Location: Main Library, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne IN 46802
Registration: FREE
Two (2) CEUs offered to participants.

Join us for this 2 hour training event where we will discuss the widespread impact of trauma, explore paths for recovery, and recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma. Participants will get the opportunity to discuss how to integrate knowledge about trauma into their daily practices. Finally, participants will discuss their own self-care plan as a way to limit the impact of vicarious trauma.

Learning Objectives:

• Define trauma and explore its neurobiological impact.

• Identify practical strategies for the adoption and integration of Trauma Informed Care.

• Use self-care as a strategy to combat secondary traumatic stress.

USF North Campus Gymnasium
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Secondary trauma is a type of emotional pain that can affect individuals who work closely with those who have experienced trauma (overwhelming life experiences). This trauma can have a profound impact on caregivers, teachers, social workers and other helping professionals. This training aims to provide an understanding of secondary trauma and its effects, including burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma. It will also offer practical strategies for preventing and managing the effects of secondary trauma, including self-care techniques, organizational support, and building resilience. By gaining a deeper understanding of secondary trauma and its impact, attendees will be better equipped to support themselves and others in their work.

VIRTUAL EVENT - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Diet culture’s pervasive influence on today’s youth is undeniable, shaping their beliefs about food and bodies. This discussion will explore the connection between mainstream concepts of health and the rise of disordered eating, eating disorders, and body image struggles. We’ll examine how diet culture infiltrates nearly every aspect of daily life and explore the physical and psychological toll it takes on developing identities. Attendees will gain insight into the truth about diet culture and learn practical strategies to foster resilience in children, supporting balanced relationships with food and their bodies.

Location:
Allen County Public Library
900 Library Plz, Fort Wayne, IN 46802

Description
LGBTQ+ youth experience a much higher risk of housing instability and homelessness than their peers. Once they are experiencing homelessness, they often face additional hardships because of stigma and discrimination. Studies show that across the country, 40% of youth facing homelessness identify as LGBTQ+, compared to just 7% of all youth. Join us to gain a better understanding as to how we can address the barriers and challenges this population often faces when searching for safe, reliable housing and learn more about local efforts and resources here in our community.

Learning Objectives

• Gain insight into housing disparities for LGBTQ+ community

• Learn best practice guidelines and identify gaps in local service delivery

• Learn local programming efforts

We invite you to join us for this Youth Mental Health Task Force initiative where we will spend the day exploring the current state of mental health in our youth and how we can help promote and encourage positive wellbeing in our community! This event is sponsored by Parkview Health, Great KIDS, RemedyLIVE, Bowen Center and Purdue Fort Wayne.

Up to four (4) CEUs available to participants.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Please join us for this professional development training (followed by a Question and Answer session) about the MBF Child Safety Matters®! This is a great opportunity to become educated and empowered about some very real, very concerning issues faced by all children today, including bullying, cyberbullying, all types of child abuse, digital abuse, and other digital dangers. During the presentation, you will learn how being proactive and using a primary prevention program is beneficial not only to students, but to their families, our school, and the community as well.

Morning Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the need for child abuse prevention education.

• Discuss the impact of ACES on youth.

• Understand the research and evidence behind the MBF Child Safety Curriculum

• Review the basics of the MBF Child Safety Curriculum

• For each of the following: child abuse, bullying & cyberbullying, digital safety & citizenship, develop an understanding of what children are taught and how you can support victimized youth

• Review the reporting process for each type of victimization

Afternoon Learning Objectives:

• Define human trafficking

• Outline key components of the Actions, Means & Purpose (AMP) model

• Identify youth populations most vulnerable to human trafficking

• List common red flags and risk factors for human trafficking

• Know what to do after identifying a suspected victim of trafficking or sexual exploitation

There (3) CEUs will be offered to participants who attend this session and complete the training evaluation.

This is a Virtual Event.
Cost: $5

In this round-table discussion, we will examine stressors and triggers and unravel the complicated layers of adolescent anxiety, shedding light on its biological and environmental roots. Practical steps will be outlined for youth & teens to nurture their emotional well-being, alongside guidance for caregivers and educators to foster supportive atmospheres. By fostering open communication and facilitating access to resources, we aim to cultivate a community that prioritizes mental health awareness, empowering youth & teens to flourish in the face of adversity.

Learning Objectives:

• Understanding the Factors Contributing to Youth Anxiety

• Developing Coping Strategies and Resilience in Youth

• Enhancing Support Systems and Communication Channels

Join Amanda Miller (Great KIDS Director), Jessica Gervais (Great KIDS Training Coordinator), Richele Groeneweg (LMFT) and Nichole Suvar (Author & Intentional-living Strategist) for a conversation around ANXIETY. These days, most of us can relate to the familiar feelings of stress, anxiousness, worry, and just feeling flat out overwhelmed. Often times, many of these feelings can intensify with the stress and pressure related to the upcoming holiday season. Join us in conversation around what anxiety can look like and how it often manifests itself, how we can help identify signs of anxiety and depression in the youth and family we serve, and what tools and practices we can use to help ourselves and others manage feelings of stress and anxiety.

Throughout the conversation, the following topics will be covered:

• Identify areas of your life that could be the root cause of your anxiety.

• Provide practical tools to help manage anxiety.

• Understand the positive and negative connections between an anxious individual and their family members.

• Identify rhythms that can be cultivated to enhance those relationships.

Two (2) CEUs will be offered to attendees who participate in this session.

Dr. Lori Desautels

Adult nervous system states drive child and adolescent social, emotional, and cognitive well-being. In this session, we will explore how trauma and adversity impact the developing brains and bodies of our students and the powerful implications that adult regulation states positively create for a student's social, emotional, and academic growth.   I will share powerful regulatory practices for adults and students.   

This workshop is limited to 40 participants for a more intimate learning experience with Dr. Desautels.

Cost: $40 (includes lunch + learning materials)

Two (2) CEUs offered to workshop participants.

Dr. Lori Desautels

Applied Educational Neuroscience is a framework that is built upon educator nervous system, attachment, co-regulation and teaching ourselves and our students about their neuroanatomy.  We will explore discipline protocols from the lens of neuroscience. We will address specific shifts within the traditional and brain aligned models and practices. We will begin to understand that traditional discipline works the best for kids that need it the least and works the least for kids who need it the most. When we are dysregulated, our brains do not respond to words, lectures, consequences, or rewards.  Relational discipline is not something we do to children, it is something we want to create within them. Lastly, we will share new brain aligned strategies for meeting students in brain development  and nervous system states promoting lasting behavioral changes and the healthy regulation of our nervous systems. This new lens for relational discipline is effective and supportive for all students! This shift takes leadership and begins with regulated adult nervous systems. 

 Learning Objectives:  

• Attendees will deeply understand the neurobiology of behaviors through lecture, discussions and application practices. 

• Attendees will be able to translate, modify and apply regulatory practices in schools and clinical settings for staff, students and children and youth. 

• Attendees will be able to explain and summarize how the 4 pillars of Applied Educational Neuroscience define a new lens for discipline. 

($10 registration fee - includes lunch)

Kruse Plaza
5634 Opportunity Blvd.
Auburn, IN 46706

Four (4) CEUs will be offered.

Featured Keynote: Victor Pacini
Victor Pacini understands the delicate nature of abuse. Not only is he a survivor of sexual abuse, but his sister was murdered in 2001 due to domestic violence. His dynamic Erin's Law curriculum has been delivered to over 950,000 children and parents. He’s been referred by school administrators as, “The most unique and effective presenter of sexual abuse awareness.”

He is the author of Winning Within, There’s Only One You, Be Seen and Heard (Erin’s Law Content), Your VOICE, My Dreams, and has recorded two music CD’s. His ultimate goal is to help children and parents increase their knowledge and awareness about the topic of sexual abuse and domestic violence. He does this by delivering it from a fresh and positive perspective. Victor is the proud father of Mimmi, Angelo, and Luca.
Learn more about Victor's work >>

Featured Keynote: Deanna Hynes
Deanna Hynes is a survivor of child sexual abuse at the hands of her biological father. While she found the courage to tell at 13 years old, she was ignored by her mother. At 20 years old, she found the courage to tell her husband. After disclosing, Deanna graduated from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor's degree in Family Social Services. Since 2014, she has presented to over 250,000 individuals on sexual abuse. She is currently a national public speaker with Childhood Victories.  

In November of 2018, her father was convicted and sentenced to a total of 60 years for the abuse against Deanna's sister. In April of 2019 he accepted a 6-year plea agreement for the abuse against Deanna. While being a fierce advocate for victims and survivors, Deanna is also a mom, wife, and makeup enthusiast.

Featured Keynote: Stacey Gagnon, Director of Trauma Lens Care

Event in Partnership with the YMCA, SCAN, Indiana Department of Child Services, Children First, Prevent Child Abuse Indiana, & Garrett-Keyser-Butler School District.

Sponsored in part by:

Community Foundation DeKalb County
Wible Realty
ProFed Credit Union
Kruse Plaza

This series is funded by The Lutheran Foundation.

Wednesday, March 29, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

• Location: Virtually on RemedyLIVE

Two (2) CEUs will be available to those who attend and complete a session evaluation.

ATTENDEES WILL:

• Have a better understanding of how to work with youth who have experienced death and other losses.

• Understand developmentally how children grieve.

• Understand secondary trauma and how to navigate through its impact. 

Have concrete takeaways/tools to effectively communicate with youth who have experienced loss.

Richele Groeneweg, MS Ed, LMFT, is a licensed marriage and family therapist working very part-time at both RemedyLIVE and The Aberdeen Group. In her role as Mental Health Advocate at RemedyLIVE, she seeks to provide mental health support to SoulMedics, crisis helpline specialists who serve on a 24-hour chatline, and facilitates conversations surrounding mental health in organizations within our community through the WIRED Experience, desiring to break the stigma surrounding mental health. As a client-centered clinician at The Aberdeen Group, Richele takes an integrative approach to working with clients utilizing EMDR, Internal Family Systems, Restoration Therapy, Gottman Couples Counseling approach, Narrative Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.  She is trained in EMDR, is a Level II Gottman Trained Therapist, and a Prepare Enrich marriage assessment facilitator.  Richele believes it is an honor to walk alongside others as they pursue wholeness individually or within relationships and is inspired by the courage, strength, and perseverance she views within her clients. Richele joins with her clients through securing a solid therapeutic relationship and encourages them to live more wholeheartedly. 

Cindy Maldonado-Schaefer, MS, MHRM has been working with the children, teens and families at Erin’s House for Grieving Children for fifteen years.  In her time, she has had the pleasure of supporting those families in their grief journeys to integrate grief into their everyday lives.  While it may sound odd, she has had a lot of fun doing so; reminding those youth, that it is okay to have fun in pain, feel joy in sadness and most importantly to not feel guilty in doing so!    In addition to working with the families, Cindy additionally has the pleasure of helping this amazing community become grief informed.  When tragedy hits school communities and youth serving organizations-Erin’s House can oftentimes be called in for support and educational guidance and assistance.   Cindy enjoys spending time with her 3 boys and husband; they can most times be found playing games, trialing activities for Erin’s House and always goofing around outdoors whenever possible. It’s never a dull moment at home for sure!  When she has a moment to herself, she tries to dabble in baking and is very much trying to understand this whole workout thing!

This series is funded by The Lutheran Foundation.

Allen County Public Library - Main
900 Library Plz
Fort Wayne, IN 46802

Featuring Keynote Speaker Stephanie Solomon (Youth Programs Coordinator working in Primary Prevention with the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence)

At the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV), we know that promoting healthy relationships for teens begins with building protective environments, environments that make the healthy and safe behavior the easy behavior. The abuse and control embedded in teen dating violence is rooted in patterns that show up across the social ecology. In our youth engagement work, we aim to promote the healthy conditions that enable connectedness. Join us this Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention month (TDVAM) to consider how we as decision makers act in relationship to the power we hold, particularly when it comes to influencing the environments surrounding young people. This TDVAM we’ll explore the conditions that enable safety, stability, and nurturance for teens.

Event schedule:

9:30 a.m. Registration & light breakfast

10:00 a.m. Keynote Speaker: Stephanie Solomon

11:00 a.m. Survivor Story

11:30 a.m. Simulation

12:15 p.m. Lunch (provided)

12:45- 2:00 p.m. Community Panel

Three (3) CEUs offered to those who attend this session & complete an evaluation

Women's Historic Club
402 W Wayne Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46802

Presented by Ben Rheinheimer and Tyler Huston (ULEAD)

Join us for a dynamic learning experience that empowers you to see your authentic self with new eyes, to reconnect with your purpose, and to gain tools to help you sustain a healthy and empowered life. In this session, you will be invited to look into the mirror and embrace the power in you that is dynamic, generative, and spectacular.

Two (2) CEUs to participants who attend and complete a training evaluation.

SEL: Understanding Misconceptions, Finding Common Ground and Putting Kids First

Dr. Sandy Washburn & Ms. Deanna Nibarger (Indiana University Center on Education and Lifelong Learning)

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) has been under attack in the news, classrooms, and communities throughout Indiana and our country. But what is SEL and what about SEL specifically is under attack? SEL focuses on creating inclusive, affirming, and welcoming classrooms where all people thrive. Additionally, social skills and emotional wellness– recognized as integral to all learning– are intentionally taught and developed. Highly effective teachers and mentors have always done these things. Dr. Washburn and Ms. Nibarger will offer practical advice in an effort to create better understanding of the goals and outcomes of SEL. They invite you to join the conversation in this session as an opportunity to invest in collaborative solutions.

Lunch provided!

Two (2) CEUs offered to attendees who complete the training evaluation

Great KIDS in partnership with Amani Family Services and YMCA Greater Fort Wayne

Location

Purdue University Fort Wayne- Classic Ballroom
2101 East Coliseum Boulevard
Fort Wayne, IN 46805

About this event

Presented by Peter Kirkwood, Cultural Intelligence (CQ®) Certified Facilitator

This workshop will introduce you to Cultural Intelligence (CQ®), an innovative approach to working and relating across cultures. Rooted in scholarly research and used by organizations like Harvard, Goldman Sachs, BMW, and Google, this engaging, practical session will give you a chance to identify your individual value orientation, reflect on some of the intercultural challenges and opportunities you face, and create an action plan for developing and applying your CQ.

Learning Outcomes:

- Self-awareness of how culture influences your interactions with others

- Understanding how to develop and apply CQ in yourself and others

- Effectiveness engaging with multicultural colleagues, customers, and communities

Three (3) CEUs will be offered to participants who attend and complete the training evaluation

The purpose of our annual ATNNI training series is to collaborate with experts in the national anti-trafficking movement in order to build the collective capacity of our local communities to support persons who have experienced, or are experiencing, human trafficking.

Conference sessions presented by Jane Anderson:

Building Human Trafficking Cases with Intimidated and Missing Victims

The victimization of survivors of sex and labor trafficking may persist long after the trafficking stops. Following the arrest of a trafficker or a victim's exit from exploitation, traffickers continue to assert force, fraud, and coercion against survivors. These intimidation tactics enable offenders to escape criminal accountability: law enforcement and prosecutors are unable to locate victims and witnesses necessary to build a case, or victims are too fearful or traumatized to participate in the criminal justice process.

This presentation will provide prosecutors and allied professionals with strategies for minimizing opportunities for intimidation and maximizing offender accountability when victims are intimidated or missing. Specifically, the presenter will discuss protective orders, courthouse safety measures, and strategies for bringing the voice into the courtroom through the doctrine of forfeiture by wrongdoing and other rules of evidence.

Forced Criminality Case Study – The Perfect Plan: How Victor Rax Sexually Abused and Trafficked Boys in Salt Lake City

While awareness of human trafficking is on the rise, there are still blind spots that prevent law enforcement from recognizing all forms of exploitation. Men, boys, and victims of labor trafficking through forced criminality are often overlooked because they do not fit the typical depiction of a human trafficking victim. However, in the case of Victor Rax, Utah’s Attorney General’s Office was able to identify dozens of boys and young men from immigrant communities who were forced to sell drugs after being sexually, spiritually, and physically abused.

This session will use the Rax case as a backdrop to discuss the realities of labor trafficking through forced criminality, including how traffickers use grooming tactics common in both child sexual abuse cases and in gang culture to recruit and coerce victims to commit crimes. Strategies to better identify and respond to cases of forced criminality will be discussed through a detailed examination of the Rax investigation which led to his eventual arrest for sexual abuse and labor trafficking.