Director, Youth Leadership & Advocacy, Wyman's National Network Wyman
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Full Description: Research continues to affirm the importance of social connections during adolescence. It is through supportive relationships that adolescents develop social emotional skills, which in turn are key predictors of success in other developmental areas, including educational success, and health and well-being, even into adulthood. The need for connection has only been amplified by the events of the past 18 months and the social isolation that has resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. This time of crisis reminds us of the critical nature of connection and the potential harm that can be done when it is absent. From national data it’s clear that, as a result of the pandemic, many of our nation’s young people are struggling with higher levels of stress, greater levels of disconnection from peers and adults and decreased overall well-being (e.g., Flanagan et al., 2021). This is particularly true for Black and Hispanic teens (Osgood et al., 2021).
The pandemic notwithstanding, connection to others is so foundational to healthy development and to overall well-being that we may not fully appreciate its power and may often take it for granted. To address this critical need, the Teen Connection Project (TCP) was developed through a research-to-practice partnership between Wyman, a St. Louis based, youth-serving nonprofit organization, and Dr. Joseph Allen of the University of Virginia. The program is delivered to small groups of high school aged teens and facilitated by two trained adults over 12-14 weeks using the 12 lessons from the TCP Curriculum. The program was tested using a randomized controlled trial with study findings indicating that youth who received TCP, compared to those who did not, showed improved quality of peer relationships, greater use of social coping, lower levels of depressive symptoms and higher levels of academic engagement (Allen at al., 2020). Since the program’s inception, Wyman has replicated the program nationally and continues to learn about the most effective practices for supporting youth to build social connections.
Regardless of the specific program implemented, the implementation setting, or one’s specific role in working with youth, everyone has opportunities to promote connectedness. The focus of this workshop is to empower participants to do just that – to maximize the opportunities they have in their own work to support social connections. In addition to reviewing relevant research on the importance of social connections in adolescence, this workshop will provide a variety of specific strategies to increase connections that participants can utilize, including connectedness between teens, between teens and supportive adults, and between teens and their community and their school. Workshop presenters will employ multiple training modalities, such as PowerPoint presentation, interactive activities, large group discussion, and small group work to ensure it is a highly engaging and valuable experience for participants.
Abbreviated Description: This presentation builds knowledge and teaches strategies to increase connectedness, an essential promotive factor in healthy adolescent growth and development and an important protective factor during times of increased stress. Participants will understand research on the relationship between connectedness and adolescent growth and development, as well as specific positive developmental and behavioral outcomes. Additionally, participants will learn specific strategies, applicable across program interventions and implementation settings, for building connectedness in their work with adolescents. The presentation will be highly engaging and interactive.
