Transcript Update on Center for Mental Health Services Systems of Care

Youth in Transition: Strategies for Promoting Youth
Empowerment and Self Advocacy
Technical Assistance Partnership
for Child and Family Mental Health
Transition-Aged Youth
Community of Practice
April 29, 2008
Overview
• Strategies for promoting youth voice
• Different perspectives:
– State System of Care
– National Initiative – Youth Advisory Boards
– Transition-aged Youth Program
• Opportunity for questions, discussion and
sharing your experiences
Featured Presenters
• Brittany Couch, State Youth and Social Marketing
Coordinator
Oklahoma System of Care, Dept of Mental Health and
Substance Abuse Services
• Clay Finck, Senior Program Supervisor
National Resource Center for Youth Development
• Gateways to Success, Greenwood, SC
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Heidi Hoogstraal, Program Coordinator
Greg Bullard, Former Director
Brenda Johnson, Peer Support Specialist
Andrew and Danielle, Youth
Translating Youth Guided into
Practice
In order to help transition age youth discover
empowerment and self advocacy,
supportive adults must effectively translate
the idea of youth guided in terms of
strategic planning into practices.
Theory to Practice: Create a place
or way for youth to discover
• Two events that increase youth
empowerment and self advocacy
– Youth Listening Conferences
– Youth Retreats (work retreats)
Taking Youth Guided from Theory
to Practice
By using a youth guided approach to
strategically planning these events and the
activities at the events, young people find
their voice and are empowered to create
solutions to problems that plague their lives
and advocate for themselves and other
young people.
Sustainability: Be consistent in
keep youth connected
• Translate the concept of Sustainability into practice as it
relates to youth culture
• Become systematic in keeping youth involved in the
planning process, at all levels.
• You cannot truly help youth empower themselves and
self advocate without having them at the table.
• Think creatively about how to obtain their explicit input
instead of implied input (i.e. getting them to meetings,
having meetings around their schedules, going to them,
or using other youth gatherings as time to gather info
from youth)
Partnerships: Use what you have to
promote and foster relationships
• Create a youth-guided system within their
existing system
• Reduce silos in the planning process that
inhibit all youth from working together and
further isolate resources and supports.
• Create buy-in from other child serving
agencies that previously have not been
engaged.
Environment: Based on SOC
values create an environment
conducive for all
• Create a learning environment conducive
for adults-professionals and youth experts
• Identify and utilize existing resources in
their community (by community mapping)
• Create resources within their community.
Questions?
*7 to unmute your line
*6 to mute your line
How and Where
Youth Involvement Fit
As…
For…
• technical assistance
providers
• Training – Youth
Educators
• consultants
• Evaluation
• direct service
providers
• Research
• Support
• Outreach
Barriers to Youth Participation
As Identified by Adults
• Time
• Funding
• Staffing
• Access to youth
• Lack of training (in how to work
with youth)
• Politics
• Parents
• Adult staff not empowered
• Program evaluation requirements
• Weak leadership
• Racism
As Identified by Youths
• Ageism/Adultism
• Money
• Racism, sexism, homophobia
• Stereotyping by appearance
• Time
• Transportation
• Language
• Lack of access to information
• Lack of access to opportunities
• Lack of support from adults
• Few role models
• Lack of motivation
Things to Consider
• Scheduling
• Transportation & logistics
• Compensation
• Other $ issues
• Staffing
• Professionalism
• Finding “Best Use of Skills”
Things to Consider (continued)
• Boundaries
• Training & Preparation
• Protection
• Allow for mistakes
• Debrief
• Be aware of limitations
• Tokenism
• Communicate successes
Roles of Adults in
Partnership with Youth
• Authority on behalf of agency - maintain parameters,
watch where you exercise authority - keep it limited
• Training - sharing skills, knowledge, improving abilities
• Facilitation - assist with the process, not outcomes or
decisions.
• Cheerleader - encourage, motivate – don’t rescue or do
for them
• Guidance/Advisor - provide input, info, wisdom through
experience
• Worker/resources - Do for them at their request and
under their direction
• Allow to learn from failures – don’t protect them or
project. If they never fail you are protecting too much.
Keys to Success
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Youth are in responsible planning and decision-making roles
Activities meet real needs
Adults and young people work together as partners
Opportunities are provided for reflection and feedback on the
program and on participants’ personal involvement
A commitment to support the youth participation process
Roles are clearly defined
The program establishes a positive peer group
Opportunities are provided to develop skills
Successes are acknowledged and celebrated
The project is fun to participate in
Adapted from:
Youth Involvement: Developing Leaders and Strengthening Communities, Bruce Swinehart, Partners for Youth Leadership, Boulder, CO
Questions
*7 to unmute your line
*6 to mute your line
Gateways to Success
• History - grant funded and supported
project of SAMHSA Oct. 1998
• Program sustained when successfully
merged with the Greenwood Mental
Health Clinic.
Supporting Transitioning Youth
• Population of focus - serves young people
experiencing mental illness or behavioral
disturbances that can significantly interfere with
their successful transition into adulthood.
• Goals - develop partnerships with the young
person, the family, and community service
providers to expand the array of services and
supports necessary for the young person to
succeed in their own home and community.
Transitional Services and
interventions include the following:
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Collaboration with local agencies
Work place support
Life skills training
Supportive counseling
Socialization opportunities
Community Involvement
Placement and support in community
living situations
Peer Support
• Peer mentoring/self help approaches
• Primary agent of change as young people
can serve as positive role models
• "Recovery for Life" (self help program)
– Enhances decision making skills
– Improves overall psychological adaptation
– Promotes Self Advocacy
Lessons Learned
Questions….?
Discussion:
What are your thoughts on
promoting youth empowerment
and self advocacy?
Upcoming opportunities to meet
your colleagues…
• Summer Institutes – Nashville, TN
• July 29 – Supported Housing for Youth in
Transition – New Jersey Statewide
Initiative
For more information:
• Brittany Couch - [email protected]
• Clay Finck - [email protected]
• Heidi Hoogstraal- [email protected]