BIO
John Shadowens is the manager of a comprehensive array of prevention and early intervention services to adolescents. He has spent over twenty years in youth work in both direct counseling services to youth and their families and in community development to expand prevention work throughout the Southern Illinois region. This includes almost a decade of active youth ministry. He holds a Bachelor's in Psychology from Southeast Missouri State and a Master's of Public Administration from Southern Illinois University. John has been trained by the Search Institute on the 40 Developmental Assets model. He is also considered an expert in the fields of youth mentoring and positive youth development. John has presented to thousands advocating for changes in our traditional approaches to working with young people.
PRESENTATIONS
Superhero Training Camp 1: Culture Shift and What it Has Done to Our Kids
There are things we know down deep to be true that just seem to big to deal with. Among these is the critical erosion of meaningful support structures for kids. In this session attendees will revisit some history lessons about the role of youth in American culture over the last two generations. We will consider what the monumental shift in our culture has done to our young people and explore why many of accepted prevention practices are failing and will continue to frustrate and burn out our youth workers unless we completely shift our thinking and embrace a more holistic approach.
Presented at Southern Illinois Meth and Other Drug Awareness Conference, John A. Logan College, April 2008; IADDA State Conference, Chicago, October 2008
Superhero Training Camp 2: Operationalizing The Developmental Assets Framework
The Search Institute has identified 40 positive experiences and qualities that all of us have the power to bring into the lives of children and youth, which are called developmental assets. Surveys of more than 2 million students reveal that these assets are powerful, predictive influences on behavior and character, especially on issues of drug and alcohol use, violence and teen sexuality. Regardless of gender, ethnic heritage, economic situation or geographic location, developmental assets both promote positive behaviors and attitudes and protect young people from problem behaviors. This workshop builds on the concepts of the Superhero Training Camp : Culture Shift and helps providers “operationalize†their work through a relationship model of prevention.
Presented at IDEA Conference, Springfiled, IL, November 2007, IADDA State Conference Chicago, October 2008
Building an Effective Mentoring Program
There's a lot more to mentoring than simply introducing kids to adult volunteers. This session reviews all of the accepted best practices in recruitment, intake systems, background checks, volunteer training, matching criteris, match supervision and getting to successful outcomes. The session comes with useful handouts and several real life illustrations from our own success and struggles.
Presented at FYSB Regional Conference, Chicago 2004, Indiana IACCAC November 2004
Poverty vs. Middle Class: Why the Well-Intentioned Fail While Trying to Help
Most of us are aware that there are significant cultural differences between those living in generational poverty and those in middle class run institutions like schools, social services, ministries, charities, and government agencies who are in business to help them. However, we often fail to understand the differences in the hidden rules, language registers, priorities and values that serve as cultural barriers to effectiveness. In this session, information drawn from the work of Ruby Payne, Philip DeVol, Terrie Druessi-Smith and Jodi Pfarr is presented in an eye-opening exploration of our assumptions and prejudices that hinder us from helping folks move out of poverty.
Rut-Busters!: Burnout- From Snuffing Candles to Fanning Flames
If you stick around anywhere long enough, burnout can creep in on you, sapping you of everything that makes you wonderful. In this session, we explore the symptoms and causes of work-related burnout and explore real strategies to climb out of a burnout rut and avoid heading there in the future. Good for work teams, churches and general conferences for those in the helping professions.
Presenter at Lutheran Social Services agency wide retreat, Oct, 8th 2008
COST
Please contact John at john.shadowens@hgroup.org directly for pricing.
