2022-2023 Programs & Events

October 12, 2022
Connecting with your Tween While They are Still Listening with Dr. Amanda Craig, LMFT
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 ​So you have a Tween! What now? Dr. Amanda Craig knows what it’s like to watch your child go from a sweet elementary student to moody tween in the span of just a few years and she’s here to help navigate you through it!

How do we keep our kids close while cultivating the confidence they’ll need to grow up? How do we navigate the inevitable dips, divides, and potholes? Where do we find the strength, self-awareness, and wisdom that amount to a path forward?

This interactive and engaging workshop with Darien’s own Dr. Amanda Craig helped us better understand this unique age group and learn tips and tricks to stay connected while also starting to let go.

In partnership with the YWCA Parent Awareness and the Middlesex Parents Association.

Click image below for the slide deck of Dr. Amanda Craig's presentation

2021-2022 Programs & Events

During the 2021-2022 school year, TYTF’s programming committee coordinated six special events, informed by findings from our most recent TYTF/Darien Public Schools Student Survey of Darien 7-12th grade students about their mental health and substance use trends. Over 1,000 Darien parents and community members registered for the events. 
May 5, 2022
Strategies to Support Your Child's Mental Health: What We Learned from the TYTF Darien Student Survey
Click above to watch the recording of our
​May 4th discussion
The Thriving Youth Task Force’s recent student survey of Darien 7th-12th graders revealed significant mental health differences between students who self-identified as male or female. This May 4th discussion summarized these results, and our panelists Olivia Bucci, LMSW, Renee Reopell, LCSW and Andrew Tepper, LCSW, shared insights and strategies for parents seeking to support their child’s mental health. ​
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Click above to view the slide presentation from TYTF and panelists Olivia Bucci, LMSW, Renee Reopell, LCSW and
​Andrew Tepper, LCSW
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Some of the resources mentioned by our presenters include:
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Books: 
  • The Power of Vulnerability by Brene Brown
  • The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh
  • The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
  • Grit by Angela Duckworth
  • The Whole Brain Child by Daniel Siegel
  • Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
  • A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink
  • Driven by Daniel Pink
  • On Becoming a Person by Carl Rogers
  • A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller
  • Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions Into Adulthood by Lisa Damour
  • Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls by Lisa Damour 

Podcasts: 
"Grit and the Importance of Trying New Things" with Angela Duckworth with Brene Brown
"Dare to Lead" with Brene Brown

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Articles:
Child Mind- Tips for Communicating with your Teen
Screenagers- Parenting Apps
National Eating Disorder Association
Role Modeling
It Gets Better- LGBTQ Glossary
April 4, 2022 - "Chasing Childhood"
Click above to watch the recording of our
​April 4th community conversation
As the world reopens, there has never been a better time for us to come together to ask ourselves: What do kids need most to thrive? "Chasing Childhood" examines how free play and independence have all but disappeared from kids’ lives, supplanted by relentless perfectionism and record high levels of anxiety and depression.
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"Chasing Childhood" spotlights experts and families who are empowering young people to explore their independence, enjoy unstructured time, and be free to thrive.

The Thriving Youth Task Force and YWCA Parent Awareness presented a community conversation about reimagining a healthier, happier way forward for our kids on Monday, April 4th at 7pm with educator Dr. Michael Hynes and Genevieve Eason, who championed the free play movement in Wilton.  Both are featured in the film. This program was made possible with support from the Child Guidance Center of Southern CT, the Darien Youth Commission, the Darien Depot Youth Center, the Middlesex Parent Association and Silver Hill Hospital.

TYTF Co-Chair Allegra Erickson, TYTF Vice-Chair Christina Passaretti,
​Dr. Michael G. Thompson, Thriving Youth Director Emily Larkin
2020-2021 Programs & Events