During this interactive session, participants will learn about intentionally integrating social emotional learning strategies into in-person, virtual, and hybrid classroom physical activity as a way to promote mental and physical health in young people. Participants will learn about incorporating youth development to strategically engage and empower youth around their own health.
Objectives
– Define mental and physical health as a part of overall wellbeing of the whole child.
– Explore physical activity strategies as a strategic opportunity to enhance social emotional learning overall, and especially during COVID-19.
– Identify ways to integrate social emotional learning into all learning environments during COVID-19.
– Identify youth participation as an approach to engage youth in their own mental and physical health.
Presenters
Lauren Ansong, MPH
Lauren Ansong is passionate about child and adolescent health and development. Lauren earned a Bachelor of Science in sociology from Boston University and Master of Public Health from Northeastern University. She has supported development and physical activity for youth in educational and community settings since 2008. Lauren currently serves as the School Coordinator for Project Here, a statewide collaboration funded by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and the GE Foundation that brings substance use prevention education to every public middle school in Massachusetts. In her role, Lauren provides technical assistance throughout the state of Massachusetts to middle school educators who are incorporating any of the three Project Here tools into their classrooms: 1) Project Here Games web-based app, 2) Online Toolkit, and/or 3) Research-Based Substance Use Prevention Curriculum. Lauren aims to support educators in navigating Project Here resources and strategically implementing Project Here tools to best meet the needs of their students. Prior to her work at Project Here, Lauren was a campus minister at Boston University for four years.
Brandon Morgan, MS
Brandon Morgan has experience in population health interventions, youth development, and leadership. During his time at Tufts University studying Food Policy and Applied Nutrition, Brandon worked as a nutrition and health educator in Boston Public Schools, focusing on equipping students with skills to make healthy decisions. Impassioned by his desire to empower youth, Brandon taught, mentored, and managed projects for English Language Learning (ELL) students throughout the greater Boston area after obtaining his master’s degree. At Health Resources in Action, he works as a program associate to provide STEM and career readiness opportunities for youth at the LEAH Knox Scholars program.
Laurie Jo Wallace, MA
Laurie Jo Wallace has spent the last 30 years promoting healthy communities and healthy youth in Boston. In her role as the Managing Director of Training and Capacity Building at Health Resources in Action, she has special expertise in the areas of training and facilitation, and she has provided consulting and support to numerous youth programs, coalitions, and public health and other non-profit agencies in the Boston region, Massachusetts and nationally. She has contributed to and written peer leadership, coalition building and youth development training curricula. In addition, she has considerable expertise in the field of peer leadership and youth development.
Contact Kate Holmes at [email protected] for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should register?
Anyone with an interest in physical education and physical activity in schools and who can dedicate a full three hours to the Online Learning Institute for which they register.
Will I get a certificate of completion for each Online Learning Institute I attend?
Yes, you can receive a certificate for 3, 6, 9, or 12 hours, depending on the number of Institutes you attend.
How long is each Online Learning Institute?
Each Online Institute is three hours long. We ask that if you register for an Online Learning Institute, you join us virtually for the entire three hours.
Are there any limits to how many people can register?
Yes. Each Online Learning Institute can accommodate 30 people. Only register if your schedule allows you to join virtually for the full three hours.
Are the Online Learning Institutes in person?
No. The Online Learning Institutes are completely virtual. We will be using the Zoom platform and request that all attendees join via video (if you have that technology available).
