SYMPOSIUM
Connecting Research and Practice
Resilience: What Science Says About Overcoming
8:30 am Welcome Ian Forber-Pratt & Jedd Medefind
Table Introductions
What [Exactly] is Resilience
Dr. Nicole Wilke
TABLE TALK
9:05 am Research Presentations
Resilience is Activation: The Capacity to Cope, Adapt and Heal
Dr. Brian Godor
TABLE TALK
Belonging Matters: Promoting Resilience and Mental Health in Care-Experienced Young Adults
Dr. Amanda Howard
TABLE TALK
9:35 am The Floor is Yours: Live Audience Participation with Jose Salazar and Sandra Chikan
9:45 am Q&A Session
10:10 am Break
10:00 am Research Presentations
Strengthening Family Resilience: Practice Principles and Key Processes
Dr. Froma Walsh
TABLE TALK
Spirituality as a Protective Factor
Dr. Nicole Wilke
TABLE TALK
Looking Ahead: The Role of Future Orientation in Resilience Among Youth Exposed to Early Life Adversity
Dr. Zehua Cul
TABLE TALK
11:10 am The Floor is Yours: Live Audience Participation with Jose Salazar and Sandra Chikan
11:20 am Q&A Session
11:45 am Resilience Books Presentation
11:50 am Lunch & Poster Presentations
12:55 pm Peer Learning Communities Presentation
1:00 pm From Research to Reality: A Story of Resilience Inverview with Belay Gebru and Jason Weber
1:20 pm Soul Care Break
1:30 pm Synthesis Activity
1:45 am The Floor is Yours: Live Audience Participation with Jose Salazar and Sandra Chikan
1:55 pm Closing
Ian Forber-Pratt President
CHILDREN’S EMERGENCY RELIEF INTERNATIONAL
Ian Forber-Pratt, MSW, works globally to support educational and nonprofit organizations with strategic planning, program development and theories of change. He is President, at Children’s Emergency Relief International (CERI) where his work spans multiple countries, including but not limited to, Guatemala, India, Moldova, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Uganda, and the United States. Ian holds a master’s in social work from the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St Louis, Missouri, USA.
His training includes various topics such as social change theories, using proven methods, applying policies in practice, teaching strategies, and alternative care for children who have been sexually exploited or trafficked.
Ian strongly believes in the importance of human connection, having difficult conversations, and embracing contradictions. In a world dominated by social media, technology, and polarization, he advocates for a logical and measurable approach to achieving sustainable success. An international adoptee, Ian discovered a human trafficking racket connected to his origin story. He specializes in counseling for adoptive families, focusing on identity, root search, and cultural competence.
He lives with his partner Nargis and their children - ages 4 and 8, in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
Brian P Godor, Ed.D. Founder and Director SPORT-IMPACX
Brian P. Godor, Ed.D., is an evidence-based academic and researcher who translates scientific insights into practical, high-impact programmes for children. As Founder and Director of Sport-Impacx, he helps sports organizations develop monitoring tools and Theory-of-Change frameworks to evaluate and enhance their social impact. His work bridges academic research and daily practice, ensuring that programs foster resilience, emotional regulation, and the development of life skills. Brian is dedicated to creating interventions that not only support individual growth but also contribute meaningfully to stronger communities.
Resilience Is Activation: The Capacity to Cope, Adapt, and Heal
This keynote explores resilience not as something fixed or like armor against problems, but as the ability to activate positive coping skills when facing challenges. Instead of focusing only on protective factors, it looks at resilience as a process of building inner strength—based on skills like believing in yourself, managing emotions, trusting others, and feeling comfortable in social situations. By understanding resilience as an active process, we can better support individuals in finding their own ways to navigate difficult times. Drawing on psychological insights and Biblical wisdom, the talk invites us to rethink how we help children and people develop the ability to respond, adapt, and grow through hard times.
Amanda Hiles Howard, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology
SAMFORD UNIVERSITY
Dr. Howard is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Samford University. She specializes in developmental science, action research, and social psychology. Her scholarly work focuses on understanding the effects of adversity on vulnerable children and their families and improving the quality of practice being provided by the communities, organizations, and governments that serve them. She is deeply committed to translating research into on-the-ground practice. To this end, she has done extensive speaking about care reform and improving public policy nationally and internationally.
Belonging Matters: Promoting Resilience and Mental Health in Care-Experienced Young Adults
Emerging adults who experienced separation from parental care, whether through foster care, residential care, or kinship care, often face unique challenges as they navigate the transition to adulthood. One key but often overlooked factor in their well-being is a sense of belonging. This talk presents findings from a multinational study of 703 care-experienced young adults across 16 countries. Results show that a strong sense of belonging is associated with greater resilience, higher life satisfaction, and lower rates of suicidal ideation and homelessness. The presentation will highlight practical strategies for caregivers, service providers, and program leaders to create environments that foster belonging and connection. These include simple but meaningful practices such as asking young people what helps them feel like they belong, as well as broader organizational approaches that prioritize stable relationships and community integration. Attendees will leave with actionable insights for strengthening mental health and long-term outcomes among youth and young adults who have experienced care.
Froma Walsh, Ph.D.
Professor Emerita, University of Chicago & Co-Founder/ Co-Director
CHICAGO CENTER FOR FAMILY HEALTH
Froma Walsh, PhD, is Professor Emerita at the University of Chicago and cofounder and co-director of the Chicago Center for Family Health. She is the leading international expert on family resilience. Her research-informed Family Resilience Framework and assessment tool are applied in research, training, and practice globally. Dr. Walsh, a Clinical Psychologist, is Past President, American Family Therapy Academy; Past Editor, Journal of Marital & Family Therapy; and recipient of many awards for her distinguished contributions. With 120+ scholarly publications, her recent noted books are Strengthening family resilience (3e., 2016) and Complex and Traumatic Loss: Fostering Healing and Resilience (2023).
Strengthening Family Resilience: Practice Principles and Key Processes
Family resilience in facing adversity supports children’s positive development. Dr. Froma Walsh, the foremost international authority on family resilience, will highlight (1) core principles in her researchinformed Family Resilience Framework and (2) key relational processes-- beliefs and practices-- that community services and practitioners can strengthen for families and their children to overcome serious life challenges and thrive.
Nicole Wilke, Ph.D.
Director of the Center on Applied Research for Vulnerable Children & Families
CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE FOR ORPHANS
Dr. Wilke is passionate about connecting research and practice to improve outcomes for vulnerable children and families. She has supported care improvement through her work with organizations serving in more than 100 nations worldwide. This has included leading international investigations related to care reform, resilience, and family strengthening, developing the Care Transition Accelerator Academy and OVC Applied Research & Best Practice Symposium, and authoring dozens of evidence-based courses and resources on improving care for children. Prior to her current role, Dr. Wilke gained field experience in child welfare as a therapist for foster and adoptive families, serving in residential care, working with children and families with disabilities, and engaging in cross-cultural ministry. She currently lives with her family in Peru.
Spirituality as a Protective Factor
This presentation explores groundbreaking research examining spirituality as a protective factor for care leavers—adults who experienced alternative care settings during childhood. Drawing from two complementary international studies totaling nearly 800 care leavers across multiple nations, this talk will reveal both the quantitative impact and qualitative mechanisms of spiritual protection. Together, these findings challenge traditional approaches to supporting vulnerable populations and provide concrete, evidence-based recommendations for care systems. The presentation will offer practical insights into how spiritual resources can serve as powerful pathways to healing and thriving for one of society’s most vulnerable populations.
Zehua Cui, Ph.D. Assistant Research Professor
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND
Dr. Zehua Cui is a Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of Maryland. She earned her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Science from the University of Georgia in 2022. Her research examines how prenatal and postnatal environments shape children’s socio-emotional and neurocognitive development. Additionally, she investigates multilevel processes and protective factors that contribute to resilience in children facing adversity. Through her work, Dr. Cui aims to uncover developmental mechanisms that promote healthy child development.
Looking ahead: The role of future orientation in resilience among youth exposed to early life adversity
Despite the well-documented risks of early life adversity, some youth demonstrate remarkable resilience and positive development. This presentation will highlight the role of future orientation, broadly defined as youth’s capacity to think about and plan for the future, as a key protective factor in this process. Drawing on empirical research, I will discuss how future orientation supports adaptive functioning and buffers against negative developmental outcomes. These findings have important implications for prevention and intervention strategies that seek to foster resilience in youth exposed to early life adversity.
Belay Gebru Executive Director HOPE FOR THE FATHERLESS
Belay T. Gebru (“Uncle Ben”) founded Hope for the Fatherless (HFTF) in 2012 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His own story as an orphan is one of tremendous tragedy and redemption, both of which shaped much of his ministry to the fatherless of Ethiopia. Belay began HFTF with a vision to see children thriving in families instead of being cared for in institutions. Today, HFTF serves orphaned and vulnerable children through small-group, family-based homes, domestic adoption, and family sponsorship.
Belay is gifted in inspiring those around him to champion excellence for the most vulnerable. Prior to starting HFTF, he served as a child advocate for sponsorship with Compassion International and tour staff for the His Little Feet children’s choir. Today he serves as executive director at HFTF and is married to Koki. They have two beautiful children, Oni and Pat.
Jason Weber
National Director of More Than Enough CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE FOR ORPHANS
Jason and his wife, Trisha, first gained a passion for children in foster care while living and working in the inner city. Many of the kids and families they encountered in their neighborhood had experienced foster care at some point in their lives.
Partially as a result of this experience, Jason and Trisha became foster parents and have been caring for and adopting children from U.S. foster care since 2001. They have had the privilege of adopting their five children from foster care. Jason has helped produce and write several books, bible studies and other tools, all created to serve the Church as it cares for hurting kids. He eagerly anticipates the day when God, through His church, provides more than enough for kids and families in foster care. Jason serves as the National Director of More Than Enough for the Christian Alliance for Orphans and currently lives in Plano, Texas.
Sign up to receive our latest research, learning opportunities, and free resources to support the essential work of caring well for vulnerable children and families.
Learn more about the CAFO Research Center at cafo.org/research-center