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Bonnie Benard, MSW

Affiliate Specialist

For over 20 years, Ms. Benard has brought the concept of resilience to the attention of national and international audiences. She is currently a Senior Program Associate in WestEd’s Health & Human Development Program in Oakland, CA. She writes widely, leads professional development, and makes presentations in the field of prevention and resilience/youth development theory, policy, and practice. Her 1991 WestEd publication, Fostering Resiliency in Kids: Protective Factors in the Family, School, and Community, is credited with introducing resiliency theory and application to the fields of prevention and education. Her most recent publication, Resiliency: What We Have Learned (2004), synthesizes a decade and more of resiliency research and describes what application of the research looks like in our most successful efforts to support young people. Benard’s work in resilience has also led to the development of the California Department of Education's Healthy Kids Survey's Resilience and Youth Development Module, which surveys students throughout California and elsewhere on their perceptions of supports and opportunities in their schools, homes, communities, and peer groups.