34 annual nys foster care and adoption conference AFFCNY

The Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition of New York returns with the 35th Annual New York State Foster Care and Adoption Conference!

 Thursday May 9th and Friday May 10th at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY!

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CALL FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS

The Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition of New York is seeking presenters for the organization’s 34th annual conference

For our 2023 New York State Foster Care and Adoption Conference, we invite and encourage those with direct lived experiences such as adopted people, former foster youth, foster parents, birth parents or adoptive parents to submit workshop proposals for our conference breakout workshops. Child welfare professionals such as researchers, therapists, innovators, policy makers, historians, educators, etc. are also welcome to submit workshop proposals. The conference’s primary audience will be foster, adoptive and kinship parents currently raising children and the professionals who work with them.

We welcome all proposals that generally fit under this year’s theme: COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS AND COURAGOUS CONVERSATIONS.

Please consider joining us in  May of 2024 as we explore this years’ conference theme:

Finding Resilience

What does a coral reef and our community have in common?

Both Diversity and Resiliency.

Coral reefs are believed to have the highest biodiversity of any ecosystem on the planet and that improves their ability to survive, adapt and recover from the stresses and shocks they experience. Diversity is a strength that creates  “functional redundancy”.

In the simplest terms it means that different species all contribute to the same important goals and ensures that even if one of these species is lost there will be others playing that role in the system. Kind of like the way the child welfare system is supposed to work; if one parent cannot care for a child the way required, then others in the community make up for that loss and take on the parenting role.

Resiliency is the ability to survive, adapt and recover from the stresses or adversities we all face in our lives. We understand that trauma forces us to adapt and transform in ways that are necessary for survival yet can sometimes become actual barriers and challenges to a family’s progress. 

Resilient children, resilient families, resilient communities are similar to resilient reefs – we have strong social networks and a diversity of people, knowledge and functions. We support each other and share with each other our lessons from lived experiences and professional expertise. We school together, from all walks of life, from around our great state, willing to tread the deep waters of difficult conversations and hard truths. Won’t you join us in 2024?

Together; adaptive, nimble and flexible, we will keep on swimming.

GUIDELINES & INFORMATION:

The 2023 Conference is scheduled to be a hybrid delivery; we will return to a limited IN PERSON event that will be have a LIVE VIRTUAL component. Attendees will have their choice of of delivery! Presentations should be interactive, engaging and incorporate audience participation and questions. Proposals should ideally should relate to the theme of the Conference in some way.

Due to the virtual capacity, the LIVE EVENT will have approximately 12 breakout workshop sessions to be offered in person on Friday, May 5th and Saturday, May 6th. They will run 60 to 90 minutes in length contingent on the final schedule. Presentations should be interactive, engaging and incorporate audience participation and/or questions. Selected presenters will receive free IN PERSON conference registration for up to two presenters per workshop, but are expected to donate their time, travel and expenses. Access to all virtual events and membership to the AFFCNY.Network is also included for all presenters. 

Due to the limited IN PERSON scheduling, we will also accept proposals for a continued VIRTUAL experience. The exact expanded schedule to be determined, but we envision offering conference specific workshops in the following weeks. These would be virtual trainings offered to all conference registrants through the Conference Community in the AFFCNY.Network. Please indicated on your RFP form if you are open to delivery options. 

Submissions are due by MONDAY, MARCH 20th, 2023.   NOW CLOSED!

The Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition of New York is so appreciative of all the presenters who took the time and effort to submitted proposals for our 34th annual Conference!  The Conference Committee is currently going over the proposals and creating the program for this year. Prospective presenters will be notified by the end of March through the email address provided.

Thank you for your patience!

 

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