2015-COYO-Program-web

PLENARY SESSION
SPEAKERS
DR. STEPHEN SROKA
The Power of One - The New Rx for School Safety
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 19TH, 2015 @ 9:15 AM – 11:30 AM
Dr. Stephen Sroka grew up in poverty in a housing project in a single parent family. His
third grade report card read, “Parent notified boy is retarded.” In the ninth grade, after
being involved in a school fight, he had two hip operations and was told that he may
never walk again. He was in a wheel chair for a year. The doctor told him he better start
to listen to his teachers. And, as he tells students today, the more he listened, the smarter
the teachers became.
Education was the only way out of the ghetto for Steve. When he graduated from high
school, he worked full-time to get his family off welfare before entering college. He
learned how to deal with the challenges of being ADHD and dyslexic. His childhood
disabilities and experiences offered unique opportunities that helped him become a
better person and educator.
Dr. Steve is now an internationally recognized speaker, trainer, author, teacher and
educational consultant on sex, drugs and violence prevention education. He is an
Adjunct Assistant Professor, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University and
President of his company, Health Education Consultants.
Dr. Steve received the Outstanding School Health Educator Award from the American
School Health Association, was selected the Walt Disney Outstanding Health Teacher
of the Year and he was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame. Dr. Steve’s
spirited presentations stressing the importance of “Just Say Know” and the “Power of
One” have resulted in guest appearances on many TV programs, including the Oprah
Winfrey Show, as well as coverage in many newspapers including USA Today.
MARK HENICK
A Moment on the Edge: How one choice can change everything
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2015 @ 8:45 AM – 11:15 AM
Mark Henick was born in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Diagnosed with depression and an
anxiety disorder following his first suicide attempt in the eighth grade, it was not long
before Mark discovered the profound opportunity for advocacy through recovery.
As a high school student, he wanted to speak with his peers about the challenges of living
with mental illness, including a history of multiple suicide attempts and hospitalizations.
He was promptly denied.
Mark’s response was his first formal entry into mental health advocacy. It came in the form
of a letter to the local newspaper, critical of the systemic stigma which prevented people
from speaking openly about their experiences with mental illness. The next morning
a television news crew visited the high school, and a passionate advocate for mental
health was born. While studying in New Brunswick, Mark organized and presented four
annual, university-wide lectures on his experience with the mental health care system.
Over this time he also served on the board of directors for the provincial division of the
Canadian Mental health Association, and he organized awareness raising events such as
campus mental health weeks, a full production by Ballet Jorgen Canada, and a variety
show.
In his final year of university, Mark was elected to serve as the youngest president of a
provincial Canadian Mental health Association division. In this capacity he also served as
the youngest member of the CMHA National board of directors. As president of CMHA
New Brunswick, Mark worked on a committee of the provincial government to develop
the first province-wide mental health strategy.
Mark was selected to serve as the youngest member of the board of directors for the
Mental Health Commission of Canada. In this role, he has been involved with the boardlevel
oversight of such landmark national projects as the first ever national mental health
strategy for Canada, and the largest housing-first research project in North America.
Mark spoke at TEDxToronto 2013, becoming one of the most discussed speakers at the
conference. His Why We Choose Suicide presentation went on to become the highest
viewed TED Talk of the 2013 Toronto conference with over 500,000 views.
Mark is the Program Manager for Mental Health Works at CMHA Ontario. Mental Health
Works builds capacity within workplaces across Canada to effectively address issues
related to mental health. He has previously worked as a front-line mental health clinician
for CMHA Toronto. Mark lives in Toronto with his wife and son.
MICHAEL CLARKSON
Coping with Change (Change is Inevitable; Growth is Optional)
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2015 @ 12:45 PM – 2:30 PM
“Change is inevitable, growth optional. Stress is also inevitable – but we can learn to use
it to our advantage.”
Michael Clarkson has been intensely studying stress and fear for 25 years and has been
acclaimed by Ted Turner, Dr. Benjamin Spock and “flow expert” Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.
Considered a leading authority on stress and fear management, Clarkson has produced
his own formula for coping with stress – Hyper Flow, which taps into fight or flight for
increased production at work.
He has authored seven books, including Quick Fixes for Everyday Fears, and has
produced important projects on recluses writer J. D. Salinger and pianist Glenn Gould.
Clarkson ended a long journalism career, lastly with the Toronto Star, in which he twice
won the National Newspaper Award and was twice nominated for a Michener Award
for public service.
Hollywood has bought a treatment of his feature film on work-life balance, which
focuses on his life in a backyard fort. Clarkson also speaks on mental health issues,
including worry and depression.
COYO - MANAGING RISK...ALLEVIATING UNCERTAINTY
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