Recap | Pathways Forward: Youth Self-Regulation

A conversation about self-regulation and social emotional learning centered on youth.

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On February 21, 2024, Caroline Mark (YWCA Spokane) moderated a powerful Pathways Forward conversation, between Rumyana Kudeva (SRHD) and Jaime Stacy (SWAG), about self-regulation and social emotional learning centered on youth.

During their time together, they shared their admiration and respect for each other while talking about their work and different ways to engage with the promotion of health and well-being among youth. To wrap up the conversation, our panel tasked the audience to think about ways we can create positive experiences for youth, not just experiences.

Key Takeaways

• Behavior is a language. Dysregulation is a form of regulation even if it’s unhealthy, it is a coping mechanism.
  
• Embrace and welcome different forms of regulation and learning.
• We can and should be intentional about how we show up for our youth and learn to embrace their different needs and wants.
• We can find tools to propel our youth forward and support their social emotional learning.
• Before we can support others, we need to put on our own oxygen mask first and regulate ourselves. It’s not selfish to take care of ourselves first and then help our child.
• Children mirror and model behavior, we should model making mistakes and apologizing, as well as self-regulating when we feel dysregulated.

Gentle Reminders From Our Panel

• “Life is a learning journey.” – Jaime
• “As a parent, you know best and you’re the expert.” – Jaime
• “Grace not perfection.” – Jaime
• “Compassion is believing that you are doing the best you can.” – Rumyana
  
• “Simple things are not always simple.” – Rumyana 

Resources

• Co-Regulation: What it is and why it matters
• What dysregulation could look like: “Flipping our lid”
• Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences
  • Key Terms
• Books:
  • What Happened to You by Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey 
  • Raising Human Beings by Ross W. Greene
  • Hope Rising: How the Science of Hope Can Change Your Life by Casey Gwinn
  • Fugitive Pedagogy: Carter G. Woodson and the Art of Black Teaching by Jarvis R Givens

About YWCA Spokane’s Pathways Forward Series

Pathways Forward is a online webinar series that allows YWCA Spokane to engage in progress-minded discussions with local experts on various topics related to our work and mission. Each discussion invites a real-time dialog between the panel and our community that is focused on identifying ways we can move forward together.

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