This is a guest post by Sarah Malakoff at Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis.
You remember the talk. The one about the birds and the bees. It likely involved sweaty palms, awkward silences and horrifying analogies.
It’s commonly thought of as every parent’s nightmare, but it’s easy to argue it’s every teen’s nightmare, too. How can parents, grandparents, professionals — anyone — have an easier time broaching this subject with a teen?
Parents’ Role in Sex Education, one of the breakout sessions at the free Not OUR Kids! Conference on Sunday, Feb. 27th, could help. The conference features expert-led breakouts on myriad subjects related to adolescent health — everything from relationships, to mental health, addiction and the talk. The conference is perfect for parents, professionals who work with youth … or anyone interested in adolescent health.
To register or for more information, click here or call 952-546-0616. You can register for the whole day or just the sessions that interest you most.
The conference runs from 1-6 p.m. at Temple Israel on the 27th, and highlights include a mother and daughter’s story of bipolar disorder, an informative resource room that will be open all day and a performance of Blank Slate Theatre’s “Disordered: Thy Name is Teenager.”
“Disordered” is a play written and performed by teens about the labels of mental health, and has been lauded as a must-see for parents and youth alike:
“I kept wanting to jump up off my seat and yell, ‘YES! EXACTLY! THANK YOU!’ I was so excited someone figured out how to say exactly what I feel, and have tried to express about myself and how I view my ‘disorder’ on countless occasions.” ~ Hannah, teen
“As a parent, I really appreciate ‘Disordered’. Our children face so much more than past generations, and we as parents need to be in reality about it. Every parent needs to see this”. ~ Cathryn
Watch the “Disordered” trailer here:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWUgYCdD_vE
For more information, read TCJewfolk’s previous article about the Not OUR Kids! Conference!
Not OUR Kids! is held in memory of Joyce Segelbaum, founder of the Jewish Recovery Network (JRN). The JRN sponsored the first Addiction, Recovery and Hope Conference in 2005, which led to the creation of the Not Our Kids! Conference. AHealthy Youth-Healthy Communities is a program of Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis, and Jewish Family Service of St. Paul.
For more information about Healthy Youth-Healthy Communities, go to www.jfcsmpls.org or contact Carly Hoffman at 952-542-4835 or [email protected].
A certificate declaring five Contact Hours will be available to those who sign in upon arrival and stay until the conclusion of the “Disordered” performance.
