The Alberti Center team has officially returned to in-person events, but continue to offer virtual options as well. These are just some of the events and presentations we have provided over the past few months:
September
Presented at Cleveland Hill School District - Cheektowaga, NY
Lecture at Brock University - St. Catharines, ON, Canada
Pathways for the Prevention of Violence Training - Richmond, VA
October
Student presentation at DeSales Catholic School - Lockport, NY
Community presentation at Peter White Public Library - Marquette, Michigan
PREPaRE Workshop at Appoquinimink School District - Odessa, DE
November
Presented at Abate Elementary School - Niagara Falls, NY
Presented at Center for Safe Schools (PA) School Safety Summit - Harrisburg, PA
Webinar for Long Island Suicide Prevention Coalition
NYSED Dignity for All Students Act Training
Registration dates are now available through February, 2023. The course is offered fully online in two parts. Part One is asynchronous, while Part Two is synchronous with "live" interactive instruction. Feedback from recent participants:
I think the biggest take away for me is how important encompassing the entire school atmosphere and creating a climate and culture that encourages kindness and discourages bullying.
I went into this training not knowing anything about how to mediate in a bullying situation, but now I feel prepared and empowered to be a part of these kinds of discussions and situations.
I have experienced training for 25 years in person and now with zoom multiple times a year, this is the best one I have ever attended.
Pictured from L-R: Dr. Tonja Williams, superintendent of Buffalo City Schools, Dr. Lura Lunkenheimer, president and CEO of Peaceful Schools, Dr. Darren Brown-Hall, superintendent of Williamsville Central Schools, and standing at the podium is Chantele Thompson, chief diversity officer for the City of Buffalo.
The Alberti Center Annual Conference took place this year in a hybrid format on Wednesday, October 12 at Classics V Banquet & Conference Center in Amherst, NY and online for a virtual audience as well! Attendance at the conference exceeded all of our expectations and it felt wonderful to be back in person for the first time!
The conference focused this year on a theme of Centering Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to Promote Positive School Culture and Student Well-Being. The keynote was presented by Dr. Janine Jones, professor of School Psychology and associate dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Washington. Additional details about the conference and afternoon panel members, slides from the presentations, and a photo album of the day can be found on our website here.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of our attendees (both in-person and virtual!) and our sponsors for the event. We would also like to extend a special thank you to our presenting sponsor this year, a continued supporter of the Alberti Center mission, embrace Western New York!
22-23 Alberti Center Colloquium Series
Pictured from L-R: David Comstock (embraceWNY Board Member), Dr. Molly Ranahan-Arent (embraceWNY Board Member), Jeff Platt (embraceWNY President), Brie Kishel (Program & Operations Manager), Dr. Amanda Nickerson (Director), Dawn Spears (GLYS presenter), Faith Winslow (GLYS presenter), and Dr. Stephanie Fredrick (Associate Director)
On November 15, Growing LGBTQ+ Youth Support (GLYS) of WNY presented a Safe Space Training for Educators as part of our 2022-2023 Colloquium Series. The participation from both in-person and virtual audiences far exceeded our expectations! We were able to provide lunch for all attendees and time to network with colleagues following the presentation. Thank you to Embrace Western New York for their continued support and generosity in offering to sponsor this event!
Our next colloquium will take place on Tuesday, February 28, 2023 when Jessica Marcela Quintero Jurado, a PhD candidate from the University CES, Medellin, Colombia will present on The Role of Bystanders in Cyberbullying Prevention: An Ecological Approach. Additional details and registration information can be found on our events page.
Video Resource Spotlight
Dr. Amanda Nickerson, director of the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention, was interviewed by Jeff St. Pierre on October 26, for an Adult Education podcast episode on iHeart Radio. They had an informative discussion about bullying and what's being done to help prevent it.Jeff says "Like many of you, I was bullied when I was younger. I had two particular bullies that seemed to follow me wherever I went up until high school. It's not fun. But, back in those days, bullying was viewed as a right of passage. Parents would always say it made you tougher. That's not necessarily true, and we know that to be fact now thanks to research that's been done in recent years. Bullying has changed drastically with the inventions of smart phones and social media." You can find this video along with other resources for parents, students, and educators on ourYouTube channelas well as in the Resources sectionof our website.
Postdoctoral Fellowship
The Alberti Center is inviting applicants for a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship beginning in August 2023. Scholarly interests may include: creating positive/safe/inclusive schools and reducing bullying and violence of marginalized youth. The selected fellow will conduct interdisciplinary research, engage in professional development, and partner with schools and community agencies. Applications must include a cover letter, current curriculum vitae, official transcript, and contact information for 3 references. The deadline for applications is Wednesday, January 25, 2023. Please visit our website for additional details! Questions can be directed to Dr. Amanda Nickerson.
Adopted-a-Family for the Holidays
The Alberti Center team took the lead in coordinating efforts to sponsor a family in need this holiday season. Through the generosity of faculty and staff in the UB Department of Counseling, School and Educational Psychology, a carload of gifts were delivered in time for Christmas (before the Blizzard hit) to a single mother and her two young children in the City of Buffalo.
Doctoral Student Promotes Research on Podcast
Abbey McClemont, graduate assistant at the Alberti Center and doctoral student in the combined counseling and school psychology program, was recognized in an article published in the University at Buffalo Graduate School of Education Learn Magazine (Fall 2022, Issue 5). She was interviewed on a London-based podcast where she discussed her research on Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and COVID-19-related teacher and student support.
