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ASK-Y Meeting Minutes: 4/24/06

Present

• Mockingbird Society — Jim Theofelis, Lauren Frederick, Jamica Henderson, Dietra Clayton, Ashley Grant, Maleka Taylor
• City of Seattle — Valerie Douglas
• Columbia Legal Svc. — Casey Trupin
• YouthCare — Curtis Knopf
• Friends of Youth — Sarah Benton
• Orion Center — Jessie Forsythe
• Ryther Child Center — Johnny Ohta
• 45th St. Clinic — Charlotte Tucker

Calling In

• Community Youth Services — Maureen McLemore & staff

• Intro/Welcome
  • Jim welcomed Maureen and staff from Community Youth Services, and thanked them for participating in ASK-Y and Youth Advocacy Day.
• Youth Advocacy Day 2006 Review
  • Maleka stated that as a youth, she felt very empowered on that day.
  • The group reviewed the results from the evaluations of Advocacy and Training Day, which overall were quite positive.
  • CYS staff stated that they were glad to participate and represent Thurston County. They would be interested in providing some support to Advocacy Day next year, such as food, etc.
  • Jim stated that next year he wants to send out thank-you cards to legislators and others who helped with Advocacy Day. Valerie suggested that we could write out the cards that day, have youth sign them, and drop them off before we leave Olympia.
  • The group discussed the pros and cons of having youth ask legislators questions that were not related to the agenda at hand. Jim stated that a good facilitator could steer that process.
  • Jamica shared about her Walk-A-Mile experience, and how the program helped her legislator see her side of the story.
  • Maleka and other youth stated that it is important to start planning early so that youth are comfortable with the Advocacy Day agenda and feel prepared.
  • Youth stated that it was hard to sit still for long periods of time on Advocacy Day — they wanted more moving around.
  • Valerie stated that Training Day should be a few weeks before Advocacy Day, to give providers a chance to educate youth more about the issues, and to give them time to get more youth interested in attending. Or, mini-trainings could be held a few weeks before, and then a big Training Day could also be done the day before Advocacy Day.
  • The group talked about having mini-forums statewide as we develop our advocacy agenda, to get an idea of what issues are affecting young people in other parts of the state.
  • The group talked about having a video or other interactive training that could be sent to other parts of the state.
• HB 2002 Implementation
  • There is not currently a plan to implement HB 2002. The first meeting of the Implementation Committee will be early next month in Olympia. Jim stated that at this time, there is no call to action for ASK-Y. He has sent a letter to Cheryl Stephani, asking her to quickly implement HB 2002. He will wait for her response and inform ASK-Y about any action that might need to be taken, such as calling legislators.
• Braam Update (Casey Trupin)
  • Casey asked for feedback from the group about how to help the state achieve the benchmarks set forth in the Braam settlement. The state will be putting out a plan about this also. An evaluation/report of their progress is due out this summer.
  • Braam does not address the needs of youth who have already aged out of the system, but is aimed at making things better for youth still in the system.
  • In Washington, DC, Casey worked on a booklet of resources that was distributed to youth who aged out at 21. The booklet contained resources about housing, healthcare, etc. The group requested a copy of the booklet and would like to see a similar resource in Washington State.
  • Maureen of CYS stated that their video documentary, Downtowners, can be purchased from their website. It was made by, and is about, homeless youth in Olympia. The group discussed using this video to educate other youth about these issues. PIPE (Partners in Prevention Education) has been partnering with CYS to address issues of homeless youth and street violence in Olympia.
  • Jim reminds CYS that the Mockingbird Times will publish articles and poems by youth from Thurston County. If published, youth receive a stipend of $15-25.
• SKCCH Update (Charlotte Tucker)
  • SKCCH is planning a forum or conference on homeless youth issues as part of their advocacy efforts at the county and city levels. It will include youth and service providers.
  • They are trying to increase meeting attendance.
  • The Mayor is also having a homeless youth forum. The group talks about not recreating the Mayor’s forum.
• HYYAC Update (Valerie Douglas)
  • HYYAC (Homeless Youth and Young Adult Committee) is a subcommittee of the County’s Committee to End Homelessness. It has pulled away some members of SKCCH.
  • They are having a retreat on 5/24 and invite MBS youth to participate. The goal is to develop a long-term vision for the group. Jerry Fest will facilitate.
• Other Homeless Youth Issues
  • Jim and Sinan are meeting with Rep. Eric Pettigrew to talk about additional resources for homeless youth. Rep. Pettigrew is talking about having a forum to address homeless youth issues in the fall. The group discusses not duplicating efforts by having multiple homeless youth forums occurring around the city.
  • Rep. Pettigrew is considering putting forth a bill that will provide funding for best-practice models that decrease homelessness. Such a bill could help foster and homeless youth.
• Suggested Areas for Future Advocacy
  • YES cards for Washingtion State. Oklahoma has YES cards that are given to youth aging out of care. These cards have phone numbers that are linked to databases of resources for youth. All they have to do is call. (Curtis Knopf)
  • Making sure that all foster youth are represented in court in Washington State. 1,000 foster youth in Washington have no lawyer or CASA. (Casey Trupin)
  • Trying youth under 18 as adults. Is this something that we should learn more about? (Johnny Ohta)
  • How much power does the State Supreme Court have to lock up youth who run away? Youth who run from placements are being locked up for long periods of time instead of getting ARY/CHINS petitions or other forms of help. (Casey Trupin)
  • Valerie stated that having three different forums on youth homelessness could duplicate and dilute advocacy efforts. She would like to see coordinated efforts around this issue and perhaps only 2 forums to address needs. Jim stated that she should ask Sinan about what Rep. Pettigrew’s plans are for a youth forum.

Next Meeting: Monday, May 22nd, 2006, 3:30 PM