Understanding the Adolescent Brain

Morningside Center warmly invites you to take a moment for yourself during this Spring Break and be in community with others working in youth-centered spaces. All are welcome to join: members of CBOs (community-based organizations), after-school staff, educators, social workers, counselors, arts-based educators, families and caregivers, etc.

In this workshop, we will learn more about adolescent brain development, what this looks like in action, and ways for us to support and navigate through adolescence alongside the young people we support. We will also create space for communal care and relationship-building, offering participants time to pause, reflect and connect with themselves and each other.

Breakfast will be provided.

EARLY BIRD SPECIAL UNTIL MARCH 17th!

Sully Diaz. Sully helps coordinate our programs and develop program content. Before taking on this role, Sully was the program director for our PAZ after school program at P.S. 24 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, beginning in 2016. In that role, she oversaw all programming for over 200 elementary school age children. Sully's work over the past ten years has focused on providing direct services to children, teens, young adults, as well as professional development workshops to youth workers and professionals. Sully’s current passion and research has focused on restorative practices in public schools and in our criminal justice system to reduce youth criminalization and promote racial equity. She has a BA from Middlebury College, and M.A. in Youth Studies from CUNY School of Professional Studies. Sully is also a Posse Foundation alumna and continues to mentor high school and college students in her spare time

Bryanna Kolja. Bryanna has worked for Morningside Center since 2013. Soon after graduating with a B.A. in Philosophy, Bryanna started working as a kindergarten group leader in Morningside’s after-school program in the Bronx. She soon became program administrator and ultimately program director of our K-8 after-school program. During her six years as program director, Bryanna focused on enabling students and staff to work together to create project-based culminating events where students artistically and collaboratively explored themes such as: self-identity, goal-setting, managing conflict, building healthy relationships, diversity, anti-racism, the school-to-Pr*son pipeline, and the African Diaspora.

In 2021, Bryanna became the full-time program manager for all after-school programming for Morningside Center. She currently co-creates and facilitates workshops and provides coaching in social and emotional learning and equity for after-school staff from across New York City as part of Morningside’s partnership with NYC’s Department of Youth and Community Development. In addition, Bryanna co-created and facilitates Morningside's SEL and Equity in After School Program, which trains and coaches staff from middle school after-school programs throughout NYC.

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