MELBOURNE, Fla. – April 20, 2015 – Last week, more than 50 Brevard community members came together for the 2nd of three Brevard Youth Thrive trainings. The training, held at the Crowne Plaza, focused on enhancing healthy development and well-being for Brevard’s youth.
The Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) designed the Youth Thrive Framework: using Protective and Promotive Factors that focus on ways that youth can be supported to advance healthy development and well-being and reduce the impact of negative life experiences. In partnership with CSSP, Brevard Family Partnership is 1 of 2 Youth Thrive pilot sites, along with the state of New Jersey.
Members of Brevard County School, Department of Juvenile Justice Probation, Guardian Ad Litem, Early Learning Coalition, Brevard Family Partnership, Brevard C.A.R.E.S., Paxen Community Connections, Crosswinds, Devereux, Impower, Brevard Behavioral Consultants, and local foster parents attended the 3-day long training to gain knowledge of adolescent development, cognitive and social/emotional competence, and how to promote youth resilience.
Renowned speaker and author, Frank Eckles, BA, CYC-P, LCCA, presented the Youth Thrive curriculum through a series of discussions, experimental activities and self‐reflection exercises. Eckles, who is the Past President of the National Child and Youth Care Certification Board, believes that each of us has a responsibility to leave the world better than we found it, and believes that spending time supporting the young people who will become our next generation is crucial.
Connie Glass, Devereux Therapist said, “This training emphasized the importance of relationship building. If we don’t have relationships with these youths, then nothing is going to help them and they will be lost. I plan on implementing the information I learned at this training going forward.”
New foster parents, Joe and Rose Mazzella, gained pertinent knowledge at the training that they can utilize with their 3 foster children. “We learned valuable tools and techniques to use with our children and the role playing throughout the training was beneficial and relatable to real life scenarios.
One of the many goals of the training was to disseminate useful information to parents, caregivers, and community members so that they will better understand how they—in their respective roles—can prioritize healthy development for young people to grow into successful, productive and caring members of society.
For more information about Brevard Youth Thrive and Brevard Family Partnership, please contact Ashley Carraro at call 321-752-4650 or visit www.fpocf.org.
