U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Administration on Children, Youth and Families August
Family and Youth Services Bureau 2007
FYSB update
FYSB at a Glance
Basic Center Program
Addresses the immediate needs of runaway and
homeless youth ages 18 or younger
Authorization: Established by Title III of the
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of
1974 (Public Law 93-415)
Expanding Its Reach, Year incorporated into FYSB: 1974
FYSB Serves More, Better Number of 2006 grantees: 336
FY 2006 funding: $43.5 million
Runaway. Thrownaway. Homeless. Abused. Parent in prison. Feeling pres- Grant duration: 3 years
sured into sex. When at-risk young people are in need, the places where
Transitional Living Program for Older
they and their families seek services are often supported by the Administra-
Homeless Youth
tion for Children and Families/Family and Youth Services Bureau.
Provides longer-term residential services to home-
For 30 years, the Family and Youth less youth ages 16 to 21
Services Bureau (FYSB) has served Authorization: Established by the Anti-Drug
young people in difficult situations Abuse Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-690)
and their families. Until recently, that Year incorporated into FYSB: 1988
support largely took the form of the Number of 2006 grantees: 193
Runaway and Homeless Youth Pro- FY 2006 funding: $36.0 million
gram, which provides street outreach, Grant duration: 5 years
emergency shelter, and transitional
Street Outreach Program
living services to young people at risk
Provides education and prevention services to street
of living on the streets.
youth up to age 21 who have been subjected to or
are at risk of sexual exploitation and abuse
With the addition of three major pro-
Authorization: Established by the Violent Crime
grams in the past 5 years, FYSB’s sights
Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (Public
have grown quite a bit wider. Today,
Law 103-322)
the Bureau provides crisis services and
Year incorporated into FYSB: 1994
attempts to avert the crises before they
Number of 2006 grantees: 140
begin. And it’s the young people who need extra support to navigate the path
FY 2006 funding: $13.6 million
to adulthood who stand to benefit the most from FYSB’s expanded reach.
Grant duration: 3 years
“As the at-risk youth population we serve experiences new challenges, we
Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program
have adapted and grown to meet their needs,” says FYSB Associate Com-
Provides mentors to children, ages 4 to 18, of incar-
missioner Harry Wilson. “Our highest priority, in all our programs, is to
cerated parents
provide these young people and their families with the tools and opportuni-
Authorization: Promoting Safe and Stable Families
ties they need to make the best choices for the future.”
Amendments of 2001 (Public Law 107-133)
Making good choices can be hard for children of prisoners, one of FYSB’s Year incorporated into FYSB: 2001
newest constituencies. With one or both parents in prison, children are Number of 2006 grantees: 238
seven times more likely to wind up behind bars themselves. Studies have FY 2006 funding: $45.8 million
shown, however, that mentoring can make a difference. Grant duration: 3 years
see FYSB SERVES MORE on page see AT A GLANCE on page
page 2 FYSB update August 2007
AT A GLANCE continued from page 238 grantees nationwide use community- providing shelter and services to victims of
based programs to bring thousands of children family violence, the Family Violence Program
Family Violence Prevention and together with long-term mentors. can now focus FYSB’s youth development
Services Program expertise on providing support to dependents
Provides shelter and related services, such as “It can mean the difference between a youth affected by violence at home.
emergency transportation and childcare to continuing the cycle of incarceration in their
victims of family violence family or stepping away from that and creat- One example, Wilson says, is FYSB’s col-
Authorization: Title III of the Child Abuse ing a new path,” says Curtis Porter, director of laborative method of addressing the restric-
Amendments of 1984 (Public Law 98-457) the Youth Development Division at FYSB. tions that some domestic violence shelters
Year incorporated into FYSB: 2004 have against allowing teenage boys to stay
Number of 2006 grantees: 328 The idea of fostering new paths also guides overnight.
FY 2006 funding: $124.6 million the work of the State and Community-Based
Grant duration: Varies Abstinence Educa- “We have connected
State Abstinence Education Program
tion Programs, which “Our highest priority, runaway and home-
were transferred to less youth centers to
Provides funding to enable States and U.S. FYSB over the past
in all our programs, domestic violence
Territories to create or support abstinence few years. Targeting is to provide these shelters so that boys
education youth most at risk of young people and their can go into homeless
Authorization: Section 510 of Title V of the becoming pregnant or shelters, and they are
Social Security Act of 1996; established under fathering children, the
families with the tools guaranteed to have
the Personal Responsibility and Work Op- programs aim to use and opportunities they contact with their
portunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Public education to stop the need to make the best moms in the domestic
Law 104-193) cycle of poverty that violence shelters,”
Year incorporated into FYSB: 2004 choices for the future.”
often accompanies Wilson says.
Number of 2006 grantees: 51 adolescent parenting. —Harry Wilson, FYSB
FY 2006 funding: $50 million Wilson expects the
Associate Commissioner
Grant duration: 1 year “It is really about consolidation of so
offering kids an alternative message to ‘safe many innovative programs under FYSB’s roof
Community-Based Abstinence sex,’” says Wilson. “So when you teach absti- to continue to generate rewards for the com-
Education Program nence, you’re just presenting the facts about munity- and faith-based organizations that
Provides funding to community- and faith- what’s out there and letting youth make the serve youth, families, and communities.
based organizations that promote abstinence decisions.”
education
Authorization: Defined under Section 510 Wilson says FYSB plans to expand the absti-
FYSB Programs
of Title V of the Social Security Act of 1996 nence message by funding cultural centers Strengthen Families
(Public Law 104-191) to develop campaigns intended for African
Year incorporated into FYSB: 2005 American, Hispanic, and Native American Parents who call Cocoon House in Everett,
Number of 2006 grantees: 158 youth. The Bureau is also identifying existing Washington, often do so out of desperation.
FY 2006 funding: $113.4 million FYSB programs Weary of constant clashes at home, many
Grant duration: 3 years for current grantees; that are success- simply want to send their adolescent to the
5 years for those starting in 2007 fully reaching agency’s basic center, which provides short-
hard-to-reach term shelter and other services to runaway
FYSB SERVES MORE continued from page youth and incor- and homeless youth 18 and under. But Co-
porating those coon House staff have found a better way to
In his 2003 State of the Union address, Presi-
same strategies respond to family discord than leaving young
.
dent George W Bush made mentoring one of
into abstinence people to fend for themselves.
his signature priorities, proposing a $450-mil-
education.
lion initiative to bring mentors to more than a The agency’s 5-year-old prevention program,
million young people, including “boys and girls Gaining ac- called Project SAFE, works with parents to
Harry Wilson
trying to grow up without guidance and atten- cess to a new FYSB Associate Commissioner mend their relationships with their chil-
tion, and children who have to go through a population of hard-to-reach, at-risk youth is dren. Parents referred to the project receive
prison gate to be hugged by their mom or dad.” just one of the ways that FYSB has benefited a 90-minute phone call with a counselor,
from the addition of the Family Violence who helps them explore ways to improve the
Since then, the Mentoring Children of Prison-
Prevention and Services Program, which was situation with the young person at home.
ers Program has grown rapidly, from $10 mil-
transferred to the Bureau in 2004. Beyond A few weeks later, the counselor calls back
lion 3 years ago to $46 million in 2006. Now,
to discuss what’s working, what needs to be
August 2007 FYSB update page
adjusted, and what additional services parents boundaries and be-
may need. By smoothing rocky relationships, come independent.
Project SAFE keeps young people out of the
shelter in the first place or, if they are already In the case of families
there, returns them home quickly. with a parent in
prison, keeping fami-
Whether serving runaway and homeless lies strong, though
youth, victims of domestic violence, children a struggle, is a small
of prisoners, or youth at risk for early sexual step toward reduc-
activity, FYSB’s programs emphasize a single ing recidivism and
philosophy: strengthening families by giving keeping children from
them the tools they need to deal with both ev- following in their
eryday conflicts and more troubling problems. parents’ footsteps,
says Andrea Payne,
“Family is the first and most significant influ- executive director of
ence in a young person’s life,” says FYSB Families of Incarcerat-
Associate Commissioner Harry Wilson. “We ed Individuals (FII) in
know from the research, experience, and our Memphis, Tennessee.
own common sense that youth who are con- “The traditional focus has been on the
nected to their families are less likely to engage
“If you keep the family unit strong,” Payne women in terms of being victims,” says
in risky behavior, whether illegal drug and says, “when the inmate comes out, he’s less Barbara Nissley, the coalition’s children’s
tobacco use, violence, or sexual activity.” likely to go back. We try to keep them involved program specialist. “What we’ve never looked
with the family.” She at is how do we help her help her child.”
Acting on that knowl- “Our goal is always also notes that gangs That thinking has led the coalition to shift
edge is imperative toward a three-pronged approach to domestic
to help kids have often prey on children
violence services: services to victims, services
to FYSB’s work, but of prisoners, repre-
it isn’t always easy, connections and senting themselves as to children, and services that address the rela-
especially in work resources for the rest a replacement for a tionship between victims and their children.
with families grap- While most domestic violence agencies have a
of their lives after we’re lost family unit.
pling with poverty, child’s advocate, the coalition sees a need for
violence, incarceration, gone, and families are In FII’s mentoring all domestic violence workers to have training
substance abuse, and one of them.” program for children in child development. In addition to creating
other issues. That’s of prisoners, mentors training programs for staff, the coalition will
why programs that —Vicki Merriam, Bridge Family Center are free to take chil- develop user-friendly materials for moms.
serve runaway youth, dren to visit the incar-
like Cocoon House, reunite families when- cerated parent, Payne says. Mentors and staff “Parenting effectiveness among victims
ever possible, and, when efforts fail, also stand encourage children to write to their incarcer- is similar to that of other moms,” Nissley
ready to support these young people. ated parent, and parents are also encouraged explains, but a domestic violence victim may
to write to their children and phone them. not be aware of the effect witnessing violence
“Our goal is always to help kids have con- Inmates who are in school while in prison can has had on her children.
nections and resources for the rest of their share schoolwork with their children as a way
lives after we’re gone, and families are one The Pennsylvania coalition’s 3-year demon-
to stay in touch. But many obstacles keep chil-
of them,” says Vicki Merriam, who directs stration project, which is being implemented
dren and parents from remaining close, Payne
the transitional living program, where young at five sites across the State, will also test
says, and family involvement with a person in
people spend up to 18 months learning to live prison often drops off after a period of time, home-based services to strengthen mother-
on their own, at Bridge Family Center in West despite the best efforts of everyone involved. child relationships, with “home” defined
Hartford, Connecticut. loosely as anywhere that is not a domestic vio-
Like families with a parent in prison, families lence shelter. It could be the woman’s house
Many things complicate that goal, Merriam affected by domestic violence face extreme or apartment, her workplace, transitional
says, from drug use and incarceration to abuse pressures. Under a demonstration grant from housing where she is staying, or another loca-
and restraining orders—on the part of either FYSB’s Family Violence Prevention and tion of her choosing.
the youth or members of the young person’s Services Program, the Pennsylvania Coalition
family. Merriam doesn’t talk to families In addition to assisting families in times of
Against Domestic Violence is testing ways
without the permission of her clients, and duress, FYSB programs are preparing young
to help victims of domestic violence create a
she focuses on improving how youth relate to people to create their own families, a job that
stable, secure, warm, and caring environment
their families, teaching them to set personal for their children. see FAMILIES on page
page FYSB update August 2007
FAMILIES continued from page
entails confronting commonly held beliefs
about marriage and relationships.
When Rachel Sacksteder, an abstinence
educator at Elizabeth’s New Life Center in
Dayton, Ohio, asks middle and high school
students how many of them have witnessed
good marriages, one-third to one-half of class
members raise their hands. But when she asks
about bad marriages, every hand shoots up.
Young people want to marry eventually, but
they are jaded, she says, explaining, “There is
a deep longing [for marriage], but they don’t
want the marriages they see.”
So, to combat the idea that healthy, stable mar-
riages are “some fake dream,” Sacksteder says,
the abstinence education program at Elizabeth’s
New Life aims to let youth know that they can
have a good marriage and avoid divorce. children are outside the home.” Strong commu- “I believe the program helps build character
nities, strong families, strong young people. and self esteem,” she says. “It gives a foun-
“You can practice for high quality relation- dation for young people facing pressures in
ships by building friendships,” Sacksteder Building Up Youth To school or outside of school. We talk about real
issues and how we would handle them.”
says. Students learn the social skills that go
into any good friendship or relationship: Make Healthy Choices
trusting and respecting the other person, pay- Abstinence education is just one of the ways
ing compliments, and making apologies. She stands for something. that FYSB helps young people make healthy
choices. Through the Abstinence Education,
They also learn how to steer clear of peer pres- That’s what 17-year-old Aisha thinks her Mentoring Children of Prisoners, and Transi-
sure. Using role play activities, students learn friends and classmates would say about her. tional Living Programs, for example, youth are
a three-step method to avoid peer pressure: given opportunities to build character, build
“In school, when I ex-
speak up and defend yourself or use a joke to relationships, and
press an opinion, people
diffuse the situation; stand up and use body
respect me for that,” “Life is not a straight build competencies,
language to show you won’t cave in; walk out helping them grow
and remove yourself from a bad situation.
she says. “Like when I line. We’re all going into healthy, happy,
tell people that I chose to have bumps along self-sufficient adults.
abstinence, friends look
More than building individual family units
up to me and come to
the way. The question
and preparing young people for the fu- “Today, youth are
ture, FYSB’s commitment to strengthening me for advice.” is, how do we react to faced with a growing
families is closely linked to an investment those mistakes? How number of choices
Aisha is one of more
in communities. To that end, the Bureau’s
than a hundred young do we think about what in an environment
Positive Youth Development State and Local where positive guid-
Collaboration Demonstration Projects bolster
people at Morning we did? Do we have ance and encouraging
local communities in their efforts to increase
Star Baptist Church in something in place to role models are more
Catonsville, Maryland,
opportunities for young people. In each of the
who have pledged ab- help a young person not important than ever,”
nine sites taking part in the demonstration, says FYSB Deputy
stinence until marriage do it again?” Associate Commis-
schools, communities, families, and young
as a personal standard.
people play an important role in pinpointing —David Siegel, FYSB Deputy sioner David Siegel.
the unique problems their communities face Aisha joined Morn- Associate Commissioner
and the solutions that will work best. FYSB’s 158 abstinence
ing Star’s abstinence
education programs
education program—funded through the
Underlying this approach is a view articulated across the country help young people, ages 12
Center for Self Sufficiency, a Family and
by First Lady Laura Bush: “Strong communi- to 18, develop the refusal skills they need to
Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) grantee—with
ties support families, so that parents know the cope with peer pressure around not only sex,
some friends about a year ago.
values they teach will be reinforced when their but also drugs and alcohol. For Aisha and her
August 2007 FYSB update page
peers, learning to set goals and think about the
future is perhaps even more important. Saying “Yes” to
“It’s not just about finding ways for kids Abstinence
to say no, or for there to be a reduction in
out-of-wedlock births or sexually transmit- “Abstinence is definitely a thumbs up!” says
ted diseases,” says Stanley Koutstaal, acting Taylor Moore, a 17-year-old high school senior
division director for abstinence education at at Kenwood Academy on Chicago’s South Side.
FYSB. “It’s really about building character Taylor, a vocal and passionate advocate for
– how to help young people make choices abstinence until marriage, says abstinence helps
now that will set them on a path where they’ll young people give their all and be the best that
experience benefits long-term.” they can be.
Indeed, studies show that young people who “Abstinence is a personal standard I created for
pledge abstinence are more likely than their myself in order to reach my highest potential,”
peers to do well in other parts of their lives says Taylor, a spokesperson for Project Reality,
Taylor Moore, a 17-year-old spokesperson
and are better prepared for the transition to one of FYSB’s abstinence education programs in for Project Reality, one of FYSB’s abstinence
Glenview, Illinois. education programs.
adulthood. Specifically, these studies say those
who abstain from sex until marriage are less
She counts her mother and Libby Gray Macke, director of Project Reality, among the
likely to be depressed, more likely to graduate
many mentors who have helped her reach this important decision.
from college, and more likely to have happy
marriages as adults. “As soon as I was old enough to understand, my mother talked to me about saving sex for
marriage,” she says. “My mother made a wrong decision, but she was able to get back on
For now, Aisha and her friends are simply
track and instill values in me.”
enjoying themselves. They like spending time
with friends at church and are also encour- And Macke, who Taylor calls Aunt Libby, has shown Taylor that healthy marriages are
aged to get involved in school activities, like possible. “I come from a long line of single mothers,” Taylor says, “so it means a lot to see
sports and student government. “It’s really how to have a great relationship and that it is possible to wait until marriage and have that
fun,” Aisha says, “and in the long-term, I fairytale relationship.”
know it will help me be a better person.”
Further, Taylor says, “She is a great role model and helps to bring out the best in people.
Building Relationships She sets standards at a high level instead of lowering the bar because some people think
Part of building the character of young people we [youth] can’t reach a certain goal.”
is giving them a safe environment in which to
make their own decisions. Through the Men- Taylor says her goal is to be a positive role model for her peers and to let them know that
toring Children of Prisoners Program, FYSB abstinence is one of the keys to success. Many teens, Taylor says, are really starving for
relies on mentors to let kids know they are something positive, something uplifting. And abstinence is a perfect message, she says,
worthwhile, to build their self-esteem and self since it is about making good decisions, being the best you can be, and helping make your
confidence, and to help them trust themselves. dreams a reality.
“For the 2 million kids in this country with Taylor uses music to reach out to her peers and deliver the abstinence message. She wrote
incarcerated parents, nobody can substitute the music and lyrics for “I’m Worth Waiting For,” a song she describes as an anthem for
for a parent, but a consistent relationship teens and anyone who is not yet married to encourage them to save sex for marriage. When
with a trusted adult can help a young person she performs the song, she says, people really get into it, “singing the hook and everything.”
through some tough years,” Siegel says.
Taylor sums it up this way: “There are many choices we as teenagers have to make. By
Indeed, children of prisoners suffer not only saying ‘no’ to premarital sex, I can say ‘yes’ to all the other good things in life and help
from the disruption in the relationship with make other people’s lives that I come across that much greater.”
their parent, but also from economic, social, and
emotional burdens related to the incarceration. improving their relationships and academic cool to have a mentor,” says Taye from OreMi
performance, and reducing the likelihood that Mentoring Program in Oakland, California.
Studies, like a recent evaluation of the Big they will initiate violence. “Now I know that I am becoming a better
Brothers Big Sisters program, show that men- person because of [my mentor] Al. I get better
toring programs can aid in preventing first- “I have to admit that in the beginning I didn’t grades and give my mom less problems.”
time drug and alcohol use for young people, think this was a good idea. I thought I was too
see HEALTHY CHOICES on page
page FYSB update August 2007
HEALTHY CHOICES continued from page Some skip school; some get involved in sexual borhoods, among all racial and ethnic groups.
Not to mention, it can also be a lot of fun. relationships without fully anticipating the con- What they found shocked them: the same
Kamille from Big Brothers Big Sisters of the sequences of their decisions. Too often, these amount of hands kept going up all over town.
Heart of Georgia in Macon, Georgia, says young people find themselves in trouble, with
of her mentor Patricia, “We like to do ‘girlie’ parents, at school, and sometimes, with the “And it wasn’t just the girls,” says Chris Cox,
things—hair, nails, shop, talk, and laugh!” police. When they can’t return to their families CEO of Hoyleton. “There is this sense that the
but are not yet equipped to live on their own, male is the aggressor and abuser, but we listened
While the relationship can provide instant they turn to Valley Youth House for help. to a lot of young men who would meet the defi-
gratification for both mentors and mentees, nition of being in an abusive relationship.”
studies show that, with regular and frequent “In the beginning, we discuss, ‘Who do you
meetings for a committed period of time want to be? What are your goals?’” Robertson According to research, dating violence is
(usually a year or more), the rewards of the says, “This provides an opportunity for a whole an all-too-common but little-talked-about
mentoring relationship endure; and the ben- different kind of conversation about choices.” problem among today’s teenagers. Though
efits can continue long after the mentoring statistics vary wildly, young people suffer from
relationship has ended. These delayed effects Part of that conversation involves helping emotional, physical, and sexual abuse at the
of mentoring, FYSB believes, helps kids make youth think through the consequences of hands of their peers at alarming rates (studies
healthy choices down the line. their decisions by asking them to consider have estimated anywhere from 28 to 96 per-
the long- and short-term implications. In this cent). And no one is more at risk than those
Building Competencies way, young people begin to understand the young people already in the most precarious
positive and negative consequences of the of life’s situations—runaway and homeless
For the older young people who seek help
choices they make. The goal is to get them to youth. That’s why FYSB has combined the
through FYSB’s Transitional Living Program
think for themselves in healthy ways. efforts of two of its signature programs—Run-
(TLP) for Older Homeless Youth, the focus is
away and Homeless Youth and Family Vio-
on recognizing past poor decisions and build- Take Alex, who is 17 years old and has been at lence Prevention and Services—in an effort
ing skills to make better ones in the future. Valley Youth House for about a year. He is a to develop services and solutions to better
senior in high school and has a job doing main- protect already at-risk youth.
Each year, more than 5,000 runaway and
tenance work at the program. With the job skills
homeless youth ages 16 to 21 receive housing,
he’s learned, he feels more competent. He says,
counseling, life skills training, and educa-
“I know I’m going to be leaving soon, so I need
tion and employment support through TLPs.
to make healthy choices and think about my
These services help youth who are homeless
future.” Next year, Alex plans to go to college.
build competencies and gain life skills so
that they can make a successful transition to “When a kid messes up, and all kids will
self-sufficient living. But mostly, they get to mess up,” Robertson says, TLPs work with
experience reality and practice decisionmak- the youth to understand their bad choice and
ing within a safe and supportive environment. learn how to turn it around. “You can’t take it
back, but you can make it right.”
“Life is not a straight line,” Siegel says. “We’re
all going to have bumps along the way. The
question is, how do we react to those mis- Working Together
takes? How do we think about what we did?
Do we have something in place to help a
To End Abuse
young person not do it again?” It was a fluke, they thought.
At Valley Youth House, a FYSB grantee in When staff at Hoyleton Youth and Family
Allentown, Pennsylvania, staff start by trying to “Our family violence and runaway and
Services asked a focus group of 11- to 18-
understand where each youth is coming from, homeless providers are natural allies,” says
year-old boys and girls how many of them
according to Executive Vice President Bob Curtis Porter, who directs FYSB’s youth
had been, or knew someone who had been, in
Robertson. Once immersed in a young person’s programs. “This collaboration is just one of
an abusive relationship, three-quarters of the
history, Robertson says, it is easy to predict the ways that FYSB grantees in all of our pro-
hands went up.
future poor choices and try to head them off. grams can pool their expertise for the benefit
Must be a fluke. of young people in at-risk situations.”
Unfortunately, for many young people, making
bad choices can become an easy pattern to fall So they repeated the question in focus groups As part of the demonstration program, 13
into. Many residents of Valley Youth House throughout Washington County, Illinois – in domestic violence providers partnered with
start using drugs or alcohol at an early age. low-income, middle class, and wealthy neigh- runaway and homeless youth providers to
August 2007 FYSB update page 7
undertake 17-month-long dating violence speakers. Topics included the legal rights of ter 10 miles outside of Honolulu. Many of the
education and awareness projects running minors, developmental impacts of witnessing attendees, panelists, and speakers were young
from October 2004 through early 2006. An domestic violence, and violence among street people themselves.
additional nine grantees were funded in 2005. youth. They eventually adapted an existing
school-based dating violence curriculum, Though both grants have now ended, Cox
“The idea was for these grantees to develop including tailored role-playing exercises and and Clark feel that the collaborative effort
some sort of guidance and services to make handouts, to specifically target at-risk youth. between runaway and homeless youth and
runaway and homeless youth more resilient They tried out the curriculum with runaway domestic violence providers was priceless.
in their own relationships,” says Bill Riley, youth in drop-in centers, shelters, and transi-
director of the Family Violence Division at tional living programs. “People in Hawaii in domestic violence have a
FYSB. “With this, and the other demonstra- greater understanding of the needs of runaway
tion projects we run, we are always looking to “One of the things we found out through that and homeless youth,” Clark says, “and run-
formulate new models and outreach strategies process was that we were really working with away and homeless youth providers are more
to eliminate domestic violence.” several distinct groups of runaway and home- comfortable talking about dating violence with
less youth,” says Judith the clients.”
In Illinois, the Violence Prevention Center of Clark, director of
Southwestern Illinois and Call for Help part- Hawaii Youth Services
“This collaboration is Cox continues to
nered with FYSB-funded runaway and home- Network. “Those that just one of the ways that receive calls from
less youth services provider Hoyleton Youth partners on the Illi-
were in the transitional FYSB grantees in all of nois project asking for
and Family Services to undertake an ambitious living program were in
countywide project designed to raise awareness a very different place
our programs can pool advice or referrals.
among all citizens about the effects of adoles- than those showing up their expertise for the
“It gave us the ability
cent dating violence in general, and its preva- at drop-in.” benefit of young people to build a support
lence among runaway and homeless in par-
ticular. The first two parts of the three-pronged The transitional liv-
in at-risk situations.” group,” Cox says.
project included the initial focus groups and ing youth had made “Society’s needs are
—Curtis Porter, FYSB so large that no one
targeted prevention education in schools, commitments to
churches, human service agencies, and groups change their lives for agency can deal with
for at-risk young people. Both youth and adults the better: they were attending school, looking them. This allowed us to break down some of
were taught to recognize the warning signs of for jobs, and living in stable environments with those barriers we all have.”
dating violence among young people and the long-term relationships. By the nature of their
Cox and Clark say the Hawaii and Illinois
dynamics of an abusive relationship. They were arrangements with the programs they were
projects are both looking for ways to continue
also supplied a variety of resources on dating in, they could also be required to attend the
the groundbreaking work they have done.
violence prevention and services, including the sessions.
provisions of the statewide Illinois Protocol for Cox says his organization would like to de-
Partner Abuse Prevention. In its final step, the For street youth at the drop-in center, abuse
velop better intake systems to track victims of
project delivered its awareness message more was much more common, Clark says, and
domestic abuse. He would also like to educate
widely, with tear-off flyers, radio and televi- sessions were complicated by the fact that the
the local police force, which didn’t opt to par-
sion spots, and public service announcements victim and abuser often showed up together.
ticipate in the project, about the prevalence of
before and after movies. In the end, the partners had to get creative,
dating violence in the community.
holding movie nights and weekly art groups
Their countywide approach, Cox says, was with subtle prevention messages. In February, Besides continuing the quarterly work group
grounded in the belief that “parents and the for example, they had the young artists create meetings, Clark would like to target specific
community need to have the skills to deal Valentine’s Day cards while discussing what immigrant populations in Hawaii. She would
with what is going on today.” an ideal relationship is. also like to see more intense interventions for
youth in the drop-in center.
The Hawaii Youth Services Network and “The movie night didn’t work so well, but
its partner, the Hawaii Domestic Violence the art group was very successful,” Clark “They have so much violence in their lives
Clearinghouse and Legal Hotline, took a dif- says. “They could express their creative sides that if they have an abusive partner, they don’t
ferent tack, specifically targeting runaway and through something that doesn’t feel like it’s even recognize it as a problem,” Clark says.
homeless youth across five Hawaiian islands. educational or therapeutic.”
For all the grantees who continue to work on
To educate themselves, the partners initially The work group’s final intervention was a dating violence among at-risk youth, even one
convened a quarterly work group of 35 people conference on dating violence prevention for hand going up in the room is too many.
from 22 different agencies and brought in 180 attendees at the Filipino community cen-
FYSB Update is developed for the Family and Youth Ser-
INSIDE:
vices Bureau by JBS International, Inc., under Contract #
GS10F0205K from the Administration on Children, Youth
and Families; Administration for Children and Families; U.S.
The New FYSB Department of Health and Human Services, to manage the
National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth.
Learn how the new programs at
the Family and Youth Services NatioNal CleariNghouse oN Families & Youth
Bureau have expanded the .O.
P Box 13505
Bureau’s efforts to serve more Silver Spring, MD 20911-3505
Tel./TTY: (301) 608-8098
youth in novel ways. Fax: (301) 608-8721
ncfy.acf.hhs.gov
FYSB update
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Administration for Children and Families
ACYF/Family and Youth Services Bureau
Washington, DC 20447