Social and emotional learning is the focus of an upcoming Women’s Legacy Fund educational meeting.
A panel of local educators will discuss the Resilient Youth Initiative, a program launched by Lafayette-based North Central Health Services to improve youth mental health and reduce substance use among children.
The discussion is scheduled for 7 p.m. Aug. 30 at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 212 S. Green St., Crawfordsville. A social time begins at 6:30.
Montgomery County’s school districts were among nearly 20 school corporations in seven counties awarded funding in 2019 to implement social and emotional curriculum.
All students in preschool through middle school at Crawfordsville, North and South Montgomery receive weekly lessons covering topics such as self-awareness, responsible decision making and social awareness.
Southeast Fountain schools are also participating in the program, which is expected to reach 33,000 students across the region by the end of the current school year.
Teachers say the lessons helped children cope with last year’s school closures prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Amid the pandemic, “it seems like there’s a whole new set of issues that kids have to deal with,” said Karen Thada, co-president of the Women’s Legacy Fund.
WLF, which helps fund local projects supporting women and children, convenes a panel of experts once a year on topics related to the organization’s mission.
The event’s panel will include Pat Moser, social/emotional learning coordinator for the Montgomery County Youth Service Bureau, Michael Cox, principal of North Montgomery High School, and Lisa Walter, early learning director for the Montgomery County Community Foundation.
For more information about contributing to WLF, visit mccf-in.org/women-s-legacy-membership.
