Road Map for Change: A Report on the 2013 Leadership Institute
The 2013 Leadership Institute, a working conference for Reclaiming Futures leadership teams helping communities break the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime, was held in Ashville, N.C., May 7-9, 2013.
Interactive workshops, plenary sessions and fellowship discussions provided opportunities to share and learn proven approaches and best practices for communities adopting, implementing and sustaining the Reclaiming Futures approach as the standard of care in communities across the nation.
Here is a sample of the topics that were addressed:
- One Family at a Time by Michael Clark, Center for Strength-Based Strategies
- Rest Stop: Self-Care and Leadership Survival by Laura Nissen, Special Advisor, Reclaiming Futures National Program Office, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Portland State University
- One Faith Community at a Time by Michael Dublin, Consultant, Faith Works Together Coordinator
- Evaluating the Impact of Adding the Reclaiming Futures Approach to Juvenile Treatment Drug Courts by Michael Dennis, Director, GAIN Coordinating Center, Chestnut Health Systems
- How to Manage Yourself and Others Through the Stress of Change by Kathleen Doyle-White, Founder and President, Pathfinders Coaching
We'd like to hear from you. If you attended the Leadership Institute, What new skills, perspectives or strategies will you use? What insights will reinforce the efforts of your local Reclaiming Futures team?
It’s not too late to share ideas, photos and resources from the 2013 Reclaiming Futures Leadership Institute. Please use the following hashtag via Twitter: #RFutures13
Global Youth Justice Launches 250 Youth Justice Web Sites; News Roundup
Juvenile Justice Reform
- Nebraska Juvenile Justice Reform Amendments Pass Committee Vote
The Nebraska Legislature has pushed forward a proposed piece of juvenile justice reform legislation, following a judiciary committee re-write, the Omaha World-Herald reports. - Georgia Deal Signs Second Edition of Criminal Justice Reform
Legislation creates the Georgia Criminal Justice Reform Commission. The commission will conduct periodic comprehensive reviews of the juvenile justice system and criminal justice system to help ensure that they are effective and efficient in fulfilling their purposes. - Global Youth Justice Launches 250 Youth Justice Web Sites
Global Youth Justice, in conjunction with the American Bar Association, is helping local youth courts in 41 states launch 250 Web sites promote their juvenile justice diversion programs.
Life in Recovery: New Survey Results
Findings from the first nationwide survey of persons in recovery from addiction was recently released by Faces & Voices of Recovery. The report documents importance of investments in recovery by:
- Quantifying the recovery experience over time - Less than three years; three to 10 years; and 10 years and more.
- Outlining the costs of addiction.
- Documenting the dramatic improvements in life, from visiting an emergency room to paying taxes.
The survey was developed, conducted, and analyzed in collaboration with Alexandre Laudet, Ph.D., Director of the Center for the Study of Addictions and Recovery at the National Development and Research Institutes, Inc.
Please take a moment to browse the survey results and recommendations. These documents are must-read material for those working in the field of substance abuse treatment.
Guy: A Young Artist in Recovery Tells His Story
Have you considered lending your talent to young people in your community? If so, the story below, the first of three weekly videos from young people, should provide the nudge you need.
In this three-minute video, Guy, a well-known graffiti artist in Snohomish County, Washington, describes his transformation as a Promising Artists in Recovery (PAIR) participant.
Through Reclaiming Futures Snohomish County, Henri Wilson and other generous adults are mentoring young artists in the county's juvenile justice system who have substance abuse issues. By engaging in calligraphy, painting and photography classes, teens are viewing life through a different lens.
Welcome Reclaiming Futures Duval County, Florida
Last week I had the honor of visiting one of our new Reclaiming Futures sites, Duval County Reclaiming Futures, in Jacksonville, Florida.
Led by the Honorable Judge Henry E. Davis, treatment and court staff closely monitor teens to help them break the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime.
The team is working to keep kids in school, in their homes and out of juvenile justice facilities by implementing the following practices:
- Enhancing and improving access to substance abuse and mental health treatment services for Reclaiming Futures participants and their families.
- Implementing a comprehensive system of care incorporating various community-based services for families involved in Reclaiming Futures.
- Inspiring the Duval County community to become involved with youth and families in need.
One Week From Today: Reclaiming Futures Juvenile Justice Webinar
We're only one week out from our webinar about how the Reclaiming Futures model is uniting juvenile courts, probation, adolescent substance abuse treatment, and the community for cost effective juvenile justice reform.
Please register for a free webinar on Tuesday, April 30 at 10 a.m. (PDT)/1 p.m. (EDT)
What you'll learn:
- Communities have a compelling need to break the cycle of drugs, alchohol and crime
- Reclaiming Futures is connecting young people to caring adults
- The six-step model is pointing to better outcomes for youth
About the presenters:
Susan Richardson is national executive director for Reclaiming Futures. Formerly, she was a senior program officer in the health care division of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust in North Carolina, where she led a three-year effort involving the state's juvenile justice and treatment leaders to adopt the Reclaiming Futures model by juvenile courts in six North Carolina counties. She received her B.S. in Public Health, Health Policy and Administration, from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Margaret Soukup is the project director for Seattle-King County Reclaiming Futures, in Seattle, Wash., where she serves as Science to Service/Workforce Development Coordinator Project/Program Manager III, Mental Health, Chemical Abuse and Dependency Services Division (MHCADSD). Margaret has a master's degree in psychology from Antioch University Seattle and a bachelor's degree in applied science, social sciences from Washington State University.
[VIDEO] Mentoring Works - Following Olivia in Seattle
Reclaiming Futures helps communities develop networks of caring adults that connect justice involved youth to a wide range of activities where they learn social skills, job skills and new behaviors that help them stay drug-free and crime-free long after they complete treatment and probation.
Are you trying to recruit mentors in your community?
Please take a moment to share Olivia's story of gratitude for her Reclaiming Futures King County mentor, Hazel Cameron. We thank Hazel, of the 4C Coalition Mentoring Program, who helped Olivia break the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime.
National Drug Control Budget Supports Treatment and Prevention
On Wednesday, April 10, President Obama announced the largest requested percentage increase in federal funding for drug treatment in over two decades.
- $76.8 million will fund grants made directly to approximately 605 community‐based coalitions (including 139 new grants) focusing on preventing youth substance use
- President Obama’s drug budget calls for $1.5 billion increase for drug treatment and prevention over fiscal year 2012.
- The budget calls for largest requested percentage increase in drug treatment funding in over two decades.
- The total amount requested for treatment and prevention is $10.7 billion.
Save the Date: Reclaiming Futures Webinar April 30
Do you want to learn how the Reclaiming Futures model is uniting juvenile courts, probation, adolescent substance abuse treatment, and the community for cost effective juvenile justice reform?
Please register for a free webinar on Tuesday, April 30 at 10 a.m. (PDT)/1 p.m. (EDT)
What you'll learn:
- Communities have a compelling need to break the cycle of drugs, alchohol and crime
- Reclaiming Futures is connecting young people to caring adults
- The six-step model is pointing to better outcomes for youth
About the presenters:
Susan Richardson is national executive director for Reclaiming Futures. Formerly, she was a senior program officer in the health care division of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust in North Carolina, where she led a three-year effort involving the state's juvenile justice and treatment leaders to adopt the Reclaiming Futures model by juvenile courts in six North Carolina counties. She received her B.S. in Public Health, Health Policy and Administration, from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Margaret Soukup is the project director for Seattle-King County Reclaiming Futures, in Seattle, Wash., where she serves as Science to Service/Workforce Development Coordinator Project/Program Manager III, Mental Health, Chemical Abuse and Dependency Services Division (MHCADSD). Margaret has a master's degree in psychology from Antioch University Seattle and a bachelor's degree in applied science, social sciences from Washington State University.
Team Offers Positive Choices for Teens in Hocking County, Ohio
Thanks to the teamwork of Hocking County Reclaiming Futures, many teens in Southeast Ohio are receiving the support they need to break the cycle of drugs, alcohol and crime.
Learn how this team creates healthy activities for young people. In a story, published by the Logan Daily News on April 1, they:
- Hiked trails with a soil & water conservation education specialist,
- Created art from recycled and reclaimed items, and
- Learned to identify trees and shrubs in the Hocking Hills
Reclaiming Futures teens are learning to give back too. By donating art objects for programming at the Bishop Educational Gardens, they are creating goodwill in the community.
Kudos to Hocking County Reclaiming Futures for building educational partnerships for court-involved young people. Together, they are connecting teens to positive activities and caring adults.
