Upcoming Resilience Workshop at Aurora Library – June 17, 2025

“Create Your Resilience Plan: Teen Author Ellie Rowe Shares Stories, Strength, and Strategies”

Calling all tweens and teens! On Tuesday, June 17, 2025, at 4:00 p.m., the Aurora Branch of the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library will welcome back Ellie for a powerful afternoon of storytelling and self-reflection. Ellie will be reading from her alphabet book, Type One Diabetes A–Z, and leading an interactive workshop titled “Create Your Resilience Plan.”

This free event is open to youth ages 11 to 17, and books will be available for purchase.

If you’ve followed our blog, you’ve already heard about Ellie’s inspiring journey. Diagnosed with type one diabetes (T1D) at a young age, Ellie began writing Type One Diabetes A–Z at just 9 years old. By the time she was 12, her book was published and quickly became a unique tool for teaching empathy and awareness about T1D.

What makes Type One Diabetes A-Z stand out? It’s not only an alphabet primer; it’s also a window and a mirror. A window into the everyday, often invisible challenges of living with a chronic condition, and a mirror where young readers can see themselves as authors, advocates, and resilient individuals.

What to Expect at the Event

“Create Your Resilience Plan” is more than just a reading—it’s an interactive workshop designed to empower youth. Ellie will share larger life lessons about how she navigated her own diagnosis and the emotional rollercoaster that followed. She’ll guide participants through building their own personalized resilience plan—a toolkit of strategies to help manage stress, bounce back from setbacks, and build inner strength.

Here’s how Ellie described it in a past workshop:

“Resilience isn’t about never falling down. It’s about knowing how to get back up—and having a plan for what to do when things get tough.”

Participants will walk away with:

• A better understanding of type one diabetes and other invisible challenges
• A personalized resilience plan tailored to their own life experiences
• Encouragement to write, reflect, and share their own stories
• Tools for managing emotions and practicing positive coping skills

Why This Matters

Events like this are part of an ongoing effort to make library programming even more inclusive, reflective, and youth-led. Ellie’s workshop helps young people see themselves not only as readers, but as writers, advocates, and resilient thinkers. Whether you live with a chronic condition or just want to feel more confident handling life’s challenges, this event is for you.

As Ellie has shown in previous visits, her story opens up conversations about visibility, health, identity, and strength. Through her alphabet book, she brings awareness to T1D while encouraging all youth to view themselves as authors of their own stories.

📍 Event Details:

Create Your Resilience Plan, with Teen Author Ellie Rowe
🗓️ Tuesday, June 17, 2025
🕓 4:00 PM
📚 Aurora Branch, Barry-Lawrence Regional Library, 202 S Jefferson Ave, Aurora, MO 65605
🎯 For tweens & teens ages 11–17
📖 Books will be available for purchase

Our thanks to the Barry-Lawrence Regional Library Aurora Branch for extending the invitation to Ellie and hosting the event. Mark your calendar and don’t miss this inspiring event. Come for the alphabet book—leave with a toolkit for resilience.