Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child

Tomorrow, Liz Thorne and I will be headed to our first ESEA Conference in Kansas City. The National ESEA Conference is an annual project of the National Association of ESEA State Program Administrators and the largest conference focused on federal education programs for disadvantaged students. The Conference emphasizes the critical nature of doing what’s right and what’s needed today – to help every child succeed and achieve at high levels.Our workshop proposal, Leveraging Every Students Read ▸ about Leveraging Every Student Succeeds Act $$ to Support the Whole Child

By Liz ThorneA recent article in the Atlantic explored gender and the intersections of adolescent development, medical care, and parenting. Through the experiences of young people, trans and gender non-conforming folks, families and researchers, the article explores the central question of how to balance providing young people the support (from family support and mental health services to puberty-blocking drugs, hormones and/or surgery) they need while keeping in mind that adolescence is a time Read ▸ about We Can Affirm AND Challenge Young People

By Samantha LoweAt-risk youth have strong negative Social Determinants of Health (SDoH), which include conditions in which you are born, grow, live, work and age.  SDoH include biology and genetics, individual behavior, social environment, physical environment, and access of health services.Supporting at-risk youth is of the utmost importance as they are less likely to have access to health care, health education, and formal sex education. Educating and equipping youth with personal safety, Read ▸ about Negative Social Determinants of Health; How Can We Make an Impact?

It's been a huge year for the Cairn Guidance team! Below are our personal thoughts on the year, including the organizations/people we hold dear and hope you look them up, follow and support!From Samantha:2017 has been a year of growth, both personally and professionally. Travels have sent me across the United States allowing me to become comfortable and confident in traveling alone, while also making me miss a place I was dying to leave a year ago (something I never thought would happen). 2017 Read ▸ about Happy Holidays from the Cairn Guidance Team!

3 mile hike up Ryan Mountain in Joshua Tree National Park, CA We celebrated, relaxed, worked, brainstormed, set goals, updated our strategic plan, laughed and enjoyed 3 days in Palm Springs, CA! In order for Samantha, Liz and I to continue the work we do supporting schools in the US to be healthy, safe environments so kids can thrive, we have to be strategic, work hard, align our work to our mission and create balance in our own Read ▸ about 2017 Cairn Guidance Team Retreat

Kudos to OEA Choice Trust! Their sixth annual School Employee Wellness (SEW) Conference was a huge success. The conference, held in Oregon during spring break, attracts many public health partners, community based organizations, teachers, superintendents, principals, school nurses, human resource directors, and other types of educators that work in school systems. The event is up to 275 participants from 50 their first year! Read ▸ about OEA Choice Trust’s School Employee Wellness Conference

By Liz ThorneLast week brought two experiences that showed the promise of policy to actualize a positive change to support young people. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people aged 15-24. Sexual minority youth are at increased risk of suicide attempts- in 2015 29% of LGB youth in the US attempted suicide in the last year, compared to 6% of their heterosexual counterparts (the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Surveydoes not ask about gender-identity). Read ▸ about The Power of Policy

By Samantha LoweDuring my graduate studies at Morehead State I was given the opportunity to further my research and analyze student's perceptions of birth control (birth control was not defined and included all forms of contraceptives) and abortion. This further analysis was presented at the Wilma Grote Symposium for the Advancement of Women at Morehead State University.With recent political events, such as the magnificent Global Women's March, I felt it was time to revisit this subsection of my Read ▸ about College Student Creative Expression of Reproductive Topics, Including Abortion