4/28/2011

Child Abuse Prevention Month Follow-Up

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As a wrap-up to April's National Child Abuse Prevention Month, I wanted to thank all of the over 250 mentoring and youth-serving program staff who supported this important issue by registering for and attending our two special webinars! If you missed the webinars, view the slides or watch a recording of the presentation.

The questions from both webinars really show that not only do youth professionals care about the safety of children and youth in their programs, they also have a high awareness of the problem and strategies to prevent child sexual abuse. I am increasingly impressed with the level of understanding and experience from youth mentoring programs. When I started our SAFE trainings just about six years ago, the majority of programs had a few steps in the application process, but, and more importantly, they were unaware of how to use the tools in order to really screen out inappropriate applicants.

Doing the job right, and not just doing the right job, takes more resources and staff time. But, as we say in closing our trainings, imagine your worst case scenario - could you look back on your process and defend your actions?

There's just two more days to take advantage of our special price on SAFE: 50% off the list price until Saturday, April 30th! Order online and enter "CAPMONTH" into the promo section while checking out.

Do what you can to prevent child abuse in your program!

4/18/2011

Volunteer Appreciation Week!

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National Volunteer Appreciation Week has come to an end. At Friends for Youth, it’s been a time to celebrate.


Friends for Youth acknowledged National Volunteer Appreciation Week with a soiree at the British Bankers Club in Menlo Park on Tuesday night. All volunteers, including current and alumni mentors, board members and A Team members, were invited. More than thirty volunteers past and present showed up.


The annual event is an opportunity for Friends for Youth volunteers to meet each other, exchange stories, and deepen their connection to the organization. It is also Friends for Youth’s chance to celebrate all the people that have helped make it so successful for more than 32 years. Volunteers who attended received a certificate commending them for their service.


Food and drinks were provided. Especially delectable at the BBC are the very unhealthy onion rings, on which one staff member gorged himself. It was a time to celebrate.

4/12/2011

New Grant for Friends for Youth

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Friends for Youth recently received approval for a grant for our Mentoring Services Education Enhancement Program from the David & Lucile Packard Foundation.  We are pleased to have the support of another generous family foundation in making a difference in the lives of young people in our community.

4/01/2011

Spotlight Friendship: Phil + Jeff and Katie + Elizabeth

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Congratulations to all our Friendships who recently completed their year together. Here we highlight two of their stories.

Phil and Jeff were matched in February 2010. They’ve had a terrific year! They came to many group activities such as:
• Kite Making Workshop
• Laser Quest
• Outdoor Movie Night
• Breaking the Cycle Life Skill Workshop
• We’re All Made Out of Stars Planetarium Visit
They also utilized free tickets offered by Friends for Youth to go to Alcatraz. Phil and Jeff attended our Fashion Show in 2010 and were “on call” to be part of our Friendship Panel. While they didn’t need to go on stage that day, we are looking forward to having them speak at a future event! They plan to stay in contact and continue their awesome Friendship!

Katie and Elizabeth also met in February 2010. They hit it off pretty much right away and came to tons of Friends for Youth activities, such as:
• Kite Making Workshop
• Laser Quest
• Outdoor Movie Night
• Breaking the Cycle Life Skill Workshop
They also attended our Fashion Show event and they utilized free tickets offered by Friends for Youth to go to Alcatraz and to see the Nutcracker Ballet. Katie and Elizabeth are so generous for allowing us to feature their Friendship in our One + 1 Newsletter, allowing others to learn about their experience in the program. They plan to stay in contact and continue their awesome Friendship!

Additionally, both Junior Friends Jeff and Elizabeth are excited to support their Senior Friends Phil and Katie, as they embark on their own special journey this year in starting their own family! Katie & Phil are married to one another and are now expecting their first child.

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