UMO holds 17th annual State of the Child Conference
By From staff reports
Published in News on April 2, 2018 5:50 AM
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Participants at the 17th annual State of the Child Conference, held recently at the University of Mount Olive, were treated to special speakers and more than 20 vendor tables set up for attendees to visit between sessions.
The 17th annual State of the Child Conference, held recently at the University of Mount Olive, was packed -- with educational workshops as well as people attending.
The conference was formed in response to the state budget being stretched so far that it made travel and fees to attend such events difficult. A group of local volunteers, headed by Colleen Kosinski of the Guardian ad Litem program, decided to put together their own version, for the 8th Court District, made up of Greene, Lenoir and Wayne counties.
The first conference was held at the Global TransPark facility but soon outgrew that space. It was later moved to UMO, which could accommodate 375 people.
The recent conference workshops were targeted to social workers, nonprofits, school counselors, mental health providers and others working with children and families in the area. Among the topics covered were Reducing Teen Pregnancy, Behavior Supports in School, Immigration Issues and Their Stress on Families, Autism, LGBT Issues, Cyberbullying and Social Media and So You Think You Can Work with Others.
Special speakers at the event were State Representative Marcia Morey, Democratic member of the N.C. House of Representatives representing District 30 in Durham County and formerly chief district judge in Durham County, and Sean Ingram, an author, motivational speaker and founder of a creative arts academy and juvenile diversion program for the Wake County Public School System.