Schedule |
Topics, Speakers, Presenters & FacilitatorsKeynote Speaker (Michael Eisen)
Michael Eisen is an author and social entrepreneur. After positively transforming his own life at the age of 19 and overcoming challenges with stress, anxiety, depression and physical illness, he is now driven to share with other young people, and those that support them, the principles, strategies, and practices that empowered him to start living a happier and healthier life. Michael created the Youth Wellness Network (YWN) at the age of 25, in order to provide more extensive support programs and resources for youth struggling with similar challenges. Topic: Creating the Empowered Family In this presentation Michael shares his story of the challenges he went through as a child and teenager and how it related to his relationship with his parents and how he was able overcome those challenges and build a strong, open and loving relationship with his parents. He then shares strategies and tools on the following topics, parenting from perspective, living the empowered you to empower your kids, self-care and self-esteem, learning mindfulness techniques to decrease stress and increase energy, authentic role modelling, understanding your kids, listening to understand instead of respond, and empowered communication to help parents restore communication and repair connection in the modern family. Cyberbullying & LGBTQ Issues (PC Danielle Bottineau) Danielle is a veteran police officer who has been with the Toronto Police Service since 1999. Danielle has served in various areas of the Service including Primary Response, Community Response, Family Violence Unit and the Employment Unit. In her current position, as LGBTQ Liaison Officer, she focuses on ongoing outreach with community members throughout Toronto, and on building healthy community partnerships full of respect, openness and trust. She will be discussing cyberbullying and the dangers of social media. Anxiety (Lisa Kreindler, MSW, RSW) Lisa is a social worker with the TDSB, servicing both Hodgson Middle School, Eglinton Public School and Northern Secondary School. She provides support to children, families, teachers and administrators in the board in order to ameliorate school experiences for all of our students. She works to reduce social and emotional stress so that students can overcome challenges and achieve at their highest potential. She is actively involved in the community, providing professional development workshops for parents and teachers. At our Wellness Fair, Lisa will be focusing on Anxiety; how to recognize when your child is struggling with anxiety and strategies that can help manage anxiety. You Are Not Alone: Bibliotherapy (Teresa Toten) Teresa is a Croatian-born, Canadian-raised, multiple-award-winning, young adult author and Hodgson alumnus. She believes that reading is a powerful way for youth to connect with other human beings and the human spirit, and to realize that they are not alone. Over the past 15 years, she has travelled extensively promoting her books. She joins us to discuss Bibliotherapy and her personal experiences learning, and writing about mental health. She will also be sharing some of the biggest and best titles in Bibliotherapy. Mindful Eating & Body Image (Jennifer Lane RD, CDE) Jennifer is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator with over 10 years’ hospital experience with the Rouge Valley Health System. Jennifer holds degrees in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario in London and Dietetics from Ryerson University in Toronto. Her writing has appeared in publications including Diabetes Digest, Patient Care and Canadian Living. Jennifer will present on mindful eating with a focus on body image and the negative impacts of FAD diets and restrictive eating messages. . Nutrition and Mental Health (Christina Laboni, MHSc, RD, CDE) Christina has been a registered dietician since 2011 and has worked in mental health and addictions since 2012. She is also a certified diabetes educator. She is the founder and owner of Cucina di Christina, a nutrition communications and consulting company. The rates of mental illness are unfortunately increasing. While most people are aware of how food can affect physical health, many people don’t know how the food they eat impacts their mental health. In this presentation, Christina, a registered dietitian, will review diet strategies, good food choices, and healthy eating tips that promote optimal brain function and overall well-being. What You Need to Know: Talking to your teen about Mental Health (Pamela Wilansky, Ph.D., C.Psych.) Pamela is currently working as a licensed psychologist at Framework Therapy and Assessment Centre, providing therapeutic support to children, adolescents and adults. She is also an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto in the Department of Psychiatry, and a Scientific Collaborator at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Her research has been widely published and is focused on designing research protocols for assessing and treating mood and anxiety disorder in children, youth and their families. At our Wellness Fair, Pamela will be providing information on the signs and symptoms of mental illness and the most effective steps to take to address concerns, as well as strategies for communicating with your child about mental health. Kickboxing (Sahar Boroomand) Sahar is an administrative assistant at Hodgson, as well as a fitness enthusiast, personal trainer and kickboxing instructor. Sahar began her fitness journey ten years ago and has never looked back. Fitness helped her to gain strength and courage, and taught her to ignore negativity... enabling her to feel strong mentally as well as physically! She is passionate about sharing the benefits of fitness and helping people become fit, healthy and strong. Her goal is to inspire people to experience the immense benefits that a healthy lifestyle and fitness training can bring. At the Wellness Fair, Sahar will be teaching basic kickboxing exercises and discussing the specific benefits of this type of training. Yoga (Nancy Magwood) Nancy is the founder of Laughing Soul Yoga, a studio that caters to both private and corporate clients in the GTA. Nancy has practiced yoga for well over twenty years and completed her Empowered Spirit Vinyasa Teacher Training in 2016. She continued her studies with a Chakra Training course focused on the body’s energy systems and on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. She is a strong believer that Yoga is not just a physical practice but rather a path to discovering your endless creative potential. Nancy guides her classes by combining breath awareness, body alignment, mental creativity and playful sequencing to inspire all ages and all levels. At the Wellness Fair, Nancy will be leading a gentle session focusing on relaxation and stress reduction. Groove Martial Arts A combination of Qi Gong, dance and moving mindfulness, this active workshop gives you a chance to get up and move, to work out any stress the day may have given you, and to tune into your body to become more aware of where you are holding tension. The session ends with a guided relaxation exercise. Art Meditation (Cindy Buzadi, Diane Stewart) Cindy and Diane are current Hodgson teachers who have been teaching Visual Art at Hodgson collaboratively for many years, while pursuing art for their own pleasure outside of school hours. Art meditation is an alternative way of reaching a meditative state, by using the creative process. Art meditation is known to help with depression and anxiety, and is an activity that all ages can perform. In this workshop you will have an opportunity to create a Mandala while listening to music. Sound Meditation A Hodgson fan favourite that you don’t want to miss! Sound Meditation uses various instruments, such as crystal bowls, Tibetan singing bowls and tingshas to help you achieve a deeply meditative state. This practice is helpful in reducing anxiety and promotes an overall sense of well being. We guarantee you will leave feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. Drop In Resource (Dale Callender) Dale Callender is a registered Psychotherapist, published author, mentorship award winner, and counsellor with SKYLARK Children, Youth & Families who is placed at Northern Secondary School to provide direct support to TDSB students. At Northern, he provides friendly, easily accessible, in-school counselling support, by drop in or appointment. He advocates for students and helps to reduce stigma and educate his community by leading the dialogue about a variety of mental health topics. During the Wellness Fair, he will be available for parents and students to drop in and ask any specific questions that they might have that have not been addressed in their workshops and to act as a conduit for accessing appropriate resources. |