March President's Message

Written by: John Brandon, President of MCCOY, Inc.

“A person’s image of his or her future may be a better predictor of his/her future success than his/her past behavior” is a piece of wisdom that many times we fail to grasp, especially when we come face to face with some of the behavior problems of some youth in our world today.  It is so easy for us adults—and I include myself among the guilty---to attach a label to a young person, slotting them into a certain set of expectations which are usually quite low.  Our classification takes away their opportunity to grow beyond their current behavioral issues and causes us to deny them the opportunity to reach what they are grasping for:  acceptance, belonging, a positive and caring relationship based on trust which can give a young person the courage to believe in themselves.  And without that belief in the goodness of themselves, it WILL be difficult to succeed.  It is the classic definition of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

It is time for us to change the future and give every child and youth in our community the supports, the opportunities, the experiences, and the relationships they need to grow into positive, productive, and contributing adults.  We might make excuses---but we have no excuse.  We might say we can’t afford it---but we can’t afford NOT to.  We might say it is an impossible task---but something is only impossible until somebody does it.  There are over 200, 000 reasons in Marion County for us to step up and do what needs to be done.  The question is:  WILL WE?  Please join us in the work of positive youth development; let’s make our community a place where young people believe deeply in themselves and in their futures.

Early Intervention & Prevention Co-Location of Services

Imagine this…Bob and Sue receive prevention case management services, employment counseling and take classes to earn their high school diploma while their young children play safely in the child care area.  Tomorrow Sue will return to the center for a well-child exam for one of the kids, prior to meeting with her substance abuse counselor who walks her down the hall at the end of their session to meet with her therapist.  On her way out, Sue stops by and speaks with the referral specialist about scheduling an appointment with legal services to discuss a landlord issue when she is in the center next week for her parent support group.  A very productive day…all at one bus stop…all under one roof!

While a new concept to Indianapolis, this innovative model of bringing organizations together under one roof, to focus on what they do best while sharing a common vision and commitment to improve outcomes that neighborhood residents agree to and support is happening in communities across the United States and Canada.  The Co-location of Services center will:

•  Reduce barriers for families to access services.
• Create a one-stop shop center for comprehensive prevention based services.
• Create better lives for young people and their families.
• Foster innovative collaborations among prevention-based organizations.

Marion County Commission on Youth (MCCOY), Children’s Bureau, Goodwill Industries, Fairbanks, and Eskenazi/Midtown Mental Health are leading the way and working together to make this “one-stop shop” a reality in Indianapolis.  Each of us believes that promoting healthy children, families and communities by increasing access, use and capacity of existing services through innovative, neighborhood-based partnerships in a single location, will have a lasting positive impact on children and families.

To learn more about the project visit our website: http://www.mccoyouth.org/Intervention/co-location-of-services.html or contact Shanna Martin. 

Voice's for Indiana's Children Network Update

February 10, 2014
Voices for Indiana's Children Network Update
Dear Stephanie, Let's hear it for the polar vortex!  Well, ok not really.  But, as interesting as our winter has been so far, so has the first half of the legislative session. Last week was crossover week - when bills that are advancing move from their chamber of origin to the other side for consideration.  Bills that have not been referred to the other chamber are now considered dead. As mentioned last month, is HB1287 School Discipline (Porter) was heard in the House Education Committee and, while a vote was not conducted, the topic of school discipline was amended into HB1319 Education Matters for the Commission on Education to study.  HB1319 is still alive and has been referred to the Senate Education and Career Development Committee.  It will be heard on Wednesday, February 12 at 1:30 p.m. in the Senate Chamber.  We will continue to monitor and support this bill as it moves through the Senate.  MCCOY was alerted to two bills fairly late in the process - SB277 Student Information (Pete Miller) and HB1320 Student Records (Behning).  Both bills contained provisions that would have limited access to certain student academic information by outside entities and were of concern to those organizations who collect student data for outcomes and program evaluation purposes.  Those organizations could have been prohibited from accessing data on the youth with whom they work, which would have hampered their ability to assess the progress of the youth in their programs.  This was not the original intention when the bills were drafted.  Both bills died in their respective chambers but we will continue to monitor if they are inserted into other bills and, if so, see how we can assist in clarifying the language to prevent any unintended consequences. Below is a status update of the bills that MCCOY has been following and links to our tracking reports.		In This Issue State Updates National Updates Upcoming Events
State Updates   MCCOY’s High Priority Bills HB1036 CHILD CARE & DEVELOPMENT FUND ELIGIBILITY (MAHAN K) Specifies health, education, safety, and training requirements that a child care provider must meet as a condition of eligibility to receive a federal Child Care and Development Fund voucher payment. Current Status:       2/12/2014 - Senate Health and Provider Services, 9:00 a.m. Rm. 431 All Bill Status:       2/4/2014 - Referred to Senate Health and Provider Services 2/4/2014 - First Reading 1/29/2014 - Senator Holdman added as second sponsor. 1/29/2014 - Senator Taylor added as third sponsor. 1/29/2014 - Senator Walker added as sponsor. 1/28/2014 - Third reading passed; Roll Call 75: yeas 71 and nays 24 1/28/2014 - Referred to Senate Position: Support HB1137    REPORTING OF SEX CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN (HALE C) Requires the commission on improving the status of children in Indiana to study and evaluate the underreporting of crimes against children. Current Status:  2/3/2014 - DEAD BILL; Fails to advance by House 3rd reading deadline Position:  Support HB1153 MARRIAGE AMENDMENT BALLOT LANGUAGE (TURNER P) Requires that the question of approval of the constitutional amendment concerning marriage proposed by the 117th general assembly be placed on the 2014 general election ballot if the amendment is agreed to by the 118th general assembly. Prescribes the ballot language for the question. Describes the legislative intent of offering the constitutional amendment. Current Status:   2/3/2014 - DEAD BILL; Fails to advance by House 3rd reading deadline Position:  Oppose HB1220 CRIMINAL GANG LAWS AND JUVENILE COURT JURISDICTION (LAWSON L) Modifies the definition of "criminal gang" to include a group with at least three members that collectively engages in a pattern of criminal gang activity and is a covert or overt organization that has a command structure. Specifies that criminal gang activity can only be committed by a member of a criminal gang. Removes criminal gang activity, criminal gang intimidation, and certain drug offenses from the list of crimes that a juvenile court does not have jurisdiction over.   Current Status:  Language amended into HB1006 Criminal Code Revision   Position:           Support   HB1351 WELFARE MATTERS; DRUG TESTING (MCMILLIN J) Requires the division of family resources to establish a statewide program for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that allows SNAP benefits to be used only for food and beverages that have sufficient nutritional value, as determined by the division of family resources. Requires the office of the secretary of family and social services (office) to administer a drug testing program (program) for individuals who are receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) assistance or receiving TANF assistance on behalf of a child. Establishes requirements for the program and ineligibility penalties. Prohibits an individual who is ineligible to receive TANF assistance under the program from receiving assistance on behalf of a child and provides for an exception. Requires the office to collect data to assess and avoid discrimination in the program. Requires the office to provide information to the Indiana housing and community development authority and any division of the office that implements the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program concerning an individual who tests positive for controlled substances. Requires the department of workforce development to submit a report to the legislative council and the unemployment insurance oversight committee concerning certain unemployment topics. Current Status:  1/29/2014 - Senator Yoder added as second sponsor. All Bill Status:  1/29/2014 - Senator M. Young added as sponsor. 1/28/2014 - Referred to Senate 1/28/2014 - Third reading Passed: Roll Call 100: yeas 71 and nays 22 Position:  Oppose HJR3 MARRIAGE (TURNER P) Provides that only marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Indiana. This proposed amendment has been agreed to by one general assembly. Current Status:   2/10/2014 - Senate Rules and Legislative Procedure, Upon adjournment, Senate Chamber All Bill Status:    2/4/2014 - Referred to Senate Rules and Legislative Procedure 2/4/2014 - First Reading 1/28/2014 - Referred to Senate 1/28/2014 - Senator Kruse added as sponsor. 1/28/2014 - Third reading Passed: Roll Call 70: yeas 57 and nays 40 1/27/2014 - HJR 3 Amendment #3 (Truitt), prevailed; Roll Call 59: yeas 52 and nays 43 1/27/2014 - Second reading amended, ordered engrossed Position:  Oppose SB26 CHILD CARE EDUCATION AND TRAINING (TAYLOR G) Specifies training requirements that must be met by a child care provider as a condition of eligibility to receive a federal Child Care and Development Fund voucher payment. Current Status:  2/4/2014 - DEAD BILL; Fails to advance by Senate 3rd reading deadline Position: Support SB48 CHILD CARE REGULATION (WALKER G) Specifies requirements that must be met by a child care provider as a condition of eligibility to receive a federal Child Care and Development Fund voucher payment. Current Status:  2/4/2014 - DEAD BILL; Fails to advance by Senate 3rd reading deadline Position: Support SB275 MANDATORY FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN (ROGERS E) Beginning with the 2014-2015 school year, requires a student to enroll in a full-day kindergarten program if the student is at least five years of age on August 1. Provides that a kindergarten pupil is counted as one pupil (rather than 1/2 pupil) for purposes of ADM and school funding. Current Status: 2/4/2014 - DEAD BILL; Fails to advance by Senate 3rd reading deadline Position: Support Bill Lists To view a list of the bills MCCOY is tracking according to issue/topic, please click here. To view a list of all of the bills MCCOY is tracking, including our position on the bill, please click here. National Updates Last week, Congress voted to pass the Farm Bill after months of debate.  While the cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program were not as devastating as they could have been, the program did sustain an $8.6 billion cut.  For more information, please see Feeding America's press release. Upcoming Events MCCOY's Learning Network ·    Thursday, February 13th from 9 a.m. - noon: Stewards of Children - Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Training ·    Wednesday, February 19th from 9-11:30 a.m.: Recruiting and Developing a Happy, Effective Summer Staff ·    Wednesday, February 26th from 8:30-10 a.m.: Provider Council - How to Prevent Bullying
If you have any questions about the bills or MCCOY's public policy priorities, please feel free to contact me.  If there is any other information that you would like to see added to these updates, or that you would like to pass on to others for information or support, please e-mail me and I will add to the next update.  Thank you! Sincerely, Mindi Kensinger Goodpaster, MSW Director, Public Policy & Advocacy MCCOY, Inc. 3901 N. Meridian St., Suite 201 Indianapolis, IN 46208 P 317-921-1286 F 317-921-1298 E mindi.goodpaster@mccoyouth.org

10 Tips to Engage Youth – Presented by The Leadership Program

1.      Be present – It isn’t enough to just sort of listen to kids. They need to know that they matter enough to have our whole attention and they know when they don’t. Kids that really have your attention are going to be willing to engage with you because they can see that what they are doing matters. If it doesn’t matter enough for us to be fully present for them, then it should not be a surprise when the kids don’t engage.
2.      Be yourself – Kids need us to be ourselves, to bring who and what we are, authentically, to our interactions with them.
3.      Be passionate – Think about why you decided to work with kids and don’t lose sight of the passion that made you make that choice. It is a spark that the kids will see in your work with them.
4.      Be curious – Really care about the kids you are working with, about who they are and what they think. Ask them questions and really listen to their answers.
5.      Be surprising – There is more to you as a youth worker than can be seen. Don’t be afraid to share that. Tell the kids you work with about the time you went skydiving or saw a shark or that you can knit faster than anyone else this side of the Mississippi.
6.      Be imperfect – Make it ok to make mistakes. By expecting perfection of ourselves, we teach kids that their mistake are not ok, that their efforts, unless perfect, are without value.
7.      Be forgiving – Kids are genetically programed to do unexpected and often frustrating things. Be willing and ready to forgive those things and move on, whether they apologize or not.
8.      Be flexible – It is ok to make a plan, but remember that things never go just the way you want them to. So learn to be ok with all the ways that your plans won’t work and enjoy the spontenaity and fun.
9.      Be grateful – Gratitude is free. Chose to be grateful and to actively look for reasons to do so. It will change the way you see the world and the way the world sees you.
10.  Be foolish – We ask kids to take risks, to go out of their comfort zone and try new things. Show them that it is ok to be silly. Maybe you know that you can’t make a free throw, but try anyway. When you ask that child to try a new math problem, they will trust that their effort is worthy even if it doesn’t go the way they want it to.

These ten tips seem like such common sense, but it is easy to lose sight of how important these things are. Kids are more perceptive than we give them credit for and while they are incredibly resilient they are also remarkably fragile. What it all boils down to is respect and kids deserve it just as much as adults. Engaging kids is as much about respecting them as fully human as it is any tip or technique. You have incredible power to impact the lives of the children with which you work and that is too important not to warrant respect. 

Written by: Megan Brown

What-ever happened to social movements...?

It may be no shocker to most people that poverty rates in Marion County among children are pretty high, 22% to be exact according to the most recent kids count data, conversely so is youth unemployment. Indiana is ranked number thirty-two out of fifty-one states, including the District of Columbia, as far as poverty. Youth unemployment is the highest it has been since World War II! There are many excellent programs designed to aid and assist youth growing up in poverty, yet the cycle of poverty still continuously grows from generation to generation.

                In doing my research for MCCOY’s Blueprint for youth, I discovered there is no recommendation to give organizations, youth workers or even individuals on eradicating poverty. As an AmeriCorps VISTA I have made a commitment to this community for a year, with an ultimate purpose of eradicating poverty, which initially seemed like a pretty long time but I will be fortunate to create even the smallest wrinkle in eliminating poverty in Marion County.

At this point you’re probably wondering, what’s her point? – Well let me get to it. What happened to social movements? As an African American Studies major, I have always been compelled by the ability of a group of people, whether in regards to race, religion etc…, to combine forces and create change. Poverty is a large structural issue that no one program or group of individuals can “fix”. According to a study conducted by the Manchester University Department of Policy and Management “relatively few social movements emerge specifically around the issue of poverty, in particularly poverty as defined by lack (of income, capacity, or other assets).”(pg 2)

                                      (Social Movement model)

                Most of what we consider to be social movements surrounding poverty are social movements around the symptoms of poverty. Issues such as drug use/abuse, welfare, and even food cost/distribution are all symptoms of poverty in and of itself. While it is crucial to focus on the symptoms, we have to be more intentional about directing our efforts to the question of why individuals are showing these symptoms and be thoughtful about getting to the root of the larger issue not satisfied with scratching the surface. 

Advocating at a large structural capacity for poverty is no easy task. However, when has anything worth doing been easy? I don’t have the answer, and I’m not entirely sure I’ve posed a question but it boils down to the fact that in general we lack a cooperatively, engaged sense of community. I feel these are the crux of a social movement. Individuals and groups cannot enter into a social movement with varying goals and intentions. If there is no unity among community leaders and organizations that will be reflected in the atmosphere (as well as data) regarding that community? Most great accomplishments we celebrate throughout history have been the result of some individual of groups of individual igniting a movement around their cause and not only mandating or rallying but inspiring change.