Descriptions of Workshops
Morning Sessions
9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
and
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
1. “Grief and Loss - Creating a Responsive School Culture”
Dr. Bonnie J. Rubenstein, Director of Guidance and Counseling for the Rochester City
Schools will discuss how the issues of grief and loss impact school culture and student
learning continually. In this workshop, symptoms and stages of grief, and information on
providing support during times when a school’s students and staff are impacted by grief
and loss will be presented. The Rochester City School District’s Grief Resource Network
will be highlighted.
2. “Youth Gangs and Violence: Awareness, Intervention and Prevention”
Officer Moses Robinson, School Resource Officer from the Rochester Police
Department will discuss the growing problem of youth violence and gang activities in our
community. Human service workers, educators, and parents need to be aware of this
growing problem and its impact on the well-being of our youth and our community.
Learn about the extent of this problem, the interventions that are being employed and
what we can do to prevent this trend from negatively impacting the lives of our young
citizens.
3. “The Thing about Adolescent Drug Use”
Gary Burdett, CSW, Clinical Supervisor for Hillside Children’s Center Halpern Day
Treatment Program and program coordinator for a collaboration program between
Hillside and Unity Health will discuss a number of issues related to adolescent drug use.
His presentation will include insights into “what users tell us.” He will explore the impact
drug use has on the family and he will explain dual diagnosis treatment interventions with
adolescents. He will help us understand the extent of adolescent drug use by sharing with
us informative statistics.
4. “Poisoning Our Children”
Glenny Williams and Ralph Spezio will discuss the efforts of the Coalition to Prevent
Lead Poisoning in Rochester/Monroe County by 2010. They will inform us on the
devastating effects that lead has on our children’s health and well-being. Learn about
what is being done to address this serious issue in our community.
5. “Black and Latino Males in Educational Systems”
Terrance Barnes will provide descriptive data that illustrates educational performance
outcomes of Black and Latino males between elementary school through terminal
degrees. Workshop participants will review both the myths and the realities that impact
the academic achievement among Black and Latino males in education. The current
educational, cultural and familial factors that have an effect on the ability of Black and
Latino males to succeed educationally will be examined. Recommendations will be
made that bring a different perspective to our current problems in education.
6. “Formal and Informal Supports for Youth and Families in the Mental Health
System: A Holistic Approach”
Sara R. Hughes, Compeer, Inc., Lisa Kinney, Advocate for Compeer, Inc. and Better
Days Ahead, and Dana Frame, Vice President/Director of Compeer, Inc., will discuss
a holistic approach to helping youth and families navigate the mental health system.
Emphasis will be put on the formal and informal levels of support in addition to the
systemic challenges of accessing services.
7. “Identifying Learning and Behavior Disorders in Children”
Wanda Willard, Ph.D., will outline behavioral characteristics, symptomology and key
assessment techniques used by school systems to diagnose learning and behavior
disorders including attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, learning disabilities and
emotional disturbance.
8. “Monroe County Fire Bureau: Juvenile Fire Setter Intervention Program”
Fred Rion of the Monroe County Fire Bureau will share with you some of the initiatives
and interventions being used to help youths. Topics ranging from youthful fire starters
to occult will be addressed.
Description of Workshops
Afternoon Session
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
1. “Assets: What Are They?”
Joan H. Bickweat invites you to join her to learn about 40 Developmental Assets. This
session will be an introduction of the Asset Building Approach developed by Search
Institute. What is asset building and how does it apply to all youth and all communities?
Join us to learn how Monroe County has developed one of the most successful Healthy
Community/Healthy Youth Initiatives in the country.
2. “Bullying: Putting a Stop to Cruelty”
Elizabeth Meeker, Psy.D will discuss how bullying is far more than a childhood “rite of
passage.” Bullying is violence. It can range from a glaring stare to a physical attack,
from gossiping to brandishing a weapon. The cost of cruelty for victims, bullies,
bystanders and society are substantial. When addressed as a community-wide issue, well
targeted education programs and strategies are very effective in stopping this behavior.
Participants will learn about the prevalence and costs of bullying as well as intervention
that works.
3. “Integration of Human Service Students into Your Agency’s Programs”
Anthony Caiazza, Chair of the Human Services Department will discuss
the integration of human service students into your agency’s programs. Enjoy the
benefits of mentoring and supervising current students and your future colleagues.
(This workshop is geared towards agency personnel, currently supervising students or
those considering becoming an intern supervisor.)
4. “Welcome to the Damon City Campus”
Deb Scott, Career Counselor, Student Services, Damon City Campus will share
information on educational and career options. Meet some current Damon City Campus
students and learn how they chose their majors and decided on careers in the fields of
Human Service, Criminal Justice and Education. Discover the advantages and benefits of
starting your academic career at Monroe Community College.