Archives for April 2014

It’s been a busy end of Winter and beginning of Spring!  Here’s a recap of what FAST TRAC has coming up…

• Independence City!   This is a simulation for youth to explore the  “real life” opportunities, successes and challenges they will experience as an adult.  Youth will become another person for the afternoon – they will have a job and a budget on which they must live.  They will visit various tables that represent life as an adult – a bank, a landlord, a nurse, the electric company.  Their task for the day is to determine how to live on their budget and see how their decisions impact one another (i.e. They may learn that it’s not financially possible to live alone in the apartment that they want to rent.  They may find that there are unexpected costs along the way -a parking ticket, a trip to the ER- that they need to figure out how to fit into their budget.).  Independence City has been implemented in various places throughout the country and is a fun way for youth to learn about what is to come as they become adults.  For more information, see Danny Little’s article in the newsletter.
• My Feelings Are a Work of Art (MFAWA) applications are in!  Those who applied for MFAWA funding for an art project that promotes mental health awareness have been notified of their award.  This is FAST TRAC’s 5th year working with the community to raise awareness of mental health through artwork.  Last year, we had our 3rd annual MFAWA Art Gallery at Eastgate Mall with youth, family members, schools and agency partners from all over the community joining us for the opening reception.  Look for information in late summer regarding the 4th annual MFAWA Art Gallery, which will display the artwork created through this year’s projects.
• Families Connected is hosting a Mental Health Conference on May 10th.  This is a time for family members and professionals to get together and learn more about PTSD and Reactive Attachment Disorder.  For more information, call Jean Houston at 513-732-5034.
• Our last family fishing event was a HUGE success, so another fishing event is scheduled for Friday, June 27th 6-9pm at the Mt Carmel Social Club.  We will be grilling out, so it’d be great if you could bring a side dish to share.  Remember to bring your fishing equipment and bait.  I hear they are stocking the lake for the event, so it should be a GREAT time!  Call Jean Houston if you’d like to attend this event.  513-732-5034
• Don’t forget about our Cultural Conversations book club discussion, coming up on April 29nd 12-2pm.  If you haven’t requested the book, Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving, call Mary Wolff to request a FREE copy.  513-732-5415

Wanakee Brown

I am from Elkhart, Indiana and I have a B.A. in Psychology from Indiana University. I have 10 years of experience in healthcare management and administration.  I am well versed in Social and Community psychology research techniques. I co-authored the “2009 HIV/AIDS Prevention Gap Analysis” for the Indiana Health Department.  My research findings in the field of Psychology of Religion are published in text book The Psychology of Prayer (Spilka, Ladd 2013).  I enjoy taking walks in nature, teaching dance, and reading books about religion and indigenous cultures.  Joining Family & Children First as a Wraparound Facilitator has been very rewarding.  It has allowed me the opportunity to be a part of creating community change. I love that this program is unconditional, which extends a sense of hope and support for the families we work with. I am truly blessed to be a part of Wraparound and I look forward to learning more about how Clermont County serves the community.

The UC Evaluation Team spent the winter months examining data from multiple sources in our continual effort to evaluate the effectiveness of FAST TRAC services, as well as provide real-time feedback to FAST TRAC program leadership. We are becoming quite adept at “matching” datasets, which is allowing us to use data collected through the national longitudinal study to examine (or even statistically predict) FAST TRAC participant outcomes and shed light on question such as, “To what extent are FAST TRAC services working? “For whom do FAST TRAC services appear to work best? Which types of FAST TRAC families may need extra support in order to be successful?”

We also spent time this winter fine-tuning an instrument developed collaboratively with the Peer Support Partner (PSP) program that measures the intended goals of the PSP program: (1) Assist families to identify their natural supports; (2) Enhance families’ sense of empowerment to navigate the children’s services system; (3) Provide emotional, social, and practical support to families; (4) Prepare families to be efficient and effective service users; and (5) Positively impact overall family stability. Preliminary results indicate that families who received PSP services at least four months or more experienced a significant positive change (i.e., ranging from a 27% to 81% increase) across all goals since enrolling in the program. Results of this “PSP Outcomes Survey” were presented at the February 2014 Evaluation Workgroup meeting along with results from the PSP satisfaction survey, which includes participant narrative comments about strengths of the program and areas of need.

Evaluation Briefs describing these and other results in detail will be disseminated in May 2014 (please go to http://clermontfasttrac.org/category/evaluation to download copies of existing Evaluation Briefs). Other dissemination efforts include presentation of FAST TRAC evaluation findings at national venues, such as the 27^th Annual Children’s Mental Health Research and Policy Conference in Tampa, FL (oral presentation) and the 2014 National Technical Assistance Center for Children’s Mental Health Training Institute in Washington, DC (poster presentation).

Recruitment for the national longitudinal study continues to be strong, with 184 families (i.e., youth and/or caregiver) currently enrolled.  We want to acknowledge and thank the daily efforts of Clermont FAST TRAC program staff and our family interviewers who administer surveys and interview youth and caregivers. Without their efforts, we would simply be left to guess about the impact of FAST TRAC services.

From your UC Evaluation Team, have a wonderful spring!

The next Cultural Conversations book club selection is Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving.  It tells the story of the author’s journey to understand inexplicable racial tensions in her personal and professional relationships and how an “aha” moment launched an adventure of discovery and insight that drastically shifted her worldview and upended her life plan.

To participate in the FREE book club you must either live or work in Clermont County.  You can pick up the FREE book at the Clermont County Mental Health & Recovery Board offices, located at 2337 Clermont Center Drive, Batavia, Ohio 45103.  A discussion of the book is scheduled for Tuesday April 29, 2014 from noon to 2pm at the Clermont County Mental Health & Recovery Board’s  meeting room located at the above address.  Please bring your lunch –  refreshments will be provided.  For more information, please call Mary Wolff, Cultural and Linguistic Competence Coordinator for FAST TRAC at 732-5415.

For our April event, we took some youth and young adults to UC Clermont for a campus tour, a presentation, and lunch.  All the youth had a great time.  The event was a good opportunity for youth who were on the fence about attending college, giving them a chance to explore career paths and  to see if college may be a good option.  One of the most interesting things was learning more about financial aid.  Did you know some students have the option to go to UC Clermont for absolutely no charge?  That’s right, financial aid can sometimes cover everything.  If you are a youth or young adult and are interested in looking into college and missed the April event, please contact me as we will be working to plan another UC visit.  My contact information is at the bottom of this article.

Also, not to forget our upcoming events, on May 10^th from 11:30am to 3:00pm, we are hosting our first Independence City.  Independence City is a simulated “life on your own” game in which youth will learn basic life skills and how to overcome barriers.  This event is free for all Clermont County youth and will be held at the Child Focus Training Center.  Wrap Camp is slated to start up again in June.  This is a summer day camp for Wraparound youth.  Last year we went to the YMCA once a week.  We also played laser tag and went to Woodland Mound.  We are looking for Program Aides for Wrap Camp.  These positions are paid!  If interested, contact Danny Little by email dlittle@gcbhs.com or by phone (513)305-3471.

By Jean Houston, FAST TRAC Lead Family Contact

On March 22, 2014, we started the third family leadership series.  We began with a retreat at Woodland Lakes.  The weather was cool, but no one seemed to mind as we worked toward building our trust and awareness of other’s needs during those first two hours.  One example of the trust building we did was to blindfold a few people and give them a large rope to form into a square.  The trust came through by working diligently and giving precise auditory directions to help them move about in a way so they could succeed and form the shape.

Lunch followed and the conversations began among the participants. We talked about what we bring to the table when we begin the venture to discover our desire to support our family and whether we want to go further and become involved in community issues.  We looked at our “baggage” and how that affects our ability to be open to hear what others are saying.

Mary Wolff, FAST TRAC Cultural and Linguistic Competence Coordinator, facilitated a session titled “OUCH! That Stereotype Hurts.”  This diversity training brought us together to discuss ways to appropriately respond when we hear remarks about an individual or a group of people that makes us feel uneasy or angry.

We discussed what a leader looks like to the participants.  Each table used a large sheet of paper to write down their ideas and then came up with one description they agreed was their definition of a leader. We talked about how changes have occurred throughout history.  Those changes did not occur because of campaigns by professionals, but rather came about due to parents and those who believed in the cause; advocating for changes from the local to the national level.  Some of those changes were children with disabilities being educated with peers through the advocacy to create IDEA, the special education law; creating the United Cerebral Palsy Organization and The Arc, among others.

Recognizing the needs of children/youth who have mental health issues and accompanying behavioral challenges, and ensuring they get an appropriate education, is the “new” challenge for the parents and advocates of those children.  Families face many challenges as they look toward the future of their children.  They must learn how to maneuver within the systems their children may be involved in by learning the language of the systems.

This group gives the opportunity to do just that.  We bring agency persons who can give insight and resources to families.  This series of sessions will provide an opportunity to learn about the systems, working within a group, advocating for your family and others, and expanding  your leadership skills to reach out to another family and share what you have learned to guide them toward locating supports. Parents often feel isolated and overwhelmed, but when someone understands what you are going through, the stress level is lowered.  Helping each other is how advocacy was born and changes occurred for children.

The next meeting of the Family Leadership group will be on Saturday, May 17, 2014 9:00a-3:00 pm.  The series ends on Saturday, September 13, 2014.  Sessions are held at the Mental Health & Recovery Board. Childcare and lunch will be provided.

If you are committed to the challenge and would like to learn more about the Family Leadership series, please give me a call at 513-732-5034.