Collaboration Council Newsletter
November 2018
 
Former board chair Andrew Friedson & long time board member Patty Vitale 
Collaborative Corner:
A big "thank you!" to our board members Andrew Friedson & Patty Vitale 

The Collaboration Council would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to retiring board members Andrew Friedson, former board chair, and Patty Vitale, for their outstanding commitment and years of service to the children, youth & families of Montgomery County. We wish them the best as they move on to serve the county in different capacities. 

Bridges to the Future: 
Interagency Advisory Team

The System of Care - Bridges to the Future, held its first Interagency Advisory Team (IAT) comprised of representatives from agencies in Montgomery County that serve transitional-age youth and young adults (Y/YA) with mental health challenges ages 16-21 years old. This cross-system collaborative team has been brought together through a common desire to provide the best continuum of services and supports to create a smoother pathway for a healthy transition into adulthood. The team met to discuss successes, break down agency barriers to services, and to recommend changes to needed policies or programming. The IAT will continue to work towards being the local "barrier busters" for Y/TA at both the program and system level. Members of the team are critical to the success of Bridges to the Future Initiative and to the Y/YA that it serves. If you have any interest in learning more about our work, feel free to contact project director Debra Cady at debra.cady@collaborationcouncil.org
Participants in the LGBTQAI Ally Training
Community of Practice

In the month of November, the Youth Development Community of Practice (CoP) offered 4 training opportunities for youth development practitioners in Montgomery County. Topics included Group Games Training, LGBTQAI Allies for Youth, Building a Parent Community, and Increasing Parent Engagement a 2-day Training, and will close the month out with the upcoming Adolescent Development training. Click here to see highlights from past CoP workshops.

The National Association of Counties and the Montgomery County Government presented the Collaboration Council with a Recognition of Excellence Award for the Community of Practice (CoP ) Advancing Youth Development(AYD) Training Program. The AYD Training Program was nominated by the Montgomery County Department of Recreation. Elaine Johnson, CoP Director, accepted the award on behalf of the Collaboration Council at the recognition event held November 13, 2018. As we gear up for the holiday season, the CoP will be offering 6 workshops in December. To register for upcoming workshops click here
Many Voices for Smart Choices 

The Collaboration Council will be hosting our second Many Voices for Smart Choices coalition meeting on Wednesday, December 5, 2018 (5-6pm). Please join us to learn about current efforts, and what you can do to help combat underage drinking and the non-medical use of prescription drugs by high school-aged youth.

Excel Beyond the Bell: 
"Engage, Enrich, Evaluate: It's Program Quality Evaluation Time at EBB!"

In EBB, it's 'iron-sharpening time'. This month finds EBB providers taking a hard look at their data and measuring the quality of programing. Out of School Time providers are spending time observing EBB programs and providing valuable coaching and feedback for improvement. As a bonus, providers are sharing information with the Collaboration Council to help inform our professional development menus for 2019, offered through our Community of Practice. The data shared will also help inform the supports provided by the Collaboration Council to help engage and enrich the variety of quality positive youth development-focused programs that we are proud to present to the youth and families of Montgomery County.
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