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The National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth is a free information service of the HHS/ACF Family and Youth Services Bureau. Contact NCFY at |
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July 2009
In This Issue:
Know youth workers or other professionals who might enjoy receiving a copy of the monthly Youth Initiatives Update in their inboxes? PASS IT ON! Subscribing is easy. Simply send an email with "Subscribe YIU" in the subject line to ncfy@acf.hhs.gov. |
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When Disaster Strikes Across the country, thousands of people each year are affected by large-scale disasters. In NCFY’s latest podcast, we speak to Brandon, who in his 18 years has lived through hurricanes, tropical storms and floods. A former client of Florida Keys Children’s Shelter in Tavernier, he advises youth workers on how to help young people get through an emergency. 
Young Victims of the Nation's Housing Crisis In the latest installment of The Exchange, NCFY explores the increasing number of youth seeking emergency care as a result of the economic downturn. Runaway and homeless youth-serving professionals speak out about the challenges of accommodating more youth and offer lessons learned. In addition, we hear from a teenager who recently spent time in a transitional living program after his father lost his job. Also included: tips on effective outreach and three rules to live by when working with unaccompanied minors. Pack Now In Case Disaster Strikes Summer is here—and so are hurricane, tornado and wildfire seasons in many parts of the country. It’s the perfect time to create a disaster plan for your youth program. In addition to stockpiling emergency supplies, think about preparing individual emergency bags (or Go-Bags) that young people and staff can use during an evacuation. Go-Bags allow individuals to carry with them important records and other personal supplies. A Go-Bag can be anything easily carried by one person—a fanny pack, backpack or small tote, for example. Go-Bags for youth should include the following:
The Go-Bag for staff (you only need one) should contain the following:
For more information about how to draw up a disaster plan, see NCFY’s emergency preparedness guide, Ready for Anything. For a young person’s perspective on getting through a disaster, listen to the latest NCFY podcast. Got a bright idea that you've put into practice? Send it to ncfy@acf.hhs.gov and we may feature it in Youth Initiatives Update.
A Positive Look at Adolescent Lives Funded by the Best Buy Children's Foundation, prepared by Search Institute and based on a national study of nearly two thousand young people, Teen Voice 2009: The Untapped Strengths of 15-Year-Oldsprovides insight into the lives of today’s adolescents. The report is part of Best Buy’s @15 campaign, which aims to support adolescents and give them a say in how the corporation makes grants. Tough Times Mean Belt Tightening for Youth Programs This spring, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, in Silver Spring, Md., was staring at a $7 million deficit, declining membership and outdated facilities. To stay afloat, the organization began the arduous task of making cuts to staff, programs and services. In the end, the group changed its business model so it could focus less on repairing roofs and more on serving young people. Clubs were closed, buildings sold and services moved into schools and recreation centers. The 100 programs the organization operated were trimmed to 25. In addition, senior staff took 10 percent pay cuts, some employees were laid off and other staff took furloughs. Like Washington’s Boys & Girls Clubs, many youth-serving agencies are facing thorny decisions about what to cut when ends don’t meet. “What worked for us is that we always stayed mission-focused,” says Leah Lamb, the clubs’ chief development officer. “We put together a restructure plan that focuses on freeing up resources to reach more youth in the future.” In addition, the organization used the following principles to guide the process: Involve everyone. “This was not a top-down process by any means,” Lamb says. Staff from all over the organization were kept informed and allowed input. Clearly, morale is an issue, so making decisions inclusively is instrumental, she says. Check the balance sheet. Financial statements not only help organizations decide which programs best fit their mission, they also serve as a crucial tool for communication with board members, staff and donors. Moreover, analyzing statements can give executives a clear sense of where costs are getting out of control and help organizations change their practices to meet emerging needs. Well-funded programs could be streamlined to make room for new programs. Or managers might determine the costs of running of a program are too great given its outcomes or the number of youth being served. Aim for measurable results. Lamb says every cut made had to be justified in terms of the net effects it would have on the organization’s mission and how many youth would be served. With the goal of striving for higher-quality programs, the groups’ leaders devised a number of measures each program would have to meet to be retained. Avoid knee-jerk decision making. Taking the long view helps leaders avoid succumbing to “the sky is falling” mentality and making cuts that will ultimately undermine the organization’s future. At the same time, don’t delay decisions. It’s easy to make the mistake of waiting for more information before making the difficult decision to slash a program. In a crisis, a group’s leaders ultimately have to pick the best moment to decide. Keep an eye on the future. A healthy nonprofit sets aside reserves, diversifies its funding sources and builds long-term relationships with community partners and donors. And from each crisis, it learns to operate more efficiently to be prepared for the next storm. For more information about fund raising, see NCFY’s Guide to Starting a Youth Program and Sustaining Your Youth Program: Weatherproofing Against Financial Storms. Right on the Money is an ongoing series about how to keep the doors of nonprofit organizations open in good times and bad. If there’s a topic you’d like us to address here, please e-mail us. Easing Foster Youth’s Transition to Adulthood To successfully transition to adulthood, young people need “consistent, constructive relationships with at least one experienced adult champion, flexible financial options, stable basics (housing, health services, transportation), clear goals … second chances,” wrote Karen Pittman, executive director of the Forum for Youth Investment, in Washington, D.C., last month in Youth Today (PDF). As Pittman and other advocates for young people have pointed out, many foster youth never get those things. Few states allow young people in the child welfare system to remain in care beyond their 18th birthdays. Once on their own, researchers have found, a significant and growing number of former foster youth face harsh economic realities that keep them from attaining the safe, stable and affordable housing they need. Several new publications comment on three ways states and child welfare leaders might aid foster youth in their transition to adulthood: Extend the age youth exit foster care. The authors of Extending Foster Care to Age 21: Weighing the Costs to Government against the Benefits to Youth, from the University of Chicago’s Chapin Hall research center, discuss the ways the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 addresses the needs of this vulnerable population. The act allows states to claim federal reimbursement for the costs of caring for and supervising foster youth until their 21st birthdays. The authors assess what the potential costs to government and what the benefits to young people would be if states extended foster care to age 21, estimating that foster youth’s lifetime earnings would increase an average of two dollars for every dollar spent on keeping them in care beyond age 18. Help youth find permanent families. Financing Policies and Practices that Support Permanency for Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care (PDF), from the Finance Project’s updated Connected by 25 series, aims to help child welfare leaders and program developers find ways to pay for policies and practices that provide permanent families for older youth in foster care. The authors suggest making the best use of child welfare and other federal resources, creating public-private partnerships, making better use of state and local funding, restructuring financial incentives and payments to private providers, and coordinating with other agencies and systems. Make secure housing available. In another Connected by 25 installment, Financing Housing Supports for Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care (PDF), the authors present financing strategies that include making the most of federal housing, child welfare and community development resources; restructuring payments to private providers; creating public-private partnerships; and improving coordination across systems. Go to the NCFY literature database for abstracts of these and other publications. Publications discussed here do not necessarily reflect the views of NCFY, the Family and Youth Services Bureau, or the Administration for Children and Families. Primary Sources is a summary of recent research on youth and families. Got a research topic you want to learn more about? E-mail us and we may feature it in Youth Initiatives Update. Funding Opportunities & Recent Awards Grants for Child Welfare Communication and Education Registered Apprenticeship for Youth and Young Adults With Disabilities Cooperative Agreement 2009 Curbing HIV/AIDS Transmission Among High Risk Youth Underground Railroad Educational and Cultural Program Support Systems for Rural Homeless Youth Maternal and Child Health Research Great American Bake Sale Skate Parks in Low-Income Communities Social Change Projects Campaign for Black Male Achievement Shoot Nations 2009 Youth Executive Training Program $500 Disaster Grants $500 Do Something Grants The Youth Initiatives Update comprises links to Web sites with information on programs, organizations, resources, and publications relevant to children, youth, and family issues. Inclusion of this information does not imply endorsement by the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), or the National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth (NCFY). Moreover, the points of view or opinions expressed on these Web sites do not necessarily represent the official position, policies, or views of FYSB, HHS, or NCFY. To subscribe or unsubscribe to Youth Initiatives Update, please send your request to ncfy@acf.hhs.gov. |
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