In Pursuit of Best Practices for Youth Intervention by Clare Ryan, YIPA's Promise Fellow

“Implemented on a whim, discredited on an anecdote.” Have you ever felt that way about a program? Ever felt that you don’t know why or how your program helps youth – just that it does? Even been frustrated by the disconnect between researchers, providers and policy-makers?

On Thursday two of YIPA’s staff continued YIPA’s search for solutions to these issues for youth intervention by attending a presentation entitled “In Pursuit of Effective Best Practices for Out of School Time” with Robert C. Granger Ed. D., President of the William T. Grant Foundation. This free event, sponsored by the Extension Center for Youth Development, was attended by over 300 people and when Dr. Granger used the phrase “implemented on a whim, discredited on an anecdote” to describe certain programs the audience’s laugh was full of understanding. We have all seen programs that lack thoughtfulness and self-reflection or programs with outcomes requirements that don’t match program models.

The good news is that there are many exciting developments happening right now in program assessment and the implementation of effective best practices for youth in school, out of school time, child welfare and other fields. YIPA is working to make early youth intervention a part of that conversation.

Granger’s full presentation, which includes many useful sites and articles can be found here at the Extension website. Some of the key take-aways from the event include:

- The focus is shifting from which programs work, to why certain activities are effective at changing young people’s lives.

- When evaluating a program we have to keep in mind the effect that the rest of life outside of that program has on a young person.

- Quality measures need to be a part of the process – looking at how staff interact with young people and how programs run, not just on youth outcomes.

- Programs managers are key for embedding new research into program protocol and practice.

- Outcomes measures are most effective when they test current practices against some attempt to make the program better (i.e. Do kids do better when x is introduced to a program? Rather than, is this program producing results yes or no?).

YIPA is working with the University of Minnesota, the Office of Justice Program and with some of you to make early youth intervention programs leaders in evaluation and implementation of new best practices. We have been learning a lot! In the coming months we will be presenting some new information and ideas about ways that all youth intervention programs can get involved in the constant strive for better programs. We are always looking for more people to be a part of this conversation. If you would like to share ideas/ experiences in program evaluation please email Clare at cryan@mnyipa.org.

Here is a list of some websites that we have found helpful for learning about evaluation and best practices:

Forum for Youth Investment: Measuring Program Quality

University of MN Extension Applied Youth Research

University of Colorado Blueprint for Violence Prevention

Children, Youth and Families Education and Research Network

Good News for the Youth Intervention Program by Scott Beaty, YIPA's Executive Director

Earlier this month the Governor signed the 2010-2011 biennium budget balancing bill that contained language for the Youth Intervention Program (YIP). The language in the bill protected the YIP from funding reduction in 2010 and limited the amount the MN Department of Public Safety could cut the funding in 2011 to no more than 1.5%.

On Friday I received some very good news from Tricia Hummel from the Office of Justice Programs within Public Safety. Below is what she wrote:

Good morning, Scott;

Finally I am able to provide an update on the legislative budget cuts…. I think you’ll be pleased with the outcome.

As you are aware, OJP was given a $445,000 one-time cut in fiscal year 2010 and additional $902,000 in fiscal year 2011, which will be a cut to our base. Legislation again limited the cuts to crime victims and youth intervention programs.

The cuts we must make will come out of the community crime prevention program, not the YIP program.

Thanks for all your work at the legislature, Scott. I’d say it’s definitely made a difference!

Tricia

This means that YIP grant funding will not be cut for the remainder of this year or in 2011! If you have any questions about the Youth Intervention Program and its funding, please feel free to email me at jsbeaty@comcast.net.

Scott

Crime Victims Rights in Clay County by Clare Ryan, YIPA’s Promise Fellow

It was an eventful and lovely two days at the Clay County Crime Victims Symposium in Moorhead this week! Over 120 youth workers, police officers, attorneys, social workers and others came from across Minnesota and North Dakota. Over the course of the two days we learned about preventing sexual violence, restorative justice, sexting, stalking, and the effects of family violence on children. On Tuesday evening 250 community members from Fargo/Moorhead came to hear Jackson Katz present on images of masculinity in the media and the ways in which gender violence is not just a “women’s issue.”

250 community members listen to Jackson Katz talk about gender violence

I was lucky enough to be able to sit in on some of the sessions. Both reinforced my belief that Minnesota is a special place for young people. Several speakers from other states noted that, “Minnesota has been at the front of this for years,” or “Many of my colleagues working on these issues are in Minnesota.” These issues include restorative justice for juveniles and working with young men to prevent violence and sexual abuse.

As a relative newcomer to youth intervention, I found the restorative justice breakout session very informative. Speakers from the Clay County restorative justice unit and from Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota explained how restorative justice is about bringing people together to help heal relationships that have been damaged by a crime. Restorative justice advocates claims that the person who has committed the offense has an obligation to help heal their relationship to the victim and to the community. They showed how successful it has been for some young people who have committed offenses to meet face to face with the victim and learn the bigger story about how that person has been affected by the crime. Learning, for example, how slashing a person’s tires prevented that person from bringing their children to school or getting an elderly family member to the doctor, has helped a young person realize the true impact of their actions. There are many facts and figures to back up the claim that restorative justice keeps young people from re-offending. For more information on restorative justice.

Jackson Katz signs a copy of his book, "The Macho Paradox"

It was amazing on Tuesday evening how many community members from Fargo/ Moorhead came out to hear Jackson Katz talk about gender violence. There was a mix of college students, coaches, teachers, parents and young people. Jackson’s provocative presentation, which challenged some very deep cultural beliefs about young boys and men, was very well received. People talked about how the media teaches young men to be “macho” and gain control – especially over women. As Jackson said, “This kind of violence is usually about maintaining control over inequality. In communities with gender equality, there is less violence because no one is trying to maintain an unequal relationship.” We also discussed how men need to be deeply involved in preventing gender violence, because true prevention requires a culture that condemns violence, not one that simply teaches women to avoid risk. For more on ways men can be involved in the prevention of gender violence.

Did any of you attend this conference? Anyone participate in a restorative justice program? Have a comment about what young men can do to prevent gender violence?

Even if you did not attend - LEAVE A COMMENT AND WIN A FREE COPY OF JACKSON KATZ’S BOOK!!!!!

We will randomly select one comment to win a free copy of “The Macho Paradox” by Jackson Katz. Retail value $18.99.

What is YIPA?

What is YIPA?

YIPA (MN Youth Intervention Programs Association) is the advocate in Minnesota for youth intervention programs and is the hub for information and expertise about early youth intervention. As a statewide membership association, YIPA joins organizations like the YWCA of Minneapolis with Ely Community Resources, and the Moorhead Police Department with the Hmong American Partnership. We provide trainings, advocate for youth intervention programs, direct lobbying at the State Capitol, networking, collaboration opportunities, provide research and organizational resources to youth intervention professionals and facilitate fund raising opportunities.

A Banner from YIPA's 2009 Rally for Youth Day at the Capitol

Who Becomes a Member?

YIPA members are a diverse group. Any organization or individual, who provides community-based youth intervention services are welcome to join. Additionally, businesses and other entities that support YIPA’s efforts to promote and enhance the field of youth intervention services can join as Allied Members. Youth intervention spans the continuum of care from prevention to providing specific behavioral interventions to diversion programs (keeping youth out of the costly correctional system). YIPA’s organizational members serve youth ages 6-18 who have just begun to exhibit behaviors that could lead to destructive and/or criminal behavior in the future. This can be a community center with groups for gang and violence prevention, a mental health organization with an intervention program for youth, or a diversion program that deals with referrals from police departments and court services. YIPA members can do more than youth intervention, like the YWCA, which has many programs for youth and families or it can be a purely youth intervention program like Bolder Options who through mentors, provides running, biking and goal setting services for youth referred for school truancy issues. Click here for a list of all YIPA members.

Why Join?

YIPA members benefit in myriad ways from membership. YIPA’s professional development opportunities give members an affordable way to learn from the best in the field. Click here for a full list of up-coming trainings. YIPA members are part of a larger community conversation about youth intervention. They have direct contact with a wide range of programs and approaches across the state. YIPA members have a professional lobbyist to speak for them at the State Capitol. YIPA is a participatant in several regional and statewide youth policy collaboratives. YIPA provides research, social media networking, and continuing opportunities for growth and development. In short, YIPA collectively provides services that individuals and organizations usually do not do on their own because of the cost and resources it would take to provide those services. When groups and individuals come together collectively for a purpose, a lot of good things can happen!

A Breakout Session at YIPA's 2009 Youth Intervention Conference

Who works for YIPA?

YIPA’s staff is small, but manages to provide diverse services for its members and for the youth intervention community as a whole. It’s the volunteers from within the membership, however, that help the staff accomplish all the great things YIPA does for the intervention youth service community!

Scott Beaty, YIPA’s Executive Director, is a registered lobbyist and has over 25 years of experience advocating for early intervention youth services at the Capitol in Saint Paul. He has also steered the direction of YIPA for the past two decades! When not in the office and with his family, Scott can probably be found in a fishing boat or in a duck blind. To talk about advocacy efforts and YIPA’s role in the future of Minnesota contact Scott at jsbeaty@comcast.net.

Jessi Strinmoen, YIPA’s Director of Services, coordinates YIPA’s professional development opportunities. She is in charge of bringing all of our amazing speakers (many of whom have contributed to this blog) into your community. In additional to traveling around Minnesota running youth intervention trainings, Jessi makes reusable cloth grocery bags and sells them on etsy.com! To learn more about YIPA’s trainings and programs email Jessi at jstrinmoen@mnyipa.org.

Chris Klejbuk is YIPA’s membership coordinator. Chris helps grow the YIPA community every year and makes sure that members get what they need from their statewide association. If she’s not helping YIPA serve more and more Minnesota programs, Chris can be found at the St. Catherine University’s Alumnae Association. To become a member of YIPA or to learn more about membership email Chris at cklejbuk@tcq.net.

Ann Marie Grocholski, YIPA’s development director, makes sure that youth intervention gets a piece of the pie from foundations to corporations to all sort of exciting fund raising opportunities. See this post for example. You may not see Ann Marie around much these days as she is about to have a baby! She’ll be back in the swing of things this summer.

Clare Ryan, YIPA’s Promise Fellow, manages this blog and loves to talk to YIPA members about all of the exciting ways that they are serving youth and making their programs better. She’ll be leaving in August to head back East for law school, but she’d be happy to hear from all of you about how to make this blog a better resource for you! To talk about social media or YIPA’s research initiatives email Clare at cryan@mnyipa.org.

Adolescence and Mental Health by Jen Holper, LSW, Community Relations Rep, PrairieCare

Think of your worst day… you woke up late, stubbed your toe on the way to the bathroom, and then get in the shower to find that all the hot water has been used up and the drain is clogged. Your day continues down this same path… traffic was horrible, meetings start late, and run late and you feel nothing was accomplished, co – workers are getting on your nerves, and your child calls for a ride home because they missed the bus. You want to crawl back into bed, in fact you wish you had never gotten out of bed in the first place.

This is the feeling for many children and adolescents dealing with mental health issues every day, but worse. Throughout their school day they feel down, irritable, unable to focus, frustrated, and angry. They want to just stay in bed. They fall behind in their school work, fight more frequently with parents and peers. They feel alone, no one understands them. Their mood is unstable to the point where it is interfering with their ability to function in their own lives.

Facts from National Alliance for Mental Illness:

· Statistics show that half of all cases of mental illness onset prior to age 14, three quarters by age 24.

· Suicide is the third leading cause of death for youth 15-24

· Jails and Prisons are now the largest psychiatric wards, housing well over 350,000 inmates with serious mental illness

· Studies have shown that only 25%-35% of children and adolescents suffering from a psychiatric disorder will receive treatment. *

Children and adolescents dealing with mental health issues often end up in the “system” due to truancy, risk taking behaviors (Stealing, promiscuity, drug/alcohol use), or as a result of anger outbursts ending up in assault charges. We know that mental health treatment is available and that when kids are treated they feel relief, and are less likely to be involved in the “system”. Treating mental health issues comes in a variety of forms from medications, therapy, to accommodations in school settings.

PrairieCare is partnering with YIPA to provide a training, April 26^th in St. Cloud, “Children’s Mental Health Disorders and the Medications used to Treat Them”, presented by Jane Marie Sulzle, CNS, RN.

Jane Marie Sulzle specializes in the care of children and adolescents. Her experience includes more than 20 years in the medical field, but her passion is working with youth who are dealing with mental health disorders. Jane Marie says, “I have always been drawn to working with youth and to the psychosocial aspect of nursing, so transitioning to psychiatry was logical. I believe in relieving the suffering of both children and their families, using a combination of medication and therapeutic alliances.”

To Register.

Hope to see you there!

*Burns, B., Costello, E., Angold, A., et al. (1995). Children’s mental health service use across service sectors. Health Aff. 14(3): 147-159.

What do YOU think? By Clare Ryan, YIPA's Promise Fellow

Dear Readers,

When I began to explore blogging for YIPA over six months ago, I had no idea how many wonderful contributors would be excited to share their expertise with the youth intervention community. I love hearing from local and national experts about mental health, youth violence, healthy living, youth engagement and many other issues that link so closely with youth intervention.

But knowing that I love hearing from Linda Flanders about making movies for youth intervention or from Kevin Spading about drug and alcohol prevention , or from 17 year-old Mysee Chang about youth engagement is just the first step. What I really want to know is: do YOU?

What are you hoping to find when you google “KidsChange blog” or hear about our blog at a quarterly meeting? What do you want to learn?

Readers, you are the front lines. You are the ones who see what youth intervention means to young people every day. This blog is for you. We want to know what makes you get up and go to work in the morning. What are the vital youth intervention issues in your community? You don’t have to be on a national lecture tour (although some of our contributors are) to be an expert. All of you have knowledge and experience that ought to be shared.

Please help me steer this conversation towards those issues that are most valuable to you. If you have an idea for a topic, a question that you would like to ask the youth intervention community or a specific contributor, or if you have a story of your own to share PLEASE email me at cryan@mnyipa.org or leave a comment on this post.

Sincerely,

Clare Ryan

Promise Fellow

Minnesota Youth Intervention Programs Association

P.S. We will post something new once a week - be on the lookout Friday mornings or sign up to get the posts emailed to you!