Cost: $15.00
Edina High School Performing Arts Center
MAP
PCN is proud to host local expert and national author Dr. Peter Benson.
Dr. Benson will be discussing the topic of his 2008 book Sparks - How Parents Can Help Ignite the Hidden Strengths of Teenagers. Although the book title reflects the teen years, Dr. Benson will cover the topic for K-12 ages.
Thriving is a new way to define and understand the dynamics of healthy development. The term “thriving” is used to
complement the litany of negative outcomes,
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such as “avoiding alcohol and other drug abuse” and “avoiding teen pregnancy,” that have dominated federal, state, and foundation approaches to documenting the health of U.S. teenagers for decades.
As the conversation around thriving matures, it is expected that youth will begin to hear a new vocabulary about why they matter and why their healthy development is crucial for growing the health and vibrancy of the society in which they live.
The idea of a “spark” is one of the central metaphors in understanding thriving. A spark is an interest, talent, skill, asset, or dream that truly excites a young person and helps them discover their true passions, whether they be academic, relational, athletic, artistic, or intellectual—anything that inspires and motivates. Sparks “light a fire” in a person. But sparks, by themselves, go can out if they are not nurtured with enough ongoing fuel to keep them alive and strengthen them. This fuel comes in the form of supportive peers and adults who help celebrate, affirm, and grow a young person’s sparks and are essential if those sparks are to help the young person truly thrive.
Why are Sparks Important?
Sparks help give young people joy and energy, meaning, purpose, and direction. Pursuing one’s sparks helps young people make positive choices about their activities and use of time, helps them develop their potential to the fullest, and helps them contribute to their families, schools, and communities right now, as young people. Young people with sparks lead more caring, responsible, healthy, and productive lives than those who do not have sparks. |
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Dr. Peter Benson is the
president and CEO
of the Search Institute
and the author or editor
of more than a dozen books
on child and adolescent
development.
Visit these links
for more info:
Dr. Benson's Bio
Search Institute
Ignite Sparks
Most Valuable Parents
MVP Website
Peter Benson on YouTube
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