Rainbow Days Training
Connects
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Virtual Summer Symposium
June 3rd - August 12th, 2021
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Don't Miss Out on the Last Workshops of the Summer!
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Tuesday, July 20 - Becoming the 'Inhaler': Preventing Mental, Emotional & Behavioral Disorders among Youth - Karen Williams, M.S.S.W.
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Thursday, July 22 - Understanding SEL - Krystal Skaggs, LPC
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Tuesday, July 27 - Nightmares and Mental Health: A Corollary Conversation - Katelyn Fuller, LMSW & Darius Campinha-Bacote, PsyD, HSP Certified Trauma Therapist
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Thursday, July 29 - Behavior Management in Classrooms - Candace King, Masters in School Counseling
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Tuesday, August 3 – College Student Stress and Mental Health - Jaymie Vandagriff, M.S.
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Thursday, August 5 - Laughing Through the Tears - Kathy Daley, B.F.A., ACPS, ICPS
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Tuesday, August 10 – Working with Pre & Post Adjudicated Youth - Darius Campinha-Bacote, PsyD, HSP Certified Trauma Therapist
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Thursday, August 12 – It’s Time to Talk…Again: Behaviors of Concern for Older Adults - Julie Stevens, MPS, ACPS, ICPS
All workshops will be held from 10am-12pm CDT. Two (2) CEHs are available for each workshop.
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Virtual CBSG Program Facilitator Training
Kids’ Connection, Youth Connection, and Kids’ Connection, Too (collectively known as the CBSG® Program ) are unique, interactive, multi-cultural curriculum-based prevention interventions that teach high-risk children and youth ages 4-17 a set of essential life skills: skills to help them learn how to cope with difficult family situations (which include Adverse Childhood Experiences), resist negative peer pressure, set and achieve goals, and refuse alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.
This training is designed to fully prepare schools, community-based organizations, churches, juvenile justice divisions, volunteers, and other youth service professionals to fully implement the CBSG Program with fidelity.
Those completing this training will receive their choice one of the CBSG Program Facilitator manuals:
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Kids’ Connection for ages 4-12 in Schools and Communities
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Youth Connection for ages 10-17 in Schools and Communities
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Kids’ Connection, Too for Ages 4-15 in Homeless & Domestic Violence Shelters, Group Homes & Other Transitional Living Environments
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Kids' Connection, Too is Half Price |
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Does your facilitating need a little sprucing up? Are you looking for new activities to add to your Facilitator toolbox? Does your program have budget money needing to be spent? With over 100 stand-alone Activity Guided Discussions, Kids’ Connection, Too needs to be added to your repertoire. For trained CBSG® Program Facilitator’s this adaptation will seamlessly enhance your programming. This is the BEST summer deal around. Don’t miss out!
Now through August 31, 2021 you can purchase the Kids' Connection, Too curriculum for only $75. That's half off the regular price of $150.
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Resilience & Protective Factors |
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Since January 2021, we have examined each of the CBSG® Program Major Message Domains and Messages. As we bring this series to a close, we will reflect on the ways the CBSG® Program increases the Resilience of participants and which Protective Factors are internal to the program. Numerous articles and books have been written on these topics and our intent here is to focus on the CBSG® Program specifically.
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Resilience & Protective Factors Defined:
Resilience:
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“…defined as the capacity to spring back, rebound, successfully adapt in the face of adversity, and develop social and academic (or work) competence despite exposure to severe stress…Or simply the stress of today’s world.” Resilience in Schools: Making It Happen for Students and Educators, Nan Henderson & Mike Milstein
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“Resiliency is broadly defined as those skills, attributes and abilities that enable individuals to adapt to hardships, difficulties, and challenges.” Alvord & Grados, Enhancing Resilience in Children: A Proactive Approach, Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 36(3), 238-245. Resilience Builder Program for Children and Adolescents, Alvord, Zucker, Grados
Protective Factors:
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“…internal and external protective factors that modify, ameliorate, or alter a person’s response to some environmental hazard that predisposes to a maladaptive outcome.” Rutter, M. (1985) Resilience in the face of adversity: Protective factors and resistance to psychiatric disorder, British Journal of Psychiatry, , 147, 598-611.
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“Protective factors…moderate, buffer, insulate against and thereby do mitigate the impact of risk on human development.” Jessor, R. Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado.
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“Protective factors are conditions or attributes in individuals, families, communities, or the larger society that mitigate or eliminate risk, thereby increasing the health and well-being of children and families. Protective factors help parents to find resources, supports, or coping strategies that allow them to parent effectively, even under stress.” Child Welfare
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“Reducing the effects of significant adversity on young children’s healthy development is critical to the progress and prosperity of any society. Yet not all children experience lasting harm as a result of adverse early experiences. Some may demonstrate ‘resilience’, or an adaptive response to serious hardship…
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Research has identified a set of factors that help children achieve positive outcomes in the face of significant adversity: 1) providing supportive adult-child relationships; 2) scaffolding learning so the child builds a sense of self-efficacy and control; 3) helping strengthen adaptive skills and self-regulatory capacities; and 4) using faith and cultural traditions as a foundation for hope and stability.”
“The single most common factor for children who develop resilience is at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive parent, caregiver, or other adult. These relationships provide the personalized responsiveness, scaffolding, and protection that buffer children from developmental disruption. They also build key capacities—such as the ability to plan, monitor, and regulate behavior—that enable children to respond adaptively to adversity and thrive.”
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Personal Reflection:
Throughout this series I have shared with you my personal struggles and my experiences as a Mom wanting to break generational cycles of addiction, abuse, and dysfunction. Like many of you I can check off several of the 10 experiences identified in the ACE Study research.
Growing up with an alcoholic Dad, who was prone to rageful outbursts, and emotional, and sometimes physical abuse, I was keenly aware of the fear, anger, and distrust I felt. What I was unaware of though, was my innate ability to cope with these negative circumstances and the protection that was in my environment. At an early age I learned to adapt and cope. And while the behaviors I chose to their extreme, such as academic achievement, perfectionism, and goal orientation had their own “downsides” they were never-the-less more positive than other behaviors I might have adapted.
I also had the good fortune of a Mother who was focused on giving my sister and I good experiences. She made sure we had good connections in our neighborhood and in school, and that our basic needs were met. There were teachers who identified some of my leadership and decision-making skills who encouraged and challenged me. And perhaps most significantly, my maternal Grandmother provided unconditional love, safety, and a belief that I could achieve great things. Her positive belief in me, her life examples of relying on God, and her encouragement were foundational to my success even many years past her physical life here on earth.
Like me, I know you have or had a caring adult in your life you recognize today as someone who was a positive change maker for you. I encourage you to reflect on this person, identifying the ways they made a difference for you. I also encourage you to reflect on the young person/people in your life for whom you are a “difference maker.”
Just as in Resilience and Protective Factors, there are many ACE resources. Links to several of these are listed below:
The CBSG® Program Resilience & Protective Factors:
Referring to the definitions we began with, our hope is you have a better understanding of how the topics, structure, and Major Messages of the CBSG Program help to build the participants’ Personal Resilience and provide Protective Factors. The Domains and Major Messages which are the CBSG Program Framework are reviewed below:
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Enhancing Self-Awareness by recognizing the impact of their thoughts and emotions on behavior as well as assessing their strengths and limitations, with a well-rounded sense of confidence, optimism, and a growth mindset.
I AM likeable, capable, unique, and valued.
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Developing Social-Awareness and Competence including empathy and respect for self and others and recognizing family, school, and community resources and support.
I CAN treat others like I want to be treated.
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Connecting with others by developing healthy Relationship Skills. Research consistently confirms having positive peer and adult connections is foundational to healthy human development. In Group participants learn and practice effective communication skills, how to work cooperatively, and resolve conflict. Participants also learn it is okay to ask for help, how to ask for help, and how to identify safe, trustworthy, and caring people.
I HAVE meaningful relationships and people who care about me.
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Developing critical thinking skills, learning to analyze situations, solving problems, and understanding positive and negative consequences are all part of the critical life skill of Responsible Decision Making.
I WILL make healthy, responsible decisions.
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Having a sense of purpose and hope for the future increases psychological well-being and can help participants recover from and cope with stressful life events. Sense of Purpose and Future provides opportunities to identify aspirations and goals and identify the steps required to achieve them. Perseverance, self-control, and self-discipline are some of the skills needed. Research also confirms the importance of faith and spiritual connectedness as key to building resilience.
I BELIEVE I have a purpose.
The CBSG Program structure provides opportunities to learn and practice Resilience skills participants can carry with them for the rest of their lives. It also provides the opportunity to experience critical Protective Factors.
High Expectation Messages: It has long been said we live up or down to what others expect of us. What kinds of messages build self-confidence and perseverance rather than messages which create doubt and humiliation? Consider the following statements and the difference they can make in a young person’s life:
“You are a loser."; I knew you would fail."; You will amount to no good…” versus
“I saw how hard you studied and believe you will do well on the test."; Your perseverance will help your team prepare for the big game."; I care about you and will support you however I can in achieving your goals.”
The Major Messages are not just cute sayings to be repeated at the end of Group. Past participants repeatedly affirm the difference these positive affirmations made in their lives long after they participated in Group.
Opportunities for Participation and Contribution: We all desire to have a sense of belonging, connection, and knowing we are making a meaningful contribution. And being a “senior citizen”, I can attest to the fact this desire continues throughout all stages of life. The very nature of the CBSG Program provides participants the opportunity to experience belonging, give back, or help others. Passing out supplies, cleaning up after Group, giving others the chance to be heard, and identifying ways to serve their school and community contribute to belonging and making a positive difference.
Caring Relationships: For any of you who read to the end of this article I want you to know I realize I am repeating a quote from the beginning. It is not a mistake. Rather this is so important it bears repeating.
“The single most common factor for children who develop resilience is at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive parent, caregiver, or other adult. These relationships provide the personalized responsiveness, scaffolding, and protection that buffer children from developmental disruption. They also build key capacities—such as the ability to plan, monitor, and regulate behavior—that enable children to respond adaptively to adversity and thrive.”
Summary:
There are a host of problems we as human beings face in our ever-changing world. Most of these problems we can do little if anything to resolve.
AND yet there is much we can influence regarding the growth, development and future of the children and young people we are blessed to have in our lives. Whether you are facilitating a support group, making a classroom presentation, or having a dinner conversation with kids in your family, you have the Opportunity be the One Caring Adult in their Success Story!
Cathey Brown, CBSG® Program Developer
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