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Left side of image is blue background with white text Call for Presenters 2023 Runaway and Homeless Youth National Grantee Training and on the right side an image of a person speaking at a podium

2023 RHY National Grantee Training 
Call for Presenters

The Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB), Division of Runaway and Homeless Youth, and the Runaway and Homeless Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center (RHYTTAC) are now accepting proposals for presentations at the 2023 Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) National Grantee Training. 

RHYTTAC welcomes proposals from enthusiastic presenters that align with the following objectives:

  • Learn strategies to identify the unique contexts and environments in which we work to enhance outcomes for RHY grantee programs and the youth they serve
  • Develop and strengthen partnerships with colleagues in the field of serving youth experiencing homelessness
  • Presentations should address at least one of the RHY Program’s four core outcome areas or new and innovative, research-based, and evidence-informed approaches to prevention, intervention, and aftercare. All presentations should be evidence-informed and the presentation includes information about the research and evidence guiding the intervention design

Who should consider presenting?

  • RHY Grantees in partnership with research, policy, and/or academic experts
  • Youth and Young Adults
  • Community Leaders
  • System Leaders (Juvenile Justice, child welfare, behavioral health care)
  • Licensed Social Workers
  • Researchers
  • Educators
  • Advocates
  • Young Adult Co-Presenters
  • A team of presenters with the above expertise

Recommended Topics:

Non-Profit Management

  • Leadership Training: New and innovative ways to improve employees' leadership skills, like decision-making, communicating, problem-solving, and adaptability in an ever-changing field
  • Program Sustainability and Growth: Strategies and models for ensuring program success beyond federal funding
  • Staff Recruitment and Retention: Innovative strategies for retaining quality staff in RHY programs by focusing on self-care, organizational culture, hiring, compensation, and career pathways
  • Equity in Data Collection, Sharing, and Evaluation: Considerations for how and why data are collected, protected, analyzed, and reported to understand the impact of data collection on marginalized communities
  • Advocacy and Systems Change: Building resources and relationships across youth-serving systems such as child welfare, juvenile justice, education, and mental health, along with coordinated community approaches to preventing and ending youth homelessness

RHY Four Core Outcome Areas

  • Social and Emotional Well-being: How communities, organizations, and programs can share resources to promote health, healing, and well-being among youth in RHY programs
  • Permanent Connections: Indicators and strategies to build long-lasting relationships and networks of support for youth
  • Education or Employment: Modern adaptations in a post-pandemic era that provide high quality education and employment services for youth in RHY programs
  • Safe and Stable Housing: Programs and strategies that outline the key elements and operationalizing of safe and stable housing

Program Strategies

  • Core Competency Skill Development: Building skills to enhance programs, selecting and implementing effective intake and assessment tools, and growing partnerships that nurture a youth’s strengths and connect them with the services they need to achieve stability
  • Prevention: Approaches that reduce the number of youth who experience homelessness and roles that RHY grantees can play at different levels of prevention in collaboration with other institutions
  • Aftercare: Strategies to meaningfully support youth beyond program engagement where collaboration with community partners expand capacity and support youth more holistically
  • Human Trafficking: Integrating strategies to prevent and address human trafficking among youth experiencing homelessness
  • Mental Health: Tools and approaches to enhance grantee capacity to address the mental health needs of youth, including prevention and addressing trauma, and the needs of staff including prevention of burnout/compassion fatigue
  • Evidence-based Practices: Program models and approaches proven effective through research in improving outcomes for youth experiencing homelessness
  • Innovative Practices: New approaches that support positive outcomes for youth and young adults and enhanced program operations
  • Positive Youth Development: Program strategies that are built using the Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework, including practices that intentionally partner with youth while utilizing strengths, focusing on overcoming adversity to develop resiliencies, nurturing positive relationships, promoting productively engaging in communities, and developing or enhancing leadership skills.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

  • Authentic Youth Engagement/ Leadership: Using a Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework to engage young people in meaningful leadership roles (e.g., Youth Action Board)
  • Creating Safe Spaces/Belonging: Building programs and services that celebrate equity, diversity, and inclusion (i.e., BIPOC/LGBTQIA2S+)
  • Restorative Practices: Programs and strategies that address the intersection of juvenile justice, conflict resolution, and safety within youth homelessness services
  • Indigenous Communities: Exploring the role that housing stability and culturally responsive social supports can play in preventing experiences of trafficking, exploitation, and violence against indigenous youth.

As a presenter, you will receive:

  • No-cost, full access to the three-day RHY National Grantee Training to present, network, and engage in full session schedule
  • Constructive feedback on your slides and presentation
  • Participant evaluations of your session
  • Listing in event communications to attendees, including in the event app

Presentation Format:

  • Length: Selected content will be delivered in one 75-minute workshop session at the National Training.
  • Size: Selected presenters will be notified of audience size after registration closes.
  • Audiovisual (A/V) Support: While completing the application, please indicate A/V needs. Standard equipment will include a screen, projector, Wi-Fi, slide advancer, handheld microphone, a laptop loaded with presentation, ability to play audio, and limited a/v support.
  • Additional Materials: Along with the PowerPoint, presenters have the option to provide additional digital handouts, resources, etc. as supplements for attendees. These additional materials will be uploaded into the event app for attendees to access during and following the workshop.

(Note: All submissions regardless of final selection for a workshop at the 2023 RHY National Grantee Training may be invited to present in additional RHYTTAC training and technical assistance (TTA) events including webinars, TA Cafes, or recorded as an eLearning module.)

Phase 1 Deadline for Abstracts is Now Closed.

Phase 1 Proposal Submission:

The Call for Presenters to occur in two phases. Phase 1 includes submission of abstract and presenter information. Phase 2 includes submission of full presentation materials. 

  1. Submit your proposal online.
  2. Once completed, a confirmation notice will be sent. If a confirmation notice is not received, this means the application has not been processed.
  3. Completed proposals, including all required criteria, to be received was July 27, 2023 at 11:59PM ET.
  4. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact Shandra Steininger, Training and Capacity Building Manager at [email protected].

Phase 1 Proposal Evaluation (Based on a 75-point system):

Proposals will be reviewed and evaluated by the National Grantee Training Planning Committee, consisting of Action for Impact Team members, young adults, RHYTTAC staff, RHY providers, and RHY federal program staff. We strive to create a balanced and representative group of topics, presenters, and presentation styles that will meet the training needs of the participants. 

Phase 1 proposals will be scored on the following criteria:

  • Applicability to RHY grantee programs (0-10 points)
  • Grounded in research, evidence-informed and/or evidence-based practice (0-10 points)
  • Connection to at least one of the four core outcomes. The four core outcomes include: 1) permanent connections; 2) social and emotional well-being; 3) education and employment; and 4) safe and stable housing (0-5 points)
  • Alignment with an in-demand TTA topic as requested through TTA requests, grantee evaluation feedback, national needs assessment or FYSB Priorities (0-15 points)
  • Presenter panel composition e.g., experience, credentials, diversity, young adult presenter (0-25 points)
  • Other elements e.g., creativity, urgency of the topic, innovation (0-10 points)

Questions?

If you have any questions regarding the Call for Presenters, please contact Shandra Steininger at [email protected], or if you have any other questions please contact RHYTTAC at [email protected].