News and Events

Madeleine Kunin was the keynote speaker at this year’s Learning Together Conference held at Lake Morey in March. Kunin served as Governor of Vermont from 1985 – 1991 and is known for her passionate advocacy of families and children.

Conference attendees had a wealth of panels and workshops to choose from on subjects ranging from adolescent development, substance abuse, and safe sex to advocacy and how to make gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender participants feel welcome in Learning Together programs.

One particularly interesting panel consisted of three program participants from Addison County Parent Child Center who spoke of their own experiences and answered questions about how the Learning Together program has altered their approach to parenting, their education and employment, and independence.

Helene Meloche, the Families Learning Together coordinator here at The Family Place, found a panel about inclusion to be especially interesting. “Our first response to the women is to ask about husbands or boyfriends,” she says. “Maybe we need to think more about the language we use.”

Julia Dickenson, the JewelryOs® studio supervisor, felt inspired by the discussion of adolescent development. She learned about four questions doctors are beginning to integrate into their conversations with adolescent patients: “Try to remember G-I-M-B. Generosity: do you have the opportunity in your life to give back? Independence: do you have opportunity to make independent decisions? Mastery: do you think there’s something you’re really good at? Belonging: do you have a sense of belonging?” Great questions for all of us to refer to when we’re involved with adolescents, whether they are participants, patients, or our own children.

The annual Learning Together conference is a vital opportunity for staff who work with young families. By connecting with other people who drive the same kind of programs, we gain valuable insight into the work we do and inspiration on how to do it even better.