In this Issue: Board Update | Gearing Up to Launch New Membership Campaign | Taking Action Conference: A Look Back | News Beat | Resources and Publications
CCY Board Update
By: Heather Dearing, Executive Director & Walter Philips, Chair
Greetings from Sacramento! The California Coalition for Youth Board of Directors recently held our first meeting of the new fiscal year (thankfully, before it got too hot) and we wanted to share with you some exciting things that CCY will be working on in the coming year:
First, we are working on enhancing our member benefits! We will be rolling out the changes in the next few months, but be prepared to hear more about monthly conference calls, blogging opportunities, and much more.
Second, we are planning some changes to our annual Taking Action Conference! It will have all the components you know and love already, but they will be more exciting and more interactive.
Third, we have fully implemented our statewide Youth Advisory Board. This group will help us keep our finger on the pulse of what’s happening for youth at the local level. They will review and advise us on policy and they will be fully trained advocates who will be ready to speak out on issues both locally and here in Sacramento.
As always, the California Youth Crisis Line will continue to provide services, support and resources 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This past year, we received over 23,000 calls from youth and families throughout the state, and even beyond. The CYCL now offers online chatting for those who aren’t ready to pick up the phone and is looking at expanding to more technology based services in the future.
Finally, we continue to work on the passage of SB 119 (Lowenthal), our shelter regulations bill, and other policies related to runaway and homeless youth. We will continue to keep you informed as those issue progress.
We hope your summer is winding down nicely and we look forward to connecting with you more as the year progresses.
Sincerely,
CCY Gearing Up to Launch New Member Campaign
It’s the beginning of a new fiscal year for CCY, and the board and staff would like to begin by sending a heartfelt and enthusiastic “thank you!!” to our current members. You are the life blood of the organization. Everything we have accomplished to date would not be possible without your participation and support.
That being said, we are gearing up to launch a New Member Campaign, and are asking our current readers to help us grow! As an advocacy organization, our voice in Sacramento is significantly strengthened by a large and robust membership constituency. Please help strengthen the voice of California’s youth in statewide policymaking by joining CCY today! Membership is ridiculously affordable (annual membership is only $60 for individuals or $150 for organizations!), and beneficial to you, too.
Here are just some of the benefits membership with CCY will provide you with:
- Advocacy – participation and training
- Policy Alerts & Updates
- Funding Opportunity Alerts
- Option to contribute articles to CCY newsletter and monthly blog
- Education and Networking
- Much more!
Most importantly, members join CCY because they are interested in helping CCY advance its mission to improve and empower the lives of California’s youth, and to connect to other like-minded individuals and organizations throughout the state through the coalition.
Please visit us at www.calyouth.org/membership to learn more about membership benefits and to join online today!
CCY Taking Action Conference: A Look Back
Seems like it was only yesterday we were all together here in Sacramento for the Taking Action 2011 conference, but it really was almost four months ago. The Taking Action conference is always such an energizing time for us, so we thought it would be fun to take a look back at all the amazing things that happened in April!
We started off with our amazing keynote speaker, Joseph Giles, who was full of energy and conviction about being an advocate for what mattered in your life. He shared with us some of his poetry that was so inspirational that we even borrowed some of it for our march to the State Capitol later in the conference! Click here to view the video of his poem, “Battle Cry.” Our special guest speaker at our Awards Dinner was none other than the incomparable Senator John Burton, who spoke about how important it is for young people to talk to their legislators.
The second day of the conference was full of incredible workshops on a wide variety of topics, and the day closed with the CCY General Membership Meeting, where several youth from around the state ran for open seats on our Board of Directors!
The final day of the conference started off with a march to the State Capitol, followed by a rousing rally on the steps of the Capitol (attended by Senator Alan Lowenthal, Senator Carol Liu, and Assemblyman Jim Beall) where several youth spoke out about issues they were passionate about. Conference attendees closed out the day by participating in visits with legislators from throughout the state to talk about issues related to runaway and homeless youth, among others.
All in all, it was an amazing conference, one that we’re hoping to top this year (and are already planning). Please click here for photos of Taking Action 2011 and if you have photos of your own, please share them with us.
Newsbeat
- Free Birth Control! Hells. Yeah.
- PRIDE Youth Services Expands with Grant from Golden Sierra Workforce Investment Board
- Building Health Communities Project Engages Youth in Community Service and Leadership Training
- Study Finds One in Four Gay or Lesbian High School Students are Homeless
- A Program for Youth Safety Begins with Just a Sign
Publications & Resources
When You’re 18 – A Health Care Transition Guide for Young Adults — this guide contains information to help young adults understand what it means to be legally in charge of their health care and how to stay healthy as they grow into adulthood.
Economic Benefits of Helping Homeless Youth — New Avenues for Youth, a service provider in Portland, OR, recently published a cost/benefits analysis of their homeless youth services that could serve as a useful model for other agencies.
Evidence-based Pregnancy Prevention: 28 Programs that Work — DHHS has identified 28 programs for replication that are supported by evidence and proven to help reduce teen pregnancy and related risky sexual behaviors.
White House Launches Website Specifically for Young Americans — designed to pool many of the President and Administration’s remarks, videos, and blog posts that have specific relevance to Young Americans.
September 28th, 2011 at 10:17 am
Hi there, You have done a great job. I will definitely digg it and personally suggest to my friends. I am sure they will be benefited from this web site.