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2014 Opeyemi Olajida Olowookere

OpeyemiMY EXPERIENCE AT NATIONAL WRAPAROUND CONFERENCE 2014

Opeyemi Olajide Olowookere is my name.  I am the Executive Director of the Global Support for Kids Initiative, formally called and known as Save the African Child Initiative, a non-governmental and not-for-profit organization that is poised to minimize the incessant increase of child abuse in our society.  We also focus on giving hope to the street children through our Rescue Rehabilitate and Reunion (RRR) project.        

 It was my great pleasure to attend the National Wraparound Conference 2014, that was held March 11–13, 2014 in Cocoa Beach, Florida, so that I could represent my humble organization that has being championing the cause of children and my great nation of Nigeria in the waves of change in wraparound and systems of care. The conference consisted of a great lineup of speakers and fostered a relaxed yet stimulating atmosphere in which attendees could mingle with each other and speakers during intimate and casual social functions and talks. I can boldly say this was my first time attending a conference that really inspired me in my work.  

I want to officially express my sincere gratitude to the Martha Mattingly Scholarship for providing me with a travel grant to attend the conference, also my good friend Frank Eckles that recommended me to the conference organizers, and to the other conference organizers and sponsors for putting on such an amazing and wonderful event. The travel grant I received paid 70% of my air travel between Laurel, Maryland and Cocoa Beach, Florida, without which I would have been unable to attend the conference.

My first day at the conference was so wholesome.  I was so excited to be one of the African delegates; the reception given to us was very unique.  I was so happy when they were introducing me to other delegate including my colleague from South Africa. That night a delicious free dinner was provided, catered by the conference organizers, during which I met one-on-one with the youth from the JIM CASEY Youth Opportunities Initiative and some of the other delegates (who were different from me in age but quite similar in terms of our passion for embracing and promoting child and youth care).

There were too many presentations given during the conference to mention them all, so I will highlight a few that made the biggest impression on me and just touch on others. The conference officially started on Tuesday, March 11 with the Keynote address:  Lessons of 25 Years of Wraparound: Why does wraparound work?  Following this presentation we were divided into groups that attended different sessions.  My group attended: 1) Youth Thrive Matters: Connecting the dots between the youth thrive framework and wraparound programs, 2) Youth Engagement in Case Planning to Build Social Capital, and 3) An Introduction to Professional Certification in Child & Youth Care.  I was impressed by the certification presentation and completed testing for the CYC-P during the conference.  It made me feel so fulfilled and proud that I will soon be a certified Child and Youth Care Professional; the first in Nigeria.

Wednesday, March 12 was another special day, which started with a keynote address presented by Wraparound Milwaukee entitled From Hope to Healing: The importance of resiliency in building safety for children and families. Immediately after the break we went for the first small group presentation Developmental Assets in Foster Care: Building relationship, trust and skill. This session was so interesting because I was given the opportunity to share my experience working with street children. I talked about my relationship with them and how I was able to build trust with them. It was an unforgettable experience.  People in my group told me they were so proud of me after I shared my experience.  I left feeling so happy and fulfilled. The second and third presentations overviewed the Youth Thrive Framework and Trauma Informed Care (part 1 & 2) during which I learned a lot about trauma and much about how our brains work. During this session I was given the chance to share my experience as a young boy growing up in Nigeria.  Another part of the session that I enjoyed so much was when the speaker asked ten of us to participate in an activity that demonstrated how we can work as a team to archive our goals while encouraging the development of thriving assets.  

That same Wednesday, I was given an award during the luncheon awards ceremony.  I was acknowledged as the first Nigerian that completed the CYC-P testing. I was so happy when Dr. Andrew Schneider-Munoz, the President of the Association for Child and Youth Care Practice (ACYCP), called my name and invited me to the podium.  

The conference ended on Thursday, March 13 with a keynote address Partners On The Journey: What Finding Nemo can teach us about forming effective child and family teams.  This was followed by a panel discussion, questions and answers.

Overall, I was very impressed and pleased with the talks given by such great speakers over the course of the conference. In addition to making new friends, gaining new knowledge and inspiration, and talking one-on-one with some prominent figures in the CYC field, I left the conference feeling very satisfied, enlightened, and motivated.  What more could one ask for when attending a conference?   My sincere appreciation goes to the Martha Mattingly Scholarship once again for giving me the opportunity to be part of this wonderful event.  I cannot wait to see how I will use what I have learned to improve the work we are doing with children and youth in Nigeria.