Donna Volpitta, Ed.D., a resilience educator and the founder of the Center for Resilient Leadership, will be in Wilton for a talk entitled, “The Resilience Formula: Giving Kids Roots and Wings,” on Wednesday, Nov. 13. Her Resilient Mindset Model offers a framework for appreciating how the brain responds to challenges and provides tools to help parents raise emotionally healthy, resilient kids, guiding them to make better, more mindful and informed choices.
The community has two opportunities to participate in this interactive session at the Wilton Library. Volpitta will present at 10 a.m. and again at 7 p.m..
“Dr. Volpitta takes a complicated subject–the science of how our brains work–and makes it really accessible,” says Genevieve Eason, of Wilton Youth Council. “She helps the audience understand what happens in our brains, and in our kids’ brains, in different situations, like when we are stressed or when we play. She also explains how teens’ developing brains are affected by substances like marijuana. Then she shares strategies so we can use that knowledge to turn challenges into opportunities to build resilience.”
These days a lot of attention is paid to rising rates of anxiety, depression and other mental health concerns among adolescents and young adults. According to Volpitta, the greatest protective factor is resilience. “We are reading all of this scary news about anxiety rates in young people. This is preventative. The brain science is the foundation for understanding how to prevent mental health problems for our kids,” she says.
This free event is for parents with children of all ages and for students in middle school and up. Registration is recommended online or at 203.762.6334. Contact Eason via email with questions.
Sponsored by Wilton Youth Council, SPED*NET Wilton, Wilton Kiwanis, Wilton Library and Wilton Youth Services.