Through different activities, this workshop will promote the open up the lines of communication and promote the bond between you and your child who stutters. We welcome parents, guardians, and other members of the child’s family who are there to support them. These activities will be led by our National Coordinator Eeva, and her daughter Alexandra who also stutters. At the CSA, we recognize the importance of familial support when a child stutters, and look no further than this workshop in starting these conversations with your child today! You and your child will leave this workshop with some artwork, some tools in your back pocket for future conversations with your child, and an idea to continue these meaningful conversations at home.
About the presenters
Alexandra D'Agostino
My name is Alexandra D’Agostino and I have stuttered since I was 7. I am a Registered Nurse, having graduated from Nipissing University’s Nursing Scholar Practitioner Program, and I also have a BA Combined Honours in Psychology and Anthropology from Wilfrid Laurier University. Music is one of my passions, (I play 7 instruments!), as well as helping people and volunteering. I have spent 5 years volunteering with the National Stuttering Association in the United States, where I spent 3 of those years serving on their Teen Advisory Council. When I was invited to be on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Stuttering Association in 2014, I was thrilled to be able to volunteer with an association that was closer to home. Being on the Board of Directors has been such an extraordinary, and honouring experience to have had the opportunity to help revitalize the CSA from the ground up. By volunteering with the CSA and NSA, I hope to change other people’s lives, as the two stuttering associations did for me.
Eeva Stierwalt
Eeva’s daughter, Alexandra, is a young person who stutters and has been on the CSA board of directors and the conference planning committee for a number of years. Providing support for Alexandra over the years has given Eeva a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by people who stutter.