Investing in the Future

Severe trauma and deep-rooted anger are what led him—let’s call him David—to the campus of Alliance for Children and Families member Lawrence Hall Youth Services, Chicago. Despite his serious emotional and behavioral challenges, David gradually became involved in many of the activities offered by Lawrence Hall to engage youth in the life of their communities.

He attended the organization’s therapeutic day school; became an active participant in the school’s peer conference program; and joined the Lawrence Hall Youth Advisory Council, which is comprised of representatives from the organization’s child and family residential treatment center and community homes. As a member of the council, David has helped to identify areas of concern, research solutions, and propose recommendations to staff.

Today, David has undergone a transformation. He’s performing well in school and volunteers regularly. He has taken a leadership role on the Lawrence Hall Youth Advisory Council, and he joined a regional youth advisory board. His remarkable progress has allowed him to transition into a foster home.

Success stories like this one vividly illustrate how some young people can mature and develop valuable life skills by participating in activities that promote civic engagement and self-determination. Like many Alliance members, Lawrence Hall is committed to integrating these efforts into all facets of the organization.

“Part of our mission as a social service agency is to integrate civic engagement into the fabric of our organizations,” says Julie Youngquist, executive vice president for external affairs at Lawrence Hall.

The organization’s CEO Mary Hollie adds, “It’s a breathing, ever-changing dynamic of our organization.”

Helping Youth Develop Their Own Voices

This commitment also is evident at Alliance member Family and Youth Counseling Agency, Lake Charles, La. The organization’s efforts to promote civic engagement and advocacy stem from its core belief that all people have the capacity to solve their own challenges.

This belief shapes one of the organization’s primary goals: to help its constituents and nonprofit peers build the competencies and skills to be hands-on advocates for themselves and their communities.

Family and Youth first made civic engagement and advocacy organizational priorities in 2004, when it began using the Alliance’s Mission-Based Advocacy Toolkit. The toolkit trains nonprofit human service agencies to further advance their organizational goals by integrating principles of advocacy and civic engagement.

Family and Youth initially presented the toolkit to its board of directors and staff. It also used the toolkit as the base for several trainings with other nonprofit organizations in southwest Louisiana. Agency leaders soon recognized the potential opportunities for involving young people as well.

“We realized youth involvement was very critical to this work,” says Julio Galan, president and CEO of Family and Youth.

On a day-to-day basis, Family and Youth’s civic engagement work with young people is carried out through its Children and Families Action Network (CFAN), which provides youth with opportunities to learn about and participate in civic engagement and advocacy.

CFAN partnered with a local youth development organization called The Leadership Center for Youth to establish a youth advisory council for high school students. The council helps students understand the benefits of and opportunities for civic engagement, as well as the legislative process. It also encourages them to participate in the democratic process, educates them about mission-based advocacy, and makes them aware of critical community issues and policies that affect their lives.

In May 2010, with the help of a New Voices at the Civic Table grant from the Alliance, approximately 25 members of the youth advisory council traveled to Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s capital, to witness government in action. The following July, eight of those participants journeyed to Washington, D.C., to visit with their state’s congressional delegation and discuss topics such as health care, coastal restoration, and employment opportunities for young people.

Although Galan initially questioned whether youth would even be interested in the new civic engagement opportunities being offered by his organization, he soon realized his concerns were unfounded; the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Young people are interested, smart, and want to get involved,” he says. “They want to contribute their time and talent if opportunities are available.”

Building Skills for Successful Adulthood

Alliance member Family Services of Northwestern Pennsylvania, Erie, Pa., also has witnessed enthusiasm from youth who are presented with new opportunities to express themselves and have their voices be heard.

The organization has integrated civic engagement and advocacy into its interdependent living program, which helps foster youth, ages 14–21, transition from adolescence to independent adulthood.

Many of the young people in the program have spent a significant amount of time in foster care and haven’t been given opportunities to become involved in their communities. “A lot of them have little control over what happens in their lives,” says Breanne Hillen, program supervisor. “This is an opportunity for them to have a voice.”

Several years ago, Pennsylvania established a network of youth advisory boards within several organizations that serve foster care youth, including at Family Services of Northwestern Pennsylvania. Participating youth chose to name their board R Turn. The board is open to youth who have been in the interdependent living program for at least six months, including program alumni.

R Turn convenes regularly and provides youth with a forum to discuss their experiences in foster care, as well as voice their concerns about the unique issues they face. From time to time, R Turn members are asked to share their stories with state legislators and other government officials. In July 2010, R Turn members met with Pennsylvania’s assistant secretary of welfare, who offered them his personal cell phone number for further communication.

R Turn also works to make a difference in the lives of current foster care youth. It helps to educate young people about their rights while in foster care so that they can, in turn, advocate for themselves.

R Turn also serves as a voice for the entire foster care youth population by speaking to potential foster care and adoptive parents. As advisory board members share their experiences and advocate for themselves and other foster care youth, they become empowered and learn how to make their voices heard.

“It is a great opportunity for empowerment and advocacy,” Hillen says. She emphasizes the importance of ensuring that any civic engagement and advocacy efforts are participant-driven. “Make sure it’s their ideas. Let them do the legwork.”

Alliance Resources and Support

Galan, of Family and Youth, credits the Alliance with providing the resources and support that have enabled Family and Youth to expand its civic engagement and advocacy efforts. Being able to demonstrate that a credible national organization has invested in its efforts has allowed Family and Youth to leverage other funding for its work, he says.

Youngquist of Lawrence Hall Youth Services adds that the Alliance’s trainings and technical assistance have helped the organization to monitor emerging best practices and measure outcomes.

Galan encourages Alliance members to view civic engagement and advocacy efforts as a long-term investment, not a short-term project. “Investing in young people is investing in the future,” he says.

Hollie of Lawrence Hall adds, “Youth are often viewed as not having a voice. They need to develop a sense of belonging in a healthy community. This helps them in a tangible way to begin using their voices, as well as understand the importance of community.”

Investing in the Future