experienced as a young person growing up with familial mental illness and addiction. Her work focuses on empowering resilience to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) through educational workshops, online resources and community outreach. Outside of 16 Strong, Samantha works with the EASEL lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) on the Navigating SEL from the Inside Out guide, as well as the Making Caring Common Project at HGSE on resources for college admissions officers to assess character and non-cognitive skills in applicants.
Weekly themes include: How do we create physical and psychological safety, especially in the face of so much uncertainty? What strategies can we use to create a culture of collective care? How do we implement peer support structures for youth AND adults? What might the first two weeks of school look like with an emphasis on student and adult well-being? How do we manage the transition while acknowledging our collective grief and trauma? How might we build anti-racist schools and keep equity front and center of our policies? In what ways can we lift up and empower youth voices in education?
Our current capacity is 100 participants, so please join us on time and we will enter people until we reach capacity. These will be recorded and available on the ACEsConnection website and YouTube channel. Zoom meeting info below.
Lara Kain, ACEs In Education community manager for ACEs Connection, will lead the discussion along with other special guests and co-hosts.
If you want to catch up on past Better Normal-Education Upended we now have our own dedicated YouTube channel!
Register for the October 1st Zoom meeting here:
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