Presentation Topics

Introduction

Dr. Seita is dedicated to providing the youth-work field with the finest and most effective presentations in the field. His powerful presentations are rich in content while still giving the audience a personal view into the mind of angry, behavior challenged youth. Blending his own personal experience with the most recent research in youth development, at risk youth issues and leading-edge models Dr. Seita will take you on a journey of insight and new skill development.

All sessions are designed to build the capacity of teachers, social workers, psychologists, students, parents and others to be more effective in understanding and reclaiming challenging youth. Dr. Seita’s approaches will help you to understand private logic, ways to build better relationships, gain insight into how conflicts develop and how to deescalate them, and to be intentional about applying the science of youth development in all kids.

In Whose Best Interest? ---Keynote Session

In this session Dr. Seita communicates his own experience as a troubled, fatherless youth who was removed from his alcoholic mother and experienced a dozen failed court-ordered placements in foster care and institutional settings. Today, the former troubled youth holds a doctorate and is an expert on resilient youth. Dr. Seita reflects on the process of reclaiming adult-wary, rebellious youth and provides a blueprint for success with these challenging young people.
To those who propose that troubled youth should be discarded through policies of zero tolerance and harsh punishment, Seita's experiences speak with profound moral authority. This session will help you to see your student anew and provide new skills and confidence.

The Private Logic of Kids Who Outwit Adults

In this session Dr. Seita draws upon his own experience as an unclaimed youth to fling open the thinking behind the behaviors of adult-wary and angry youth. Kids who distrust adults are highly skilled at hiding their real nature and outsmarting anyone trying to reach them. Most adults either shun these youth or get locked in conflict with them. Instead of treating symptoms, looking for weaknesses and in blaming, Dr. Seita shares specific strategies for understanding the thinking of angry youth

The Privage Logic of Connecting with KIds Who Outwit Adults

The Private Logic of Family Privilege

Family Privilege is the abundance of benefits, mostly invisible, that accrue from membership in a stable family. This invisible package of assets and pathways provides belonging, safety, unconditional love and spiritual values. But a variety of stressors can interfere with normal parenting. Some children lack even the smallest vestige of family privilege. These carry-in problems can affect classrooms, residential settings and community programs.

The Private Logic of Youth Development

The Connectedness, Continuity, Dignity, and Opportunity (CCDO) principles provide practitioners with a straightforward framework for practicing positive youth development with young people who are at risk. In this session Dr. Seita shows how teachers, youth workers and parents to provide individually designed services by meeting the individual developmental needs of young people through the principles of CCDO.

CCDO is proactive, holistic and transcends time, context and personality because it is an unchanging set of core principles that guides our actions. CONNECTEDNESS: Strong, positive relationships with others; especially with one person. CONTINUITY: A sense of continuous belonging to a group, family or spiritual entity. DIGNITY: Respect and courtesy OPPORTUNITY: The chance to capitalize on one’s strength

The Private Logic of the Strength Based Approach

Despite an increasing appreciation of a strengths-based approach and recognition of resiliency, terms such as behavior disordered; dysfunctional, deviant, disruptive, disordered, disturbed, delinquent, debased, and depraved remain a part of our practice lexicon.
In this session, Dr. Seita provides 12 proven ways to move from rejecting kids to reclaiming kids.

The Private Logic of Conflict

Troubled youth draw adults into conflict cycles and typical responses use "fight or flight" responses, punishing or avoiding troublesome youth. This session considers a range of alternatives for reaching these challenging children and youth. Included are strategies for creating belonging atmospheres, discipline for responsibility, and getting youth hooked on helping. The goal is to redirect unmotivated children and negative peer group processes to create climates marked by positive values and pro-social behavior. Youth professionals also need techniques of "therapy on the hoof," giving positive strategies for talking with children and youth in crisis. The goal of such interventions is to utilize even the most challenging problems as opportunities for learning

Program and Organizational Evaluation
Evaluation - Why do it?

Dr. Seita has conducted evaluations for a wide range of clients. He has worked on evaluations for The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the United States Marine Corps, The Community Action Agency of South Central Michigan, CharEm Intermediate School District, the Council of Michigan Foundations and others.
In the field of youth work, we conduct evaluation because we are committed to providing optimal, cost efficient, effective and reclaiming services to the youth that we serve. The very reason for the existence of what we do is to improve our services and to improve the lives of challenging young people. Moreover, the list below, while not exhaustive, outlines some outstanding reasons to evaluate our programs.

Evaluation enhances rational decision-making between alternatives
Evaluation validates program existence
Evaluation promotes program improvements
Evaluation provides a rationale for seeking supplemental funding for existing programs and funding support for new and innovative programs
Evaluation builds capacity for programs
Evaluation empowers consumers and other stakeholders through inclusion into the process
Evaluation helps provide an organizational structure
Evaluation accounts to funders and other stakeholders what accomplishments have occurred
Evaluation findings can provide a basis for lessons learned and the adaptation of success programs to other settings
Evaluation helps organizations make the most of scarce funds
Guiding Principles for Evaluation
The evaluation process is collaborative and inclusive and identifies and considers all stakeholder input
Evaluation is used for formative purposes and program improvement; not for punitive actions
Evaluation is ongoing
Evaluation is designed into the program from its inception
Evaluation is program specific and not generic
Evaluation is designed to be useful, properly conducted, feasible and accurate
Evaluation, ultimately, is designed to serve the consumer and is conducted in the best interest of the consumer
Leadership is committed to evaluation
Evaluation is information and serves to build capacity in programs and individuals