Pictured: Caption: Selby Scholars experiencing Resilient Retreat earlier this year. Provided photo.

Just for a moment, think about any significant life change you made and how you felt about it during that time. You may remember that it was both exciting and stressful. It likely evoked similar emotions in those who care about you: friends, colleagues, and parents.

A new group of teens has started moving through the final years of high school in our region. Talk about a time of change! For parents and caregivers, it can be glorious and challenging all at once. The idea of preparing for graduation, embracing the newness of a college journey, moving away from home, or taking different steps toward independence can be a lot to handle.

Students are more likely to thrive when the adults who support them are also doing well. Yet parents and caregivers are often the last people to ask for help because their attention remains focused on their children, even as they move on.

We observe this every year at the Selby Foundation. As part of our scholarship selection process, we read essays and conduct interviews with young people who often share what is concerning to their families during this transition period.

Who will care for younger siblings in the home? How can they afford college without creating burdens for the family? What happens when financial aid does not fully cover tuition, books, food, and other expenses?

Resources are available to students through youth-serving nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and school programs. But what support is available to adults in their lives?

The Selby Foundation, Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, and Resilient Retreat came together to explore that question. This year, a creative series of support programs will focus specifically on the needs of parents and caregivers of teenagers and young adults. Informed in part by what we have learned from our Selby Scholars, the free, online sessions will be offered in the evenings. Participants can join the programs from the privacy and comfort of home, attending all sessions or just one or two.

Resilient Retreat has designed each one through a parent and caregiver lens, drawing on the experiences of facilitators who were first-generation college students or are parents of young adults. They will share strategies to help participants:

• Manage and regulate their responses during stressful times
• Communicate and connect with their children during periods of transition
• Build greater resilience
• Care for their own needs while continuing to support their children and families

The sessions are September 17; October 1, 15, and 29; and November 12, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Zoom.

Now in its eighth year of operation, Resilient Retreat has become a respected nonprofit resource for individuals, organizations, students, helping professionals, and first responders. Its evidence-based programs—offered online and on its beautiful 84-acre campus—help people build resilience and thrive. All of the organization’s work is trauma-informed, meaning its programs recognize how difficult experiences can affect people and are designed to help every participant feel safe, respected, and supported. It also offers a free, confidential Kind Line, a trauma-informed warm line that provides compassionate support, resource referrals, and a listening ear to individuals navigating life's challenges.

Nonprofits throughout our region address critical family needs through preventive and responsive programs focu

sed on food insecurity, housing, employment, and other challenges. Building resilience is also essential, particularly when the inevitable changes of life bring stress or temporary hardship.

We hope parents and caregivers will join us and care for themselves.

It's simple to register: shorturl.at/oV8yW.

Susie Bowie is the President and CEO of The William G. and Marie Selby Foundation.

Pictured: Caption: Selby Scholars experiencing Resilient Retreat earlier this year. Provided photo.

To register click here