Sibling Symposiums:
Siblings with a Mission organizes Sibling Symposiums on a national level to help siblings and families find a strong network of support. Sibling Symposiums are supportive social and educational events open to all siblings who have brothers and sisters with complex health conditions, as well as sibling supporters (parents, family, friends, health care providers, professionals, etc.) of all backgrounds. By organizing Sibling Symposiums, we hope to
1) Support Siblings and Families
2) Help Families Form a Strong Network of Support
3) Raise Awareness of the Unique Sibling Experience
Upcoming Sibling Symposiums:
Our team is currently in the process of organizing more Sibling Symposiums! Please check back here for more information coming soon.
Learn more about our previous Sibling Symposiums here:
Siblings with a Mission organizes Sibling Symposiums on a national level to help siblings and families find a strong network of support. Sibling Symposiums are supportive social and educational events open to all siblings who have brothers and sisters with complex health conditions, as well as sibling supporters (parents, family, friends, health care providers, professionals, etc.) of all backgrounds. By organizing Sibling Symposiums, we hope to
1) Support Siblings and Families
2) Help Families Form a Strong Network of Support
3) Raise Awareness of the Unique Sibling Experience
Upcoming Sibling Symposiums:
Our team is currently in the process of organizing more Sibling Symposiums! Please check back here for more information coming soon.
Learn more about our previous Sibling Symposiums here:
Learn more about our previous Sibling Symposiums here:
August 10, 2024 - 8th Annual Sibling Symposium! Siblings with a Mission and Cincinnati Children's Hospital hosted our 8th Annual Sibling Symposium on Saturday, August 10 in Cincinnati, OH to support siblings who have brothers and sisters with complex health conditions and their families.
The 8th Annual Sibling Symposium focused on the theme of Words of Wisdom. The Symposium offered many innovative breakout sessions where attendees could connect with other siblings and sibling supporters, find resources, and exchange advice.
August 10, 2024 - 8th Annual Sibling Symposium! Siblings with a Mission and Cincinnati Children's Hospital hosted our 8th Annual Sibling Symposium on Saturday, August 10 in Cincinnati, OH to support siblings who have brothers and sisters with complex health conditions and their families.
The 8th Annual Sibling Symposium focused on the theme of Words of Wisdom. The Symposium offered many innovative breakout sessions where attendees could connect with other siblings and sibling supporters, find resources, and exchange advice.
August 5, 2023 - 7th Annual Sibling Symposium!
Siblings with a Mission and Cincinnati Children's Hospital hosted our 7th Annual Sibling Symposium on Saturday, August 5 in Cincinnati, OH to support siblings who have brothers and sisters with complex health conditions and their families. The Symposium was hosted in-person and a mix of online resources were made available.
We are thrilled to share that this year's Symposium brought together siblings from across the United States as well as from several other countries - with the farthest being New Zealand!
This year's Symposium focused on the theme of Finding Your Identity and Sharing Your Voice. The Symposium helped families connect and find resources through a sibling panel, resource fair, and several breakout sessions. This was the first year we organized round-table discussion sessions on topics ranging from sibling leadership and engagement, managing mental health and challenging sibling behaviors, boundaries and self-care, and coping with terminal illness. These sessions were a hit and we are very excited to organize similar sessions next year!
As one family shared about the discussion sessions, "There was a GREAT topic added this year on managing mental health and challenging sibling behaviors. To know that life is the same for all of us with special needs family members and how to support their siblings through adversity was wonderful!"
As one parent said about the parent and caregiver support session, "Honestly, talking with other parents that experience the same issues and circumstances is good for my mental health. I look forward to this conference annually as it is my one time to truly share my experiences and know that I am not alone in my journey as a mom."
Another parent shared, "As every year, it was a wonderful experience for my daughter and me to have that time to focus just on her."
Many families asked for more Symposiums to happen more frequently. We look forward to organizing many more Symposiums and events in the months to come!
July 23, 2022 - 6th Annual Sibling Symposium! Siblings with a Mission and Cincinnati Children's Hospital hosted our 6th Annual Sibling Symposium on Saturday, July 23, 2022 in Cincinnati, OH. As it has been almost 3 years since we last gathered in-person, we were excited to host this year's Symposium in-person and provide many resources to siblings and families online. Since having a sibling with a complex health condition can bring many unique experiences and needs, which have been influenced by the pandemic, this year's Symposium focused on the theme of Rebuilding Together: Navigating Loss and Finding Strength. The Symposium included keynote presentations about managing challenging experiences and grief, SibShops for siblings ages 7-11, breakout sessions for teenage and adult siblings, sessions for sibling supporters, a sibling panel, resource fair, and much more. It was an incredible opportunity to reconnect with friends and make many new friends!
July 17, 2021 - 5th Annual (and 2nd Virtual) Sibling Symposium! Siblings with a Mission and Cincinnati Children's Hospital organized our 5th Annual Sibling Symposium on Saturday, July 17 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm EDT on Zoom. The theme of our event was "Building Community," and attendees were able to connect with each other, exchange insights and stories, and find resources through breakout sessions for young and adult siblings, discussion sessions for parents and sibling supporters, a sibling panel, and a resource fair with local, national, and international organizations.
July 25, 2020 - 4th Annual (and 1st Virtual) Sibling Symposium - We organized our 4th Annual (and 1st Virtual!) Sibling Symposium for siblings of people with complex health conditions and sibling supporters in partnership with Cincinnati Children's Hospital Family Relations. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, this year's symposium was held online on Zoom. This event focused on the importance of taking care of ourselves and staying connected through fun and engaging activities and discussions. There were workshops and discussion sessions for siblings, a breakout session for parents, and a remarkable panel where siblings of diverse backgrounds shared their stories (please see the picture of the agenda below). It was wonderful to be able to connect with many siblings and sibling supporters online, and this online format helped us connect with many new siblings from throughout the United States. We look forward to organizing more events, both in-person and online, again soon!
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Fall Virtual Event 2020 - Based on the feedback we received from our 4th Annual Sibling Symposium, we organized a Fall Virtual Event for siblings and sibling supporters on October 24, 2020. To learn more about our Fall Virtual Event and the resources shared during this event, please click here.
July 27, 2019 - 3rd Annual Sibling Symposium - Siblings with a Mission and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Family Relations hosted our 3rd Sibling Symposium on Saturday, July 27, 2019! Our Symposium was held at Cincinnati Children's Hospital in Cincinnati, OH and over 100 people registered and attended the event! This year's theme was "Making Meaningful Connections." At the Sibling Symposium, siblings, parents, advocates, and providers were able to connect and share stories with others through sibling and family breakout sessions, a resource fair with local, national, and international organizations, presentations on sibling experiences and sibling support, and a sibling panel. Dr. Wendy Plante, sibling researcher and program expert from Hasbro Children's Hospital and Brown University, was our keynote speaker and presented on the needs of siblings and strategies to support siblings. At the end of the day, we held a special award ceremony to recognize the younger siblings in attendance. It was a wonderful day connecting with others and fostering lifelong relationships with siblings and families in our community. Please watch our video about our Symposium and hear what siblings and families had to say here!
Our 3rd Sibling Symposium was also featured on Local 12 news! Please see the incredible video and article about our event here! A special thank you to Local 12 for this amazing feature and for sharing information about our Sibling Symposium!
Our 3rd Sibling Symposium was also featured on Local 12 news! Please see the incredible video and article about our event here! A special thank you to Local 12 for this amazing feature and for sharing information about our Sibling Symposium!
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July 21, 2018 - 2nd Annual Sibling Symposium - Siblings with a Mission hosted our 2nd Sibling Symposium at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, OH. Over 100 people registered and attended the event! At the Symposium, siblings and families were able to meet each other and exchange stories through sibling workshops, a resource fair, and a sibling panel. There was also a presentation on the sibling experience given by Katie Arnold, Executive Director of the national Sibling Leadership Network. The stories shared at the event highlighted what it is like to have a brother or sister with special needs and were compiled in a book given to attendees to take home. There was also an award ceremony where we recognized the young siblings in attendance! Watch the video to see what took place at the Symposium and what siblings had to say here.
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July 15, 2017 - 1st Annual Sibling Symposium - Siblings with a Mission hosted our first ever Sibling Symposium at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, OH. Over 120 people from all over Ohio and Kentucky registered and attended! There were speeches on various topics related to sibling support, a panel presentation on the sibling experience throughout the life course, sibling workshops for siblings ages 7-16, and a resource fair where siblings and families could connect with support groups and organizations (such as the Sibling Leadership Network, Ohio SIBS, A Kid Again, Hamilton County DD, Clermont County DD, and much more!) that serve families around the country. To learn more about the event, please see our flyer, watch our video here, and view our photo gallery!
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Siblings with a Mission is a non-profit, international organization established to serve and support siblings of individuals with special needs. All images are found on Google images and are solely used for education purposes. The stories and advice provided by Siblings with a Mission are not to be replaced by professional advice and counseling but to be considered as an additional source of support.
