Connect for Kids / Child Advocacy 360 / Youth Policy Action Center - Column

One More Time: Don’t Pit Preschoolers Against Teens

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:25:40 -0500

States are struggling. Children’s lives, too often, are truly in the balance as states and localities decide where to make cuts, often sacrificing long-term investments to achieve short-term cost savings. And a new National League of Cities report, City Fiscal Conditions 2009, suggests that the situation will worsen over the next two years.

Case Study: How MomsRising.Org Uses Social Media To Get Its Message Out

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:14:17 -0500

Sure, social media can make or break movies—think: Twitter-fueled Harry Potter frenzy or the crash of Bruno ticket sales—but can it help fuel a social change movement and engage people around issues? Blogger Ray Schultz takes a look at what the MomsRising.org network is learning.

A Changed Mind - Kids & Health Care Reform

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:16:45 -0500

"I am happy that I was proven wrong about how important it is to have the peace of mind and access to affordable, quality care when you need it..."

Twitter/Facebook: Time Well-Spent for Child/Youth Advocates?

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:19:50 -0600

Can Twitter and Facebook really perform miracles for hardworking child advocates? Journalist and Child Advocacy360 blogger Ray Schultz takes a look at the brave new world of social networking.

The Good, the Bad, and What’s Real about Social Media in Child Advocacy?

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:52:36 -0500

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?

Can Social Media Really Spark Social Change?

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:06:05 -0500

The advocacy organization Every Child Matters persuaded hundreds of members to congratulate President Obama on his first 100 days and on the “kid-friendly parts” of his budget. How did it mobilize so many? Through e-mail, Facebook and Twitter, among other things. But can children’s champions use social media to make a real-world impact? Commentator Ray Schultz talked with Every Child Matters.

Youth Today: Taking Risks for Transition-Age Youth

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:54:12 -0500

On any given day, scores of young people with limited individual and social capital are simultaneously struggling to exit some systems and enter others: foster care, residential treatment centers, higher education, mental health programs, gainful employment.

The Good News Imperative in Child/Youth Advocacy-A Plan for Action at the Top

Wed, 20 May 2009 13:51:44 -0500

How could something so simple as the power of good communication about good works and good results produced by advocacy initiatives in communities across America be so neglected by thought leaders and top executives in the child/youth field?

The Good News: A ‘Multiplier Effect’ in Child Advocacy

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:15:41 -0500

When people and organizations succeed in improving policies that affect disadvantaged children and young people, it makes a huge difference in many lives—a National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy report offers real results from New Mexico.

Youth Today: a "5 Star" President Who Happens to be Bi-Racial

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:23:09 -0500

On January 20, I joined millions of Americans and millions more around the world to watch the inauguration of our 44th president. Bad knees kept me out of the crowd, but I dutifully taped the day for family and friends who went out to be counted. I beamed at the image of the soon-to-be president, head back, eyes closed, breathing in the wonderful music played by Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman. I drank in the powerful words of the inaugural address, watching once, listening twice with eyes closed. I warmed to the close-ups of the people in the crowd – so much diversity, so much hope, so much respect for the moment and for each other.

Spotlight on “The Cost of Doing Nothing”—and How Advocates Can Avoid Not Doing Enough

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:11:31 -0600

A recent First Focus report, The Cost of Doing Nothing, offers a stunning analysis of the long-term impact of the current recession on child poverty and our nation as a whole. So is anyone really paying attention? And what can advocates do to drive home the issue -- and the solutions? I asked the report's author, Michael Linden, to weigh in.

Lessons Learned from Tracking Brenda Eheart and Hope Meadows

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:06:56 -0600

Hope Meadows, an intergenerational community in Illinois, creates a stable, extended family network for children moving from foster care to adoption. Its founders just keep doing more to impress and inspire me – and their work has motivated me to take action, following my own “Communication as Catalyst” theory...

Ready for Life: Yes, That Means College

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:39:29 -0600

The core belief here at the Forum for Youth Investment – that all young people should be Ready by 21 – ready for college, work and life – often provokes public criticism. The exchanges typically go like this:

"Not every young person needs to go to college," calls out one person from an audience. True, I say, but all should be ready to.

Reading Into the Hope Meadows Story

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 15:13:22 -0500

In this October 2008 blog entry, Hershel Sarbin reacts to a recent CFK article on Hope Meadows, an intergenerational community launched in 1993, and how “smartly its founders have adapted to changing conditions over the years.” Therein lies a model for all of us, he says.

How do We Measure Success in Child and Youth Advocacy?

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:54:40 -0500

In this column, Hershel Sarbin, publisher of Child Advocacy 360, lays out the basics of the Scorecard Initiative and asks for your help in identifying efforts across the country that are making a difference for kids and youth. ISO: Real People, Real Results.