Welcome to the website for the Youth Involvement/Youth Leadership Practice Group

“ Youth participation is the process of involving young people in the institutions and decisions that affect their lives. It is about the real influence of young people in institutions and decisions not about their passive presence as human subjects or service recipients” (Checkaway, 2004)

The youth involvement practice group has several goals including:

• To expand the core grouping of professionals in the youth involvement practice group to include youth in meaningful ways

• To support the advancement and implementation of approaches and strategies that promote the development and involvement of youth leadership at all levels of the institutions that shape their lives

• To be a launching pad for a further commitment to youth involvement within the National COP and its 9 other practice groups, the youth involvement practice group and the annual conference sponsored by the CSMHA and the IDEA Partnership

• To create a dialogue on what it would take to include youth in meaningful ways in every level of school based mental health (including in the shaping their mental health producing programs)

• To create and publicize best practice/ cutting edge approaches

• To provide leadership to other practice groups to develop youth leadership within their practice group

• To be location in the field where educators and practitioners working at the intersection of education and mental health can further advance our skills and strategies to develop youth involvement and youth leadership within our work

Practice Group Facilitator
Barbara Silverman, LCSW
barbsilv@hotmail.com

I received this from Gene Roehlkepartain- SEARCH Institute:

Congress passed the Federal Youth Coordination Act (FYCA) in the early hours of September 30, renaming it the Tom Osborne Federal Youth Coordination Act, after its congressional champion. It now moves to the president for his signature. This is especially gratifying since FYCA was attached to reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, another important piece of legislation for our sector.

This is no small accomplishment, not only given the paucity of legislation that passed this Congress, but also because what of FYCA will do: bridge the silos of fragmented policies and programs across twelve federal departments and agencies that administer programs for at-risk youth. That in and of itself is significant; that the interagency meetings will also include community- and faith-based organizations, and youth is, quite frankly, groundbreaking.

This legislation is significant for the National Collaboration for Youth and its members. There is no finer example of the National Collaboration for Youth earning its name than the Federal Youth Coordination Act. The public policy staff of member organizations seized upon the opportunity of the White House Task Force for Disadvantaged Youth to craft legislation that would advance their shared goal – more effective and comprehensive strategies for America's youth. And Collab members, along with allies they recruited along the way, became one of two driving forces for this bill, the other being the office of Rep. Tom Osborne.

We extend a heartfelt thank you to the member organizations of the National Collaboration for Youth and the supporters of the bill. Please take a moment and thank your elected official for passing the bill, and request their continued leadership on youth issues.

More information on the bill and the National Collaboration for Youth:
http://www.collab4youth.org/ncy/index.htm

Below is a summary from the website:

The National Collaboration for Youth (NCY), a 30-year old affinity group, is a coalition of the National Assembly member organizations that have a significant interest in youth development. Members of NCY include more than 50 national, non-profit, youth development organizations that collectively serve more than 40 million young people; employ over 100,000 paid staff; utilize more than six million volunteers; and have a physical presence in virtually every community in America.

Its mission is to provide a united voice as advocates for youth to improve the conditions of young people in America, and to help young people reach their full potential.

Collectively, the member organizations of the National Collaboration for Youth

* Serve more than 40 million young people
* Employ over 100,000 paid staff
* Utilize more than six million volunteers
* Have a physical presence in virtually every community in America


Exciting! Great conference in Baltimore!
Joyce Sebian
202-687-8245
jks29@georgetown.edu