Mattering in a High-Pressure World: Helping Teens Thrive Beyond Achievement Culture

This event is for parents and teens.

In many high-performing communities, young people absorb a powerful—and often unintentional—message: that their worth is tied to grades, accolades, and productivity. The result is rising rates of anxiety, burnout, and disconnection, even among kids who are doing everything “right.”

This event introduces the concept of mattering—the idea that young people thrive when they feel seen, valued, and connected, not just evaluated.

Speaker Stephanie Malia Krauss is an educator and author of How We Thrive: Caring for Kids and Ourselves in a Changing World and Whole Child, Whole Life. Drawing on research and real-world experience, she offers parents, educators, and teens practical ways to push back against achievement culture and create conditions where young people—and the adults who support them—can truly flourish.

Bring friends and family.