Co-Location of Services: Outside the Box Innovation

We've been talking a lot lately about the Co-Location of Services strategy outlined in the Marion County Early Intervention and Prevention strategic plan. Co-location means housing multiple types of services (GED classes, legal aid, and early childhood education programs, for example) all in one building.

A recent news article takes this idea of co-location outside the box, offering health care education and services at hair salons, barbershops and tattoo salons. This innovative approach is making health information and healthcare services more accessible. Read the article that discussses how organizations like the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health are helping Harlem Barbershops and Salons Double as Health Clinics.














Photo: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

Own Your Campaign Announcement

Exciting things are happening with the Student Success Team and EIP! Our new VISTAs have jumped in where Kristin Kerr and Michelle Clegg left off and have begun working with MCCOY staff and Radio One on the new “Own Yours” campaign. 

Kashif Ahmed

Shahana Ansari

Meet our new VISTAS! Kashif Ahmed is an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer from Michigan who holds a Bachelor of Science in Brain Behavior and Cognitive Science. He is interested in youth education and health and he loves working with MCCOY in Indianapolis! Kashif plans to attend medical school after his year as a VISTA. Shahana Ansari is an AmeriCorps VISTA from Bloomington, IN. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from The University of Tampa and has experience volunteering with a variety of non-profits around the country. During her year at MCCOY she hopes to learn more about the Indianapolis community and non-profit organizations. Both of the VISTAs are very enthusiastic about starting the new Own Yours campaign which is a follow up to the I CARE campaign launched last year. 

Launched in 2010, the I CARE campaign promoted involvement in the drop-out prevention effort. The launch event, which had over 100 attendees, was covered by local media and the Mayor of Indianapolis declared November 18 to be I CARE Day. Now MCCOY is launching the Own Yours campaign to encourage students to own their future, encourage parents to own their families, and encourage community members to own their communities. By taking ownership, students, families, and communities can commit to the development and success of Indianapolis communities.

The aim of the Own Your Future campaign is to empower students to take control of their education and to pursue a path of success and achievement. By providing resources to students who want to be in charge of their futures, MCCOY can continue to support the advancement and progress of Marion County’s youth. The Own Your Future campaign also increases awareness about the importance of graduating from high school, as a strong education is an essential tool for advancement and future opportunities. By finishing high school, students who own their future can take an important step in reaching their full potential as empowered individuals, valuable community members, and contributing citizens.

Come out and join us on July 16^th at the Indiana Convention Center for the Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration! Between the hours of 2pm to 4pm, HOT 96.3 DJ Wrekk 1 will broadcast live with information on MCCOYs Own Your Future campaign. MCCOY will also have a table set up at the Expo for students and parents to receive information and goodies. 

We invite you to take a look at our new website, which has updated information on our new Own Your Future campaign!

MCCOY Legislative Update

MCCOY has been very busy lately in terms of digesting the past state legislative session and creating plans for new and exciting endeavors! In response to the past legislative session, MCCOY produced an issue brief analyzing the new education reform legislation and held an informal breakfast discussion to create awareness about the impact that it will have in Marion County. We also produced a legislative voting record on selected youth-related bills for the state legislators who represent Marion County. The purpose of the document is to inform advocates and youth-serving professionals on how their legislators voted so that they can better understand who are potential allies on youth issues. It also creates awareness of the need for more targeted education and relationship building with those legislators who may not vote in favor of youth issues.


A couple of exciting developments will be announced within the next month, including the “Voices for Indiana’s Children” network, which is a result of MCCOY’s new membership with the national Voices for America’s Children organization. MCCOY will be reaching out to local and state partners to sign up for regular electronic communications to better improve our advocacy efforts on behalf of Indiana’s children.

MCCOY is also ramping up efforts to recruit youth to its Youth Advocacy Council. Promotional materials have been developed and MCCOY’s current and former VISTA volunteers will be leading the recruitment and development of the group. Mindi Goodpaster, director of public policy & advocacy, recently attended an event at the White House as a follow up to the Real Talk Youth Roundtable event that MCCOY held in May. The purpose of the event was to learn more about how President Obama and his administration want to involve youth in advocating for the issues that they care about. This event, broadcast live on the White House's website, was the first in a series called "How to Make Change" which is based on the results of the 100 Roundtables with Young Americans initiative that the President initiated this past spring.

MCCOY was one of 384 roundtable discussions held in 46 states, DC and Guam. We were also one of only 105 roundtable events that had an official representative from the White House. The results of our roundtable discussion with youth from Central Indiana were directly in line with the national results. The top three concerns of youth in Indiana and across the nation - education, violence and the economy.

The White House is now looking to partner with youth and the organizations who hosted roundtables to make change and create solutions in their communities. In the next few weeks, the Administration will publish an E-book that will compile the results of the roundtable discussions and outline recommendations for solutions. MCCOY hopes to utilize this information in its Youth Advocacy Council and is excited about all of the possibilities that this new endeavor will bring.

True Benefits of a Summer Internship

In college, sometimes students may wonder do internships really matter and if so what do they do for them? When I started my internship for MCCOY, I had no idea what I about to come into but was very excited! When coming up with what to write about, I just wanted fellow college students and even those in high school to know there are many joys in having an internship that you love and can learn from.

Having an internship can really help you put your abilities to a good use. By doing this, so many opportunities are presents your way while helping you to refine the skills you already have. For myself, I was asked to create a social media plan for MCCOY. Sure this may have sounded easy but it definitely was not. There are so many details involved! It turned out that a project I thought would take only a couple of days, took weeks! Doing this really helped me demonstrate my talents to future employers, and my skills in seeing projects through from start to finish.

Another benefit of an internship is the confident you have definitely improve. In the process of looking for jobs, you will realize how much your resume rocks! You will not be concerned about finding a great position in the field you want at all. This truly helps you have the confidence of someone who's been in your particular field for several years, knowing that you have the names, references and organizations to back you up on.

Most importantly, the best thing you can take with you is the knowledge you gain that you probably will not getting anywhere else. Being that MCCOY is a non-profit organization, I was able to find out some many new and exciting things that further allowed me to make a decision in the career path I want to go down after graduation next May. The skills you learn are absolutely priceless and aren’t going to be taught in the classroom most times which truly benefits you in your search for employment.

Internships have come and gone but none like this one! I am so fortunate to have found an internship that suites me perfectly. Now it’s your turn! Being a part of MCCOY really helped me figure out what I wanted to pursue. So if you haven’t gotten anything from me, just remember this: search for the internship that will help you narrow your focus and figure out where you strive and what your passion is. You will never have as good of an opportunity to get experience while traveling as you will when you’re in college, and when you graduate you will feel extremely prepared because of that!

EIP Birthday Party is Thursday

The EIP Iniative is turning 1 year old!

Be our guest, celebrate our progress, and join in the rewarding work!

Agenda:

Unveiling of the new EIP and MCCOY logos
Opening message from Jennifer Hubbart, DCS
Presentation from Prevent Child Abuse Indiana
Planning for FY 2011-12 in Task Force groups
Bring your copy of the EIP Strategic Plan!

Date:Thursday, July 14th

Time: 1:30-3:30 P.M.

Place: Glendale branch library (6101 N. Keystone Ave.)

* * * Birthday Gifts * * *

Don't like to attend a birthday party empty-handed?

Bring a gift to support Attend to Your Future:

• School Supplies (notebooks, pencils, crayons, backpacks, etc.)

• Raffle Prizes for parents and children

• Meal Supplies (cups, plastic ware, napkins)

• $10 for a healthy dinner for one participating family

MCCOY Goes to the White House

Well, almost. It was an invitation to a White House event held at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. But still, it was an invitation from the White House!

I had the privilege of traveling to Washington, DC last Tuesday to hear more about how President Obama and his administration want to involve youth in advocating for the issues that they care about. This event, broadcast live on the White House's website, was the first in a series called "How to Make Change" which is based on the results of the 100 Roundtables with Young Americans initiative that the President initiated this past spring.

MCCOY was one of 384 roundtable discussions held in 46 states, DC and Guam. We were also one of only 105 which had an official representative from the White House. The results of our roundtable discussion with youth from Central Indiana were directly in line with the national results. The top three concerns of youth in Indiana and across the nation - education, violence and the economy.

The White House is now looking to partner with youth and the organizations who hosted roundtables to make change and create solutions in their communities. In the next few weeks, the Administration will publish an E-book that will compile the results of the roundtable discussions and outline recommendations for solutions. MCCOY hopes to utilize this information in it's Youth Advocacy Council.

More details will follow, but I and all of MCCOY are excited about all of the possibilities that this new endeavor will bring to central Indiana! Onward and upward!

Adultism: What is it and how can it be prevented?

Also known as ageism, adultism is the discrimination against a person or group based specifically on their age. It is prejudice based on the assumption that youth are inexperienced, ignorant, and troublesome. These assumptions can cause pervasive issues such as setting low expectations and a supposition of failure (AED/Center for Youth Development and Policy Research). 

Intolerance towards young people can come in a variety of forms that deny them developmental supports and opportunities. Dysfunctional rescuing limits the opportunities for success when an adult “helps” because it is assumed that the youth isn’t capable of helping oneself; leaves the youth with neither a challenge nor the adult support needed (Camino).

Blaming the victim is stereotyping the youth to fit a certain social, cultural, or economic status without giving a thought to the experiences the individual might have (Camino). The youth is believed to be unskilled or apathetic. In dealing with a conflict situation, it is important to separate the problem from the specific person involved.

Avoidance of contact occurs with a lack of regular social contact and a failure to learn about different communities or groups (Camino). The youth can be overlooked and left behind because the adult doesn’t feel that they know how to properly relate to the youth.

Denial of cultural differences involves an assumption about a youth’s cultural background and the youth is denied the opportunity to bring their own lifestyle into the setting (Camino). Lack of awareness about a youth’s particular experience and misunderstanding of possible economic realities of minority groups is a problem here.

All of these forms of discrimination against youth can be prevented if youth development professionals are made aware of the intolerance and the potential consequences.

How to overcome ageism? Really listen to young people, ask questions, welcome their ideas and provide support (Bell). Respect opinions and differences.  Define how your own behavior contributes to a situation. Develop an awareness of your own assumptions. Putting it lightly, adults don't always know best just because they are older.

Think about that old golden rule we have all learned. Treat others as you would like to be treated.

Sources:

AED/Center for Youth Development and Policy Research

Bell, John. “Understanding Adultism.”  YouthBuild USA, 1995.

Camino, Linda A. “Understanding Intolerance and Multiculturalism: A Challenge for Practitioners, but Also for Researchers.” Journal of Adolescent Research 10.1 (1995).