What is YAR?
Youth at Risk (YAR) conference is the region’s only annual all-day conference for professionals who work with at-risk youth. The event features 38 breakout sessions, as well as keynote speakers, program exhibitions and networking opportunities.
The mission of YAR is to support communities of professionals serving children, youth and families, and to provide them with affordable continuing education, collaborative networking and self-care opportunities.
The YAR conference is geared toward individuals working with and caring for youth in a variety of settings—family, community, school, religious, healthcare, human service, recreational and legal. Attendees include social workers, psychologists, youth counselors, family therapists, educators, school adjustment counselors, guidance counselors, community and public health workers, program managers, agency and organization CEOs, police officers, juvenile court personnel, lawyers, and volunteers. For more information please contact yar@salemstate.edu or 978.542.2085.
2019 YAR Conference Materials, Resources and Breakout Session Materials
FAQs
The conference has now ended, stayed tuned for information on next year's event.
YAR 2019 held on Friday, May 31 is now over. For updates and information on future conferences, join our email list by emailing yar@salemstate.edu with your preferred address, phone and email.
The following CEUs were awarded in 2019:
CAFL, CPCS: 6
NASW: 5
LMFT: 7
LMHC: 6.75
EEC: .5
Each year, the Youth at Risk (YAR) conference honors a special person who lives or works in Merrimack Valley or Essex County and has made an outstanding contribution in supporting youth at risk. The Diruhi Mattian Memorial Award honors the memory of an extraordinary social worker who was tragically killed in 2008. Diruhi was dedicated to her profession and always wanted to make a difference in the lives of young people over and over again. The award was created in her name to recognize those who, like Diruhi, do outstanding work in the community for our youth.
Nominations for the 2019 Diruhi Mattian Memorial Award are closed. The awardee will be recognized at the conference on May 31, 2019.
Previous Award Winners
- 2010 - Mike Duda, YAR Founder and Pastor of First Church in Wenham
- 2011 - Kelly O’Connor, Director of the Gregg Neighborhood House Afterschool Program 2012 - H. Bud Kelly, a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
- 2013 - Mark Libon, V.P. of Community Based services for Lahey Health Systems
- 2014 - Donna Coe, Nurse Practitioner at Lynn Community Health Center
- 2015 - Patrick Foley, Program Director for the Adolescent STARR program
- Fred Mathieu, Director of Kids Club program at Washington Street Baptist Church - 2016 - Carol Ireland, VIP Team Advisor, Haverhill High School
- 2017 - Deb A. Morrison, MSW, LICSW, Kevin O'Grady School at North Shore Consortium in Beverly
- 2018 - Nancy Edman Earls, Director of the Newburyport Learning Enrichment Center (NLEC)
- 2019 - Eric Cousineau, Social Worker at the Greater Lowell Department of Children and Families
The expo showcases nonprofit organizations and industry vendors that provide unique services and resources to those who serve and care for youth. Fill out the 2020 YAR Expo application.
Jane Truesdell Ellis, Attorney
Kathy Moriconi, Co-Founder, YAR
Linda Richards, Department of Mental Health
Amy Ackroyd, Children's Friend and Family Services, A Division of JRI
Hailey MacDonald, Pathways for Children
Maria Avila, MA Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children/Eliot
K.C. Bloom, Salem State University
Nicholas Bound, Department of Youth Services
Linnea Burrill, Department of Children & Families
Missey Donohoe, Essex Sheriff’s Department (retired)
Michelle Fyrer, Department of Children & Families
Staci Gergely, Lynn Juvenile Court
Lyla Harrod, DanversCARES and Center for Childhood and Youth Studies, Salem State University
Lea Hill, DDS, NE Regional Autism Services
Jenney Dale Holland, Advancement Events, Salem State University
Kimberly Hutchins, Private Practice and Consultation
Robert Lewis, Child Welfare Consultant
Barbara Richards, Department of Youth Services
Fran Rosenberg, Northshore Education Consortium
Christine Shaw, Merrimack College
Karen Wilk, Educational Clinical Consultant, (Beverly Public Schools - retired)
Jessica Caron, Beth Israel Lahey Health Behavioral Services
To join the committee, please contact yar@salemstate.edu.
As a Sponsor of YAR, you will align yourself with thousands of working professionals in northeast Massachusetts. It is an exclusive opportunity to support their important work and reach a wide range of community members. To learn more about our sponsorship packages, please contact Taylor Dunn at tdunn@salemstate.edu or at 978.542.7560.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Feature
The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation
Presidential
Margaret M. Collins Charitable Trust
Edward S. and Winifred G. Moseley Foundation
Lahey Health
YAR Endowment Fund of Essex County Community Foundation
Benefactors
Dusky Fund at ECCF
Justice Resource Institute Inc.
Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA
Merrimack College
Salem Five Charitable Foundation
Friends
For more general information, please contact YAR@salemstate.edu or 978.542.2085.
May 30, 2019 YAR presented the film Normie with a talkback after the screening with filmaker/director, Kurt Neale.
Please check back for updates on future YAR film presentations.
History and Additional Information
The Essex County Community Foundation established the YAR conference in 2000 as a response to the need for increased collaboration and coordination among the many providers of services to at-risk youth in and around Essex County. As of 2015, Salem State has taken over the program and pledges to carry on the YAR mission of trainings and outreach. The conference remains an amazing opportunity to tap the wealth of expertise in Essex County on the topic of youth at risk. It continues to be a one-of-a-kind and most anticipated annual event.
The annual Youth at Risk (YAR) conference is the region’s only annual all-day conference for professionals who work with at-risk youth. The event will feature over 20 morning workshops and a variety of afternoon breakout sessions, as well as keynote speakers, program exhibitions, and networking opportunities.
The YAR conference is geared toward individuals working with and caring for youth in a variety of settings—family, community, school, religious, healthcare, human service, recreational and legal. Attendees include social workers, psychologists, youth counselors, family therapists, educators, school adjustment counselors, guidance counselors, community and public health workers, program managers, agency and organization CEO's, police officers, juvenile court personnel, lawyers and volunteers.
2019
- Service Road Map for Housing and Transportation
- Workshop handouts, presentation and brochure available on our eLearning page
2018
- North Shore Community Resource Manual from Pathways for Children
- Service Road Map for Juvenile Court Process and DYS
- Workshop handouts, presentations and brochure available on our eLearning page
2017
- Merrimack Valley Community Resource Manual from Children's Law Center of Massachusetts
- Workshop handouts, presentations and brochure available on our eLearning page
2016
- Service Road Map for Youth
- Workshop handouts, presentations and brochure available on our eLearning page
Past Conference Photos
2019
Sixto Cancel, founder and CEO of Think of Us
Pamela Garramone, MEd, Positive Psychology Speaker and Life Coach
2018
Debby Irving, MBA, Racial Justice Educator and Writer, author of Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race
Brian Castellanos, MS, Motivational Speaker, Life Coach, Public Involvement Coordinator
2017
Kenneth V. Hardy, Drexel University, Eikenberg Institute for Relationships
Susan Cooper, LICSW
2016
Chris Herren, Former NBA Player, Addiction Recovery Advocate, The Herren Project
Leonard Campanello, former Chief of Police, Gloucester, MA, Gloucester Angel Program/Police Assisted Addiction Recovery Initiative (PAARI)
2015
Jeanine K. Fitzgerald, The Fitzgerald Institute of Lifelong Learning
FatherSpeak, Family Nurturing Center of Massachusetts
Make a Gift to YAR
Do you like what the Youth at Risk program has provided and continues to offer? If so, help us to continue to provide this conference to the Youth at Risk community and expand into an even bigger, year-round program that supports communities of professionals serving children, youth, and families. Through your donations, we can make this possible!
Accessibility and Accommodations
Salem State University is committed to equal access for students, staff and visitors, and encourages all to participate in its programs and activities. People who anticipate needing accommodations due to a disability, or who have questions about access, may contact disability services at access@salemstate.edu