How Can Youth Power Help Your Organization Implement Youth Peer - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

How Can Youth Power Help Your Organization Implement Youth Peer Services?

January 11, 2018

PRESENTERS: AZARIA WITTEKIND AND MICA GONZALEZ YOUTH POWER!

How Can

YOUTH POWER!

Help Your Organization Implement Youth Peer Services?

What is YOUTH POWER!?

YOUTH POWER! is the New York State network of young people who have been labeled and are seeking change. Together, we have decided to speak up about our experiences because no one knows what it is like for us better than we do. Through peer to peer mentoring, we empower young people to be active citizens that are aware of government operations, their rights and the ability to use their voices to influence policies, practices, regulations and laws. We are young people helping other people, ensuring availability

• f self-help and peer support while changing systems so that

young people get the support they need with the respect and dignity they deserve.

NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US!

 Ment al Healt h  Special Educat ion  Fost er Care  Juvenile Just ice  Addict ion  Development al

Disabilit ies

 Independent Living  Special Healt h Care  Y

• ut h Development

WORking acROss sYsTEms and disabiliTiEs

 Individual support s and services  Communit y/ count y planning and oversight  Regional  St at ewide  Federal  Int ernat ional

PROmOTEs YOUTH EngagEmEnT On all lEvEls Of sERvicE

Goals of YOUTH POWER!

1: To expand and strengthen the YP! network while remaining youth run 2: To successfully advocate for systems change to ensure better

• pportunities for young people

3: To increase empowerment, skill building, leadership and advocacy opportunities for young people with disabilities and system specific labels 4: To improve quality of youth peer advocacy & involvement by

• ffering technical assistance and training opportunities to

young people and adult allies 5: To practice and promote cultural competency & diversity

Network Leadership = YP! Board

• Young people wit h

disabilit ies

• Guiding t he work of YP!
• Recruit ing and engaging

members

• Leading t he Working

Groups

• Fundraising
• Advocacy for our Priorit y

Agenda

Creating an accessible, empowering network

• Ensuring accessibilit y
• Disabilit y hist ory &

pride

• Y
• ut h-friendly is

people friendly

• Import ance of ident it y
• S

ense of belonging

Priority Agenda

• Top advocacy issues for the year
• Gain input from young people

through events, surveys, and direct

• utreach
• Action working group contributes to

the development and advancement

• f the agenda
• Finalized by the YP! Board
• The 2013-15 agenda was brought to

a meeting with President Obama.

• Began producing an advocacy

agenda in 2008

YP! grow th

• 2005 hired S

t at ewide Y

• ut h

Coordinat or

• 2007 t ook name YOUTH POWER!

and formed t he Board

• 2008 received funding from t he

NYLN

• 2009 Juvenile j ust ice prevent ion

funds

• 2011 reached over ½ million

annual budget

• 2017 reached a million annual

budget from diverse sources

YOUTH POWER! Structure

YP! bRings YOUTH PERsPEcTivE

“If you had a problem in t he black communit y,

and you brought in a group of whit e people t o discuss how t o solve it , almost nobody would t ake t hat panel seriously. In fact , t here’d probably be a public out cry. It would be t he same t hing for women’s issues or gay issues. But every day, in local arenas all t he way t o t he Whit e House, adult s sit around and decide what problems yout h have and what yout h need, wit hout ever consult ing us.”

Jason, 17 years old, Y

• ut h Force Member

Act for Youth: “Profiles of Youth Engagement and Voice in New York State: Current Strategies”, pg 3

Building on other Peer Movements

Family Peer Advocate Adult Peer Specialist Independent Living Movement Youth Peer Advocate

Youth Peer Advocate Expertise

Personal Recovery/Resiliency Story Knowledge of Community Resources and opportunities Knowledge of the Provider System Knowledge of peer movements & resources for self-advocates

YPA Base Qualifications

• Be an individual 18 to 30 years old who

has self-identified as a person who has first-hand experience with social, emotional, medical, developmental, substance use, and/or behavioral challenges

• Be able to use lived experience to assist

in supporting youth in their resiliency/recovery and wellness

• Have a high school diploma, high school

equivalency preferred or a State Education Commencement Credential (e.g. SACC or CDOS).This educational requirement can be waived.

Service Components

• Skill Building
• Coaching
• Self-Advocacy, Self-Efficacy

& Empowerment

• Community Connections

and Natural Supports

What is next for Youth Peer Services?

SP A-YPST YP A OMH Waiver YP A CRP A-Y

New York State System of Care

Wraparound team

Y

• ut h

Peer Advocat e

Waiver YPA Training Requirements

Online In person Enhancements

YPA Level 1 (Provisional) Requirements

• Has complet ed Level One (online) t raining

for YP As.

• S

ubmit s 2 let t ers of reference

• Agrees t o pract ice according t o t he YP

A Code of Et hics.

• Demonst rat es qualit ies of leadership

Keep in mind YPA must meet qualifications:

• Meet lived-experience requirements
• Proof of Age
• High S

chool Diploma or GED or equivalent

YPA Credentialing – Level 1

YPA Level 2 Requirements

• Complet ed Level 1 & 2 t raining

for YP As.

• S

ubmit s 3 let t ers of reference

• Agrees t o pract ice according t o

t he YP A Code of Et hics.

• Demonst rat es qualit ies of

leadership

• Document 600 hours of experience
• Complet e 20 hours of cont inuing

educat ion every 2 years

• 3 consult at ion calls

YPA Training & Credentialing

Anticipated 2018 Timeline

April 2018

• Level 1 YPS

T – YP A Online Training Available

• YP

As able t o obt ain provisional credent ial July 2018

• Level 1, 2 & In person YPS

T YP A t rainings available

• YP

As able t o obt ain full credent ial

• S

ervice becomes Medicaid billable

Consider your readiness

What have you done t o prepare for Y

• ut h

Peer Services?

 Ensure organization understands the YPA role  Address attitudinal barriers  Identify recruitment sources  Identify and train supervisors and other supportive staff

such as HR

 Prepare orientation materials  Work with young leaders to produce marketing and

informational materials on the new service

 Connect to external supports  Consider burn out prevention

Youth-Guided Practice

Adapted from Hart, R. (1992). Children’s Participation from Tokenism to Citizenship Florence: UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre.

Assigned but informed Consulted and informed Adult-initiated, shared decisions with youth Youth-initiated and directed Youth-initiated, shared decisions with adults

Degrees of Participation

Manipulation Decoration Tokenism

Non-Participation

What does YP! provide?

Technical Assist ance Net working Educat ion and support

TEcHnical assisTancE

YP! Provides Technical Assistance in three key areas:

 Supporting Self-Advocacy  Implementing Youth Peer Services  Increasing Youth-Guided Practice (Participation in the

planning and oversight of agencies/organizations

YOUTH POWER! has supported YPAs and agencies to integrate services by:

 Providing t rainings t o agencies on Y

• ut h Guided Pract ices

 S

upport ed t he creat ion of t he YP A j ob descript ion

 S

upport ed agencies wit h int erview quest ions and orient at ion of YP As

 S

upport ed YP As in st ruct uring yout h support groups

 Collect ed feedback from YP

As t o improve service

 Brought agencies t oget her t o encourage st rengt hening YP

A services

 Creat ed an assessment for t he int egrat ion of YP

As int o agencies

TEcHnical assisTancE

These forms are meant t o:

 Assess t he agencies readiness  Recognize areas of need for support  Creat e a t imeline  Delegat e responsibilit ies of YP! and t he agency  Track success and changes

Contact your Regional Youth Partner to get started!

With

YOUTH POWER!’s

Regional Youth Partners

For Youth Peer Advocates:

PEER lEadER sUPPORT and dEvElOPmEnT

Regional youth peer workforce coalition meetings for YPAs and their supervisors are also being developed across the state (YPALs active in Western!)

June 23-26, 2018

• Premiere youth peer conference
• 4 day conference modeled after the

college experience

• Major in Systems Advocacy or Peer

Advocacy

• Leaders’ Dinner with state government
• fficials
• Will be an opport unit y for Cont inuing

Educat ion credit s

 Tip sheet s

 Do’s and Don’ t s of S

yst em Advocacy

 S

t art ing a Y

• ut h Advisory Council

 S

upport ing and Fost ering Y

• ut h

Involvement

 Guides

 Y

• ut h Involvement t oolkit

 S

upport ing S elf Advocacy

 The How To’s of Y

• ut h Guided

Pract ice

 Webinars  Videos

Open p posit itio ion

New York City R YP

1-888-326-8644 x31

Open p posit itio ion

Western R YP

1-888-326-8644 x31

Ale Alex Frisin ina

Long Island R YP

AFrisina@ youthpowerny.org 631-245-5289

Mica G a Gonzal alez

Central R YP

MGonzalez@ youthpowerny.org 315-679-1476

Brenna nnan W n Williams

Hudson River R YP

BWilliams@ youthpowerny.org 518-322-2096 A motivated peer between the ages of 18-30 A motivated peer between the ages of 18-30

Next Webinar!

Part II: What is the Role of a Youth Peer Advocate? January 22nd, 1-2pm

Visit ctacny.org t o regist er!

 How t o prepare your agency  How t o support YP

As wit hin an agency

 Learning from t he mist akes of ot hers

Toll Free: 1-888-326-8644 x31 info@youthpowerny.org www.YOUTHPOWERNY.org

@YOUTHPOWERNY

YOUTH POWER!

Q & A

Thank You