More than 120 training sessions are coming to Savannah as the Georgia Southern University College of Education hosts the 30th annual National Youth-At-Risk Conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel March 3 through 6.

The conference brings together over 1,200 professionals in education, social work, law enforcement, counseling and other child and family advocacy fields from around the country for quality, relevant training to better serve youth placed at risk.

Joe Hendershott, Ed.D., author of Reaching the Wounded Student and president of Hope 4 The Wounded, Inc., will be the keynote speaker for the Grand Keynote Banquet on March 4. Hendershott will encourage attendees who work with students affected by trauma and offer methods for boosting students’ self-esteem, increasing achievement and engagement in the classroom, graduating from high school, and learning to create empathic connections.

Yong Zhao, Ph.D., and Pedro Noguera, Ph.D., will be Monday and Wednesday’s keynote speakers, respectively. Zhao calls for a paradigm shift in education with his presentation, “Reach for Greatness: Personalizable Education for All Children,” while Noguera offers insight into creating equitable opportunities for students in his presentation, “Excellence Through Equity.”

The National Youth-At-Risk Conference aims to help professionals create safe, healthy, caring and intellectually empowering educational environments for children and adolescents.