NYAR
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.
New Collaborative Launches Trauma Informed Resources
Professionals working with youth now have a practical tool to help students overcome mental health challenges to reach their potential. Professors across two colleges at Georgia Southern University have published a series of short videos that provide targeted, free training on how to implement trauma informed practices in a variety of settings.
Visitors to the Trauma-Informed and Mental Wellness Research Collaborative website find links to ten 12-to-30-minute instructional videos, including “Trauma Informed Strategies for Classroom Teachers,” “Foundations of Trauma,” and “Developing Mental Wellness Interventions in Clinics and Schools.” Videos are also available on a YouTube playlist.
The Trauma-Informed and Mental Wellness Research Collaborative was created by Regina Rahimi, Ed.D., and Delores Liston, Ph.D., from the College of Education, Tamerah Hunt, Ph.D., and April Garrity, Ph.D., from the Waters College of Health Professions, and
Vanessa Keener, Ed.D., from Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools. The group decided to collaborate after meeting at Road to Resilience, a conference on mental health co developed by Drs. Rahimi, Liston, and Keener and held at Georgia Southern University’s Armstrong Campus in 2022.
Rahimi says the need for action was evident after the Pandemic exposed increasing mental illness among children. She says “Teachers are overwhelmed with challenging behaviors and frustrated with the lack of resources.”
After securing a seed grant from National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Research Center, the group was able to establish the Trauma-Informed and Mental Wellness Research Collaborative website, create training videos, and plan for future expansion. Over the next year, the Collaborative plans to increase awareness of current resources and broaden the scope of the project. Rahimi says, “The goal is for the Collaborative to be a hub of mental health resources for youth in our community.”
Visit the website here: https://www.georgiasouthern.edu/coe/nyar-research-center/professional-development/
National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference serves 1,300 professionals
Georgia Southern University’s College of Education had near record-breaking attendance at the 34th annual National Youth Advocacy and Resilience (NYAR) Conference. The conference was at capacity with over 1,300 participants from across the U.S. attending sessions as presenters or audience members. The event was held March 5-8 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Savannah.
Conference co-chair, Alisa Leckie, Ph.D., Assistant Dean of Partnerships and Outreach, remarked, “As in past years, we had to create a waiting list given the continued demand for the conference and for information on how to best build resilience among our community’s youth. Although we wish we could have accommodated everyone who wanted to attend, we are heartened at how many people want to learn how to better support children and families.”
One of the University’s longest-running and largest conferences, the NYAR Conference provides professional development and evidence-based techniques to educators, social workers, counselors, school resource officers, administrators, psychologists, and others who work with and advocate for minors. This year’s four-day event featured more than 100 sessions that focused on the five domains of youth advocacy: Head (academics), Heart (social/emotional), Health (physical), Hand (safety), and Home (families).
New to this year’s conference were student presenters who talked about their advocacy work. Conference co-chair Taylor Norman, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Middle and Secondary Grades, says, “Ideally, we can continue to engage those who most benefit from the work, the students/children themselves, to show advocacy professionals what an impact they make.”
For more information, the NYAR Conference program is available online at https://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/ce/conferences/nyar/
Leckie and Norman encourage those interested in attending future NYAR Conferences to register early. Registration for the 2024 conference opens in October.
National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Research Center awards seed grants for faculty research in support of local youth advocacy and resiliency
The University’s National Youth Advocacy and Resilience (NYAR) Research Center, which promotes scholarly and collaborative research with community partners to assist young people in overcoming conditions that may threaten their safety, health, emotional needs or intellectual development, recently awarded three seed grants to faculty for research that support youth advocacy and resiliency. Read the full story.
Georgia Southern University College of Education hosts 34th annual National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference, March 5-8.
The conference brings together more than 1,200 professionals in education, social work, law enforcement, counseling and other child and family advocacy entities from around the country for quality, relevant training to better serve youth.
“This year’s NYAR conference is sure to be inspiring, rejuvenating and full of practical strategies to support youth and the adults who serve them,” said Alisa Leckie, Ph.D., Georgia Southern associate professor of English Learner Education and NYAR co-chair. “With nearly 100 sessions across the five strands — home, health, heart, head and hand — educators, counselors, social workers, school safety officers and law enforcement will be able to learn from and connect with colleagues from across the country.” Read the full story here.