Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities from WISHES and Program Partners

  1. The WISHES Program is pleased to offer a *free* 2-day Training of Trainers on the Rights, Respect, Responsibility curriculum from Advocates for Youth • June 7-8th 2018

Master trainers Nora Gelperin and Elizabeth Schroeder from Advocates for Youth are coming to MA to introduce the first-ever free, online K-12 sexuality education curriculum fully mapped to the National Sexuality Education Standards called Rights, Respect, Responsibility (3Rs) at a two-day TOT held on Thursday, June 7th and Friday, June 8th from 8:30-4:00pm at Health Care for All at 1 Federal St. in Boston, MA. This TOT is intended to increase the number of trainersavailable to onboard additional health educators in MA, so trainers and capacity builders (rather than educators or agency staff who do not serve in this role), are highly encouraged to attend. This TOT designed specifically to meet Massachusetts’ needs will have a unique focus on training teachers on issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity and highlight the rationale and strategies for creating an inclusive K-12 curriculum.

Registration is limited to the first 30 confirmed participants who complete online registration by May 1 and demonstrate their plan to conduct future 3Rs trainings in MA school districts. (see attached).

See attached flyer and register here today.

  1. The Department is co-hosting a conference on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments to support family engagement through best practices in SEL and PBIS • March 23rd 2018:

The Department, in collaboration with the Department of Early Education and Care, the Collaborative for Educational Services, and Massachusetts Advocates for Children’s Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative, will host a gathering on March 23 in Worcester on creating safe and supportive learning environments in schools, districts, and community-based programs in order to be equitable and inclusive of all students. The conference will help participants understand the Safe and Supportive Schools Framework as set out in state law and will focus on aligning important aspects of social emotional learning, trauma sensitivity, and positive behavioral approaches. Participants will have the opportunity to learn with and from grade-span colleagues. The planning team is currently seeking breakout session leaders related to the aforementioned topics. The conference will be followed by a series of networking events available to superintendents, principals and other school staff.  Attached please find a save the date flyer and conference session proposal due by February 7th for those interested in presenting on the:

  • development of social emotional competencies through every day learning opportunities;
  • implementation of trauma sensitive practices; and
  • creation of supportive learning environments in community-based programs, schools, and districts.

See attached flyer and proposal submission instructions, or email stacy.cabral@doe.mass.edu for more information

  1. NCSD offers free webinar on ‘It Started with a SPARK: Sustainable Tools for SHS’ •  Thursday March 1st, at 2:00 PM:

Are you looking for easy and adaptable tools to share with partner districts and stakeholders about access to sexual health services for young people? Do you want your work to be sustainable and impactful to communities throughout your states? NCSD is pleased to partner with the University of Michigan’s Adolescent Health Initiative to host this webinar focused on utilizing a ready-to-use presentation tool called a Spark, designed to provide brief and meaningful learning opportunities. The webinar will include a broad overview of sustainability strategies, demonstration of an interactive Spark presentation centered on school-based referrals for SHS, and reflections from Laurie Bechhofer (MI Department of Education) —who pilot tested the Spark with her partner districts.

REGISTER HERE: https://goo.gl/forms/HK5YU1nN9t5FvdGZ2

 

  1. Framingham Public Schools Districts’ WISHES Program Hosts Workshop for Parents and Caregivers about Talking to Youth with Developmental Disabilities about Sexuality •  Tuesday, April 3, 2018 •  6:30-8:00pm

See attached flyers (including Spanish and Portuguese) for more information about this free workshop provided at Cameron Middle School Framingham by Guest Speaker: Katherine McLaughlin, M.Ed. or contact mshifman@framingham.k12.ma.us.

(See also this recent piece shared by Mynette on the importance of talking with youth about sexuality and providing them comprehensive sexuality education to help prevent abuse: www.cnn.com/2018/01/27/opinions/sex-ed-sotu-me-too-cushman-opinion/index.html)

  1. The Commission on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren is hosting a 2018 Family Engagement workshop series:

The Commission on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren invites grandparents and kinship caregivers to attend any of the following regional workshops throughout Massachusetts.  The workshops are three hours long and will include a guest speaker at each workshop.  Presentations will be followed by an information panel, which includes representatives from agencies who work with grandparents raising grandchildren such as DTA, DCF, Masshealth, WIC, Elder Services, and more.

For more info, see the attached.

6. Citizens for Juvenile Justice offers free Juvenile Justice Forum: Data and Racial Equity •  Tue,February 20, 2018 • 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM

CfJJ presents a juvenile justice forum on data and racial equity, featuring panelists Chief Justice Ralph Gants of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Felix Owusu, an economist and PhD candidate at Harvard University, and Lynsey Heffernan, Massachusetts’ JDAI Coordinator. The panel will be moderated by Rahsaan Hall, Director of the Racial Justice Program for the ACLU of Massachusetts. The discussion will include Q & A with audience members. Light refreshments will be served.

See more: juvenile-justice-forum-data-and-racial-equity-tickets

 

  1. Lesley University offers free public workshop on Growing Anti-Bias School Culture •  Monday February 26, 2018 • 4:30 pm:

Anti-bias work with children is an essential component of developing a school culture of advocacy and citizenship. But how do we get there?

  • What does it mean to grow an anti-bias culture in an early childhood or elementary school setting?
  • How do you shift the thinking of faculty?
  • How can parents be engaged on this journey?
  • And most importantly, how do we weave this work meaningfully and appropriately into the daily lives of children?

This presentation will follow the development of anti-bias work in PreK-6th Grade settings, exploring the early steps of the movement and the curriculum and culture that has emerged, and is still emerging. Participants will explore the concrete process of growing an anti-bias movement, collaborating with faculty and administration and implementing this essential work in early childhood and elementary classrooms.

Monday, February 26, 2018 at 4:30 pm

University Hall Amphitheater, 1815 Mass Ave 

See more: Anti-Bias School Culture Workshop

  1. GLSEN Massachusetts hosts Educator Retreat • March 2-4, 2018 • Provincetown, MA 

The GLSEN Massachusetts Educator Retreat in Provincetown is a signature event for GLSEN Massachusetts.  Teachers, administrators, guidance counselors, school nurses, athletic coaches, educators and other K-12 education professionals come to Provincetown to share ideas and explore best practices.  Providing a safe and welcoming environment is the cornerstone of the Educator Retreat.  Through workshops and networking events, participants engage with a diversity of topics that are critical to their personal and professional development.  LGBTQ educators and allies come to the Educator Retreat for different reasons.  However, everyone shares common goals of supporting our students by enriching their lives with an educational setting that embraces all students. Retreat attendees arrive Friday evening to a casual welcome reception.  Programming begins early Saturday morning and ends late in the afternoon.  Through workshops and intentional dialogue, educators collaborate to problem solve and create ideas they can bring back to their schools and communities.  Whether it’s energizing a GSA, discovering curriculum designs, or being inspired by personal stories, every educator leaves with a renewed sense of purpose.  A Saturday evening reception and dinner leads the way to new friendships and partnerships.  The weekend programming ends Sundaymorning with structured opportunities do address real world challenges and solutions.  The weekend would not be complete without a fabulous Sundaybrunch just before heading off the Cape.

Register here

  1. BARCC offers 2018 series of public workshops to support survivors and their caregivers:

Check out the full calendar here and some upcoming workshops below:

Sustaining Yourself in the Age of #MeToo: A Self-Care Workshop

April 2, 2018, 6:30–8:30 p.m.

It’s hard to pick up the paper or sign on to social media without facing a barrage of news stories related to sexual violence. While it’s great that #MeToo has pushed the national dialogue about sexual violence to the forefront, it can also be overwhelming. In the midst of all this, you—survivors, significant others, and advocates—may be finding it challenging to take care of yourself. So let’s take a minute (or a couple hours) to nourish ourselves! This self-care workshop is an opportunity to meet other survivors community members involved in the movement to end sexual violence and support survivors—while also learning skills to be your best self. In addition, a few members of our Survivors Speakers Bureau will join us to share their stories and thoughts about self-care.

 

What Do I Say? Ways to Support Survivors

June 18, 2018, 6:30–8:30 p.m.

Have you ever had a friend or family member tell you that they’ve experienced sexual violence and not known what to say? Join us at this free workshop to learn an innovative model for responding when someone in your life shares with you that they’re a survivor. In this training, you’ll learn the importance of a supportive response to reduce trauma, how you can offer that response, and ways to support survivors in seeking further care

Tools to Take Action: Bystander Intervention Training

October 1, 2018, 6:30–8:30 p.m.

This workshop is open to anyone who wants to learn concrete tools to support survivors. BARCC’s Bystander Intervention training will prepare you to notice when something is not right, assess the situation, and take action to disrupt and prevent violence or harassment in our communities. Creating a safer culture starts with you, and we will help you practice techniques to intervene safely. During this bystander training, you will have the opportunity to do the following:

  • Build skills for safely acting to challenge inappropriate sexual and violent behaviors
  • Practice intervening in a variety of scenarios pulled from news of recent events so that you feel prepared for what you may encounter
  • Learn more about BARCC services and ways you can get involved