Speaking Topics

Creating a Culture of Dignity

This presentation is a call to action to create communities where young people thrive. From young people’s friendships, anxiety, social media use, conflicts with friends and family, and the constant pressure to “keep up,” we will share how to best connect with young people; especially when they need us most. As young people navigate a constantly changing educational environment, we know a few things are certain, supportive relationships and social skills are critical to their emotional well-being. But these skills are not “soft skills;” they are essential for young people to engage in education, manage emotions and become responsible and positive members of families and community. 

This presentation will:

• Define the difference between dignity and respect and their impact on communicating with young people
• Establish foundational principles in alignment with community and family values
• Help guide children and students as they navigate their friendships online
• Provide a deeper understanding of the role and purpose of emotions
• Strengthen communication between adults and young people to avoid breakdowns and power struggles
• Share concrete skills to increase adults’ ability to support the emotional well-being of young people

This talk can be adjusted for remote learning, hybrid, or in-person. This talk can be adjusted for an audience of parents, educators, youth advocates, or other community needs.

Managing Adult Emotions in Challenging Times

One of the most crucial skills we can model for the young people is emotional intelligence. However, many of us were not explicitly taught emotional regulation skills and often feel like we are at the mercy of the emotions swirling throughout our homes and community. This feeling has been dramatically amplified by the pandemic, from our youngest household members to parents. 

This presentation will provide:

• An informative, user-friendly summary of the most helpful aspects of the science behind emotions
• Specific skills to understand and manage emotional dysregulation, anxiety, emotional hijacking and anger
• Tips on depersonalizing and normalizing emotion management to support the health of your family

Tiny Guides for Social Emotional Wellness

This session guides you through the use of Tiny Guides, a set of concrete tools that teach emotional intelligence and promote well being for both adults and young people. Tiny Guides help you quickly comprehend core social emotional concepts, understand their impact on you and your relationships, and equip you with the tools needed to put them into action. Having a shared vocabulary around emotions is essential to young people’s development and enhances their ability to self-regulate, manage frustration, and practice effective coping strategies. It is also essential to creating healthy, emotionally agile communities and families. 

This presentation will provide:

• A guide through a Tiny Guide of mutual choice by Cultures of Dignity and client
• Gain a deeper understanding of emotions, why they matter, and how to talk about them to support the young people in your life
• Learn strategies to discuss the content of the Tiny Guides with young people, in the classroom or at home

Behind the Screens: Understanding the Power of Social Media in Young People’s Lives

How do you talk to young people about social media? How do you understand its grip on your community? How does it influence young people’s self-esteem, friendships, identity and conflicts with other people? This presentation will bring the newest insights and research on social media’s impact on emotional health, well-being, and culture.

We will highlight why adult efforts to communicate with young people about social media can be so challenging and provide participants with effective alternatives so young people don’t shut down and disengage. Talking with young people about technology and social media can be a unique opportunity to better understand and provide support that works best for them. 

During this presentation will provide:

• Strategies to understand their experiences on social media and support young people’s digital wellbeing 
• How to talk to young people about the media literacy, misinformation, and civic engagement online
• Best practices for setting agreements and routines around technology.
• How to manage our own digital use and role model thoughtful technology use 

How To Have Hard Conversations and Create Inclusive Communities

How do we make an inclusive community where everyone feels a sense of belonging? How can we have honest conversations about discrimination and bigotry that brings us closer as a community? How do we integrate the principles of dignity with anti-racist work? While this topic for many can be uncomfortable, it is efforts like these that build our capacity to be a place of dignity for all. 

Increased knowledge and skills to support a school or community’s efforts to promote diversity and equity by covering the following topics:

• How to have hard conversations about bias, discrimination, and privilege
• How to support anti-racist work when you can’t relate to people of color’s experience or you have little education on having these conversations
• Knowing the difference between a curious question and a question that reinforces bias and discrimination
• Increasing educators’ and parents’ skills to partner with young people to create a culture of dignity
• How to integrate the skills of Social and Emotional Learning with the content of Diversity Equity and Inclusion