Latest News & Articles:

The Good-News Challenge: How the Journalism Center for Children & Families Covers An Important Beat

Nov. 5 - Child Advocacy 360 blogger Ray Schultz goes behind the news with the the only journalism nonprofit that focuses exclusively on children, youth and families at risk. What do its leaders think about the state of mainstream media, the power of "good news" and what comes next?
Read the story  |  See more of Ray's blogs.

College Mental Health: A Different Diagnosis

Oct. 21 - Student struggles with college mental health services are leading to some important changes across the country. Here's a fresh perspective by young reporter Annie Robinson, of WireTap Magazine. Read more.

Parents Design L.A. Parent Involvement Model

Oct. 21 -This year, the Los Angeles Unified School District launched a new model for parent involvement that specifically addresses the needs of "parents of color with kids who struggle in urban schools." It's designed by and for parents to improve learning and connection to schools, as the Children's Advocate's Ellen Noyes reports. Read more.

Middle School Youth Lead the Way: Creating "Pathways to Leadership" in After-School Programs

Third in a CFK series, Tips for Engaging Adolescents
Oct. 7 - Middle school is a critical period of vunerability - and opportunity. Here's a look at how one New York-based Beacons out-of-school time program is successfully engaging young people from age 9 through 21 in a deliberate pathway from participant to "professional" and preparing them for success in high school and beyond. (Youth Development Institute.) Read more.

For Young Americans, Health Care Reform is Our Fight

In a surprising generational turnabout, a CNN poll finds that health care reform is significantly more popular among young people than among adults over the age of 50. Erica Williams of Campus progress explains why young people have so much invested in the issue. Read the article.

CFK's Toolkit for Funding

Updated - From special provisions of the Recovery Act to an NFL Grassroots Grant to guides from the field, our newly updated Funding Toolkit can help you hit the ground running this fall! Read the Toolkit.

October 2009 - As Congress and the administration work to reform our nation's health care system, here are resources to understand what's happening, what's in it for kids and young people, and what you can do to get involved. Read more.

Columns:

One More Time: Don't Pit Preschoolers Against Teens
Karen Pittman's column
Karen finds commonalities between juvenile justice and the child welfare systems. Leaders from both systems convened recently to hear about efforts to strengthen supports for young people. Read Karen's column.

• Karen Pittman's columns

Case Study: How MomsRising.Org Uses Social Media To Get Its Message Out
Ray Schultz's blog

July 15 - Sure, social media can make or break movies—witness the Twitter-fueled Harry Potter frenzy or the crash of Bruno ticket sales—but can it help fuel a social change movement and engage concerned adults and young people around issues? Here’s a look at what MomsRising is finding. Read more.

Past Blogs:

• July 1 - Twitter/Facebook: Time Well Spent for Child & Youth Advocates?
• June 3 - Can Social Media Really Spark Social Change?

The Good, the Bad, and What’s Real about Social Media in Child Advocacy?
Hershel Sarbin's blog
All ‘a-twitter’ about social media in child advocacy communication? Lots of folks are. But to what end? Are we just looking for connections with like-minded people, or a chance to move people to action—and just how would you do that with 140 characters per message? How much time does it take each day to make social media effective? Read Hershel's column.

• All of Hershel Sarbin's communications columns.

• Taking Stock: What the 2009 Children's Budget Says about Us (and Why it Matters)
• The Real Cost of Child Poverty, and What We Can Do About It
• “Hunger after the School Bell” as Advocates Gear Up for the Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization
• A New White House Initiative to Strengthen Community College
• School Connectedness: A Video Highlight
• Witness to Hunger: A CFK Multimedia Story
• HEARTH Act: What it Means for Kids.

>> More CFKArticles

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CFK Update | November 5, 2009

The Latest from the Field

Children and young people don't grow up in fragmented programs. That's why we're committed to bringing you best practices, news and policy developments from across the child and youth field. Here are a few of the highlights:

A Look at Community Schools
When public schools partner with nonprofits, local agencies and community members to offer services like health care and other youth development activities, without burdening school staff, they can work to reduce the impacts of poverty on students.

"Justices Will Scrutinize Life Sentences for Youths"
Twenty years after a 13-year-old was sentenced to life without parole for rape, the Supreme Court will consider whether "extreme sentences for juveniles" are Constitutional (Washington Post article).

Physical Activity Opportunities Associated With Fitness and Weight Status Among Adolescents in Low-Income Communities
A study in the November 2009 Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine has good news about public policy’s ability to boost the health of low-income children and youth—yes, policy. Community environment is a changeable factor in the fight against obesity.

Local Governments Actions to Prevent Obesity
An Institute of Medicine report tallies the cost of childhood obesity and actions that local governments can take.

Take Action on Health Care with the FamiliesUSA Toolkit!
National health care reform is happening right now. The House and Senate have both worked hard to get bills out of committees. Advocates say that keeping a positive drumbeat this month is key! Here's how you (yes, you) can make a real difference in your hometown and across the country.

10 Reasons to Support Health Care Reform
Families USA has key points for your letters and calls to policymakers.

Changing Systems: Outcomes from the RWJF Reclaiming Futures Initiative on Juvenile Justice and Substance Abuse
Here's a longstanding initiative that's showing real results in its latest evaluation.Get the details.

Action Central: Tools for Advocacy

• ABC's of Advocacy
• A Toolkit for Funding
• Advocating for Kids (Transcript)
• More Taking Action Toolkits

Got a minute to get involved? Check out our Action Alerts!

Featured Alerts:

Create a White House Office on Children and Youth!
The Federal government runs hundreds of critical programs to serve children and youth ages 0 to 24, which are spread across 12 departments and agencies. This fragmentation is getting in the way of effectiveness, but we can do better ... more.

With Congress back after the Labor Day recess, Families USA says now is an excellent time to contact your representatives and urge them to work hard to improve how families can access affordable health care.

September is Hunger Action Month
Hunger and obesity together? It's a paradox that is becoming an increasingly common American phenomenon. This year's Hunger Action Month activities are centered on child hunger and upcoming Child Nutrition reauthorization.