The annual Genesee County Middle School Youth Conference will be held on Tuesday, March 15, at Genesee Community College in Batavia. This year's theme is "Bully Prevention: Taking the Bully by the Horns."
More than 20 workshops will be offered to about 400 seventh- and eighth-grade students from public and paraochial schools countywide.
The workshops are related to increasing resiliency and other protective factors, while building life skills, such as decision-making, leadership and practicing a healthy lifestyle.
The youth conference runs from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The keynote speech is scheduled from 9 to 10 a.m.
An internationally known keynote presenter, Michael Nerney, executive director of Michael Nerney and Associates, will address the youth and will also provide a workshop to teachers, parents and other adults.
The focus of Nerney's presentation will be on adolescent brain development and the negative effects of bullying on brain development. The message will be geared to changing social norms among middle-school youth so that everyone in bullying situations, especially bystanders, understand that bullying is not acceptable, nor is it harmless.
With teachers and other adults, Nerney will stress that prevention and intervention with bullies, both male and female, is essential to creating a safe environment for learning. In this workshop, teachers will examine characteristics of bullies and victims; identify both subtle and “red flag” behaviors; and explore options for intervening with bullies.
Michael Nerney is a consultant in Substance Abuse Prevention and Education, with more than 29 years of experience in the field. He is a certified instructor in violence prevention and management with the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI). He has been a consultant for two of the major television networks and most recently appeared on the ABC program “20/20.”
In addition to schools, the annual conference is a result of collaboration between several Genesee County human service agencies, GCC, area businesses and sponsors.
Sponsors include: Genesee County STOP-DWI; Genesee County Youth Bureau; Batavia Rotary Club; Batavia Lions Club; Kiwanis Club of Batavia; Genesee County SADD Chapter; Upstate Farms Cooperative; Lake Ontario Fruit, Inc; Genesee Community College; Batavia Subway; City of Batavia Youth Bureau; Cornell Cooperative Extension (4-H) of Genesee County; Planned Parenthood; GCASA (Genesee/Orleans Council on Substance and Alcohol Abuse); and the Genesee Area Family YMCA.
Questions regarding the conference may be addressed to: Jocelyn Sikorski of the Genesee County Youth Bureau at 344-3960, by e-mail at jsikorski@co.genesee.ny.us or, Paul Webster of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County at 343-3040, ext. 117, or by e-mail at pvw7@cornell.edu.
