2007-2008 New Voices at the Civic Table
Grantee Partner Updates

Adoption Resources of Wisconsin with St. Aemilian-Lakeside (Wisconsin)

• St. Aemilian-Lakeside with Adoption Resources of Wisconsin have developed a civic engagement/self-sufficiency training program for foster youth and former foster youth. January 19, 2008 marked the first component of the program – Know Yourself (Self-advocacy). February 16, 2008 is the second component – Know What You Need. On March 15, 2008, the training wraps up with Know How to Get It (Civic Engagement).

Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles (California)

• Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles (JFS) is expanding its existing Paraprofessional Training Program by recruiting older adults with the linguistic skills to match target populations (Russian, Farsi, and Spanish speaking). JFS has adapted its current program curriculum to incorporate culturally relevant models. JFS has added an indirect service component to its training programs allowing volunteers to participate in advocacy, volunteer and program development, and marketing. The revised training program began on January 16, 2008 and will continue weekly through March 19, 2008.

Jane Addams Hull House Association (Illinois)

• The Parents are Leaders project will engage parents active in Hull House programs in a civic engagement training process. This training process will move parents from activism in their children’s schools to an understanding and engagement in the broader community. The training will be launched in April 2008.
  
  Preparation for the program has included research into other parent engagement and training programs in Chicago. The six-week curriculum is being developed with input from a number of Hull House programs, including Public Policy, the Child Development unit, the Family Services & Community Building unit as well as the Child Welfare unit.

Family and Children’s Service (Minnesota)

• A Rainbow After the Storm is a project to create systems change by involving Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Allied (GLBTQA) youth of color in youth-led civic engagement and advocacy activities related to school or other local or state policies that youth identify are of concern. The project provides leadership development and civic engagement training for GLBTQA youth of color and mobilizes broader constituencies of GLBTQA youth of color through community organizing.
  
  Starting in June 2007, a 12-week leadership training was provided to 10 GLBTQA youth on personal strengths development, community organizing, and action planning. Youth were recruited to participate through a number of Gay Straight Alliances in metro area high schools, and were chosen after applying to participate in the project. The training covered the following topics: Basics of Civic Engagement and Community Organizing; Conducting 1:1 interviews; Identifying Issues; Racism, Internalized Oppression; Self-Identify Activities and Leadership; Working with Media; Developing and Executing Civic Engagement Action Plans; Accountability; Winnable Issues; Fundraising; Outreach Strategies, Hands-On Canvassing; Power and Legislative Systems. Experts who are prominent in their fields participated as guest speakers.
  
  During the 2007-2008 academic school year, youth will engage other youth in community organizing projects. One effort focuses on the Minneapolis Public School District to incorporate transgender health and topics on gender into their health curriculums. This requirement will eventually move to a statewide initiative for all Minnesota high school health curriculums.

Parental Stress Center (Pennsylvania)

• The Citizens Leadership Initiative (CLI) is a civic engagement project that evolved from the May, 17, 2006 Poverty Symposium, which was sponsored by the FORUM of United Way Member Agencies. Symposium participants arrived at a deeper understanding that efforts by agencies to change social policy would be limited unless “people living in poverty…learned to advocate for themselves and gain a political voice.” The CLI sponsoring agencies, led by Parental Stress Center, held a successful introductory event for the CLI on December 1, 2007 in conjunction with National Family Week – a “Community Conversation on Poverty.” The Community Conversation on Poverty involved representatives from each of the sponsoring agencies, 15 low-income community members, and seven invited civic leaders from the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County government, the Pittsburgh Public Schools, and the foundation community. The participants engaged in conversations around four topic tables – Economic Development and Jobs; Safe Neighborhoods; Public Education; and Family Well-Being.
  
  The Community Conversation resulted in rich discussions at each of the tables, engaging community people, agency representatives and the civic leaders alike in identifying core problems facing low income residents of the region and possible solutions to the challenges faced by people living in poverty and distressed communities.
  
  The CLI began a 10-week Leadership Development training program on February 5, 2008. Citizens will develop their leadership skills and design and implement a series of priorities for community improvement. Through the CLI project, citizen fellows will emerge as a group of new civic leaders prepared to serve on community and nonprofit boards and commissions.

Good Will-Hinckley (Maine)

• Eight students attended a regional Youth-to-Youth Summit sponsored by the Greater Waterville Youth Advocacy Program at Colby College. Youth presented information about Good Will-Hinckley (GWH) and the Averill High School’s Youth Senate activities that have emphasized civic engagement activities. At the Summit, youth had the opportunity to share and explore issues of importance to them and other youth in the state of Maine.
  
  A few civic engagement activities involving leadership of GWH Youth have included the following: Youth Senate Members planned and implemented a Veterans Appreciation Day that recognized and honored the 23 veterans employed on GWH campus; Youth Senate Members spoke to local business owners during a Business After Hours dinner; Youth Senate members worked with GWH administration staff in planning a holiday gathering for underprivileged elementary students; and Youth invited a detective from the Maine Attorney General’s office to speak with all GWH students on the topic of Internet Safety to increase awareness to keep kids safe online.
  
  GWH administrative staff and board have placed a major focus of the organization’s attention on civic engagement efforts. Civic Engagement is one of the agency’s Organizational Goals. The GWH CEO spoke at administrative team and board meetings and together with staff and board members (nine of 22 who resided at GWH as youth), has reached out to local businesses, social services and political and community leaders to explore opportunities for greater communication, participation and partnerships. The Board of Directors is forming a new Board Committee focusing on public affairs.
  
  New Voices Forums will be held in February and May 2008. These forums will provide an opportunity to focus and formalize civic engagement efforts with youth-adult partnership and continuing youth action and family advisory leadership activities.

Judson Center (Michigan)

• The Judson Center has created a statewide autism coalition called ACTION (Autism Coalition Targeting Insurance Options, and Networking). The coalition is supported by, and includes, virtually all major autism advocacy groups in the state. It has taken the lead on creating an advocacy agenda for the state that is supported by parents, consumers, families, and professionals, who have been impacted by autism. The initial focus of the group’s agenda is to facilitate legislative action to reform insurance coverage to include appropriate treatment for individuals with autism.
  
  The process of forming the Michigan ACTION Coalition was facilitated by the online community forum from which organizations and individuals were brought together. The purpose of the forum is to create a mechanism where interested parents, consumers, families, and professionals, from across the state can come together in a way that minimizes the challenges distance, time, and separate agendas can create.

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