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April 5, 2019April 5, 2019

A Livable Future: Encouraging Youth to Embrace Environmentalism

With Earth Day, Arbor Day, and other similar celebrations coming up, April is all about “going green.” With appropriate support and training, youth can be leaders in the movement to help our environment. In fact, many concerned young people in our community are already finding ways to actively preserve our planet.

“Honestly, we adults should be doing everything possible to listen to young people and to ensure, as best as we can, a livable future for them,” said Jim Poyser, executive director of Earth Charter Indiana. He added that “adults can be models for young people to live a less wasteful life.”

The Earth Charter, according to Poyser, was created to “find the intersections between poverty, racism, and democratic transparency (or lack thereof) – all within the context of the climate crisis.” Earth Charter Indiana focuses on climate issues by offering education in schools, working with young people on sustainability projects, hosting climate camps, and teaching leaders about climate issues.

Poyser said that much of Earth Charter Indiana’s programming for young people is designed to teach them about systems thinking, problem-based learning tactics, and leadership skills. From projects such as zero-waste cafeterias, no-idling programs, and youth-led Climate Recovery Resolution initiatives, Poyser has seen quite a bit of success.

“Thus far, three Indiana cities have passed Climate Recovery Resolutions, led by young people: Carmel, Lawrence, and Indianapolis,” said Poyser. “This project is in various stages in a handful of other Indiana cities. The outcome we hope for is an engaged, intergenerational, grassroots population working through municipal government channels to, together, bring climate change out of the closet and into the scary light. We can address our twin crises of environment and civics, simultaneously.”

Youth should care about the environment around them for a number of reasons, according to The Nature Conservancy’s Melissa Moran, director of community programs, and Emily Davidson, AmeriCorps member for education and outreach.

“Our natural world not only provides the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the soils in which we grow our food,” said Moran and Davidson. “It also provides a place for the mind and spirit to rest and habitats for countless other species of plants, animals, fungi, and more with whom we share space. Being disconnected from our natural world means that we are not directly observing the effects that humans have on the environment that sustains us. By spending time in parks or on nature adventures, learning about environmental topics, and participating in ‘going green’ projects, youth can grow in their knowledge about the natural world, learn how life depends on it, and be inspired to care for nature. Spending time in nature has also been scientifically proven to be better for kids’ health, their ability to pay attention in school, and their overall well-being.”

Say Something: Prevention and Intervention Tips Regarding Teen Dating Violence

We all think we know what the word “violence” means – but do we? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define teen dating violence as the “physical, sexual, psychological, or emotional aggression within a dating relationship, including stalking. It can occur in person or electronically and might occur between a current or former dating partner.”

“Youth dating violence is a pattern of abusive behavior between two people who are romantically or sexually involved (no matter how briefly),” said Jennifer Reister, senior director of mission impact for The Julian Center. “Dating violence is not always physical; in fact, physical violence is often the last form of violence to occur. More common in youth relationships are controlling behaviors, emotional abuse, technological abuse, sexual violence, and social isolation. Focusing on the threshold of physical violence to define a relationship as dangerous ignores the significant damage and risks of other types of violence. In the end, all violent relationships are about control – the types of abuse are tools employed to maintain that control.”

According to Reister, one out of every three high school students in America faces teen dating violence. When ranking the percentage of high school students who have reported sexual dating violence in the past 12 months, Indiana ranks third out of 30 states.

In an effort to prevent violence and intervene when necessary, The Julian Center’s Project Avery brings together a variety of community partners to educate teens and young adults about dating violence. According to Reister, Project Avery advocates for youth survivors, brings healthy relationship curricula to schools, and promotes awareness to the public by providing resources to parents and teachers.

“The best thing to do is to talk with kids early and often about how people should treat each other and what is acceptable from the people in their lives,” said Reister. “There are opportunities all the time with media, friends, and family to talk about abusive behavior and how to address it. If you see your child behaving in an abusive manner (physical or otherwise), don’t ignore or deny it – address it immediately. If you see your child accepting abusive behaviors from others, address is directly, too.”

Like The Julian Center, the Domestic Violence Network visits classrooms to offer healthy relationship and teen dating violence prevention programming to middle and high school students. DVN’s Youth Network establishes anti-violence clubs in schools to help students learn more about teen dating violence while also teaching them to be advocates in their communities. Additionally, participants learn how to assist friends who are in unsafe relationships.

Lindsay Stawick, director of programs for the DVN, has a violence prevention suggestion for teachers: push for detailed teen dating violence policies in schools.

“The most effective way we can prevent violence is to create a culture where violence is not tolerated,” she said. “Policies help to create that framework, and when enforced properly, [they] can make a significant difference in the lives of young people. Indianapolis Public Schools amended their Title IX policy in September to include teen dating violence and added more robust guidelines on prevention and intervention efforts as it relates to sexual harassment, sexual violence, dating violence, and stalking.”

Read more on Indy With Kids.

January 8, 2019

Passion for Service: Creating Habits of Youth Volunteerism

We all make the traditional New Year’s resolutions, but who sticks with them? With the start of 2019 upon us, MCCOY would like to encourage everyone, especially young people, to commit to service and volunteerism this year – and follow through!

“It is incredibly important for youth to learn about service so that they can begin the valuable work to develop 21st-century skills such as collaboration, empathy and understanding, self-efficacy, critical thinking, understanding bias and stereotype, public speaking, communication and marketing, and project management,” said Derrin Slack, CEO of ProAct Indy, a local organization dedicated to serving at-risk youth by teaching them to “become the givers and creators of service in their schools and neighborhoods.”

According to Slack, ProAct Indy “deliberately utilizes social justice platforms as the driving force to help marginalized urban youth experience a social change orientation, work to redistribute power, and build authentic relationships with their community.” He says that that this approach helps youth “learn how to address social issues at their root causes while simultaneously developing character, building relationships, and learning valuable skills.”

The Joseph Maley Foundation, an organization that serves children of all abilities through a variety of adaptive programs, emphasizes service learning through curriculum and activities. The foundation involves junior board members in much of their work. According to Courtney Basso, events and communications manager, these young volunteers have learned communication and leadership skills, built relationships, and learned about nonprofit work. She believes that these experiences that can serve the teens well in college and future employment.

“Service is a two-way street,” said Basso. “Volunteers are providing invaluable hours to a community in need and, in return, are elevating their own happiness and sense of accomplishment. When young people are engaging in service from an early age, they learn to incorporate volunteerism into their daily lives.”

Many youth have provided one-time service for organizations, but it can be more difficult for young people to find long-term volunteer positions that fit their school and activity schedules. Slack recommends that youth first identify issues that excite them.

Read more on Indy With Kids.

December 10, 2018December 10, 2018

Meeting Students’ Needs: Supporting Mental Health Professionals in Schools

As our society works to erase the stigma around mental health disorders, many students could benefit by having more access to counselors, social workers, and mental health professionals.

Christy Gauss, a school mental health facilitator for the Indiana School Mental Health Initiative at Indiana University, said that there is currently no accurate data about the number of schools that have mental health professionals available for students.

“This information and data is something our state has needed and there have been advocacy efforts to collect this for some time now,” said Gauss. “It is part of why the Student Services Coalition was created and would add school psychologists and nurses to this. During the last legislative session, a bill was passed in the special session that called for DOE to conduct an assessment.”

Indiana Code outlines many of the rules regarding school counselors and other supportive faculty in school settings. It should be noted that there are significant differences between guidance counselors and mental health professionals. Gauss believes there is a need to “differentiate roles and explain expertise and the need for all [of these professionals]…. The term “counselor” in Indiana is used as a catch-all [for social workers, mental health counselors inside and outside of schools, and guidance counselors]. This has caused much confusion.”

According to the Indiana School Counselor Association, the ideal caseload is 250 students per school counselor. Unfortunately, Gauss says that many of these professionals are often bogged down by administrative work.

According to Allen Hill, Jr., a school counselor and the executive director of the Indiana School Counselor Association, counselors come highly trained to work with students on a variety of issues, including applying academic success strategies, managing emotions and interpersonal skills, and looking at postsecondary options. School counselors earn master’s degrees and licenses that allow them to with with students from kindergarten through 12^th grade, and they also meet “state-specific non-academic training requirements [such as suicide prevention], certification in CPR, the automated external defibrillator, and the Heimlich Maneuver,” said Hill.

Lori Desautels, an assistant professor at Butler University who prepares students to work with kids on a neuroscientific level, acknowledges that many traditional counselors and social workers in schools focus on career readiness and talk therapy. She would like to see a few changes in how adults counsel youth in general.

“We hope it will evolve into a more sensory approach, because we know that mental health or mental illness is not just about the brain; it’s held in the body,” said Desautels. “Any time you use breathing, movement, or sensory stimulation, all of those strategies that calm the nervous system, are beneficial.”

Forever Families: Supporting Adoption Services in Indiana

According to the Indiana Department of Child Services, there are approximately 1,500 Hoosier youths available for adoption. In honor of National Adoption Month this November, MCCOY, Inc. has reached out to experts who can discuss adoption resources for families in Indiana.

“Adoption is important for birth parents, children and prospective adoptive parents,” said Steven Kirsh, adoption attorney for Kirsh & Kirsh, P.C., an adoption-only law firm that handles all kinds of adoptions throughout Indiana, including adoptions between Indiana and other states. “Some expectant mothers conclude that they are not equipped to provide their children with stable homes and bright futures. In my experience, all birth mothers love their children. Those birth mothers who do not believe they have the resources to provide their children with the life they feel their children deserve and who are able to put their children’s needs above their own make adoption plans for their babies. Adoption professionals refer to making ‘adoption plans’ and not ‘giving away’ a child. Birth parents who proceed with adoption are making a plan for their children’s futures. It takes incredible courage, determination and foresight to make an adoption plan. Children who are adopted receive loving families that are better able provide the day-to-day and future needs of those children. Birth parents who make adoption plans for their children have the peace of mind in knowing that they have provided loving, secure homes for their babies.”

When pursuing adoption, it is important that families consider all aspects of their needs and the needs of the child or children they may adopt.

Deborah Jasper is the director of foster care and adoption services at the Villages of Indiana, an organization that helps birth parents and adoptive parents with a variety of services that include matching birth and adoptive parents and providing follow-up services to both families post adoption. Jasper outlined three types of adoption: open, where prospective adoptive parents exchange identifying information; semi-open, where some information is shared between the prospective adoptive parents, but no identifying information; or closed, where no identifying information or on-going contact is shared between the two sets of parents.

According to Noelle Russell, deputy director of communications at the Indiana Department of Child Services, there is a lot of prep work for parents who would like to adopt. Requirements generally include training, background checks, a home study and more. Timelines also vary greatly.

Russell said that there is a great need for families who are willing to adopt older youth and sibling groups. She noted that the majority of children who are available are males between the ages of 11 and 16, and many of the available children have emotional needs and may have medical needs as well.

Jasper asks that families look into their financial situations and do their research. She said that “infant private adoptions are generally more expensive, as they may include costs related to birth parent counselling, living expenses, attorney fees and home study and post placement fees. There are private attorneys and local licensed adoption agencies that work with both birth families and adoptive families. Families may want to consider adoption through the Indiana Adoption Program. There are few fees associated with this type of adoption. Children who are placed through this program are generally older, have been placed in foster care and the case plan is now adoption. Many of these children are members of a sibling group.”

The Indiana Adoption Program is a program of the Indiana Department of Child Services in collaboration with Children’s Bureau, Inc.

“Families are the launch pad of life,” said Rosie Butler, an adoption champion for the Indiana Adoption Program. “Adoption is one way to grow a family. It is not at the fault of the children that they are orphaned and need new parents. Good parenting involves intentional engagement with children to prepare them for the future, and children in the Indiana Adoption Program come from life situations that have been traumatic in varied ways and need individuals or couples dedicated to assisting them to meet their special needs to prepare for adulthood.”

Read more on Indy With Kids.

October 9, 2018

Knowing the Consequences: Teaching Youth about Cyber Safety

As technology becomes more engrained in our daily lives, parents have greater responsibility to teach their kids about cyber safety.

“The thing that makes youth more vulnerable to cyberbullying and/or dangerous digital materials is simply access,” said Andrea Kamwendo, an adolescent health educator for LifeSmart Youth. “Youth are far more connected to social media and the internet now more than ever. A recent study done by Common Sense Media…shows that 89 percent of teens ages 13-17 have their own smartphones. The study found that 81 percent of teens use social media, and 38 percent of those teens say they use it multiple times an hour. This constant access to each other and the world beyond allows for access to dangerous and/or inaccurate material and people they do not know personally, and it makes it more difficult to get reprieve from any bullying they might experience at school.”

LifeSmart Youth has been serving youth for 75 years, administering programs like “Step Up for Kindness” to prevent bullying and “Cyber Safe in Cyberspace” to teach adults best practices for guiding their young ones through safe social media and internet usage.

“Young people need to understand that for all the benefits of online access, there may be just as many drawbacks,” said Kamwendo. “Often, youth do not consider the risk they are taking when ‘friending’ someone or allowing someone to ‘follow’ them that they do not personally know. Child predators are becoming increasingly savvier at using these online platforms while young people think they are invincible.”

Kristen Martin, a juvenile community prosecutor in the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, said that “it is not uncommon that children will tell us that they are friends with, follow or chat with individuals that are strangers to them. It is important to engage children in a conversation about digital strangers and what is appropriate information to share and what is not. It’s important to remember [that] when you post to the internet, you no longer control that information or how far it goes or reaches.”

The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office provides a free program called “Project Cybersafe,” which focuses on identifying cyberbullying behavior and its consequences, while also highlighting the potential dangers of social media. This program has impacted 50,000 students in Marion County since its start in 2011.

Read more on Indy With Kids.

August 17, 2018October 17, 2018

Good Fathers: Valuing Fatherhood Through The Generations

All parents need a little encouragement now and then. MCCOY has written about maternal health and support here. This month, we’d like to show support for fathers.

“No one is born a ‘good parent,’” said Brian Carter, director of Dad’s Inc. and educator for Prevent Child Abuse Indiana. “All parents must commit to education, training and improvement. American parents must put their children first, instead of ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ and pursuing ‘me first’ goals.”

Dad’s Inc. provides prevention education and support services to fathers and their families. In addition, Dad’s Inc. offers healthy relationship and human trafficking awareness trainings to hundreds of teens.

According to Carter, many positive fatherhood practices start young. He said that our community needs to “encourage our youth to pursue healthy relationships and treat the opposite sex with respect and dignity” and “help them vow to create a better world for the generation coming after them.”

Ian Albright, marketing specialist for the Fathers and Families Center, said that many parenting habits are cyclical and pass to successive generations.

“Fathers set an example of how a man should be,” said Albright. “Children whose fathers are absent, or who have fathers who set bad examples, often struggle in life. Those children then become fathers themselves and the cycle repeats resulting in generational poverty.”

The Fathers and Families Center helps dads develop tools to overcome barriers that prevent them from being actively involved in their children’s lives. Albright said that the Center can help fathers in need of parenting skills, education, employment, counseling and mentorship, all for no cost.

Another local organization, the Indiana Fatherhood Coalition, provides resources like trainings and events for dads and organizations, develops helpful new programs and services and brings public awareness to the importance of fathers and the services that can help them be positive parents.

“We believe that the vast majority of dads want to be good fathers,” said Jeff Newnam, executive director of the Indiana Fatherhood Coalition. “The obstacles that they have to overcome to reach this goal include societal pressures, lack of understanding of the importance of their role and, quite honestly, not knowing how to be a good father – in part because it may not have been something they [had growing up]. They had no role model and therefore are unsure how to be a good father.”

Just as we value mothers, our society also needs to value fathers. We can show our appreciation and support in a number of ways.

Read more on Indy With Kids.

July 11, 2018July 11, 2018

Investing in the Future: Supporting Local Educators

Believe it or not, the start of another school year is around the corner, meaning families and youth are finding ways to make the next semester a successful one.

Educators, too, are preparing to meet the rigorous demands of another school year. As summer winds down, it is a good time to consider ways families, kids, and communities can support teachers and other school workers.

“Teachers are quite literally building and shaping our future,” said Kirk Smiley, principal director of advocacy and public partnerships for DonorsChoose.org. “They’re preparing the next generation of our workforce, and they’re also equipping students with the social-emotional skills they’ll need to have successful relationships and to be good citizens…teachers deserve our support, respect, and gratitude every day.”

DonorsChoose.org is a giving site that teachers can use to request resources they need to help their students and implement projects that will support their lessons.

“I think we’re seeing and hearing a lot more about how teachers often need more to be successful than they’re currently getting,” said Smiley. “With more stories about budget cuts, underpaid teachers, and supply shortages, people are starting to see the challenges that have been going on behind the scenes for decades. We feel fortunate that DonorsChoose.org has so many stories to share about what it looks like when people do support teachers. We just had our millionth classroom project funded this school year, and that’s a million times that our community told teachers, ‘We’ve got your back, and we believe in you.’”

He continued, saying that “education is the most important investment in our future. The communities and countries that realize the importance of education will see the dividends over a generation, but it’s definitely a long-term investment that our leaders need to be willing to see through.”

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, during the 2014-2015 school year, 94 percent of teachers had to use their own money for school supplies and were not reimbursed. Of these teachers, the average amount spent was $479.

Of course, the monetary setbacks are not all that teachers face. They also spend long hours grading papers and supporting extracurricular activities for their students. They also handle a variety of their students’ issues that stem from trauma, learning disabilities, mental health problems, difficult homes situations, and much more. Nevertheless, most teachers know that their work can be vital to the well-being and success of younger generations.

Liz Zander, a preschool teacher for Rainbow Ark Preschool at St. Andrew United Methodist Church, said that education can encourage students to be independent and confident, teach them right from wrong, allow them to express themselves, and give them opportunities to become contributing members of society.

“Most teachers are not in this for the money,” said Zander. “I love my students and want to instill in them a love for learning. I want them to have a wonderful and happy life. I want them to grow up to be a good person. I try and teach them to serve others. It’s not always about us or what we want. The treasures in life are not money, jewels, or gold. They are things you hold in your heart, like families; being thankful for the beauty around us; being kind, understanding, and loving towards others. There is so much more to life than money and stuff. The things we learn and the things we do for others are the only things we can take with us when we leave this life. I want them to have no regrets.”

Read more on Indy With Kids.

June 18, 2018July 23, 2018

Building Positive Relationships: Encouraging School Safety for Youth, Families and Staff

With the recent shooting at a Noblesville middle school fresh in our minds, central Indiana citizens are growing more and more concerned about the realities of violence and how it affects youth. When kids go to school, they should be safe. Young Hoosiers need to know that they are protected from natural and manmade disasters so that they can focus on learning.

David Woodward, director of School Building Physical Security and Safety for the Indiana Department of Education, provided a bit of background information on the topic of school safety.

According to Woodward, Indiana code mandates that each school corporation have a certified school safety specialist who must attend the state’s School Safety Specialist Academy to create safety procedures for each school in their corporation. IDOE provides five days of basic training to each of these specialists, who are also required to attend additional training for two days each year to receive updated information and learn about best practices across the state and nation.

Woodward stated that, “State Board Rules require that schools have provisions to protect the safety and well-being of staff, students and the public in case of fire, natural disaster (such as a tornado or earthquake), adverse weather conditions, nuclear contamination, exposure to chemicals and manmade occurrences (such as an active shooter, kidnapping or bomb threat). The details of each plan are not mandated by the state, as local resources and coordination are vital. Our Safety Academy provides training on best practices to address each hazard, but we urge planning with local first responders as well.”

In addition to these protocols, Woodward mentioned that IDOE has encouraged further training by partnering with the Indiana State Police to provide an “Unarmed Response to Active Shooter” course and with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute to provide grant money for schools to support school resource officers and additional safety initiatives.

Along with traditional law enforcement training, school resource officers receive special training about the specifics of working with kids in a school setting. This is especially true for those supported by grant money, according to Woodward.

“The training for any officer in the state of Indiana is the same,” said Greg Dewald, a local school resource officer. “When you’re an officer in the schools there is a lot more training. That is where INSROA and NASRO come into play. When officers all use the same training source it creates a consistency across all schools. In Indiana, officers that are in the school every day are able to work as a police officer but also as a school administrator. It allows the officers more freedom to search a locker or a student for the safety of the other students.”

Dewald said that training from the Indiana School Resource Officers Association helps new school resources officers gain the same tools as current officers, while also helping the officers learn about effective procedures from a variety of communities.

“We are a resource to our members for all matters regarding school safety,” said Mike Johnson, lieutenant of the Fishers Police Department and president of the Indiana School Resource Officers Association. “We allow members to network and share information as well as put on trainings in as many fields as possible in best practices for school safety. [There is a] wide variety of topics ranging from safe afterschool activities to response to an active shooter. We also provide training through our partnership with the National Association of School Resource Officers. We adopt the NASRO Triad in our training approach that provides for [a school resource officer] to serve as an educator, informal counselor/role model and a law enforcement officer. Finally, we share policy ideas and practices as well as model memorandums of understanding that are essential to a strong relationship between schools and police.”

Read more on Indy With Kids.

May 2, 2018

Survival of Families: Discussing Resources for Teen Pregnancies

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Indiana was ranked 17 out of 51 states (including the District of Columbia) on final 2015 teen birth rates among females aged 15- to 19-years-old. According to Power to Decide, there were 5,813 teen births in our state that year.

Sexual health education, teen pregnancies and contraception are often considered hot topics in today’s society. Personal beliefs aside, it is important that caring, informed adults teach youth about healthy decision-making processes and that young mothers and fathers are able to access resources to help them and their children.

Yasmin Cline is the director of Parent Life at Central Indiana Youth for Christ. Her program works with pregnant and parenting teens, both mothers and fathers, between the ages of 12 and 19 to provide support and mentorship. The groups she works with proactively discuss healthy relationships, healthy parenting, honesty, integrity and sex.

“All of those topics play a role in sexual health,” said Cline. “We approach each topic holistically, considering the emotional, physical, societal, generational and spiritual components of health.”

Open dialogue is often a good first step for adults to take with young people, as data suggests that many youth are already sexually active in high school. According to Power to Decide, 41.7 percent of Indiana high school students in 2015 had already had sex.

Read more on Indy With Kids.