COE Events
2024 National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference
In 1990, the National Youth Advocacy and Resilience (NYAR) Conference, formerly known as the National Youth-At-Risk Conference, was founded by Georgia Southern University’s College of Education. The name change was adopted in 2021 and was encouraged by the youth the program serves. The Conference continues to provide prominent training for all individuals devoted to promoting and advancing the well-being of youth. For over 30 years, the conference continues to encourage the participation of educators at all levels including Therapists, Social Workers, Psychologists, Criminal Justice Professionals, Business and Community Leaders and Volunteer Service Providers.
Past conference speakers have included nationally and internationally recognized educators and youth advocates such as Geoffrey Canada, Ron Clark, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Jim Brown, TV celebrity Judge Glenda Hatchett, and several National Teachers of the Year. In its 34th year, the conference has grown from a regional conference of 150 participants to a national conference of approximately 1400 participants and presenters from across the globe.
The 2024 NYAR Conference was held March 3-6th at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Savannah, Georgia. Keynote speakers included Dardi Hendershott, Co-founder of Hope 4 The Wounded, LLC and co-author of Supporting the Wounded Educator: A Trauma-Sensitive Approach to Self-Care, Manuel Scott, Ph.D., author and Freedom Writer, and Keith Brown, Principal Speaker and Lead Consultant.
Alisa Leckie, Assistant Dean for Partnerships and Outreach and Co-Chair of NYAR, expressed how the goals of the 2024 conference were to make it more personable for youth.
“NYAR 2024 was a resounding success. Participants left inspired and energized to continue doing the important work of supporting youth in our communities. It is a privilege to work with our presenters and participants each year,” she said.
Taylor Norman, Associate Professor of English Language Arts and Co-Chair of NYAR shared her experience on this year’s conference.
“This year’s conference, like so many in the past, created a proactive and productive space for our participants and attendees. I am honored to do this work, and inspired by the passion, purpose, and commitment embodied by our diverse and beautiful community,” she said.
The conference was a huge success with more than 200 presentations and over a thousand participants. Georgia Southern anticipates this number will continue growing and benefitting young people around the world and is excited for the future of our youth as we build on this success.
COE undergrads assist in district-wide Project Eaglet
During the two weeks between January 17-27, all nine elementary schools in Bulloch County brought their fourth graders to Georgia Southern’s Statesboro campus. Each day students from a different school spent two hours at the Russell Union learning about the properties of light and sound. Groups of 10-12 students rotated through eleven stations in order to earn their Great Gretsch Sound badge as part of an ambitious new program called Project Eaglet.
Beginning in 2023, and funded by the Kiwanis Club of Statesboro, Project Eaglet aims to bring Bulloch County students to a different outreach center at Georgia Southern University’s Statesboro Campus each year. Project Eaglet has coordinated first graders visiting the Botanic Garden, second graders visiting the Planetarium, third graders visiting the Museum, fourth graders experiencing The Great Gretsch Sound, and fifth graders visiting the Wildlife Center. At the end of five years, students who collect a badge from each outreach center will have completed the full Project Eaglet experience.
In order to ensure the fourth graders visiting The Great Gretsch Sound get the most out of their visit, the Fred and Dinah Gretsch School of Music reached out to the College of Education for assistance. The challenge was to develop a student experience that imparts Georgia fourth grade standards for light and sound. Kania Greer, Coordinator of the Center for STEM Education, took on the College of Education’s role in the project, working with the Gretsch School of Music and also the College of Engineering and Computing. She says, “All of us at the university have a good handle on how to help one another with projects. It takes everyone to pull off something of this scale.”
For the College of Education’s part, Drs. Katie Brkich, Alesia Moldavan, and Bailey Nafziger enlisted undergraduate students in practicum and methods classes to develop standards-based lessons last semester. Then, undergraduate students this semester implemented the lessons at five of the 11 stations.
The five College of Education stations were:
- How much light shines through?
- How do we use light and sound to communicate?
- What do we see when light bends?
- How can you change Sound?
- How does light interact with mirrors?
The Fred and Dinah Gretsch School of Music stations were:
- Sound Wave Frequency.
- Little Things Sound High.
- Loud Things Have Tall Sound Waves.
- Sound Waves Travel Through Objects.
- Melody Glasses.
The College of Engineering and Computing station was:
- Wearable Sound and Light, Generating Sound and Light Using a Microcontroller
Greer assisted each day of the project and reports, “I kept hearing, ‘This is so cool,’ ‘This is so fun,’ ‘Why can’t we do this every day?’ ‘I didn’t know I could do that here,’ but the best thing is just to see the smiles on the kids’ faces.” She adds, “It only takes one person to change the trajectory of a child’s life for good or for bad, and we want to be people that change it for good.”
COE to host Educator Wellness Day
On Saturday, September 24 at noon, current mentors working with Georgia Southern University College of Education (COE) students are invited to participate in a day of appreciation.
“All across the state we have dedicated professionals who work with our students preparing to become teachers, educational leaders, counselors, and school psychologists,” said Alisa Leckie, Ph.D., assistant dean for partnerships and outreach. “This year, as the Georgia Southern football team celebrates homecoming and teacher appreciation for their Sept. 24 home game, we decided to add in a special day of wellness, relaxation and fun for those individuals who are supporting our students.”
Current mentors will receive an email invitation to RSVP for a two-hour event full of massage techniques, chair yoga, puppy play time, art projects, refreshments and more–all completely free!
“There is no ‘thank you’ large enough for these individuals as they dedicate their expertise time and time again to help grow and advance our students,” said Leckie. “We hope that this will just be a reminder of how much we appreciate our mentors.”
The Educator Wellness event will take place at the College of Education on the Statesboro Campus from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24 prior to the football game at 6 p.m.
For more information, contact Leckie at aleckie@georgiasouthern.edu
CFP Extra Yard for Teachers at Georgia Southern University
Grant Applications now open for teachers in Bulloch, Chatham and Liberty Counties
The College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation’s primary platform, Extra Yard for Teachers, elevates the teaching profession by inspiring and empowering educators through the implementation of programs in four focus areas: resources, recognition, recruitment and professional development.
The CFP Foundation utilizes multiple partnerships to execute its initiatives and support positive educational outcomes.
This year, Georgia Southern University Athletics is partnering with the CFP Extra Yard for Teachers initiative to show appreciation for teachers throughout Bulloch, Chatham and Liberty Counties, the home locations of the University’s three campuses.
Twenty (20) $250 classroom improvement grants will be awarded to deserving teachers from the three counties based on grant applications and itemized budgets submitted before the deadline of 8 a.m. on Monday, August 29. Teachers who are named recipients of the Extra Yard for Teachers classroom grants will be recognized at the Georgia Southern Teacher Appreciation Football game on Saturday, September 24, when the Eagles take on Ball State. Each grant recipient will receive two complimentary tickets to the game and are asked to attend for an on-field presentation.
Extra Yard for Teachers classroom improvement grant applications are now open. Teachers may begin considering classroom initiatives or projects that they would like to submit for consideration.
A committee consisting of College of Education faculty and students will complete a double blind review of grant applications, where all personal and identifying information is removed from application information. Grant recipients will be notified no later than the second week in October, and a representative from Georgia Southern Athletics and/or the College of Education will visit schools to present a check to each winner on a date that is convenient for the schools, grant recipients, and University representatives.
“We look forward to seeing the initiatives and projects that teachers in Bulloch, Chatham and Liberty Counties put forth as a part of the Extra Yards for Teachers initiative,” said Senior Associate Athletics Director of Student-Athlete Development Gleen Hart. “This partnership is exciting as we get to recognize teachers who are a vital part of our campus communities.”
Grant applications can be accessed at https://forms.gle/ug1YDzCceCcS8woBA, and will remain open until 8 a.m. on Monday, August 29.
Road to Resilience Conference to be hosted in Savannah in Sept.
On September 10, more than 2,000 Savannah-Chatham educators, counselors, social workers and criminal justice professionals, among others, are anticipated to attend the first-ever Road to Resilience Conference on Georgia Southern University’s Armstrong Campus
Previously three separate events — Brake the Stigma: Mental Health Awareness Car Show; Mental Health Symposium; and the Trauma Informed Education Symposium (TIES) — are coming together to form one day of professional education, training and awareness to address the behavioral and mental health needs of Chatham County.
Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit presentation proposals for a 45-minute session (30 minutes of content and 15 minutes for Q&A) that addresses one of the four strands of the conference theme HEAL:
- Heal: Examples include practices related to self-care, mindfulness, self-compassion; trauma-sensitive yoga, coping skills;
- Equity: Examples include justice, equity and inclusion practices, implicit biases, trauma-informed practices, respecting protective factors;
- Advocacy: Examples include parental tips to advocate for a child, self-advocacy, understanding mental health and trauma to become a better advocate;
- Learning: Examples include learning about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), suicide awareness, trauma-informed educational practices, mental health symptoms, local resources, evidence-based practices, and supporting teachings and students in schools.
Proposals should include a title and a 50-word abstract of the presentation as well as how the presentation relates to one (or more) of the conference strands. Email proposals to Regina Rahimi, Ed.D., professor of middle grades education, at rrahimi@georgiasouthern.edu no later than August 1.
The conference is co-hosted by Georgia Southern’s College of Education, Chatham County Strategic Planning, Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, Gateway of Savannah and Coastal Georgia Indicators Coalition.
Sponsorships for the event are also available. For questions about sponsorship or the event contact Regina Rahimi, Ed.D., at rrahimi@georgiasouthern.edu.