Youth First event celebrates strengths of children, families

Learning to focus on strengths instead of flaws is the focus of this year’s 9th Annual Regional Youth First Event. Charlie Applestein, an internationally known youth care specialist and author, will give the keynote address highlighting his methods of using positive and inspiring practices to help young people build on their strengths and past successes. The event will be held at the Riverside Convention Center in Stafford on Friday, February 6, 2015.

The theme of this year’s Youth First event is “Find Your Strength.” Hosted once again by Stafford County, this annual collaboration of representatives from youth services organizations in the community provides Human Services professionals from the greater Fredericksburg area with the opportunity to network with other youth service agencies and listen to talks by experts in the field.

Charlie Appplestein will also lead an afternoon breakout session on encouraging youth professionals to take care of themselves so they maintain the motivation to make a difference. Mr. Applestein is President of Applestein Training Resources, LLC. He travels throughout the United States as well as internationally, training and consulting with treatment facilities, foster care associations, parent groups, schools, and juvenile justice programs. He has authored three youth care books widely used within the field, including “No Such Thing as a Bad Kid,” which will be the basis of his keynote address.

Each year, participants are asked to donate to a community service agency. This year’s recipient is the disAbility Resource Center. The mission of the disAbility Resource Center is to assist people with disabilities to achieve the highest potential and benefit of independent living by providing them, those who support them and the community with information, education, and resources. Participants are asked to provide gift cards of any amount to Wal-Mart, Target, Lowe’s, Home Depot, Michael’s, A.C. Moore and Homecare America. These gift cards will be placed on a ‘Giving Tree’ to be donated to the center.

Youth First is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. on Friday, February 6. Participant registration is full. More information is also available by contacting Ben Nagle at (540) 372-1149 or [email protected]. There is no cost to attend the meeting and continental breakfast and lunch are provided.

Youth First 2015 – The Annual Collaboration of Community Youth Services is hosted by Stafford County with collaboration from the City of Fredericksburg; Rappahannock Regional Area United Way; Rappahannock Area Office on Youth; and Spotsylvania County.