Salem State University’s Center for Childhood and Youth Studies is holding its 7th annual Salem as a Safer Child Symposium on Monday, April 1. The theme for this year’s symposium is “Building Resilience.” These events are free and open to the media and public.
The event consists of two forums. The symposium will begin at 9 am on April 1 in the Ellison Campus Center, bringing two keynote addresses and 21 workshops from experts in the field of mental health, social work, substance abuse, education, government and criminal justice. Experts will discuss community efforts to help children and youth to be more resilient, and they will provide strategies and recommendations on best-practices for improving young people’s well-being.
At 7 pm at the Salem Visitors Center auditorium, a special presentation by Dr. Michal Unger will occur, titled: “I Still Love You: Nine Things Kids Need from their Parents, Caregivers, and Schools to Build Resilience.”
“Together the community is working hard to help build a variety of ways to help our youngest citizens to be more resilient,” said Yvonne Vissing, professor of healthcare studies at Salem State University and director of the Center for Childhood and Youth Studies. “This event is an opportunity to learn about resources and strategies that we can use now to improve children and youth well-being. It will help build networks so we can increase resilience in the future.”
The symposium consists of presentations, panels, and keynote addresses by local, national, and international experts in the field. The first keynote of the day will be presented by Diane Levin, PhD, professor of early childhood education at Boston University. Her address is entitled “Helping Children to be Resilient.” Michael Unger, PhD, Canada Research Chair in child, family, and community resilience, professor of social work at Dalhousie University and preeminent writer on the topic of resilience, will give a luncheon presentation entitled: “Working with Children, Youth, and Families with Complex Needs: 20 Skills to Build Resilience.”
Senator Joan Lovely, Representative Paul Tucker, and Judge Sally Padden, retired first justice for the Essex Juvenile Court, will serve on a panel titled: “Government Efforts to Build Resilient Communities.” Members of the Salem Public Schools will also be sharing some of the many ways they help students and the community to build resilience.
This year’s Salem as a Safer Child symposium has been made possible thanks to SSU’s Center for Childhood and Youth Studies; Tower Foundation; Parents Helping Parents; Foundation for Alcohol Education, Inc.; Danvers Cares; Youth At Risk (YAR); and Salem State’s School of Social Work, Center for Holocaust and Genocide studies, Center for Civic Engagement, Maguire Meservey College of Health and Human Services, and Healthcare Studies Department.
For a full list of speakers or to reserve tickets, please visit this link.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Yvonne Vissing at yvissing@salemstate.edu.