Stars for Scholarly Youth Update
The Stars for Scholarly Youth (SSY) Mentor/Mentee program has been a roaring success. They received about 120 applicants to the program last semester and then hosted an info session through Zoom. Recently, they hosted their end of semester event for mentors and mentees. This was a winter carnival themed event with over 50 attendees. The event featured various games, activities, and food, all free of cost!
In case you missed our previous email about this program, here is some information:
Students can be overwhelmed by the future of their academic career. The Stars for Scholarly Youth mentorship program hopes to support students for better integration into postsecondary life in the future.
The Program
- Each mentor/mentee pair will meet for ~30 mins a minimum of once a month (though you are welcome to meet more) over Zoom or in-person; to discuss University, career aspirations, useful resources, and purpose.
- The mentor is responsible for engaging the mentee in these conversations (mentees are likely to be shy), but conversation topics and some resources will be provided.
Events
- 1 mentor in-person social per semester
- 1 mentor-mentee in-person larger event at the end of each semester which will be mandatory to attend (there will be free food and lots of games!)
- 1 fundraiser per semester
Deadline for Application is February 8th.
This is a wonderful program and is growing bigger each semester. The organizers would like to expand their program and organize more events for the members; However, as a university club, their resources for raising funds are limited. The GPA will be sending a donation to SSY from our unrestricted (non-casino) funds. If any GATE parents would also like to contribute, you can e-transfer a donation to starsfsy@gmail.com and note it is for StarGATE.
UPCOMING PARENT EDUCATION SESSIONS
The Community Education Service (CES) is offering the following sessions for parents and families. Sessions are offered at no cost but registration is required. Click on the Poster/PDF icon below the correct session to register**
January 26: Your Child’s Suicidal Thoughts: What to think and say when your child needs immediate mental health care
Anyone can experience suicidal thoughts at any age and for many reasons. Parents have a tough job being a consistent supporter for children through every developmental shift, change at school, extra-curricular success, or social failure. When you are extra worried about your child’s safety due to thoughts of suicide, you might not know what to think or what to say. In this presentation, hear the facts about suicidal ideation and actions, what you can say directly to your child and other family members, and learn what supports are available to you as caregiver as well as for your child.
February 2: Child Sexual Abuse
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
• Understand what Child Sexual Abuse is
• Identify at least 3 facts about Child Sexual Abuse
• Understand Age of Consent
• Gain an understanding of the indicators and impacts of Child Sexual Abuse.
February 9: Learning to Inclusively Support All Children Through Grief and Loss
his workshop will aim to teach caregivers, parents and professionals how to:
• Define grief and loss
• Recognize the signs of a grieving child
• Talk to a child about loss
• Teach children about grief and loss
• Use evidence-based strategies to support a child who is grieving
• Enhance a child’s resiliency amid difficult times
February 15: Mindfulness: Supporting Your Child’s Social and Emotional Well-Being
This session will explore the topic of mindfulness and how mindfulness strategies can help support their child’s social and emotional well‐being. Explore how our brain’s stress responses (fight, flight, or freeze) may impact our social and
emotional well‐being and how we can use mindfulness to calm our brain. We will discuss how the brain influences thinking, emotions, self‐regulation, and behaviour. Improved social emotional skills using mindfulness can lead to better focus in school, better cooperation with others, improved self‐awareness, self‐regulation, decrease stress/anxiety, and improve our overall sense of well‐being. Through an interactive session, participants will be guided through some mindfulness activities that they can use with their children and explore learning from the MindUP program.
February 21: Ages and Stages: What to expect and what to do to support healthy child sexual development age 0-18
Do you parent, give care or work with children age 0-18? You may have learned about childhood development when it comes to milestones like talking, walking and reading; but many people haven’t had the chance to build their knowledge about sexual development milestones. In this education session, learn about:
• Childhood sexual development milestones ages 0-18
• What children and youth need to know at each age
• Typical sexual behaviors
• Tips for responding to un-preferred typical sexual behaviors
• Tips for supporting healthy childhood sexual development through talking and creating affirming environments
• Reputable resources
February 23: Juno House Presents: Healthy Brains = Healthy Children
At Juno House www.junohouse.ca we believe in the extraordinary healing power of parents and caregivers. We believe that you can learn all of the skills that you need to become your teen’s emotional coach. We believe that talking does not grow neurons; experience grows neurons. We will share steps and strategies from the Juno House Therapeutic Model that will give you effective emotional coaching tools for your children as they develop through adolescence and into young adulthood. You will learn about :
• Neuroscience and the developing brain,
• Brain integration of the left and right brain,
• How anxiety develops,
• The background of emotions and how to understand them in your child,
• The five emotional coaching steps,
• Strategies to help guide your adolescent through the challenges they will face in their academic, peer, and emotional environments.
February 23: When Consequences Don’t Work
In this workshop we look at the difference between logical & natural consequences, discuss why some consequences don’t work and consider some positive re-enforcers to encourage acceptable behaviour that work at different ages.
DID YOU KNOW you can access pre-recorded sessions for free HERE.
ALSO CHECK OUT resources available through Mental Health Literacy HERE.