PACT for Families Newsletter

Transcription

1 PACT for Families Newsletter PACT for Families Collaborative est An 11-month publication February 2017 In this issue: Guía Program 2 January 3 Collaborative Meeting Highlights Justice Assistance Grant Awarded! I am so pleased to announce that PACT for Families is a recipient of a Recidivism Reduc on Grant through the Minnesota Office of Jus ce Programs. This grant is intended to improve public safety by strengthening collabora ve efforts between criminal jus ce and social service agencies to be er serve youth and young adults as they return to communi es from correc onal placements. This grant will focus on young people from ages 16 through ages 23. This is a two-year funding cycle, with funding to start immediately. February/March Calendar of Events 21st Century Programming at Willmar Sr. High Executive Board & Chief Elected Officials Board Members & Contact Information Reentry back to a community can be a daun ng task for anyone; but can be par cularly difficult for young people who lack informal supports, struggle with mental health or chemical health issues, as well as educa onal and employment deficits. By iden fying par cular high risk factors we can provide possible life-changing responses. We plan on employing a navigator who helps support the young person as they coordinate the proper services and supports they need to transi on back home into their communi es. There are fundamental differences between adolescents and adults. By providing thorough assessments, interven ons, and measurement prac ces, we can help young people exit the system more capable and connected than when they entered. I would like to express my thanks to our partner agencies and other community en es that helped us develop this proposal with ideas and sugges ons. By sharing our collec ve thoughts and strategies, I feel we developed a strong proposal that has poten al to make significant and posi ve impacts on our young people and our communi es. Rochelle Peterson, Executive Director

2 Guía Program The Guía program experienced a staff change in November of 2016 Jennifer Mendoza resigned from the program to work with the State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) for Kandiyohi and Renville Coun es. While we are sad to see her leave Guía and PACT for Families, we are pleased to see her working in our communi- es to support programming to improve our health. In December, Pablo Obregon and Rick Loseth were able to a end the Grow our Own Summit in Marshall, sponsored by the Southwest Ini a ve Founda on. This gathering of over 500 people from all over southwest Minnesota focused on the work of Robert Putnam and his book, Our Kids, the American Dream in Crisis. While the discussion was not about either the preven on or treatment of chemical use, it was focused on the challenges our youth are facing today that impacts their ability to be successful as they leave high school and look at future opportuni es for educa on and/or employment. The day was spent providing a look at the changes that are impac ng our youth, both locally and na onally, and a number of very good examples of how communi es are finding ways to address the impact of these changes. One constant theme in programs that were making a difference was how rela onships ma er. A highlight for both of us was a young man who came and shared his story of how he was able to make it with support from all kinds of people and programs over his life me (and he was only in is mid-20 s!). He talked about how several teachers reached out to him to encourage him in his coursework or to pursue an opportunity; how his receiving food from local food shelves helped him and his brothers survive and how it mo vated him to give back in a number of ways; and how he received support for his mental health that provided him with more confidence and skills. While this young man s journey is different than many of the youth involved with Guía, one aspect is the same: suppor ng and caring adults who build a rela onship with a youth do make a difference. This founda on spending me hearing what a youth has to say, helping recognize his/her poten al and suppor ng him/her to figure out what needs to be done is a cornerstone for any youth to find success. If you would like more informa on about Guía or to make a referral, contact Pablo or Rick at the PACT office. Rick Loseth, Clinical Supervisor 2

3 January Full Collaborative Meeting Highlights Commi ee Reports A. Execu ve Board Yesterday s mee ng was postponed to Friday, January 13 th due to inclement weather. B. 5 to 25 / 5 Discussed commi ee membership; youth leadership summit 2017 and how to connect parents to schools and other area agencies; and elected three co-chairs: S. Hruby, S. Reznechek, and T. Knick. C. Early Childhood Discussed commi ee vision for 2017; Na onal Help Me Grow conference in the metro in April; Incredible Years train-the-trainer classes; Medica grant summary; Bush ACEs grant, Partnering for Resilience; post-swif Grow Our Own Summit impressions. D. Parent Advisory Elected two co-chairs: C. Coltrain and A. DeLeon; discussed ideas for a fall parent training, with an -s gma focus; reviewed Wraparound expenditures for E. 5-County Children s LAC (November report) Heard county updates; reviewed, discussed, and made recommenda ons for LCTS/Reserve grants. PACT Updates A. Brain Conference April 6 Theme: The Science of Hope Holis c Approaches to Achieving Joy Keynote speaker is Dr. Henry Emmons, M.D., author of The Chemistry of Joy and The Chemistry of Calm Breakout sessions include: Discovering Joy & Fulfillment Through Sensory Awareness; Using Brain Resilience & Capacity to Overcome Addic on; Growing to Learn Learning to Grow; Trauma on the Brain: How it Affects Development; Nature Rx; Animals & Healing; Eye Movement Desensi za on & Reprocessing (EMDR); Back To Nature; Yoga; Building Resilience in School Se ngs B. 21 st Century Funding Funding for a new cohort is s ll up in the air; there s too much unknown with the new ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) legisla on. All states are trying to work out what implica ons ESSA has for 21st Century. C. LCTS/Reserve Grants Grants recommended by commi ees to move forward to the Execu ve Board will be on Friday s agenda. Both the 5-25 and LAC commi ee-focus alloca ons have money remaining for a second round of applica ons, which will be in May. D. Journey to Independence Legisla on Director Peterson has been trying to schedule a joint mee ng with Representa ve Dave Baker and Senator Andrew Lang. The legisla on is on the pla orm for MSSA along with Text for Life. Bush Grant: Partnering for Resilience Update and Group Discussion The intent of the grant is to support high-needs families with young children through collabora ve problem-solving around safety, resilience, and independence. A survey was sent out on our list-serve to help iden fy the needs of professionals in be er suppor ng high-trauma or high ACEs kids age birth-8 in our region who have experienced things like parental mental illness, substance abuse, incarcera on, and neglect. Today s discussion and World Café format focused on the four key ques ons of the study. See full mee ng minutes for a summary of those discussions. Next Mee ng: February 8, Renville County Office Building in Olivia, beginning at 11:45 a.m. *Complete meeting minutes can be found on the PACT website at: 3

4 For the most up-to-date list of events, check the PACT for Families website at orfamilies.org February / March Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Executive Board Mtg; 11:30; # Committee & Full Collaborative meetings-rcob in Olivia; Early Childhood / 5-25: 10:00; Collaborative:11:45; LAC: 1:45; check website for more details or call the office (RSVP requested) Brain Conf. planning mtg; 3:00; #2045 Parent Advisory mtg; 5:30; YMCA, Willmar (RSVP requested) 20 President s Day Holiday; office closed 14 21st CCLC Coordinators mtg; 9:00; # st CCLC Advisory mtg; 9:00; # PACT office staff mtg; office closed 1:30 3:00 23 Bush ACEs Regional mtg; 8:30; MPR Bush ACEs Regional mtg; 8:30; SWIF, Hutchinson Executive Board Mtg; 11:30; # Committee & Full Collaborative meetings-courthouse in Litchfield; Early Childhood / 5-25: 10:00; Collaborative:11:45; LAC: 1:45; check website for more details or call the office Brain Conf. planning mtg; 3:00; # Parent Advisory mtg; 5:30; YMCA, Willmar (RSVP requested) Bush ACEs Regional mtg; 8:30; Kandiyohi Co. Historical Society, Willmar 23 Bush ACEs Regional mtg; 8:30; Meeker Co. Courthouse, Litchfield All Willmar mee ngs are held at the Kandiyohi County Health and Human Services Building (KCHHSB) unless se noted. (MPR=Mul Purpose Room; RCOB=Renville County Office Building) 4

5 21st Century CLC Willmar Senior High: Cardinal Headquarters Cardinal Headquarters currently has 294 students enrolled in one or more of the following programs: Art Club, Coding Club, Credit Recovery, GSA, ied, ied Math, SMART Club, and/or United Cultures Club. Here are some highlights for some programs: Art club: hosted a Throw-A-Thon event open to friends, families, and staff to par cipate in crea ng handbuilding bowls or throwing bowls. These bowls will be donated to Habitat for Humanity in February to help raise money to feed local families. February will include ba k and digital drawing ac vi es. Credit Recovery: offers an alterna ve to obtain gradua on credits for students who have failed a required math or science class. So far this year, 25 credits have been earned toward gradua on. Coding club: offers ac vi es for students at all levels of experience. Last May, one group won Fan Favorite in the na onal game design summit compe on. Currently, youth are designing and crea ng for the AirConsole Game Development 2017 Contest. GSA: looks for ways to reach out and support struggling students. Currently, they are developing a lesson that would be presented to all students during Ramp-Up. As many students struggle with different issues, the focus is on providing students with resources and where to go for help when they need it. ied: is programming designed for English Language learners. In December, this group took a field trip to Prairie Woods Environmental Learning Center where they learned about winter survival. In January, they visited the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul. United Cultures Club: is working on designing hijabs that will display cardinal pride. Hijabs are tradi onal headwear for Muslim females. Having these available will provide an op on for Muslim females who would like to par cipate in school spirit dress-up days. The ability to par cipate provides the opportunity to have school connectedness across cultures in our school. In addi on, the youth are going to be student ambassadors during school conferences and visit Bethesda nursing home to do ac vi es with the residents. Jana Peterson, Site Coordinator Funding for the PACT for Families Collaborative 21 st Century Community Learning Centers grant program is provided by the federal government through the No Child Left Behind Act and is administered by the Minnesota Department of Education. 5

6 PACT for Families Collabora ve est rd Street NE Suite 2030 Willmar, MN Tel: ; Fax: RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED If you have any ques ons regarding the content of this newsle er or would like to be this via versus postal mail, please call (320) , ext It is the policy of PACT for Families to provide equal employment opportunity for all, without discrimina- on on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, na onal origin, sex, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, disability, sexual orienta- on, or age Executive Board OPEN Parent Posi on Serves through 2018 Diane Winter, Meeker Co. Public Health Serves through 2017 (320) / diane.winter@co.meeker.mn.us Lisa Kra, Hutchinson School Dst. Serves through 2017 (320) / Sandy Hruby, Parent-McLeod Co. Serves through 2019 (320) / sandy@fasdfamilyresource.org Tara Nelson, Hutch Health Serves through 2019 (320) / tnelson1@hutchhealth.com Corinne Torkelson, Kandiyohi Co. Family Svcs Serves through 2018 (320) x2459 / corinne_t@co.kandiyohi.mn.us Gerald Brustuen, Renville Co. Human Svcs. Serves through 2018 (320) / jerry_b@co.renville.mn.us RaeAnn Keeler-Aus, Yellow Medicine Co. Family Svcs.; Serves through 2019 (320) ; raeann.keeleraus@co.ym.mn.gov Tammy Thompson, Meeker Co. Court Svcs. Serves through 2017 (320) ; tammy.thompson@co.meeker.mn.us Gladys Kirsh, Fiscal Agent (non-vo ng) gladys.kirsh@co.mcleod.mn.us Rochelle Peterson, Director (non-vo ng) (320) ext / rochelle_p@pac orfamilies.org Chief Elected Officials Rollie Nissen, Kandiyohi County; (320) rollie_n@co.kandiyohi.mn.us Mike Huberty Meeker County; (320) mike.huberty@co.meeker.mn.us Bob Fox, Renville County; (507) BobF@renvillecountymn.com Greg Renneke, Yellow Medicine County; (507) ; greg.renneke@co.ym.mn.gov Rich Pohlmeier, McLeod County; (320) rich.pohlmeier@co.mcleod.mn.us 6