The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Presents We are pleased to provide you with information regarding Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board’s inaugural Bullying Prevention and Wellness Symposium. Bullying Prevention & Wellness Symposium "Whoever receives one whom I send receives me" (John 13: 20) Keynote Address: Dr. Debra J. Pepler Dr. Debra Pepler is a Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology at York University and a Senior Adjunct Scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children. Her research focuses on aggression and victimization among children and adolescents, as well as children in families at risk. Healthy relationships are absolutely critical for the healthy development of children and youth. These relationships start at home and extend to the school, peer group, and community. Recent research is showing that the quality of children’s relationships is important for healthy DNA and the expression of genes in cells, for healthy brain development, healthy behaviour, healthy learning and for physical and mental health. Dr. Pepler will focus on what parents can do to support their children’s healthy development in the environments where they live, learn, and play. Additional resources and tools can be found on the PREVNet (Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network) website: www.prevnet.ca/. 2 Bullying Prevention & Wellness Symposium "Whoever receives one whom I send receives me" (John 13: 20) Workshop Selections and Presenters WORKSHOPS PRESENTERS A Cyber bullying and Bystander Intervention Peel Regional Police Constable Chris Christidis Constable Yvette Logan Rising Stars Athletics & Education Dr. Andrew Peters Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Yvonne Bienko (Safe Schools Consultant), Joanna Kubica (Student Settlement Support Officer) Associated Youth Services of Peel Lisa Bachmeier and Patty Campbell B Developing Resilient Young Leaders in Schools and Communities C Bullying and the Newcomer D Let’s Talk – Tips for Building Healthy Communication with your Family E When is My Child Just Being Anxious? Practical Strategies for Parenting Worried and Stressed Children and Adolescents Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Debra Lean (Chief Psychologist) F Parent Awareness & Empowerment Rising Stars Athletics & Education Erin Forman G The Wisdom Project: A Video Narrative of one Family’s Journey of Hope and Resilience Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Glenn Carley Jacqueline Davis H Workplace Mental Health I Physical Activity and Mental Wellbeing Workplace Mental Health Specialist Donna Hardaker Sponsored by SEAC Peel Public Health J Ministry of Education K Student Health Survey Special Education Policy and Programs Sandy Palinski Sponsored by SEAC Peel Public Health Cheryl Meaden Please register at: http://osca.ca/en/events/keydates/dpcdsb 3 Bullying Prevention & Wellness Symposium "Whoever receives one whom I send receives me" (John 13: 20) Workshop A Cyber bullying and Bystander Intervention Cyber-bullying is a negative action using digital media, with the intention to cause harm. Young people today are very prolific in using modern technology; however, many are unaware of some of the risks and consequences that can result from inappropriate or uninformed use. CyberBullying and Sexting are two of the more common abuses of digital media by youth today. Peel Regional Police has partnered with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board and Peel District School Board, as well as other local agencies, to deliver a pilot program to a small group of high schools. At Dufferin-Peel, the program focuses on teaching students the Catholic response to bullying prevention and intervention, and focuses on teaching students safe methods of intervention. Presenters: Constable Chris Christidis and Constable Yvette Logan Workshop B Developing Resilient Young Leaders in Schools and Communities Empowering students and providing them with the tools they need to make healthy decisions, while promoting a caring and inclusive environment is more important now, than ever before. Rising Stars’ L.E.A.D. (Leadership. Awareness. Empowerment. Development) program and activities are effectively designed to keep students more engaged, while inspiring active involvement, creativity and positive student leadership. Preparing our students with the skills to lead and succeed requires a collective and community approach. We strongly believe in the old adage that it takes a village to raise a child. This interactive workshop will encourage parents to actively participate while they become familiar with a selection of unique activities and challenges that are carefully designed to make immediate and measurable differences in student success and the development of leadership competencies. Presenter: Dr. Andrew Peters 4 Bullying Prevention & Wellness Symposium "Whoever receives one whom I send receives me" (John 13: 20) Workshop C Bullying and the Newcomer This workshop is intended for parents and students who are new to the country and want to better understand the problem of bullying and cyberbullying. It will provide parents with an overview of the Dufferin-Peel’s Catholic Community, Culture and Caring safe schools related policies, Dufferin-Peel’s school climate survey data, existing programs and supports provided to Dufferin-Peel students, and the steps parents can take to help address the problem and support their children involved in a bullying situation. Recognizing that bullying situations can sometimes arise from conflict and misunderstanding, communication strategies will be highlighted to empower students and parents that are new to the country so as to de-escalate these situations when they arise. Presenters: Yvonne Bienko, Safe Schools Consultant Joanna Kubica, Student Settlement Support Officer Workshop D Let’s Talk – Tips for Building Healthy Communication with your Family This workshop will provide practical strategies for parents and caregivers to promote communication with their children and youth. Helpful tips will be discussed to foster a healthy relationship, including open, honest, two-way communication, problem solving and dealing with stress and conflict in the age of social media. Add tools to your parenting tool box to raise resilient, responsible, and compassionate children and youth. Presenters: Lisa Bachmeier and Patty Campbell 5 Bullying Prevention & Wellness Symposium "Whoever receives one whom I send receives me" (John 13: 20) Workshop E When is My Child Just Being Anxious? Practical Strategies for Parenting Worried and Stressed Children and Adolescents Anxiety is the most common mental health problem in children and adolescents. It is difficult to determine when a child’s worries require professional help. This session will cover typical and problematic worries, stresses, and other anxious behaviour in school-aged children. Participants will learn when to be concerned, as well as how to help their children build resilience and coping skills when facing the stresses of everyday life. Presenter: Debra Lean, Chief Psychologist Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Workshop F Parent Awareness & Empowerment Rising Stars Athletics & Education offers a rich variety of innovative programs designed specifically for the benefit of students, schools, and communities. Each unique program promises to promote the development of essential life skills, while making a positive difference in the lives of youth. This interactive parent and community workshop will provide a sample of engaging and experiential awareness activities that will assist parents and guardians in addressing the issue of bullying with their elementary aged children. This informative and educational workshop will not only serve to familiarize participants with a selection of unique and effective character development activities, but will also allow parents and guardians to become more comfortable and creative in addressing bullying through hands-on demonstrations and memorable connections. Presenter: Erin Forman 6 Bullying Prevention & Wellness Symposium "Whoever receives one whom I send receives me" (John 13: 20) Workshop G The Wisdom Project: A Video Narrative of one Family’s Journey of Hope and Resilience The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board’s Wisdom Project is about filming narrative from students/parents/staff around aspects of their high school experience. Students and families have a rich experience in education and their story or ‘narrative’ has much to share and to teach about real life experiences at school, some of the problems faced, the solutions found and the many people who may have helped along the journey. During the workshop, you will be introduced to a mother and daughter, both on film and in person, to discuss their journey of hope and resilience through a cyber-bullying episode. You will be invited to participate in conversations about this narrative and provide your reflections on how this could further inform the general parent community. Presenters: Glenn Carley Jacqueline Davis Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board Workshop H Workplace Mental Health Specialist Donna Hardaker is a Workplace Mental Health Specialist. Since 2003, she has been a content developer, master trainer and consultant with the Canadian Mental Health Association’s awardwinning Mental Health Works program, helping workplaces improve their awareness, communication and effectiveness in dealing with complex and often emotionally-charged situations when employees are struggling with mental health issues. Donna’s reflections on her personal experience of mental illness while trying to stay productive at work contributed significantly to the tone and approach of Mental Health Works. She is a frequentlyrequested public speaker across Canada and the United States at education and training events, and conferences for return to work and accommodation, disability management, human rights in the workplace, applied public health, and employee wellness. We would like to thank the Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC) for their sponsorship of this speaker. Presenter: Donna Hardaker 7 Bullying Prevention & Wellness Symposium "Whoever receives one whom I send receives me" (John 13: 20) Workshop I Physical Activity and Mental Well-being There is evidence to suggest that there is a direct link between physical activity and positive mental wellbeing. Attend this presentation and learn about this link. Learn about the fun activities that are easy and cost effective that you are able to do as a family in your community. Also, hear about the collaboration between Peel Health and Dufferin- Peel to support physical activity and mental well-being. Workshop J Special Education Policy and Programs – Ministry of Education In her role as Manager in the Special Education Policy and Programs Branch of the Ministry of Education, Sandy had a leading role in the development of Ontario's Comprehensive Mental Health and Addictions Strategy (Strategy), developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Ministry of the Attorney General, Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs. Sandy leads the implementation of the Strategy as it relates to supporting students in Ontario’s publicly funded school boards. In 2011, Sandy was selected by the Deputy Minister of Education to partner with the Mental Health Commission of Canada to develop and implement a plan for workplace pilot sites for peer support in mental health in public and private sector organizations, and to assist in the development of a comprehensive evaluation plan for peer support in Canadian workplaces. We would like to thank the Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC) for their sponsorship of this speaker. Presenter: Sandy Palinski 8 Bullying Prevention & Wellness Symposium "Whoever receives one whom I send receives me" (John 13: 20) Workshop K Student Health Survey Student Health Survey In 2011, we at Peel Health completed our Student Health Survey! We looked to students in Dufferin-Peel Board and Peel Board schools, from grades 7 – 12 to provide us with information. We invite you to this presentation to find out what teens in Peel are doing in the area of nutrition, tobacco, alcohol, physical activity and other health related areas. Bullying Prevention and Wellness Symposium 2013 AGENDA 8:30 a.m. Coffee/Registration 9:00 a.m. Welcome, Liturgy, Opening Remarks 9:30 a.m. Keynote Speaker 10:30 a.m. Break 10:45 a.m. Breakout Session #1 (40 mins) 11:35 a.m. Breakout Session #2 (40 mins) 12:15 Raffle/Feedback Please register at: http://osca.ca/en/events/keydates/dpcdsb 9 Bullying Prevention & Wellness Symposium "Whoever receives one whom I send receives me" (John 13: 20) St. Francis Xavier Secondary School 10