Guidelines for Presenters
Being Family & Youth Friendly
- Acknowledge the value of persons with multiple source(s) of expertise. Professional expertise is enriched by the experience of those who have first-hand knowledge of the struggle with addiction as persons in recovery or parents raising children with substance abuse or mental health problems. Be sensitive to the difficulties and frustrations that families experience when trying to navigate the numerous child and adolescent-serving systems.
- Acknowledge the level of family and youth involvement in the work you are presenting. Be clear about your working definition of family and youth involvement because there are many. Offer suggestions to include and enhance family and youth involvement. Give guidance to avoid barriers that prevent positive outcomes.
- Use language that is respectful of families and youth. Avoid language that could be misunderstood, is degrading, places blame, or refers to the family as "the problem."
- Use "people first" language, e.g., children with substance abuse, mental health, or co-occurring issues rather than substance abusers, mentally ill children, or mentally ill drug addicts.
- Recognize that family and youth participants may come from various backgrounds and may be unfamiliar with professional jargon, acronyms, and extremely academic language. Incorporate a variety of teaching/presentation methods that are clear and easily understood.
- Incorporate the perspectives of families and youth into sessions by including them as presenters where possible. Recognize that families and youth attending the presentations have various levels of experience participating in conferences. Be respectful, supportive, patient, and listen. Recognize that while the issues under discussion may be those to which you have dedicated your professional life, they are issues that touch the daily lives of the families and youth attending the conference.
