Helping Teens Thrive...Together is a new virtual event for teens and their trusted adults to connect and learn together. After 30 years of supporting parents through Jefferson Center’s Helping Kids Thrive Conference, community partners have come together to plan this sibling event.  

Join to participate in engaging sessions and activities focused one enhancing communication between teens and their trusted adults, building skills to address all of life's challenges, and promoting connectedness to prevent suicide.   You’ll have the opportunity to choose from choose from 12 insightful sessions led by behavioral and public health experts, each designed for teens and their trusted adults to participate together.  Exclusive videos from presenters will be available for viewing for 30 days after the event. 

Teen attendees who participate during the live virtual sessions with their trusted adults will be entered into a gift card drawing.

If you have questions about registration or this event, please contact Sam Taylor at samanthata@jcmh.org. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I attend independently without my teen or trusted adult present? 
   • Yes! For the best experience it is recommended that teens and trusted adults participate together under the same registration on one device; however if that is not possible you can still join! Teens and trusted adults can register separately to participate while meeting remotely in whatever way is most comfortable, or individuals could participate independently then try the session activities later when they're together. 
2. If I have more than one trusted adult or teen can we all attend together?
   • Yes! If individuals have more than one teen or trusted adult they can join under one registration on the same device and participate in session learning and activities as a group.  Alternatively if there are two teens and two trusted adults, you could register and participate in pairs.  Since there are two sessions, groups could participate in one session as one pair then switch for the second session!
3. What age is considered a teen?
   • For the purpose of this event "teen" is defined as a middle or high school student.  Please view session descriptions on the agenda to determine if session topics are appropriate. 
4. Is this event primarily for teens who are already experiencing mental or behavioral health issues?
   • No. This is event is for all teens and trusted adults.  This event is focused on building skills and forming connectedness between teens and trusted adults - which is important for everyone!
5. How can I convince my teen to do this with me?
   • Make a morning of it! Plan to have a meal together before or after the event to have fun and connect.
   • Reassure your teen that these sessions are NOT boring lectures! Each session will be interactive and engaging with activities or discussion.
   • Negotiate a trade! If your teen participates in this 2 hour conference with you, then allow them to pick an activity for you to do together for 2 hours in the afternoon or another day.
   • Let your teen know they'll be entered into a gift card drawing by choosing to participate in the live sessions.