26th annual youth conference to take place
The Washington Health System Teen Outreach will hold its 26th annual Youth Conference on Thursday, after a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year’s conference, “A Road to Better Mental Health,” will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Rotary Pavilion in Washington Park.
Students from 10 Washington County school districts – Avella, Burgettstown, Canon-McMillan, Charleroi, Chartiers-Houston, McGuffey, Peters Township, Ringgold, Trinity and Washington – will participate.
The conference is entirely teen-driven. Teens on the Adolescent Advisory Board, which was founded in 1999, began preparing for the event more than six months ago. Advisory board members, along with young people from the Common Ground Teen Center and Teen Outreach Peer Educator Program, will facilitate.
The conference focuses on ways to cope with stress and mental health challenges. Speed-learning sessions will allow participants time at learning stations, where teen facilitators will lead them through original learning activities.
Megan Campbell Leslie will lead a session on exercise to cope with stress, and Dr. Mary Jo Podgurski, Teen Outreach Director, will lead a relaxation and mindfulness session.
Four area agencies will discuss volunteerism and community service as a way to lower stress. Representatives from Washington City Mission, Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern PA, Greater Washington County Food Bank, and Washington Area Humane Society will speak.
Also at the conference, an original book, “A Road to Better Mental Health,” created by teen facilitators and targeting elementary students, will be previewed at the conference. The 48-page book was written and illustrated by Washington County teens.
For more information about the teen conference, contact Podgurski at 412-877-4906 or Amy Podgurski Gough, Advisory Board Coordinator, at 724-222-2311.