ONE TRUSTED ADULT
Why One Trusted Adult?
ONE TRUSTED ADULT
Why One Trusted Adult?
Parents, guardians, at-home adults, kinship caregivers, and grand families are, and always will be, the primary influence in a young person’s life.
Research shows that young people who can name at least one trusted adult inside their home have an enormous advantage, showing greater resilience, improved physical and emotional wellness, greater availability for learning and engagement, and less likelihood of taking unhealthy risks.
We encourage parents and guardians to view their role as a trusted adult in three ways:
✔️ Through the lens of your direct in-home parenting and guardianship.
✔️ To expand their role as a trusted adult for other people’s children in mind. In some capacity, young people, beyond your own children, are likely to see you as a trusted adult and it is important to recognize the responsibility and possibility of this role.
✔️ To consider how you expect other trusted adults to show up for your children, including how to collaborate and communicate with teachers, extended family members, coaches, and others to provide your children with teams of trusted adults that best support their positive growth and development.
OTA Foundations Course for Parents + Guardians
Parents, guardians, at-home adults, kinship caregivers, and grand-families are, and always will be, the primary influence in a young person’s life.
Research shows that young people who can name at least one trusted adult inside their home and outside their home show greater resilience, improved physical and emotional wellness, greater availability for learning and engagement, and less likelihood of taking unhealthy risks.
We encourage parents and guardians to engage the OTA course in three ways:
✔️ To learn some new ideas and strategies for building trust with, and supporting, your own children in your role as an in-home parent or guardian.
✔️ To consider how you expect other trusted adults to show up for your children, including how to collaborate and communicate with teachers, extended family members, coaches, and others to provide your children with teams of trusted adults that best support their positive growth and development. In adolescence it is normal for the influence of peers and non-familial adults to increase, being a part of who your children engage with is key.
✔️ To expand your thinking about your role as a trusted adult to include how you show up for other people’s children. It is likely your children's’ friends are looking to you for guidance, reassurance, and support, and recognizing the responsibility and possibility of the role you can play in their lives is important for their well-being and yours.
It's Our Mission: A 3-part group course for Parents & Caregivers
Best Practices for Supporting the Academic and Personal Growth of Our Children
“Most of parenting is bearing witness to struggle and fighting the temptation to intervene, because the only way young people develop resilience is by facing and overcoming pain and struggle.” – Dr. Brooklyn Raney
The primary mission of this training is a proactive approach to parenting and caregiving by focusing on our young people’s greatest protective factors: a healthy relationship with their parent or caregiver and a team of trusted adults in their corner. It’s Our Mission is designed to be facilitated for a gathering of parents and caregivers to provide a common language and understanding when it comes to supporting youth. The videos in this course address why this mission is so important right now along with specific best practices for ensuring we are doing everything we can to support the personal and academic growth of our children.
The It’s Our Mission program includes:
✔️3-module video program designed for group viewing
✔️Facilitator guide with discussion questions
✔️Participant reflection guide
How to Implement:
This video series can be easily facilitated for a group of parents or caregivers. Each video is approximately 15 minutes and can be viewed in one longer session or as three standalone sessions. Each video provides reflection prompts and cues to discuss together as a cohort or in small groups, along with ideas to bring this conversation back to your children.
Do you lead a parent education program? Are you a family engagement coordinator or community partner for caregiver support? Or perhaps you are a PTA/PTO member in charge of parenting workshops?
Anyone working to support parents and caregivers, this course is for you!
ONE TRUSTED ADULT
One Trusted Adult
One Trusted Adult: How to Build Strong Connections and Healthy Boundaries with Young People by Brooklyn Raney lays out:
• Simple tools that help build trusting relationships with young people and expand the opportunities for positive impact.
• How to set clear expectations that keep both young people and the adults who work with them safe.
• How to create an organizational culture that cares for the whole child and celebrates the adults who get it right while holding accountable those who don’t.
• Ways to partner and surround young people with the only thing better than one trusted adult: many trusted adults.
What Parents + Guardians Are Saying
"This training was so impactful, and fun! The time flew by and I was left with new skills to put into practice as a parent immediately. The training also opened my eyes to the important role I play in the lives of my own childrens' friends. It was a great reminder on how crucial it is to maintain a village mentality and partner with all community members to do what's best for kids."
- Parent
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