DCS: Child Deaths Decline

The Indiana Department of Child Services is reporting a significant decrease in the number of deaths of children who were victims of abuse or neglect. In the 06-07 fiscal year, 36 children died in abusive or neglectful situations, down from 53 deaths in the 05-06 fiscal year. Two of the 36 children were from Marion County.

The report was released as the DCS and its director, James W. Payne, celebrated the hiring of DCS's 800th case worker. Find out more details at the IndyStar's article on the report.

For more on how MCCOY has been engaged in Child Welfare system reform, visit this page.

Magazine Photographer Trains Lens on Teens

Photojournalist Robin Bowman -- who's documented conflicts in Bosnia and Darfur -- spent four years and 20,000 miles photographing and interviewing more than 400 American teens. Some of that work is collected in It's Complicated: The American Teenager. Click here for the story on NPR.

- Chris

Campecine Film Festival - May 17

I'm so excited to share information about Campecine 2008, which will be held at the Indiana Museum of Art's DeBoest Lecture Hall on May 17 from 2 to 7pm. This film festival represents the collective work of a group of young people who document and explore their experiences.

This year's theme is "From Invisible to Invincible / De Invinzivlez a Invenzivlez." In addition to screenings of youth-produced varriomentaries, the event will feature "participatory theatre dialogues." It's a great way to engage in dialogues with young people, and is a great event for youth and adults to attend.