WhyTry.org

Social Emotional Learning and Resilience Education

Webinars

Tools and Strategies for SEL, Student Engagement and Attendance in Blended and Virtual Environments during COVID-19


Tools and Strategies for SEL, Student Engagement and Attendance in Blended and Virtual Environments during COVID-19

WhyTry Organization Team members Bruce Bushnell (former school counselor) and Jason Johnson (school psychologist) demonstrate the SEL tools and methods of the WhyTry Program, the Resilience for Youth Program and the Parent Guide to Resilience. The WhyTry Organization has been leading the way with its innovative approach to teaching SEL and resilience for over 20 years. The WhyTry Program along with Resilience for Youth is used in over 25,000 schools, correctional institutions and mental health organizations across the US, Canada and the UK.

Why Focus on SEL Now?

Massive disruptions to schools brought about by COVID-19 are creating a big need for social-emotional supports for students and educators.

A recent Edweek survey of administrators and teachers found that

“Stress management tied with coping, with anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses”

as the top priorities of focus with students going into the fall. Educators are girding for a spike of problems in those areas.

One student services director cited in that survey said,

“The mental health issues have increased. We’re just not able to know by how much. When students come to school, you really have your finger on the pulse of what they’re going through,”

SEL for Adults

Another priority will be the support for teacher’s well being. Attending to the social-emotional needs of educators will be important, particularly since they experience the stress and anxiety of being responsible for the well-being of other people’s children in unprecedented times.

Bruce Bushnell

Bruce Bushnell has centered his career around promoting youth success. He is an award winning school counselor. Bruce was named the counselor of the year for the state of Utah and was also honored at the White House, receiving national recognition for his counseling interventions. Bruce has been a member of the Executive High School Relations Board, senior vice president of the Alpine Counseling Association, and vice president of the Utah Counselor Association.

Bruce now helps youth succeed by presenting passionate WhyTry keynotes and trainings across the country. As an advocate of the program from its earliest days, Bruce has also been a key contributor in developing many of the WhyTry learning activities, which are proven to help youth develop the social and emotional skills necessary to reach their goals.

  

Jason Johnson

Jason Johnson earned his Ed.S degree in School Psychology and worked in Utah’s public education system as a licensed school psychologist. He has experience working in the elementary, middle and high school environments-and specialized in resilience. His graduate research on adolescent resilience was published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Jason is a thought leader on resilience education and has spoken at hundreds of conferences around the country. He has led successful implementations of all WhyTry programs and has pioneered trainings for clients in healthcare, corporate, and the US Military.

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Want to Learn More About WhyTry and our SEL Programs?

Our online social and emotional learning curriculum can be taught in virtual classrooms. Help your students develop resilience in this time of crisis and isolation.

Schedule a Curriculum Demo

Resilience and Supporting Native American/Indigenous Students

Resilience and Supporting Native American/Indigenous Students

This important discussion has thought leaders and field experts discussing what resilience means to indigenous populations as well as sharing some practical strategies to help educators everywhere learn to be able to connect better with and support the Native American/Indigenous students that you serve!

As challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic continue to affect education there is still much concern about how we will be able to support our students in the upcoming school year. In this webinar, we will also provide insights from these education leaders on how they are preparing for the upcoming school year, in a time that is unprecedented in our history.

This panel discussion includes these presenters:

Quincy Natay

Quincy Natay grew up in poverty in the town of Chinle, Arizona on the Navajo Reservation. After finishing his K-12 education at Chinle High School, he went on to complete a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and then later earned an MBA. Understanding first-hand the benefits of education, he has dedicated his life to creating those same opportunities for generations of Navajo students attending Chinle Unified School District schools. In his 23 year career in school finance he led many construction projects that have culminated in CUSD students having the opportunity to learn in some of the finest school facilities in Arizona. The most well-known facility that was built under his leadership is the Wildcat Den which was featured recently in the Netflix series “Basketball or Nothing.” 

Now in his 8th year as the CUSD Superintendent, he has successfully led district staff in developing strategic planning processes resulting in pivotal strategies that manifested in historic changes in student achievement, and have begun to close the achievement gap.  This work has manifested in student pass rates on the Arizona state assessment more than doubling in both ELA and Math between 2014 and 2019. The increase in the percent of students passing in CUSD in both ELA and Math is more than twice the average increase for Arizona.

Christian Moore

Christian Moore is an internationally-renowned speaker, licensed clinical social worker, and advocate for youth. He is the author of The Resilience Breakthrough and founder of the WhyTry Program.

Want to Learn More About WhyTry and our SEL Programs?

Our online social and emotional learning curriculum can be taught in virtual classrooms. Help your students develop resilience in this time of crisis and isolation.

Schedule a Curriculum Demo

The New 3 R’s for School Counselors: Relationship, Relevance, and Resilience

The New 3 R’s for School Counselors:
Relationship, Relevance, and Resilience

The Importance of Relationships, Relevance, and Resilience

There is a rising concern amongst educators that the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic will create difficulty in forming the relationship they need to connect with, motivate, and teach their students. In this webinar, they provide insights from education leaders on how to prepare for the coming school year, in a time that is unprecedented in our history. They share insights and ideas for counselors on how to connect with students, make learning relevant in this challenging time, and help them to develop greater resilience.

This panel discussion includes these presenters:

Ashley Wright

Ashley is a passionate educator and student advocate. She currently works as a school counselor in Conroe ISD, Texas. She has been an educator for the past 13 years and is currently employed in Conroe Independent School District in Conroe, Texas.  She recently received the 2019 “Elementary School Counselor of the Year” for Texas School Counselor Association and is currently serving on the TSCA board as an Emerging Leader.  Last but not least, she LOVVVES school counseling!

Christian Moore

Christian Moore is an internationally-renowned speaker, licensed clinical social worker, and advocate for youth. He is the author of The Resilience Breakthrough and founder of the WhyTry Program.

Want to Learn More About WhyTry and our SEL Programs?

Our online social and emotional learning curriculum can be taught in virtual classrooms. Help your students develop resilience in this time of crisis and isolation.

Schedule a Curriculum Demo

Resilience and the Difference One Caring Adult Can Make

Resilience and the Difference One Caring Adult Can Make

Most educators looking forward to the fall are asking themselves, what will school look like? What will my job be like? Will I be able to handle the surging amount of social and emotional needs of my students?

Students Needs

Stress management tied with coping, with anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses are quickly becoming the top priorities of focus with students going into the fall. Educators are girding for a spike of problems in those areas.

The Importance of Relationships

There is a rising concern amongst educators that the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic will create difficulty in forming the relationship they need to connect with, motivate, and teach their students. In this webinar, we provide insights from education leaders on how to prepare for the coming school year, in a time that is unprecedented in our history. They share insights and ideas for teachers and parents on how to motivate students to be passionate and engaged in their education.

This panel discussion includes these presenters:

Dreama Gentry

As executive director of Partners for Education, Dreama Gentry leads Berea College’s educational outreach into Appalachian Kentucky.  Partners for Education supports the educational aspirations of 50,000 students across eastern Kentucky using an annual budget of $40 million.

An Annie E. Casey Children and Family Fellow, Gentry also serves on the board of directors for the Fahe, a community development non-profit, and the Pine Mountain Settlement School. She is a member of the equity coalition convened by the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, which seeks to ensure Kentucky’s school accountability system provides educational excellence to all students. Recently, she organized the annual Rural College Access and Success Summit, an event that brings together approximately 400 participants from across the country to improve the educational opportunities available to students from rural communities.

Gentry holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Berea College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Kentucky.

Sara White
Sara White, director of programs at Partners for Education, provides leadership and oversight to four federally funded college access programs serving students in 33 school districts. She has worked with college access programs at Berea for 20 years. A first-generation college graduate, White holds a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in student personnel services for higher education from Eastern Kentucky University.

Christian Moore

Christian Moore is an internationally-renowned speaker, licensed clinical social worker, and advocate for youth. He is the author of The Resilience Breakthrough and founder of the WhyTry Program.

Jason Johnson

Jason is a licensed school psychologist and has published research on resilience and student performance.  Jason is a passionate advocate for disadvantaged students and currently consults and trains educators across the nation as the director of research and development for the WhyTry organization. 

Want to Learn More About WhyTry and our SEL Programs?

Our online social and emotional learning curriculum can be taught in virtual classrooms. Help your students develop resilience in this time of crisis and isolation.

Schedule a Curriculum Demo

Summer Institute Special

A Special Opportunity for Summer Institute Attendees

Please fill out this form if you attended the WhyTry Level 1 training with Bruce Bushnell on the 18th of June 2020, as part of the Summer Institute and would like to purchase the WhyTry Program and receive your certificate as a WhyTry Facilitator.

Once you complete this form you will be contacted by one of our program directors and they will help you with ordering the program materials and will make sure that you take advantage of the Summer Institute Special price ($150 discount) that will be available to you from now through August 30th, 2020.

WhyTry National Trainer – Bruce Bushnell