Rebuilding with Adolescents in Mind: A Back-to-School Webinar Series
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Whether returning to the classroom for the first time since early 2020, transitioning from hybrid back to a regular schedule, or returning to a routine with less disruption, this fall will be an inflection point for the adolescents in our communities. Tweens and teens have been deeply impacted, not just by the COVID pandemic, but by the racial reckonings across the nation. While many of our early efforts of support necessarily focused on younger kids, now is the time to turn our attention to and invest deeply in adolescents.
This four-part webinar series, supported by The Readiness Projects, the UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent, and Youth-Nex, offered presentations and panel discussions to support adults who work with adolescents to:
- More deeply understand the adolescent experience over the last 18-months through both science and hearing directly from young people.
- Consider how we cannot just build back focused on our own systems, classrooms, or programs, but Build Forward Together.
- Reimagine what schools might look like this fall to most effectively support adolescent learning and development.
In Case You Missed It!
Webinar #1: COVID-19 & Adolescent Development—What Developmental Science Tells Us about Supporting Reentry
Our Co-Executive Director, Dr. Andrew Fuligni, kicked off the webinar series discussing the pandemic’s impact on young people and how we can better support their key developmental needs as we rebuild.
Related resources
- Presentation Slides
- Summary: Supporting Positive Development for Youth Post-Pandemic
- Blog post: Preparing for Reentry Supporting Adolescents as the World Reopens
- Adaptivity Podcast: Scary but Thrilling: The Science of Taking Risks
Webinar #2: Everything Different? Act Different!—Building Forward Together
In this webinar, The Readiness Project digs deep into how communities can work together to intentionally invest in adolescents and build on adolescents’ determination as part of broader efforts to not just build schools back better, but Build Forward Together.
Related resources
Webinar #3: Designing Educational Experiences with Adolescents in Mind
In this third of four webinars, participants learned about “Designing Educational Experiences for Adolescents during Re-Entry: Supporting Students in Navigating their New Worlds.” Panelists focused on how educators can think about how to shape in- and out-of-school experiences for adolescents that will support not only their academic learning, but also their social and emotional development and mental health.
Webinar #4: Learning from the Experts—A Youth-Led Youth Panel
In this final of four webinars, participants learned about “Learning from the Experts – A Youth-Led Youth Panel.” This youth-driven panel featured five adolescents who shared their experiences on the COVID pandemic as well as the racial reckonings across the nation over the last 18 months. Panelists also discussed what they hope for during the next year, and what adults can do to support youth like them. This discussion with young people from across the country is the capstone to this series on rebuilding for the fall.
