Episode 3: "Empowering Resilience To ACEs" with Samantha Wettje of The 16Strong Project

In this conversation of The Rise Resilient Podcast, host Agnes chats with Samantha Wettje of the 16 Strong Project, an organization in New York, USA, whose mission is to "Empower Resilience to Adverse Childhood Experiences".

16 Strong is dedicated to empowering resilience to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) through educational workshops, school partnerships, and community outreach, and was created by Samantha in response to what she experienced as a young person growing up with familial mental illness and addiction. 16 Strong strives to continue conversations that help young people recognize and navigate the challenges they are facing as a result of ACEs, as they believe that with strong support systems, healthy coping mechanisms, and a positive mindset, the negative impacts of ACEs can be mitigated.  

Samantha is the founder of 16 Strong Project, an adolescent mental well-being advocate, and holds a Master's of Education in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University where she works with the EASEL lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Education on the "Navigating SEL from the Inside Out" guide. 

In this conversation, we talk about about her experiences with parental addiction and mental illness, as well as how today, she is using her resilience to empower and support youth who may be living with similar experiences.

Learn more about the 16Strong Project.

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Agnes Chen is the host of the Rise Resilient Podcast, as well as the Founder of Starling's Community, whose mission is to co-create a community that can support the mental wellness, resilience, and healing of children and families impacted by parental addiction, and other ACEs.