The 2012 Changing the Odds Conference:
Practical, brain-focused strategies to help children thrive
THANKS FOR HAVING ATTENDED!!!
Salesmanship Club Youth and Family Centers presented the first annual Changing the Odds Conference on Friday and Saturday, September 21-22, 2012.
This conference was for:
Teachers and school administrators eager to create optimal and optimistic learning environments rooted in the latest research, and who wish to be trained in the MindUP Curriculum.
Mental health professionals inspired to infuse the best of recent scientific findings into work with youth.
Top thought leaders, visionaries, educators and researchers in neuroscience and social and emotional development joined us for this unique experience. Participants gained deeper knowledge and practical tools to continue making a profound difference in the lives of children.
Download the conference agenda.
For those who wanted to attend the Saturday MindUP training session but were told that it was sold out - GOOD NEWS!
A Regional MindUP Training Session will be offered on January 25, 2013. Please visit www.salesmanshipclub.org/training to register.
Keep Reading...
Dan Siegel, M.D.
Dr. Dan Siegel is a clinical professor of psychology at the UCLA School of Medicine and on the faculty of the Center for Culture, Brain, and Development and the Co-Director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center. He is the author of numerous articles, chapters and the internationally acclaimed text, The Developing Mind: How Relationships and the Brain Shape Who We Are as well as several professional and parenting books including his latest, The Whole-Brain Child. For more information, visit www.drdansiegel.com.
Goldie Hawn
Goldie Hawn is an Academy Award winning actress, producer, director, best-selling author and children’s advocate. She is the founder of The Hawn Foundation, a public charity with a mission to help equip children with the social and emotional skills they need to lead smarter, healthier, and happier lives. She is the author of Ten Mindful Minutes: Giving our Children - and Ourselves - the Social and Emotional Skills to Reduce Stress and Anxiety for Healthier, Happier Lives. For more information, visit www.thehawnfoundation.org.
Shefali Tsabary, Ph.D.
Shefali Tsabary, PhD, is the author of the multi-award-winning book, The Conscious Parent. Heralded as a game-changer in the parenting genre, this book turns the traditional parenting paradigms on its head and revolutionizes how we raise our families. Dr. Shefali received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Columbia University, New York. She has been exposed to Eastern mindfulness at an early age and integrates its teachings with Western psychology. This blend of East and West allows her to reach a global audience. Her ability to appeal to both a psychologically astute and consciousness-driven audience establishes her as one of a kind in the parenting field. She lectures extensively on mindful living and conscious parenting around the world and is in private practice.
Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, Ed.D.
Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, Ed.D. is an affective neuroscientist and human development psychologist who studies social emotion, self-awareness and culture and their implications for development and schools. She is an Assistant Professor of Education, Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Southern California. A former junior high school teacher, she earned her doctorate at Harvard University. She and her collaborators received the 2010 Cozzarelli Prize from the National Academy of Sciences for their article on the brain bases of admiration and compassion. She is the inaugural recipient of the Award for Transforming Education through Neuroscience, and in 2011 was named a “Rising Star” by the Association for Psychological Science. She has received an honor coin from the U.S. ARMY and a commendation from the County of Los Angeles.
Kim Schonert-Reichl, Ph.D.
Dr. Kim Schonert-Reichl is an award-winning teacher and has more than 20 years experience in research focused on the social and emotional development of children and adolescents. She is also an Applied Developmental Psychologist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology and Special Education at the University of British Columbia. Her research has a particular emphasis on identifying the processes and mechanisms that foster children’s positive human traits, including empathy, altruism, compassion, and resiliency. She serves on several national and international advisory boards including the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) Research Advisory Group, and she is an advisor to the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education.Click here to see Dr. Schonert-Reichl's PowerPoint presentation from the conference.
Why the Focus on Neuroscience:
Neuroscience is enhancing our existing knowledge, challenging our previously held assumptions and providing innovative breakthroughs. One of the most exciting breakthroughs in neuroscience is understanding what is happening in the brain in regard to social-emotional learning. Social-emotional learning provides the core foundation for resilience and self-control in childhood, and it can be cultivated through innovative teaching techniques and therapeutic approaches.
In the Classroom
Studies show that the development of self-control and social-emotional learning accelerates student achievement academically and gives children the tools to build resiliency and overcome tough odds. In the classroom, the education gap between rich and poor students is continually widening—as much as 50% in the last 50 years according to some studies. Studies targeting social-emotional learning interventions lead to as much achievement gains for students as interventions targeted at specific academic subjects.
In Therapeutic Settings
Similarly, neuroscience is unlocking new discoveries and approaches in mental health. By blending research evidence from neuroscience with individual and familial daily experiences, the study of interpersonal neurobiology provides practitioners with new insight and therapeutic alternatives. Children who are stressed or have trauma histories can significantly improve their ability to handle life’s problems and navigate the rough waters of adolescence.
Download the conference agenda.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 (IRVING CONVENTION CENTER)
Morning Keynotes
All conference attendees will come together to hear distinguished keynote addresses from neuropsychiatrist and author, Dan Siegel, M.D. and award-winning actress and child advocate Goldie Hawn, founder of the Hawn Foundation.
Dr. Siegel will provide an overview of his research and knowledge on interpersonal neurobiology by presenting the basic tenets of his "Mindsight" theory. He will provide an understandable framework for the complex science behind how our ever-evolving brains are wired through the intersection of the brain, mind and relationships. Dr. Siegel's morning session will provide the foundation for his afternoon lectures.
Goldie Hawn will share about The Hawn Foundation and its signature program, MindUP. Published by Scholastic, Inc., MindUP is a social and emotional curriculum for Pre K through 8th grade that is based in neuroscience. MindUP is being implemented in classrooms across the country (including Dallas) and around the world, impacting tens of thousands of children every year. The Hawn Foundation nurtures the mental health and well-being of today's children who will become tomorrow's leaders.
Breakout Sessions
Participants will then break into either the Mental Health or Education tracks.
Mental Health Track
Mental Heathcare Providers and other interested professionals will continue learning from Dr. Siegel as he explores strategies for helping children who have experienced trauma move toward healthy development and resiliency. Dr. Siegel will highlight how nurturance and therapy can provide a foundation for integration of the brain, mind and relationships. Special emphasis will be given to therapeutic means of healing that positively impact neurological structures and change the mind.
Education Track
Attendees will join Kim Schonert-Reichl, Ph.D. (University of British Columbia) and Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, Ed.D. (University of Southern California). These two top researchers and educators in the field of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) will share extraordinary findings in the world of youth development. Participants will look at the role of SEL in improving academic performance and overall child wellbeing, as well as how neuroscience points to SEL's critical role in creating an optimal and optimistic teaching environment.
Additional Full Group Sessions
In addition to the above track-specific presentations, all attendees will participate in a noontime presentation by the inspirational and astute Shefali Tsabary, Ph.D. and a closing session with Dr. Siegel on the work of his recent best-selling book The Whole Brain Child.
CEU credits are available for both mental health professionals and educators.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 (J. ERIK JONSSON COMMUNITY SCHOOL)
UPDATE: DAY TWO OF THE CONFERENCE IS NOW FULL
A Regional MindUP Training Session will take place January 25, 2013. Please visit www.salesmanshipclub.org/training to register.
Day-long MindUP Training
The Hawn Foundation's MindUP program is a classroom-tested, evidence-based curriculum using 15 easily implemented lessons that foster social and emotional awareness, enhance psychological well-being and promote academic success.
Published by Scholastic, Inc. and available in three grade-appropriate levels for PreK through 8th, MindUP readies the brain for learning and integrates into subjects already being taught. It helps children reduce stress, understand their brains, build greater focus, and feel more optimistic by combining neuroscience, social and emotional learning, mindful education and positive psychology.
Saturday is an opportunity for Friday's education track participants to go deeper. (Educators who can't attend Friday are permitted to register for Saturday, although attending both days is highly encouraged.) Hawn Foundation trainers and educators will guide you through an experiential day, familiarizing you with the MindUP curriculum and teaching you how to implement MindUP into a classroom and school setting. MindUP is currently being used in schools across the country and around the world, including at the J. Erik Jonsson Community School. To see MindUP in action, visit our blog, www.brainchildblog.com.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Who should attend this workshop?
- If you are a mental health professional interested in applying neuroscience to promote resiliency with children, you should attend the conference on Friday, September 21.
- If you an educator, school administrator or curriculum specialist interested in implementing social-emotional learning into the classroom or becoming a MindUP consultant, you should attend the two-day conference and follow the MindUP curriculum track.
- What is the format of the conference?
- The conference will take place on Friday, September 21 from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm. Dr. Siegel will train all day on the mental health track. The educator track will feature speakers from the Hawn Foundation as well as Dr. Siegel. The second day of the conference on Saturday, September 22 will take place from 8:30 - 3:30 at the Salesmanship Club Youth and Family Centers' J. Erik Jonsson Community School.
- What is the cost of the conference?
- The conference prices are $100 for the one-day conference and $200 for two days. Prices will go up to $150/day after September 1. Register now. We are unable to offer refunds after September 1.
Parking is $5 at the Irving Convention Center on Friday. Parking on Saturday is free at Salesmanship Club Youth and Family Centers. - Do I attend both days of the conference?
- The second day of the conference is for educators or those interested in becoming a MindUP consultant who want to train in the classroom setting. All who register and follow the education track should plan to attend day two of the conference. There is no second day for those on the mental health track.
- Where is the conference?
- The first day of the conference is at the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, 500 West Las Colinas Boulevard, Irving, TX 75039.
The second day is at the J. Erik Jonsson Community School at Salesmanship Club Youth and Family Centers, 106 E. 10th St. Dallas, TX 75203.
Are there hotel rooms reserved for out-of-town guests?
Yes, we have discounted rates with a few hotels in Irving near the convention center. Please contact Maureen Fernandez, mfernandez@salesmanshipclub.org, 214-915-4768 for this information.
Are there CEU's available?
- We are a provider of CEU's for LCSW, LMFT, LPC and licensed psychologists in the state of Texas. Educators receive CEU credit from the SMU School of Education.
- What is Salesmanship Club Youth and Family Centers?
- For over 90 years, Salesmanship Club Youth and Family Centers has worked to help change the odds for at-risk and troubled children in Dallas. Through our exemplary elementary school, our comprehensive therapeutic services program and our professional training and workshops, our work shows that poverty and trauma do not have to impede long term success.
- Who can I contact with more questions?
- For questions related to the conference, please contact Maureen Fernandez at (214) 915-4768 or mfernandez@salesmanshipclub.org.
For questions about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Kristen Howell at (214) 944-5713 or khowell@scdallas.org.
We Would Like to Thank Our Conference Sponsors:
