SouthernRecharge2025

Strong student-staff connections are the foundation of a successful program. Let's share strategies to foster meaningful relationships with youth and create positive environments where they feel valued and understood. By strengthening these connections, you'll not only enhance engagement but also proactively address and reduce problem behaviors. Join us to learn and share tools and techniques that you can apply immediately in your program.

Helping afterschool professionals understand the needs of children and families impacted by adoption, kinship, and foster care is a critical first step to providing services to meet their unique needs, strengths, and challenges. Participants will learn common issues related to adoption, kinship, and foster care and available resources aimed at supporting these types of families. Walk away with information and resources that can be immediately used to support children living in adoptive, kinship, and foster homes in your afterschool programs.

Let's get curious about the function of the behavior!
What could the youth be communicating to you? When we understand that all behavior is communication, we can better serve the youth in our care. This interactive session dives into the "why" by exploring the four functions of behavior: escape, attention, access to tangibles, and sensory/automatic. Participants will gain a problem-solving framework to address undesirable behaviors. Whether you are new to working with youth or want to add to your current knowledge, this session will equip you with tools to better understand and guide the youth you serve.