Monroe County Childhood Conditions Summit

A Partnership Of:

MC3 2023: Mattering and Belonging

MC3 2023

MC3 2023 Evaluation

MC3 2023 Resources

MC3 Listening Session Feedback

2023 Monroe County Childhood Conditions Summit

Wednesday, November 1st

Mattering & Belonging

In Person at Monroe Convention Center

302 S College Ave

Free of Cost

At MC3 2023 we dove into the theme of Mattering & Belonging,

exploring questions including:

What does mattering & belonging mean to youth in Monroe County? How do we build belonging by bridging across identities and experiences, rather than through “othering”? How do mattering & belonging impact youth and youth workers’ mental health? How do racial, gender, and economic equity intersect with belonging & mattering? And what actionable strategies can our organizations use to build a sense of mattering & belonging

with youth in our community?

Advocacy 101: Supporting Children and Families at the Indiana Statehouse (view slides)

Sarah Kumfer (she, her)

MCCOY's Public Policy and Advocacy Director shares updates on legislation passed in the 2023 session that are of importance to children and families, and teaches participants about the basics of advocating for children and families at the Indiana Statehouse during the legislative session. This discussion covers the basics of the state legislative process; how to effectively communicate with legislators; how to track legislation; and how to ensure that legislators support children, families, and youth service providers when they cast their votes on bills.

Recognizing and Resisting Adultism in Youth-Centered Work (view slides)

Jessica E Adams (she, her), Shaleen Guthrie (she, her), James R. Brown (he, him)

Adultism is the belief that adults are in some way superior or of greater worth than children, and can lead to harmful outcomes for children. Our work with youth should communicate that they are valuable, and our interactions with them should demonstrate that there are shared expectations for behavior for all people, regardless of age. This session examines how parents, caregivers, and youth service workers can collaborate with youth. This workshop provides strategies for creating and implementing more effective and positive youth-adult partnerships. Learning takes place through interactive activities and discussions, and we hope that folks walk away with implementable strategies to protect youth from adultist leadership.

Strengthening Family Coping Resources (view slides)

Marjorie DeBruyne (she, her), Marsha McCarty (she, her), & SFCR facilitator and past participants

In this discussion, panelists share the model of Strengthening Family Coping Resources (SFCR), highlighting both Multi-family Group and Peer-to-Peer work around a trauma-focused, skill-building intervention, designed for families to build and strengthen healing resources through storytelling, spirituality and fun & laughter.

In SFCR, families celebrate their uniqueness and cultural rituals while exploring new ways of coping and connecting. This work builds the coping resources necessary to help families boost their sense of safety, function with stability, regulate their emotions and behaviors, and improve communication about and understanding of the traumas they have experienced. Hear from trained facilitators, families, youth, and agencies who have requested and worked with SFCR to gain a well-rounded perspective on this valuable model.

Digital Safety Skills for Youth-Supporting Adults (view slides)

Lauren Baney (she, her)

As there are increasing concerns related to technology and social media use among youth, it is critical to help youth learn how to protect themselves online while still enjoying all of the benefits of the Internet. How might we do this? Strengthening the health and well-being of our relationships to others and ourselves, both in and outside the digital realm, are keys parts of this process. Attendees explore topics related to digital safety strategies for youth, integrating technological literacy (e.g., digital citizenship) into youth programming, and ways to cultivate positive relationships among children - online and offline.

Creating Inclusive Camps and Programs: Concepts and Strategies (view slides)

Christen L. Peterson (she, her)

Spend time reflecting on the ways in which your program already creates inclusive spaces for young people and the ways in which your program can continuously improve their DEI practices. By utilizing the ACA’s “Creating Inclusive Camps” tool, individuals who participate in this session practice their ability to discuss approaches and tools that support relationship building with individuals and communities as a collective. Founded in the community organizing and grass roots approaches, the group discusses how organizing shows up in our day-to-day work, the value of organizing, and how to effectively engage to develop strong relationships.

Making Every Mind Matter; Peer-Led Model from the Youth Perspective (view slides)

'Every Mind Matters' Edgewood Student Club, Layne Howard (she, her)

Learn from Edgewood High School Students, who are a part of the Mental Health club, about their experience working to destigmatize mental health in their school & community. Club members present about barriers youth face in accessing mental health support as well as the structure and benefits of implementing a peer-led model.

Black and Poor and SO Much More: Insights From a Mom on Raising Kids in a Society that Stigmatizes
Eliza Carey (she, her) interviewed by Tara Green (she, her)

Everyone deserves equitable chances to matter and belong. In this session, we gained insights from the lived-experience of someone who has faced stigmatization and hear about barriers and assumptions they have encountered from others based on ‘race, color, and creed’. We learned about challenges families and children who are stigmatized face (due to economic, color, or other labels) and explore what supports well-being and what may be well-intentioned but is unhelpful or even harmful. Eliza and Tara invite you to join in conversation to build a culture of care that reduces stigma and provides each child with a sense of mattering and belonging.

Students and Educators Co-Developing an Anti-Racism Policy (view slides)

Dr. Mary Priester-Hanks (she, her), Becky Rose (she, her), Amy Morwick (she, her), MCCSC Equity Ambassador Students

This session highlights the process, challenges, and opportunities of centering the voices of middle school and high school students from various racial and ethnic backgrounds during the development of key concepts and ideas central to the making of an anti-racism policy. The presentation allows participants to engage with MCCSC students to learn about the challenges faced while attempting to navigate the emotionally charged topic of countering racism in public schools through the eyes of those most directly impacted…students on the margins.

Protecting Trans Youth (view slides)

Erin Loughery (they, them)

This session discusses the current trials that trans youth are facing in Indiana and the country at large. With new laws being passed at an impressive rate, healthcare and societal acceptance are fraught. How can we keep trans youth safe? How can we support them so they are able to grow into adults? Participants learn research-based approaches to handling these difficult situations, and have encouraging conversations with one another.

Family-Centered Harm Reduction: Sharing Lessons from Camp Mariposa (view slides)

Leah Edge-Reetz (she, her), Julie Buck (she, her), Rachel McFadden (she, her)

Camp Mariposa: Aaron’s Place staff present their unique program intervention available for youth in Monroe, Greene, and surrounding counties. Camp Mariposa is a year-round mentor program for youth ages 9-12 who have been impacted by the substance use disorder of a family member. The program is delivered through overnight weekend camps, meeting 6 times a year to build community and connection between the mentors and campers, as well as between peers. Camp Mariposa, a program supported by the OJJDP, strives to delay the onset of youths’ first substance use and prevent involvement with the Juvenile Justice system. We discuss the current state of substance use among Indiana youth, the state of youth mental health, and the continued importance of understanding the impact of ACEs. Our staff presenters share additional program details including our full program objectives, our evidence-based curriculum, our unique mentor model, and the strategies we use to create a trauma sensitive program. At Camp Mariposa, the impacts of adverse childhood events are addressed through a trauma-informed lens, continuously guided by our clinical staff. Camp Mariposa staff share how our program utilizes a family centered harm reduction strategy. And finally, presenters share preliminary outcomes from our first two years of programming. We hope to engage youth workers looking for tangible resources for families, as well as community change agents wanting to learn how to support community recovery.

Harnessing Joy, Play, and Creativity to Build Power with Young People (view slides)

Evren Elliott (he, him & they, them)

In this interactive and dynamic session, we invite participants to explore how Theatre of the Oppressed practices can be used to cultivate joy, play, and creativity as tools for building power with young people. Drawing on liberatory theatre practices and popular education principles, we delve into transformative dialogues and imaginative play that address systemic challenges, with a focus on promoting equity, justice, and well-being for all. Imagining a brighter future takes collaboration, a willingness to make mistakes, and a space that is built upon trust to bring everyone together. Together, we move through games and exercises that you could use with your own group to collaborate in a brand new way - and explore how different types of collaboration can center the young people most affected by decision-making in the planning process itself. If we can look at what we are experiencing together from all angles, see and talk about how it shows up in our bodies, and explore new ways through change, we are more likely to put that change into action. We are also more likely to more thoroughly understand the many ways in which our intersectional identities create a need for many paths through any obstacle. Theatre of the Oppressed can be an innovative tool for empowering young people to take the lead. Besides, engaging creativity reduces isolation, fosters participation, makes spaces more accessible and welcoming, and encourages adaptability. Participants experience the liberating potential of engaging creativity as a means to tackle obstacles and feel heard and valued within their communities. The session explores how mattering and belonging are interwoven with the principles of Theatre of the Oppressed, enabling young people to explore exciting, adaptable solutions to challenges they face in their lives and environments.

Youth with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Deserve Sexual and Reproductive Health Education (view slides)

Catherine Sherwood-Laughlin (she, her), Wendy Schroder (she, her), Mika Baugh (she, her)

Youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are at an increased risk for experiencing sexual abuse and victimization. Despite higher rates of victimization, youth with IDD often do not receive adequate information about sexual health. The purpose of this session is to discuss a project conducted by the Indiana University Sexual Health Equity Project (SHEP), aimed at addressing the sexual health education needs of students receiving Special Education services, especially those with IDD. We discuss our Community-Based Participatory Research approach by describing the project’s meaningful community partnerships, and share findings from our analysis of interview and focus group data from Monroe County health and special education teachers. The data focuses on teachers’ perceptions of student needs, barriers, and facilitators to support the implementation of sexuality education for youth with IDD. We translated and discussed findings with associated action items specific to three stakeholder groups: parents/caregivers, teachers, and school administrators. During the presentation, we also highlight a four-module sexual consent lesson developed by the SHEP team for students receiving Special Education services and provide a resource kit for teachers, administrators, and school staff involved in sexual health education for their students/youth. Finally, we share practical ways to incorporate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) strategies into sexual health education for all students to ensure teachers and youth-serving adults are comfortable in their roles as sexuality educators.

Introducing the Girl Coalition of Indiana, and the Hoosier Girl Report (view slides)

Cass McCammon (they, them)

The Girl Coalition is an unprecedented collaboration between the 6 Girl Scout Councils of Indiana to address the roots of issues impacting girl empowerment, so that every girl in Indiana is able to live her best life physically, academically, socially, and emotionally.

MCCSC HBCU College Tour Experience (view slides)

Dr. Mary Priester-Hanks (she, her), Julius Hanks (he, him)

MCCSC is sponsoring HBCU college tours in 2022 and 2023 for high school students interested in attending college, specifically Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs). These tours provided a unique opportunity for students to visit multiple campuses across various states and regions in a single trip.

Seeking Safety (view slides)

Gena Delos Santos (she, her)

Seeking Safety is a coping skills approach to help youth build safety from trauma and/or substance use. Through group sessions, youth build skills to be safer in their relationships, thoughts and actions.

Maternal Mortality: A Race Issue (view slides)

Erin Loughery (they, them)

Learn what maternal mortality is and how it has gotten to a crisis level in the state of Indiana, especially for people of color, as well as gaining guidance for what can be done to protect people moving forward.

Monroe County Public Library (view slides)

Dana Duffy (she, her)

Hear from Library staff about how their teen, tween, and children's departments build a sense of belonging with youth by crafting physical spaces specifically with and for them, in particular with the addition of a new library branch this year.

Crafting and Practicing Commitments to Care (view slides)

Emily Little (she, her) and Sierra Witham (she, her)

Every year as we bring MC3 to a close, we invite participants to consider what skills, strategies, and resources they’ll carry forward from the Summit. This year, join staff from Middle Way House’s Rise & Shine Childcare as they share their program’s Caregiving Commitments - a set of commitments for how staff, parents, and community members will work together to steward care and build belonging with and for youth. As Rise & Shine staff share how they built & have implemented their Caregiving Commitments, participants also have time to connect with one another, and plan for what commitments they might make moving forward.

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