Hope has emerged as one of the top factors leading to human flourishing across the life span. This keynote will present the science of Hope as a psychological strength in the ability of youth to cope with traumatic experiences and engage in pathways to well-being.

• Participants will learn the science of hope and its core components that lead to goal attainment.
• Participants will learn how hope can help youth overcome adversity on the path to safety and well-being.

Question & Answer Moderator
Kristen Truffa
Associate Director
Youth Collaboratory

Opening Keynote Presentation

Opening Session & Keynote Recording

3:00 p.m. ET - 4:10 p.m. ET - Workshop Session I

Science of Hope

Summary

Hope has emerged as one of the top factors leading to trauma exposed youth’s ability to thrive. This seminar will present research-based strategies to nurture hope among youth experiencing trauma and adversity. In particular research conducted at University of Oklahoma - Tulsa Hope Research Center will be discussed that show (1) hope predicts adaptive outcomes, (2) hope buffers the effects of adversity, and (3) hope can be taught and sustained. This seminar will also present “hands-on” tools to assess hope and develop strategies to nurture hope in youth.

Objectives

Participants will:

• Discuss the theoretical foundations of hope and its application to personal and professional wellbeing.
• Learn how to assess hope in youth.
• Practice strategies to nurture hope in youth.

Presenter

• Dr. Chan Hellman, Founding Director of Hope Research Center & Professor University of Oklahoma - Tulsa

Workshop Audience

• All RHY/Youth-Serving Professionals

Science of Hope Presentation

Advocacy In Action: How YAB's Create Systems Change

Summary

Advocacy is essential for runaway and homeless youth programs. This workshop will provide participants practical tools to build advocacy capacity with their Youth Action/Advisory Boards (YAB). Participants will learn real-life applications and hear about how Advocates 4 Change (A4C), a YAB in Western Pennsylvania, has used these techniques to advocate for their community. The workshop will include a discussion with two A4C members on their experiences in navigating the legislative system in Pennsylvania. Participants will walk away with a toolkit they can implement in their communities.

Objectives

Participants will:

• Understand why advocacy is essential.
• Leave with practical tools to build advocacy capacity with their YAB.
• Learn how to incorporate youth and young adults into their advocacy efforts.
• Understand how to empower youth and young adults to lead their community's advocacy work.

Presenters

• Andrew Palomo, Director of Community Strategies, National Network for Youth

Workshop Audience

• All RHY/Youth-Serving Professionals
• RHY 301/Advanced in the RHY field/workshop topic
• Micro Level: This is the most common practice, and it happens directly with an individual client or family.

Advocacy in Action Presentation

COVID-19 & Homelessness in the United States

Summary

This presentation will describe the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States among people experiencing homelessness. The presentation will include a description of the guidance and activities of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 Response Homelessness Unit.

Objectives

Participants will understand the activities of the CDC COVID-19 Response Homelessness Unit

Presenter

• Dr. Emily Mosites, Epidemiologist & Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

Workshop Audience

• All RHY/Youth-Serving Professionals

The Venturing On Into Community Engagement (VOICE) Project: Building the Social Supports of Formerly Homeless Youth

Summary

Many youth who transition from homelessness to housing experience a lack of social connection and community integration. To ensure youths’ needs are adequately understood and addressed, agencies can leverage participatory action research methods, and design-thinking techniques to (a) create community-facing, social opportunities for recently housed youth and (b) assess the effectiveness of these activities at improving youths’ community involvement and positive social connections. This presentation describes one agency's approach to helping recently housed youth build positive support networks and integrate with their broader community by using these two techniques. Attendees will learn about this innovative project while gaining hands-on design-thinking experience.

Objectives

Participants will:

• Be able to list the fundamental principles of design thinking.
• Apply the specific design-thinking techniques included in the presentation in their work to solve complex issues with creative solutions that consider the perspective of youth (or other "end users”).
• Propose ideas for overcoming the challenges associated with youth-adult partnerships to maximize the effectiveness of these relationships.
• Be able to describe at least three takeaways for offering effective community-building opportunities to youth.

Presenter

• Krystan Farnish, Research Analyst, LifeWorks
• Elizabeth A. Schoenfeld, Chief Research & Evaluation Officer, LifeWorks

Workshop Audience

• Transitional Living, Maternity Group Homes
• RHY 201/Experienced in the RHY field/workshop topic
• Mezzo Level: This practice deals with small-to-medium-sized groups, such as neighborhoods, schools, or other local organizations.

VOICE Project Presentation

Workforce Development Mentoring for Rural Youth: A Promising Approach to Support Runaway and Homeless Youth in Rural Settings

Summary

One of the most impactful methods to reduce chronic homelessness within rural youth is to help youth reduce barriers to access the job market. The Workforce Development Mentoring for Rural Youth training provides an interactive overview of three types of workforce development approaches for vulnerable youth and highlights how entrepreneurship can be utilized as a cost-effective method in rural settings. Participants will leave with an understanding of the landscape of workforce development for vulnerable youth and tangible ways to implement entrepreneurship training into their program.

Objectives

Participants will:

• Learn an array of workforce development strategies for homeless or vulnerable youth.
• Learn how to use mentoring as a key to build and enhance workforce skills in youth.
• Leave with practical tools to implement mentoring and entrepreneurship within their program.

Presenter

• Chris Hultquist, Executive Director, The Mentor Connector

Workshop Audience

• Basic Center
• RHY 201/Experienced in the RHY field/workshop topic
• Mezzo Level: This practice deals with small-to-medium-sized groups, such as neighborhoods, schools, or other local organizations.

Workforce Development Presentation

Colorado Rural Collaborative for Runaway and Homeless Youth: A Collective Impact Initiative to Serve Rural Homeless Youth in Their Community

Summary

Colorado Rural Collaborative (RC) for Runaway and Homeless Youth has served homeless and at-risk youth for more than a decade by increasing the capacity of rural communities to serve homeless youth in their home communities. RC covers a broad geographic region from the Western Slope to Southern Colorado to the Northeast Quadrant of the State. The RC is a Collective Impact Initiative guided by a common agenda, shared measurement system, mutually-reinforcing activities, and continuous communication. Collective Impact is a research- based framework for bringing people together in a structured way to achieve social change.

Objectives

Participants will:

• Understand rural strategies to provide prevention, shelter/housing, and supportive services for youth who are homeless in rural areas under Collective Impact.
• Identify community partners and stakeholders needed to address youth homelessness.
• Apply the Collective Impact Principle, the Common Agenda.

Presenter

• Kippi Clausen, Strategic Engagement &Training Coordinator, Colorado Rural Collaborative for Runaway and Homeless Youth/Unfolding Directions
• Lanae Davis, Senior Research Associate, Center for Policy Research

Workshop Audience

• All RHY/Youth-Serving Professionals
• RHY 101/New to the RHY field/workshop topic
• Macro: This practice strives to help clients by intervening in large systems. Examples include the following: contributing to state, regional, or national responses to youth, participating in broad evaluation studies, and educating decision-makers on RHY needs.

Colorado Rural Collaborative Presentation

4:30 p.m. ET - 5:40 p.m. ET - Workshop Session II

Beyond Homelessness: Cultivating Youth & Young Adult Leadership at Every Level

Summary

This session explores labels and stereotypes attached to young people experiencing homelessness. Specifically, leaders will challenge themselves and their organizations to elevate the role of youth and help expand the leadership capacity of young people to partner more effectively with them to eliminate youth homelessness in this country. Participants also hear from youth and young adult leaders regarding strategies to engage and develop the leadership capacity of the young people they serve.

Objectives

Participants will:

• Explore misconceptions and negative stereotypes of young people that create barriers to them being seen and supported as leaders and equal partners in the fight to end youth homelessness.
• Explore practical things RHY providers, leaders, and organizations can do to encourage, support, and elevate youth voice and youth leadership at every level.
• Receive strategies and tips from young leaders to empower organizations to see beyond homelessness and elevate both the expectations and leadership of youth and young adults in their programs.

Presenter

• Yorri Berry, Director of Youth Partnerships, National Network for Youth

Workshop Audience

• All RHY/Youth-Serving Professionals
• RHY 101/New to the RHY field/workshop topic
• Macro: This practice strives to help clients by intervening in large systems. Examples include the following: contributing to state, regional, or national responses to youth, participating in broad evaluation studies, and educating decision-makers on RHY needs.

Beyond Homelessness Presentation

Promoting Youth Health and Wellbeing

Summary

Youth who live with housing insecurity and are disconnected from their communities have often experienced multiple forms of trauma. For example, family violence, intimate partner and dating violence, community violence, and human trafficking. This workshop will provide participants with the latest insights from the science of resilience and youth wellbeing with an emphasis on how to apply science insights to intervention and program innovations. The workshop will highlight as an example of this the Empowered Families Kansas Youth Advocacy Program. They will share their lessons learned about centering the needs of youth in their programming to ensure a more comprehensive response to domestic violence. In addition, presenters from the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence will provide an overview on their updated Runaway and Homeless Youth and Relationship Violence Toolkit.

Objectives

Participants will:

• Define resilience and its key components.
• Explore ways to use resilience science to inform youth related program, practice, and policy design.
• Describe critical elements that contributed to the successes of Empowered Families Kansas Youth Advocacy Mentoring Program.
• Recognize and understand the intersection of runaway and homeless youth and intimate partner violence, and the importance of creating meaningful partnerships between the programs working with youth at risk.

Presenters

• Mie Fukuda, Ed.M., Children and Youth Program Manager, Futures Without Violence
• Carolyn Allred, Child and Youth Project Manager, Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence
• Bre Kirkhart, Child and Youth Services Coordinator, Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence
• Ivonne Ortiz, Training Institute Manager, National Resource Center on Domestic Violence

Workshop Audience

• All RHY/Youth-Serving Professionals

Promoting Youth Health and Wellbeing Presentation

So, You Want to be the One "In Charge?" Is Executive Leadership Right for You?

Summary

Mid-level managers often aspire to be executive leaders, wanting to be "in charge.” But, is executive leadership all that it's cracked up to be? Is it for everyone? The workshop's target audience is managers who aspire to become executive directors or CEOs and will focus on the good, the bad, and the ugly of executive leadership. The presenter will share insights from his
own 27 years in organizational leadership and discuss the dynamics of leadership about which managers may not be aware as they consider advancing their careers. Ample opportunities to discuss leadership and career development will be provided.

Objectives

Participants will:

• Learn about the dynamics of executive leadership they may not have previously considered as they think about their career advancement.
• Explore the differences between leadership and management and ask themselves what they envision for themselves.
• Identify different types of and opportunities for leadership in their current and future careers.

Presenter

• Paul Hamann, President & CEO, The Night Ministry

Workshop Audience

• All RHY/Youth-Serving Professionals
• RHY 201/Experienced in the RHY field/workshop topic
• Macro: This practice strives to help clients by intervening in large systems. Examples include the following: contributing to state, regional, or national responses to youth, participating in broad evaluation studies, and educating decision-makers on RHY needs.

Strategies for Building and Leveraging Social Capital among Runaway and Homeless Youth

Summary

During this workshop, grantees will learn about recent findings from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services research into social capital – including peer supports and efforts to build and leverage long-lasting connections – in human services programs, such as those that serve runaway and homeless youth (RHY). Presenters will review findings described in a recently released social capital handbook designed for practitioners, as well as describe the emerging practices outlined in the handbook and strategies for implementing them. Participants will hear from an evidence-based practitioner in the field on how they use social capital building strategies in their work with youth. Finally, presenters will describe strategies for measuring social connections and other types of social capital.

Objectives

Participants will:

• Understand research on the role of social capital, including peer supports, in improving well-being, increasing employment, and reducing poverty.
• Become familiar with emerging and evidenced-based practices being used by practitioners to help participants both build and use social support networks.
• Explore potential strategies for measuring connections and other types of social capital.

Presenters

• Shayna Scholnick, LICSW, Director of the Promotor Pathway®, Latin American Youth Center’s (LAYC)
• Maureen Berner, PhD, Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Government
• Laura Erickson, Social Science Analyst, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Workshop Audience

• All RHY/Youth-Serving Professionals

Strategies for Building & Leveraging Social Capital Presentation

Emergency Preparedness for RHY Projects, Youth, & Families

Summary

Preparedness is a shared responsibility which calls for the "whole community" involvement. By working together, everyone can keep the nation safe from harm and resilient when struck by hazards, such as natural and manmade disasters, household emergencies, and pandemics. This workshop focuses on essential preparedness tips and information to keep you, your family, and your organization safe and prepared for any disaster through interactive discussions, presentations, and helpful resources from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Objectives

• Introduction to individual preparedness and how individuals play a critical role in response both at home and in the field.
• Understand the role young people play in emergency management and preparedness.
• Learn about the importance of continuity planning through publicly available resources such as the OPEN training as well as empower Community-Based Organizations to prepare for incidents.
• Introduce participants to FEMA preparedness resources available publicly on ready.gov.

Presenters

• Kimberly Hayward, Community Preparedness Officer, Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Amy Pifine, Community Preparedness Specialist, Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Sumayya Menk, Regional Preparedness Liaison, Federal Emergency Management Agency

Workshop Audience

• All RHY/Youth-Serving Professionals

Emergency Preparedness Presentation

Pathways to Permanency: Dismantling Systems of Care Pipeline

Summary

Nationally, LGBTQ+ youth are disproportionately represented in child welfare systems, the juvenile justice system, mental health systems, and amongst youth experiencing homelessness/displacement. Utilizing evidence-informed strategies developed through a research project with the William's Institute, a discussion will follow about the barriers and outcomes LGBTQ+ youth of color face in these interwoven systems of care. Blending community organizing, grass-tops advocacy, and social work disciplines, participants will gain knowledge and tools needed to disrupt the intricate pipelines of rejection and negative outcomes for youth of color and LGBTQ+ youth in systems of care at their local level.

Objectives

Participants will:

• Understand specific barriers to permanency facing LGBTQ+ youth in systems of care, particularly youth of color.
• Analyze the role pipelines between homelessness, education, health, incarceration, and child welfare play in disenfranchising LGBTQ+ youth and maintaining national trends.
• Gain knowledge and tools to evaluate policies and practices on a local and statewide level affecting LGBTQ+ youth in systems of care to disrupt the status quo.

Presenter

• Ariel Bustamante, Training & Coaching Manager, Los Angeles LGBT Center
• Dr. Frank McAlpin, Senior Manager of Housing, Los Angeles LGBT Center

Workshop Audience

• All RHY/Youth-Serving Professionals
• RHY 201/Experienced in the RHY field/workshop topic
• Macro: This practice strives to help clients by intervening in large systems. Examples include the following: contributing to state, regional, or national responses to youth, participating in broad evaluation studies, and educating decision-makers on RHY needs.

Pathways To Permanency Presentation

How to Engage a Lawyer and Advocate for Your Clients' Rights

Summary

Join us to learn about the full range of legal issues faced by youth experiencing homelessness, why it is essential to engage a lawyer, and how to access legal resources in your community, whether urban, small city, or rural. You will also hear firsthand from a local service provider- attorney duo about the Seattle Youth Engagement Team (YET) and how youth-centered wrap- around services, including legal services, might work practically in your community. This workshop is for staff new to the field, as well as the most experienced directors of programs.

Objectives

Participants will:

• Identify an existing legal barrier that needs attention and resolution.
• Learn when and how to engage a lawyer to access benefits that their clients are legally networking entitled to more easily.
• Learn from a youth service provider and direct legal service provider the benefits of engaging lawyers in wrap-around supportive services and the steps necessary to build these multi-system collaborations in your community.
• Learn the impact of the ABA Homeless Youth Legal Network (HYLN), how to join HYLN, and share in free tools and resources continuing to be built by HYLN.

Presenters

• Kelly Russo, Director, Commission on Homelessness and Poverty, American Bar Association
• Rhea Yo, Youth Homelessness Program Supervisor, Legal Counsel for Youth and Children
• Shaun Frazier, Director of Homeless Services, The Y Social Impact Center

Workshop Audience

• All RHY/Youth-Serving Professionals
• RHY 101/New to the RHY field/workshop topic
• Macro: This practice strives to help clients by intervening in large systems. Examples include the following: contributing to state, regional, or national responses to youth, participating in broad evaluation studies, and educating decision-makers on RHY needs.

How to Engage a Lawyer & Advocate Presentation

5:30 p.m. ET - 6:30 p.m. ET - Consultations (T/TA and RHY-HMIS)

Abt Associates offered 15 minute consultations on program and reporting needs. Sixteen sessions were offered on a first come, first served basis during this hour. 

5:45 p.m. ET - 6:45 p.m. ET - Virtual Networking

Youth and Young Adult Leaders Connect

The core values of youth and young adult empowerment was centered in this networking event meant to highlight the voices of young people doing advocacy work around the nation. Broken into a panel and free discourse section, this informal, real-time discussion was a source of education and networking for young leaders. Adults were asked to be thoughtful of this space as a time exclusively for young people. Andre Thomas, Youth Catalyst Team, hosted the live session. He welcomed participants and provided guiding discussion questions and prompts, then provided instructions for how to use the video-chat feature to connect one-on-one.

RHY Program Networking

Particpants connected with RHY Grantees, youth service organizations, youth and young adults, and allies in these virtual networking sessions. They heard directly from providers and young people about their experiences with RHY programs. Participants discussed trends particular to each program, and brainstormed solutions to challenges. They recieved ideas and support from colleagues doing the work. Facilitators welcomed participants and provided guiding discussion questions and prompts, then provided instructions for how to use the video-chat feature to connect one-on-one.

• Basic Center Program Networking - David Durr, Director, Lighthouse Youth Services
• Street Outreach Program Networking - Kathy Sauve, Housing, Youth and Family Resource Director, Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota
• Transitional Living Program Networking - Frank McAlpin, Program Manager, LA LGBT Center
• Maternity Group Home Networking - Pauletta Red Willow, Executive Director, Maggie's House TLP