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View the video clip of Gary Blau, Ph.D., Chief of the Child, Adolescent and Family Branch, CMHS, and Awareness Day Ambassador Howie Mandel to support your Awareness Day outreach. You can use these clips to start a conversation with television reporters and producers;  enhance the interactivity of your presentations about Awareness Day; and add content to your Web site. You can also share them with your local partners and supporters to promote your own Awareness Day activities.

Summary:  UNC Charlotte’s Sibling Resilience Research Project

Since June, 2006, when FFCMH families from around the country were invited to participate in our Sibling Resilience Research Project, we have more than tripled our enrollment.  As of today, 80 families representing 102 siblings have successfully completed the first stage of the study.  Families from 20 different states have participated, with the largest responses from Iowa (18), Minnesota (6), and New York (5).  They have told us about their families, how their children are doing, challenges they face, and strengths they have.  For your information, siblings currently in the study are:

o       53% male
o       63% are Caucasian; 21% African American; 13% Multiracial; 2% Native American; Latino 1%
o    Distributed by age as follows: 5 years old (12%), 6 (17%), 7 (21%), 8 (13%), 9 (19%), 10 (18%)

We very much appreciate the response from Federation families, and hope that more families will participate.  We need a total of 240 families to provide the most useful information to improve family-centered services and better meet the needs of youth and families.

For information about enrolling in the study, contact Eylin at 1-866-431-7437.

For other information about the study, contact Drs. Ryan Kilmer (704-687-3689; rpkilmer@uncc.edu) or Jim Cook (704-687-4758; jcook@uncc.edu) at the Psychology Department at UNC Charlotte.

The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) is proud to announce a new professional development tool for youth service practitioners, organizations, and systems. The Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) Webpage encompasses NCWD/Youth’s work in identifying the knowledge, skills, and abilities required by youth service practitioners to work effectively with all youth, including youth with disabilities, in the workforce development system. The website includes resources to strengthen these competencies, and suggests strategies for organizations and systems to support the development of a system of professional development for these practitioners.

 NCWD/Youth is a national technical assistance center funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) to better connect youth with disabilities to the workforce development system. The National Youth Employment Coalition (NYEC) is a member of the Collaborative and the lead organization on this work. 

 On the KSA Webpage you will find:

 

  •                             A full list of the ten competency areas;
  •                             A KSA Study Guide with learning objectives, activities, demonstrations of learning, and resources for each competency;
  •                             Strategies for youth service practitioners, organizations, systems, and policy makers to identify, strengthen, and recognize the KSAs;
  •                             A self-assessment and professional development plan to support youth service practitioners in identifying and strengthening their own competency;
  •                             A readiness assessment to help organizations and systems plan and support professional development for youth service practitioners;
  •                             An information brief describing the need for, and benefits of professional development for practitioners, programs, communities, and youth;
  •                             A “Hot Topic” section with audience-specific strategies for practitioners, administrators, policymakers, employers, and youth and their families; and
  •                             Many, many more resources!!

 

To check out the KSA Webpage today, please visit http://www.ncwd-youth.info/ksa/.

MHA ACTION NEEDED:  Please promote 1-800-273-TALK (8255) on your website and in your materials, as well as within your community.

It was reported last week that 1-800-SUICIDE could go out of service.  It is now known that the hotline will operate for at least another two weeks.  Americans in crisis can get help immediately by calling 1-800-273-TALK, the nation’s federally-funded crisis hotline.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which operates 1-800-273-TALK, has already helped tens of thousands of callers.  Since January 2005, the Lifeline has served as a central switchboard to immediately connect callers – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – to a certified local crisis centers so callers can receive counseling or emergency services, if needed, close to home.  All calls to the Lifeline are private and confidential.

Family Voices of Children is seeking the help of Tennessee families with children that have special health care needs.  If you are a caregiver of a child that has special health care needs, we are asking that you complete an online survey that will help identify the health needs of your child and the challenges you face in meeting those needs.  The survey gives you an opportunity to share your opinions about available health care resources, your experiences with the health care system, and your level of participation and satisfaction with professional interactions and family training programs.  This project is a joint effort between many agencies including the TN Chapter of Family Voices, TN Division of Maternal and Child Health and Vanderbilt University School of Nursing.

If you have questions about the project or need help in completing the survey, please call Takesia Richardson at  615-322-8182 or Melanie Lutenbacher, PhD, RN at  615-343-3314. 

NMHA is working with author Joshua Wolf Shenk to help publicize his new book, Lincoln’s Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness.  This book provides us with an exciting opportunity to educate people about depression and the value, contributions and potential of persons with mental illness through the experiences of one of our greatest presidents. If you want to read up on the book, it was recently featured as the cover article in the October 2005 issue of the Atlantic Monthly at http://www.theatlantic.com/r/HkgxTxISy8U%3D%0A.

Here’s how you can take advantage of this educational opportunity:

Publicize his scheduled lectures and book signings to your community.  The list of signings, with dates and locations, can be found below and on Mr. Shenk’s Website at http://www.shenk.net/book.htm .

 If you are interested in inviting Mr. Shenk, contact us at campaign@nmha.org.  

TVC would like to invite you to participate in a new training series called the Parent-2-Parent Advocacy Training Program.

The National Committee of Parents Organized to Protect IDEA has been created to marshal the support of parents from across this Nation to ensure that the basic guarantees in IDEA are protected. The National Coalition of Parent Centers and the National Down Syndrome Society are spearheading this effort to organize and communicate strong parent support to protect this most important law. Please take a moment to download this very important information and fax your individual or organization's signatures in ASAP.