I’ve been part of the CCY team for about a year now. Being new to the youth services field, I had a lot to learn about who our members are, the kind of work they do, and why it’s so important to have a statewide organization like CCY represent their voice in the policymaking process. After doing some research and following many of our members on Facebook and Twitter, I gained a pretty good understanding of what our members are about and the wonderful programs they are running to support the youth in their communities. I was so excited to have landed a job in an organization that supports the critical work our members do by serving as the statewide “bullhorn” for the youth voice at the State Capitol. But it wasn’t until our Taking Action 2012 conference started coming together that my eyes were truly opened to how our members, and CCY, are actually changing lives.

My first “aha!” moment came when I read the essays submitted by the youth who were applying for conference scholarships. “Wow, these kids are really going through it!” I thought to myself (by the way, I call anyone who is younger than me “kid”). What incredible survivors! Their stories were nothing short of inspiring.

The conference really brought everything into perspective for me. With over 70 youth and 41 community-based youth service providers represented from all areas of the state, I was finally able to connect with what we are about on a whole new level. These kids are not just stories or statistics, but real, lovable and amazing human beings with a lot to offer the world. The adults that are working with them are showing these young people how to believe in themselves. Our members are providing them with the support and skills they need for success in their lives. I am so proud that our conference helps to further inspire youth to become actively engaged and develop strong voices as advocates and potential leaders in their communities.

The thank you cards we received from some of the kids that came to the conference was really reinforcing for me that I am at the right place in my professional life. This one gave me a warm fuzzy:

“Thank you so much for the opportunity to come [to your conference]. You guys gave me hope and faith to keep pushing in life.”

And so did this:

“Hey. So I am writing this card to thank you for the wonderful experience. I’ve been learning a lot and I will take what I have learned back home with me. Hearing all the success stories makes me know I can be great. With greatness comes success. Again, I continue to thank you for all that you have done.”

Our members represent only a small fraction of all the youth service providers in our state doing great things to uplift the youth in their communities. There is a great deal of work to be done to get more community-based organizations to join our statewide community of youth advocates and champions through membership with CCY. (You didn’t think I was going to end this blog entry without a pitch for joining, did you? I am the membership coordinator, after all!) The volume of our voice in Sacramento is directly measured by the number of members we have behind us. If you are not already a member of CCY, please consider joining today! Our membership dues are scheduled to increase as of July 1, 2012, but if you join before then, your membership fee will only be $150 for the entire year! Click here for more information about membership benefits and services, and to apply online.

2 comments so far

Categories: Advocacy, At Risk Youth, blogging, Photos, Uncategorized, Youth Voices

Did you know that May is Mental Health Awareness Month?

The best way to bring awareness is to dispel myths surrounding mental health.

FICTION: People living with a mental illness are often violent.

FACT: Actually, the vast majority of people living with mental health conditions are no more violent than anyone else. People with mental illness are much more likely to be the victims of crime.

FICTION: Mental illness is a sign of weakness.

FACT: A mental illness is not caused by personal weakness — nor can it be cured by positive thinking or willpower — proper treatment is needed.

FICTION: Children don’t suffer from mental illness.

FACT: Millions of children are affected by depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses. As a matter of fact, 1 in 10 children suffer from a diagnosable mental illness. Getting treatment is essential.

FICTION: Only military personnel who have been in combat can suffer from PTSD.

FACT: While PTSD is prevalent in men and women who have seen combat, experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event can trigger PTSD, including violent personal assaults such as rape or robbery, natural or human-caused disasters, or accidents.

FICTION: People with a mental illness will never get better.

FACT: For some people, a mental illness may be a lifelong condition, like diabetes. But as with diabetes, proper treatment enables many people with a mental illness to lead fulfilling and productive lives.

FICTION: “Mental illness can’t affect me!”

FACT: Mental illness can affect anyone. While some illnesses have a genetic risk, mental illness can affect people of all ages, races and income levels, whether or not there is a family history.

Additional resources can be found at BringChange2Mind.org

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Categories: Youth Crisis Line

I joined the California Coalition for Youth as a Lead Counselor in 2010. There have been so many changes in the last few years for the program and for me personally. Now I am the Program Director for the California Youth Crisis Line and I could not be more excited about where we are headed! After the excitement of last month, if you weren’t sure you could handle more… here comes May!

Before the end of this month Chat Counseling will be fully launched. The California Youth Crisis Line started answering calls 24 years ago. Some things were very different then. Think about it. When’s the last time you saw a payphone? Can you even remember? Anyone under 25 has grown up utilizing technology more than any other generation before. The internet has become a daily part of our lives, especially for young people who use the internet to communicate as much as they use it to find information.

Later this month the California Youth Crisis Line will launch chat crisis counseling four days a week Monday thru Thursday 3pm-6pm. This will be a wonderful addition to the current services of the line. Sometimes it’s scary to pick up a phone and tell someone what you’re going through. We know there are many who suffer in silence afraid to reach out. Chat provides a lower threshold and more openness from young people. Situations that are too painful to tell over the phone will be told through the internet. There is something about the vastness of the internet that seems to add anonymity. It feels safer to share your crisis through chat without even having to say it out loud, if you’re not ready to.

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Categories: Author: Betsaida, blogging, California Coalition for Youth, Current Events, Events, Youth Crisis Line

Well, we’re just beginning to get back to our version of “normal” here in the office. April was a very busy month for us that included our annual Taking Action Conference. Where do I even begin to talk about how awesome the conference was? I’m not sure, exactly, so maybe I’ll just start at the beginning…

We opened Taking Action 2012 with keynote speaker, Brian Fowlie, who, as a paroled convicted felon, shared with us his “power of choice” story. After leaving home at age 14 to flee an abusive father, Brian used drugs and violence to survive and eventually was convicted of a felony that landed him in prison for life. After “thriving” in prison and becoming addicted to heroin, Brian hit rock bottom and realized that he needed to let people who wanted to help him, help him. I don’t want to tell you the rest of his story because it’s more powerful when you hear it from him directly, but I will share with you one thing he said that really resonated with me: “To the youth of California…we love you!”

Following Brian’s speech, a brief orientation, and a team challenge, conference attendees were provided with a “State of the Coalition” report by yours truly. I covered all of the things we’ve been working on here at CCY over the past year or so and encouraged attendees to fully participate in the conference and provide us with feedback on what things we could work on in the coming year to improve and empower the lives of California’s youth. It was during this session, as well, that we introduced the priority bill list – our list of legislative bills we felt were important to our membership – for attendees to review and become familiar with.

The first night closed out with a dance, complete with a dance floor, a dj, a photo booth (view pictures here!) and a full nacho bar (Betsaida’s favorite)! And while I’m sure that most everyone went to bed at a reasonable hour that night (!), lots of fun was had that evening.

The next day opened with keynote speaker (and youth Board Member for CCY), Jevon Wilkes. Jevon talked about how his adversities are his treasures and that they make him who he is today. For me, his most powerful message was that your “voice is the best gift” we can have. He called the youth attendees to action, imploring that they use their voices at the State Capitol on the final day of the conference.

After a wide variety of amazing workshops and a lunch, over which we offered an “advocacy 101” presentation, attendees were encouraged to attend special legislative training workshops where the proposed bill list was broken down into categories and explored more closely. We had three separate sessions: juvenile justice, youth homelessness and trafficking, and youth development and transitions. The sessions were designed to provide a closer look at the bills so that people felt better-prepared to take positions on the bills when asked.

After that, we hosted our annual CCY General Membership Meeting, where members of the Coalition elected members of the 2012-2013 CCY Board of Directors (who will take their positions on July 1, 2012), approved changes to the organization’s bylaws and voted on the positions of the legislative bills on our priority bill list.

We closed the very long day out with our Awards Dinner, where we presented awards to some amazing recipients (blog post about them coming soon), and heard from keynote speaker, Brianna Karp, the author of a book and a blog named “The Girls Guide to Homelessness.” Brianna spoke about her experiences of homelessness as a young adult and how she is now working all over the globe to promote World Homeless Day, a day dedicated to drawing attention to homeless people’s needs locally and providing opportunities for the community to get involved in responding to homelessness, while taking advantage of the stage an international day provides. We are so excited to work with Brianna on World Homeless Day 2012 (which is only a few weeks before California Runaway & Homeless Youth Month)!

The final day of the conference is our “legislative action day” where we eventually make our way to the State Capitol to talk about the bills we’ve reviewed and other issues important to conference attendees. We were excited to add a new element to the day with our legislative breakfast that we called “Advocacy Unplugged.” Senator Kevin deLeon and Assemblyman Stephen Bradford joined us for an “intimate” discussion on life as a legislator.  The legislators, in a “talk show” format, answered questions from Jevon Wilkes and some members throughout the crowd about issues that were important to them and on just how tough it can be to be a legislator. They encouraged conference attendees to make their voices heard while at the State Capitol, especially the youth, because they were truly representing millions of other youth throughout the state.

Following the morning session, we marched to the California State Capitol, held a rally on the lawn, where the youth spoke their minds about issues important to them, and finished the day by attending over 60 appointments with legislators throughout the building. Incredible! Such an impact!

So from there, conference attendees went back to home – to places like Eureka, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Fresno, Long Beach, Stockton, Riverside, Irvine, Chula Vista, Yuba City, Weaverville, Richmond, San Luis Obispo, Oakland, Santa Clara, Graton, Modesto, and more.

It was a jam-packed three days, so I’m sure most people slept pretty well that night (I know I did), but I’d be lying if I said that we here at CCY weren’t back in the office the next day working on a million other things, including planning next year’s conference. We hope we can make it even bigger and better for everyone (and are open to theme ideas and suggestions)!

-Heather

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Categories: Advocacy, Author: Heather, Events, Taking Action Conference, Youth Voices

It feels like time has just passed by so quick, thinking back to January when California Coalition for Youth (CCY) added an Outreach team to its family. The Outreach team started with just me, and almost immediately grew into a seven person crew in days.  Being able to be part of the Outreach team, I have been able to see how fast CCY is growing, and I have also been able to participate in the spreading of CCY. In January the Outreach team started off very strong with the addition of crew members, and list of contacts we’d like to build, and plans on different ways we could connect with the youth. It was pleasant to be able to witness the crew members’ excitement as we were invited to speak with youth at different schools, in different classes throughout Sacramento. We were able to build local relationships with other youth organizations, adding to our resources.  The Outreach team concluded January with invitations to health fairs, and we were able to get local Sacramento High Schools to agree to let us speak with some of their students. We were able to start February off strong with morning announcements at Elk Grove High School, and invitation to speak at Ms. Mamou’s Health class. This was awesome, especially because February was healthy relationship month! So the Outreach Team made informative billboards, which included topics such as, “What is a healthy relationship? What is not a healthy relationship?” Thanks to www.loveisrespect.org we were able to make these boards and we were also able to make a fun Healthy Relationship Quiz. We were also able to connect with Break the Cycle, learn more about how they impact the youth and introduce CCY. February was also the month where the Outreach Team participated in shooting our first outreach video. We went around and questioned people on what they felt a healthy/ unhealthy relationship was, if they had ever been in a unhealthy relationship, when did they recognize they were in a healthy relationship, and what do they think they would say to a friend if they felt that their friend was in a unhealthy relationship. The feedback we received was very enlightening and we felt even more connected to the community. The outreach team and I are looking forward to these next few months, and the different opportunities they will give us to align with the community and especially our youth!

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Categories: Uncategorized