Youth at Risk Conference
Changing the lives of youth workers–every year.
The YAR conference offers engaging workshops and the opportunity to obtain continuing education units (CEUs). Exhibitors across the region are present, and sponsors can partner with this uplifting event. The conference will be held on Wednesday, May 22, 2024.
Located at Endicott College in Beverly, the all-day conference is geared toward those working with and caring for youth in various settings—family, community, school, religious, healthcare, human service, and legal. Attendees include social workers, psychologists, youth counselors, family therapists, educators, school adjustment counselors, guidance counselors, community and public health workers, program managers, agency and organization CEOs, police officers, juvenile court personnel, lawyers, and volunteers. YAR presenters come from across the state and from a variety of sectors.
The conference cost is $125 per attendee.
Morning Speaker
David Edward Garcia
Motivation Specialist
David is the only 5-language-speaking-motivational-comedian on the planet! David empathizes with diverse students who face challenges because he was once considered an “at-risk student” himself before defying the odds and graduating with a bachelor’s degree and then earning his Master’s Degree.
He has motivated children and mature adults in some of the greatest metropolitan cities of the world: Los Angeles, New York, Sao Paulo, Paris, and London.
His upbringing facilitated his multiculturalism/ multilingualism, which makes it easy to relate to diverse audiences. While his native languages are English and Spanish, David has also presented in French and Portuguese in his international tours. (He also speaks Italian, bringing his language total to five—for now.).
Afternoon Speaker
We are america
“The Power of Stories and Crafting Identities”
What does it mean to be American? Join the high school co-founders of the national We Are America Project and their teacher co-founder for a conversation about the importance of storytelling and learn about their work with teachers and young people nationwide, redefining what it means to be American.
Through the We Are America Project, teachers and students across the country are exploring and expanding definitions of American identity. Together, students find connections between the past, the present, and each other as they share stories of self, writing powerful, authentic narratives that are published in books for communities to learn from.
Jessica Lander is an award-winning teacher, writer, and author. She teaches history and civics to recent immigrant students in a Massachusetts public high school and has won numerous awards for her teaching, including being named the 2023 Massachusetts History Teacher of the Year, presented by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
Diruhi Award Nominations
The Diruhi Mattian Memorial Award honors the memory of an extraordinary social worker who, in the course of doing the work that meant so much to her, was tragically killed in 2008. Diruhi was extremely committed to her mission of helping at-risk youth and their families. Diruhi was known to many as an advocate of self-care and for providing her colleagues with support and nurturance. This award was created in her name to recognize those who, like Diruhi, do outstanding work in the community for our youth.
Nominations are CLOSED. Thank you for your participation.
Exhibitor Applications
(All spots are filled.)
Thank you for your interest in being an exhibitor at the 2024 YAR Conference. We quickly reached capacity and unfortunately no longer have space available.
Sampling of 2024 Workshop Selections
50 Years Later and Court is Still Not the Answer: Supporting Kids Without Filing a CRA
Attorneys Talk IEPs/504 Plans
Best Practices for Working with Refugee Youth
Beyond Structural Stigma; Understanding the Family Structure
Can’t Communicate – Let’s Mediate
Clinical Interventions for supporting individuals with PANS/PANDAS
Creating Trauma-Sensitive, Antiracist School Cultures
Early Intervention for Psychosis in Young People
Empowering Educators: Preventing Teen Dating Violence & Sexual Abuse
LGBTQ+ who are in the midst of the mental health crisis
MA Roadmap to Behavioral Health Reform: New Services in 2023
Metal Casting Meets Mental Health-1100 Degrees Changes Everything!
Mindful Allies: Supporting the Well-Being of LGBTQIA+ Youth
My journey as a mother of a Transgender Son
Re-building Connections: Addressing the Isolation of Covid-19 Youth
Representing Children in Removal Proceedings
Showing Up: Why Care, Comfort, & Connection Are Essential For Your Well-Being
Trauma-Informed Suicide Prevention in Youth
Understanding & Responding to Youth Vaping
Yes, water balloons have a place in therapy! A multimodal approach to counseling students with Language-Based Learning Disabilities (LBLD)
2024 Approved CEU’s
LMFT (Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist) – 5 credits
LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor) – 5.5 credits
CAFL (Children and Family Law) – 5.5 credits
YAD (Youth Advocacy Division) – 6 credits
NASW (National Association of Social Work) – 5.5 credits
Thank you to our 2024 Youth at Risk Conference Sponsors
LEADER
• Rogers Family Foundation
The Abbot & Dorothy H. Stevens Foundation
AMBASSADOR
• Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation
• McCarthy Family Foundation
ADVOCATE
• Justice Resource Institute (JRI)
• Marblehead Bank
• Merrimack College
• Plummer Youth Promise
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
+ When is the next conference?
Our next conference date is May 22, 2024 and will be held at Endicott College in Beverly, MA.
The cost to attend is $125 per registrant.
For updates and information on future conferences, join our email list by emailing yar@pw4c.org with your preferred address, phone and email.
+ I am an expert in my field and am interested in presenting. Who do I contact?
YAR is seeking presenters to share their knowledge, expertise and experience to address the multitude of issues faced by the youth we work with, their families as well as ourselves as providers.
Some examples of past presentation topics include: Access to Family Planning, Child Welfare, DEI, Domestic Violence, Education; such as school avoidance / school anxiety, Gender based violence, Grief, Homeless Youth, Immigration, Interventions MH, Juvenile Justice, Law Enforcement, LGBTQ+, Mental Health, Parent Partners, Racial Equity/ DEI, Racial Trauma, Self-Care, Substance Use Disorders & Management, Trauma, etc.
+ Which CEUs are offered through the YAR conference?
NASW National Association of Social Work; CAFL Children and Family Law; LMFT Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist; LMHC Licensed Mental Health Counselor.
+ How do I find the Youth at Risk Resource Guide?
You can find our comprehensive Guide at www.yarguide.org.
+ What is the Diruhi Mattian Memorial Award?
Each year, the Youth at Risk (YAR) conference honors a special person who lives or works in Merrimack Valley or Essex County and has made an outstanding contribution in supporting youth at risk.
The Diruhi Mattian Memorial Award honors the memory of an extraordinary social worker who was tragically killed in 2008. Diruhi was dedicated to her profession and always wanted to make a difference in the lives of young people over and over again. The award was created in her name to recognize those who, like Diruhi, do outstanding work in the community for our youth.
**Previous Award Winners include: **
- 2010 - Mike Duda, YAR Founder and Pastor, First Church of Wenham
- 2011 - Kelly O'Conner, Afterschool Program Director, Gregg Neighborhood House
- 2012 - H. Bud Kelly, Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker
- 2013 - Mark Libon, Vice President of Community-based Services, Lahey Health Systems
- 2014 - Donna Coe, Nurse Practitioner, Lynn Community Health Center
- 2015 - Patrick Foley, Adolescent Program Director, STARR Commonwealth
- 2015 - Fred Mathieu, Kids Club Program Director, Washington Street Baptist Church
- 2016 - Carol Ireland, VIP Team Advisor, Haverhill High School
- 2017 - Deb A. Morrison, MSW, LICSW, Kevin O'Grady School at North Shore Consortium in Beverly
- 2018 - Nancy Edman Earls, Director of the Newburyport Learning Enrichment Center (NLEC)
- 2019 - Eric Cousineau, Social Worker at the Greater Lowell Department of Children and Families
- 2021 - Michelle Lipinski, Northshore Recovery High School Principal
- 2022 - Carlos Mercado, Lowell Police Department
- 2023 - Anya McDavitt, Director of Youth Services at North Shore Community Mediation Center
YAR 2024 Committee Members
Amy Ackroyd - Independent Consultant, Chair
Maria Avila - MA Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Stacie Bloxham - Essex County Sheriffs Department
Nicholas Bound - Department of Youth Services
Windi Bowditch - Northshore Education Consortium
Linnea Burrill - Department of Children & Families
AJ Cullen - Department of Developmental Disabilities
Amanda Daniels - Pathways for Children
Stephanie Gargiulo- Beth Israel Lahey Health
Brian Gawlak - East Baptist Church
Staci Gergely - Lynn Juvenile Court
Antonio Gutierrez - Lynn Youth Street Outreach, Inc.
Rachel Herrick - Pathways for Children
Kimberly Hutchins - Private Practice Psychotherapist
Mona Igram - Center for Public Representation
Frantzie Kebreau - Department of Mental Health
Hailey MacDonald - Pathways for Children
Kathy Moriconi -YAR Co-Founder/Lawrence Prospera
Lauri Rawls - Endicott College
Linda M. Richards - Department of Mental Health (Retired)
Richard Ross - Senior Care
Christine Shaw - Merrimack College
YAR Statement on Risk
Every generation of youth has faced and endured an ever-changing
landscape of physical, medical, social, emotional, economic, political
and environmental stresses, resulting in a wide range of risks to
their wellness and ability to achieve their full life potential.
As a community, the helping professions are at the front line of
identifying, mitigating, and minimizing the impact of these stresses on
our youth, their families, and communities. Risk, and its management
is a daily reality and responsibility for all our disciplines.
The Youth at Risk Committee does not use the term "risk" lightly or as
a pejorative. Rather, we endeavor to emphasize the importance of
being vigilant to the management of risk wherever it presents
itself in our communities and remain focused on empowering youth,
families and communities to actualize their innate hope and resiliency
to meet and manage the challenges presented.
Wherever our front lines take us, we need to be creative,
enthusiastic, and mutually supportive as we navigate a rapidly
changing world. Thank you for joining us in raising up our colleagues
and expanding our collective knowledge and expertise.
This is what the YAR Conference is all about. We look forward to
celebrating YAR together with you!
HAVE QUESTIONS? CHECK US OUT AT www.pw4c.org/youth-at-risk-conference OR
EMAIL US AT YAR@PW4C.ORG
WE’RE HERE TO HELP!