A one-day conference this week will bring together hundreds of Iowa’s youth and adults with the goal of boosting the knowledge of critical issues kids face, while expanding the skills that help teens develop. Gerri Bugg, with the Ames-based Youth and Shelter Services, is organizing the 26th annual Risky Business conference in Ames Tuesday.
Bugg says it’s a one-of-a-kind conference in Iowa. The point of the gathering is to bring youth together with the adults who work with them. It usually brings in about 800 attendees, half of whom are high school students. Bugg said there will be two keynote speakers at the conference, including Dr. Lisa Boesky who’s nationally known just by the moniker Dr. Lisa.
Her keynote is on youth with mental health disorders and she’ll do a workshop on identifying youth with mental health issues. The other keynote speaker is just for the youth, Dr. Rani Whitfield, who’s known at the Hip-Hop Doc, a family physician who uses rap to get his message out to young people.
He’ll also be leading workshops on subjects including childhood obesity and youth substance abuse. Bugg says there will be nearly 50 workshops in a host of areas. Subjects include: technology, alcohol and other drugs, youth philanthropy, fetal-alcohol syndrome, and the future is yours.
The conference runs tomorrow from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. Learn more at “www.yss.org“.
By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City