Resilience, Reflection and REConnection!
NHRPA would like to invite you to attend our annual State Conference. We are very excited to be back in person this year and we hope everyone registers to attend and together we make this our biggest and best year yet!
Keynote speaker: Dr. Christopher Thurber
Dr. Christopher Thurber is a thought leader in positive youth development. He has dedicated his professional life to improving how caring adults teach and lead young people and to enhancing the experience of adventurous young people who are spending time away from home. A graduate of Harvard University and UCLA, Chris has served as a psychologist and instructor at Phillips Exeter Academy since 1999.
CLICK HERE for full Bio
Dr. Thurber will lead our keynote session and one additional education session:
Keynote: Kids Do Dumb Stuff: How We Learn from Mistakes
When I was 4, I stuck a toy car in an electrical socket. That was just the beginning of a developmentally normal trajectory of doing dumb stuff that peaked (I hope) in adolescence. Of course, we must distinguish between normal childhood shenanigans, behaviors that indicate trouble, and the mistakes that make us better people. The goal of this keynote is help youth leaders make this distinction, embrace mistakes, and respond in a way that guides healthy development. Jaw-dropping stories are the prelude to new insights for and best practices for Recreation and Parks professionals at every level of experience.
Session #2 – The Unlikely Art of Positive Pressure
Young people throughout the world experience tremendous pressure to perform—from caregivers, coaches, camp counselors, classroom teachers…and themselves. Yet for centuries, well-intentioned adults have been asking the wrong question: How much pressure is too much? Because levels of anxiety and depression have increased in young people, it’s high time to start asking the right question: What kind of pressure is healthy? Participants in this vanguard session will level up their leadership skills by learning the distinction between helpful and harmful pressure, then by discussing practical ways to apply positive pressure to help kids become their best selves.
Endnote Speaker: Rick Alpers, Primex
Rick Alpers, Risk Services Consultant, is a graduate of Plymouth State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Management and a minor in history. Prior to joining the Primex3 team, he was a former Town Administrator and is a former member of the Board of Selectmen in Bristol, NH. In his current role as Risk Services Consultant, Rick is responsible for providing exceptional customer service to Primex3 members. In that capacity, he conducts regular onsite trainings and assists in various risk management inspections for members. He also assists members in team building, goal setting, mission and vision crafting and behavioral assessments. Lastly, Rick is the facility coordinator for the Primex building in Concord.
Building Team Trust & Clear Communication
When we work in a frenetic environment, teams often become dysfunctional due to lack of clear direction. As leaders, we often assume that everyone is on the same page, yet sometimes the results are not aligned with the vision. Through team exercises, we will discover and identify critical elements of building team trust and practice strategies that encourage clear communication for a shared vision and organization success. You may even want to try these exercises with your own teams!
After this session you will be able to:
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Identify elements that impact team trust
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Employ strategies to encourage effective communication
CLICK HERE FOR FULL CONFERENCE AGENDA
Thank you to our Premier Sponsors:
