The Impact Difference
2010
WORDS OF IMPACT
Impact is a partnership of child- and family-serving agencies working together with youth and families to provide coordinated services for children with Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED). Impact strives to build and enhance home- and community-based services for young people, believing that a child with SED will become most successful in a fully supported home setting.
DECEMBER
Impact Youth Awarded 2010 Dare to Dream Grant
You Might
The Speak Your Mind Youth Council has been awarded a $1,000 Dare to Dream grant through Youth Motivating Others through Voices of Experience (M.O.V.E.) National.
A Poem by Youth Tiffany Matthews
Youth M.O.V.E. is a youth-led national organization devoted to improving services and systems that support positive growth and development by uniting the voices of individuals who have experienced mental health, juvenile justice, education and child welfare systems. The grant will fund a new youth council project called “Hear Our Voices.” Youth will write stories about their experiences before and after receiving Impact services. The stories will be displayed with pictures of the youth as part of the traveling art show that moves monthly to partner agencies. The youth hope to show others how Impact and other services have affected them, to decrease stigma attached to mental health challenges and to raise awareness of children’s mental health in our community and partner agencies.
Impact Has Helped Me Deal with Stress Differently
You might see us as bad kids, And more different than you, But really, we are just like you. We are strong, We are smart, We can play sports, In a way, we are just like you, Only different. We are your friends, Family and people you protect and care about when we’re down. You look at us one way, But one day you’ll look at us the same way you do your own friends, And to us, that is approval in your eyes. Whether we’re different we know, You would be our friends in the end.
By Youth Neicey Pennell When I am stressed, I call a friend and talk to them about what is bugging me. I have friends I can go to and cry on their shoulders. They just sit there listening to every word I tell them, not judging me for what I tell them, what I’ve done, or what I’ve tried doing. When I am stressed, I try to take a couple minutes out of my time to go to a place that is quiet, calm, and peaceful. Then, I kneel down and pray for strength and wisdom to overcome whatever I am going through. Finally, one thing I don’t do is keep myself away from everything and everyone. It leads me to do other things – like cutting myself or having thoughts of suicide. I have had 18 suicide attempts and have also tried cutting myself.
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I can now say that I haven’t had a suicide attempt or tried cutting myself in two years. I can say that I have overcome something and can deal with stress and feelings in different ways. I am very grateful for the people who have helped me along the way. Impact is definitely one of those avenues that helped me. Impact helped me talk to other people, open up, and connected me to other networks that could help me with what I was going through. I will continue with the programs that I can be a part of like the Speak Your Mind youth council and the Speak Up Speak Out youth speaker’s bureau. They give me a safe place to talk about my problems. Impact made it so I felt supported. I thank all of the staff of Impact who have helped me. M O RE AR T I C L E S
www.impactsystemofcare.org
Impact Offers Youth Opportunity to Influence Initiative Youth Had Voice in Statewide System of Care Conference Impact’s 2010 Annual Report to the Community Peer Support Is a Must
I See Our Future Every Day 2011 Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day is May 3 Impact Recognizes Partners as “Shining Stars” New Youth Note Cards Available at Jolly Java
Youth Guided Youth Guided Youth Guided Youth Guided Youth Guided Impact Offers Youth Opportunity to Influence Initiative By Youth Sintenesha King Throughout the Impact System of Care, there are many ways for youth to get involved. Youth are valued, listened to, respected and encouraged. I am a youth representative on the Impact Stakeholder Group, which is the decision-making body for the initiative. Staff from Impact and representatives from partner agencies and families come together to give feedback and input on what is happening throughout the system of care. I report on the activities of the Speak Your Mind Youth Council. Youth also sit on several of the initiative workgroups. The workgroup I sit on is the Learning Community. This group deals with developing strategies that promote continuous learning throughout the Ingham County System of Care. Some examples are new-employee orientation and strength-based trainings. For this workgroup, it is my responsibility to give a youth perspective and bring ideas on how youth can be included. I recently was asked to help prepare some ideas on doing a youth-guided training that would be presented to partner agency staff. I am glad to be a part of the change these two groups create.
Youth Had Voice in Statewide System of Care Conference By Youth Airen Spindler The 2010 Statewide System of Care Conference was held Oct. 27 and 28 at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Lansing. The conference brought families, youth and professionals together to talk about systems of care and what it means to support youth and their families. This was the first conference I have attended, and I was a presenter for a session called “The Value of Youth Voice.” I talked about Impact and the ladder of youth involvement, which is a visual representation of levels of youth involvement in your community. The ladder shows different steps of youth involvement and how, at first, adults really don’t see the value of youth involvement. As you go up the ladder, youth involvement is stronger, with adults wanting and allowing youth to participate in meetings and give their ideas. I believe Impact offers youth a place to feel comfortable and allows youth to come together and pitch in their ideas on different topics. My co-presenters for the session were from Advocacy Services for Kids in Kalamazoo, Youth United/Southwest Counseling Solutions in Detroit and the Association for Children’s Mental Health. I believe that the other youth and I really reached out and touched many people’s hearts.
Impact Values
• Family-Driven • Youth-Guided • Accessible and High-Quality Services
• Culturally and Linguistically Competent Services • Individualized Care
• Coordinated Care • Collaborative Care
Impact’s 2010 Annual Report to the Community By Youth Jesse Herbert I really liked attending the Annual Report to the Community Luncheon Oct. 28 at the Lansing Center. I met former Michigan State University and NFL football player T.J. Duckett, the guest speaker. (If my dad were there, he would have gone crazy!) I also felt really great being there because I was able to meet new people. When I am
around them, I feel like I am a person who is interesting and that I really mean something to them. I am a person of worth. The youth of the Speak Your Mind Youth Council made all the centerpieces for the event. It was cool that when we announced that a person at every table won the centerpiece to take home, everyone got really excited. We worked really hard on the centerpieces.
Peer Support Is a Must By Youth Chris Avery It is important to have a good friend who is always there for you. They help you when you are down. They are someone who really cares about you and helps you so you don’t feel left out. They are someone to talk to when you have problems and you know they’ll listen and understand. That is one reason I really like the Speak Your Mind Youth Council and the Speak Up Speak Out Youth Speakers Bureau. There are youth my age who are going through a lot
of the same things I am. I feel comfortable and can talk to people. The Speak Your Mind Youth Council meets on the second and fourth Mondays of every month. The Speak Up Speak Out Youth Speakers Bureau meets the first and third Thursdays of every month. If you know a youth who would like to participate, contact Jessica Leese, Youth Engagement Specialist, at 517-346-8106 or leese@ceicmh.org for more information.
I See Our Future Every Day By Youth Engagement Specialist Jessica Leese I have worked with Impact for just over five months and have quickly grown to see the strengths in every youth I work with. I can honestly say that they blow me away with their willingness to put themselves out there to help other youth who share experiences similar to their own. I have never worked with youth like these. They are strong, compassionate, resilient, outgoing and extremely passionate about contributing to the work Impact is doing. Whenever I need a volunteer for a new project or for a workgroup, the youth come
through. Whenever I need advice on where our youth programming should lead, the youth come through. Whenever I have a day when I feel completely stressed out, the youth provide me with the vision of why I am here. The work we do every day benefits every youth who comes through Impact. When I came into this position, I had all these ideas about what I wanted to do and bring to the table. Though I have been able to do those things, I have learned so much more. I am grateful to be able to be a part of each of their lives. I want to say thank you to the youth who I work with for giving me this opportunity, and I know they will continue to do great things with their lives.
National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day is a day for everyone to promote positive youth development, resilience and recovery, as well as the transformation of mental health services delivery for children and youth with serious mental health needs and their families. Awareness Day raises awareness of effective programs for children’s mental health needs; demonstrates how children’s mental health initiatives promote positive youth development, recovery and resilience; and shows how children with mental health needs thrive in their communities. Mark your calendars for May 3, 2011, and stay tuned for more information.
2011 Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day is May 3
www.i
www.impactsystemofcare.org
Ingham County’s System of Care 5303 S. Cedar Street, Building 2 Lansing, MI 48911-3800
Mark Your Calendars
Impact Recognizes Partners as “Shining Stars” The Impact System of Care staff has created a Shining Star Award to recognize individuals at partner agencies who go the extra mile to advance the initiative. Award winners are nominated based on the recommendations of the recipient from the previous month. The monthly award consists of a traveling trophy and notebook, in which peers write words of praise and encouragement. The latest recipients were:
• A ugust – Casey Swagler, Juvenile Court Officer, Ingham County Circuit Court – Family Division
• S eptember – Liz Evans, Wraparound Facilitator, Community Mental Health
• O ctober – Rebecca Stowell, Juvenile Court Officer, Ingham County Circuit Court – Family Division
New Youth Note Cards Available at Jolly Java Note cards featuring paintings created by Ingham County youth are for sale at the Jolly Java in the Community Mental Health Authority building at 812 E. Jolly Road in Lansing. The paintings were created in recognition of National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day. Explanations of the paintings are included on the backs of the colorful cards. The packet of six note cards is the second set produced to raise funds for Impact System of Care youth activities. The note cards also are available from Impact; contact LouKesha Lee at (517) 346-8108 or leelo@ceicmh.org.
• N ovember – Chris Moore, Lead Behavior Specialist, Highfield’s, Inc./Ingham Academy
www.impactsystemofcare.org
Impact System of Care 5303 S. Cedar Street, Bldg. 2 Lansing, MI 48911 schulz@ceicmh.org 517-346-9597
Visit www.impactsystemofcare.org for a current calendar of Impact meetings and events. Youth and families are encouraged to participate.