October Member of the Month: Lao Family Community of MN, Inc.

Walking up to Lao Family Community of MN, Inc. in St. Paul, I (Rachel) could feel the energy all around me. The parking lot was full of cars, and as I entered, I was greeted with smiles by a variety of different people all involved in one activity or another. I walked upstairs towards the Youth and Family program area, and past several classrooms where adult students were actively engaged in studying the English language.

Paul Kong, who has been with this agency for six years and thoroughly enjoys serving the Hmong community, warmly welcomed me and gave me a wonderful tour of the building. As their Youth Outreach Worker, he wears many hats, but his main role is running their afterschool enrichment program.

This program has seen a huge shift in the last year, as they moved from being a drop in center, to a center focused around enrichment and academic success. Instead of allowing students to come and go as they please, now all students have to be an official part of the program and are able to earn points for their attendance; the points they earn can be redeemed for snacks and prizes at the Points Cafe.

Although they have seen a decrease in the number of students being served this year due to a stricter and more structured program, they still serve between 70 and 100 students a year, and are hoping their point system will not only encourage good attendance, but will also help Lao Family Community secure additional funding. I wish them luck in this area since all services offered by their organization are FREE!

A Typical Week at Lao Family Community

Monday

• Girls Discussion Group called Making Healthy Choices. This group focuses on relevant issues in the lives of teens and develops strategies on how to avoid and if possible prevent them.

Tuesday

• Songwriting & Music Recording classes

• Hip Hop Dance Group

• Korean Club

Wednesday

• Yugioh and Magic Card Club,

• Guys Discussion Group called Making Healthy Choices

• Korean Club

Thursday

• Open Lab

• Hip Hop Dance Group

Friday

• Accountability and Fitness Group

In addition to the services they offer onsite, Paul and another staff member Chee Lee teach a curriculum called Kev Xaiv, which in Hmong means Making Choices. This class is held weekly and biweekly in junior high schools in Saint Paul and Minneapolis. One school they are closely connected with is New Millennium Academy that serves a large population of Hmong students. In the future, they hope to open a satellite site as a way to connect with more of the 80,000+ Hmong people living in Minnesota.

Lao Family Community is one of the newest YIPA members, joining our community less than a year ago after several years of attending YIPA professional development trainings. As a member of the YIPA team, its staff is looking to collaborate more with organizations in Saint Paul to organize projects and events in their neighborhood. I am beyond impressed with the work being done at their agency, and would encourage everyone who reads this to attend Minnesota's Hmong New Year on Thanksgiving weekend for a taste of Hmong culture, traditions and food!

HEALING INVISIBLE WOUNDS: Why Investing in Trauma-Informed Care for Children Makes Sense

As youth service providers, we’re always on the lookout for best practices, programs and initiatives that will improve how we serve our communities. As advocates for early intervention, we see the value of investing time and money in a social issue now because we know that in the long run it will save both money and lives. For a moment, I challenge you to think of a few high-risk youth you’ve served. If you’ve got some in mind, I want you to now think of their environments as young children. Did they experience physical or sexual abuse, war, community violence, loss of a caregiver, or a life threatening illness? All of the examples constitute traumatic events that can affect emotional control, brain development, memory and aggression.

Did you know that over 93,000 American children are locked up in juvenile correctional facilities, and of those children, between 75 and 93 percent are estimated to have experienced some degree of trauma?

Those statistics are astounding, which is why the Justice Policy Institute recently released a study that illustrates the relationship between childhood trauma and criminal activity, as well as cost-benefit analysis for programs that target the most as-risk populations. According to the article, “the direct and indirect costs associated with child maltreatment make it among the most costly public health problems in the United States. Beyond the social benefit, by preventing or addressing child maltreatment early, both direct (medical and psychiatric care, government services, criminal justice, child protection services) and indirect (lost earnings and productivity) costs could be lowered substantially by investing in programs that work.”

Take some time to read the article in full. We challenge you and your organization to seek resources and information to allow you to better serve children who have experienced trauma so they don’t become another statistic.

Troubling Trends for Youth and Communities By Jay Jaffee, MN Department of Health

Jay Jaffee will present a two-part training detailing modern challenges that youth face entitled “Underage Alcohol is Not a Rite of Passage” and “Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drug Use and Youth” on November 9, 2010 from 9:00-12:00 p.m. in Mankato, MN. Register online at www.mnyipa.org or call (888) 945-9472 for more info.

Alcohol and other drug abuse remain a serious problem in America today, both for their health effects and for the concerning trend toward increased binge drinking and prescription drug abuse.

Youth engaged in alcohol and other drug abuse create numerous problems for themselves, their families, their schools, their communities and the groups and organizations in which they participate. Alcohol and other drug abuse cause physical and mental health problems, as well as social, academic, legal and financial problems. In addition to the health problems we have known about for some time—including cancers, heart disease, liver disease, respiratory problems, brain damage and adolescent development—we now have research showing that binge drinking can impair cognitive function (when sober) and can weaken the immune system making it possible to be susceptible to diseases.

Some recent trends have increased the potential for damage. One trend is the change in norms about binge drinking for young people. Drinking games, paraphernalia and perceptions about youth drinking allow and encourage high-risk drinkers to consume larger amounts alcohol more quickly than previous generations. The use of energy drinks, in particular mixing them with alcohol, has increased binge drinking, drinking and driving and sexual assaults. One result of this trend is a norms change making passing out, blacking out and vomiting acceptable behaviors. The long-term impact of this norms change remains to be seen. Will we have more alcohol-related injuries and deaths among our youth? Will we have more alcohol dependent adults as these young people become older?

The other trend is the increase in the abuse of both prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Significant increases in the numbers of drugs being prescribed and the marketing of both prescription and over-the-counter medications have led to increases in both the use and abuse of theses drugs and also to increases in serious consequences experienced by users. Prescription drugs are now the leading cause of unintentional poisoning deaths, drug-related emergency room visits and childhood poisonings.

Not enough parents, youth workers, educators, health care providers, elected officials and other influential adults are aware of these trends and their potential for serious harm. We need to address this issue in a real, sustainable way so that together we can permanently reduce the damage to individuals and communities.

Fall Professional Development Opportunities from YIPA

It’s the time of year again when professional development opportunities are lurking around every corner. We are very excited to be offering some of our most impactful, most timely and most relevant training opportunities to date. We are pleased to be able to bring internationally known speakers directly to you, and look forward to the insight and experience they bring to the world of Minnesota youth work. Mark your calendars now - we hope to see you this fall in St. Paul, Rochester, Duluth or Mankato!

Boys Adrift & Girls on the Edge

Leonard Sax, Ph.D.

October 26, 2010 · 8:30-4:00 p.m.

St. Paul, MN

Why Gender Matters: The Importance of Gender in Early Interventions with At-Risk Youth

Leonard Sax, Ph.D.

October 27, 2010 · 8:30-4:00 p.m.

Rochester, MN

For a sneak peek of Dr Leonard Sax in action, take a look at some of his recent appearances on CNN and the TODAY show! Dr. Sax discusses Boys Adrift with Matt Lauer and Why Gender Matters with Al Roker! Dr. Sax was also invited to discuss Girls on the Edge with Kiran Chetry on CNN's American morning.

Giving a Fish a Bath: The Untold Story of the Adolescent Mind

Frank Kros, Upside Down Organization

November 2, 2010 · 8:30-4:00 p.m.

Duluth, MN

Workshop attendees and third parties have been vocal about their positive experiences with The Upside Down Organization (UDO) and its programs.

Underage Alcohol Use is Not a Rite of Passage and Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drug Use and Youth: A two-part training detailing modern challenges youth face

Jay Jaffee, Minnesota Department of Health

November 9, 2010 – 9:00-12:00 p.m.

Mankato, MN

Survival Strategies for the Youth Service Provider: Strategies for detecting and coping with stress in staff, volunteers and the youth you serve

Steve Zvonar, DC, CWC, Northwoods Natural Healing Center

December 3, 2010 - 1:00-3:30 p.m.

St. Paul, MN

10-10-10 March and Rally for Minnesota's Children and Youth

On October 10, 2010 YIPA encourages you to join the Young Leaders of Children’s Defense Fund-Minnesota, along with other key Minnesota youth organizations, in a march and rally for Minnesota’s youth. The event will take place from 12:00 Noon to 5:00 PM at the Minnesota State Capitol. Attendees will converge on the state capitol delivering ten specific messages to civic leaders, policy makers, and candidates running in the upcoming state elections. There will be justice music by locally known groups, a celebrity keynote address, short speeches by civic leaders, clergy and youth. Gubernatorial candidates have been invited and will be given a few minutes to say how they would address the ten focus issues. The rally will end with a challenge for change to give all Minnesota youth a fair start at life. For more information visit www.cdf-mn.org. Come and be one of 10,000 voices!

Then, save the date! The Rally for Youth Day at the Capitol will be Thursday, March 3rd. The day will include opportunities for youth and youth-serving-organizations to carry the message about the need to support a continuum of care for youth in Minnesota. YIPA participants will be asked to share their stories about how youth intervention has impacted their lives and the lives of their students. As we enter what will be a historically tough legislative session, we will need “all hands on deck” to support Youth Intervention Program funding.