Allies 4 Youth Connections Conference

From May 14-15, 2018, the Allies 4 Youth Connections Conference—planned by a collaborative of stakeholders—will bring together service providers, researchers, experts, and the youth to focus on the growing population of young people (12+) with increasingly complex needs.

This conference will specifically focus on trauma, attachment and brain development, and explore challenges that youth experiencing high risk circumstances face related to education and employment, diversity and identity, and addictions and mental health. The A4YC3 Steering Committee is united in its belief that:

>High-risk youth, and all youth, deserve the opportunity to lives their lives in a meaningful way, to feel safe, and experience a sense of inclusion and belonging.

>The current shift in practice toward a relationship-based focus needs to be reinforced and encouraged.

>This work with youth experiencing high risk circumstances incorporates the most recent research, literature and trends in areas such as trauma, attachment and brain development in children and youth; harm reduction; resilience; strength-based practice; collaborative, multi-disciplinary practice; trauma-informed intervention.

>Youth can help inform practice and be instrumental in initiating and supporting positive change in policy.

>Youth are the “experts in their own lives” and need to be included in all aspects of service delivery.

>Reinforce the efforts being made to address youth issues in Alberta, and create a forum to showcase progressive examples of practice that have demonstrated success in engaging youth.

>Youth and conference participants will come together in a spirit of learning and sharing, while celebrating the gifts that each of us have to offer.

A note of the name change for the conference from High Risk Youth Conference to Allies for Youth Connections Conference.

In short, this is a shift away from the labelling of the term “high-risk youth”. While HRYC is well known and a descriptive name that references not only a specific event, but also a specific practice framework and philosophy with a sub-group of youth, it does not justify using a negative label that can follow youth into adulthood, and as parents. The A4YC Steering Committee feels that convenience to us as service providers does not justify a label that can have a negative impact on youth. We looked for a name that is consistent with a strength-based approach to working with youth and to foster an anti-oppressive mindset. While a lengthy, but worthwhile effort, we found a new name for our conference.

Note: This event eligible for ACSW professional development, Category A credits, please make sure to select during registration.