The Boston metro region continues to support youth under the Community Options Release Engagement (CORE) process as they prepare to reenter their community. In the central region, our pilot program is doing well.  Families who have been referred to the diversion program continue to engage with our family navigator, as well as access services to prevent them from entering the court system at a deeper level. 

In the Hampden region, Aid Bednaz's expertise has been welcomed at Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiatives (JDAI) meetings. Aida has been able to support our Spanish-speaking families, provide first-hand resources, information, and system navigation, as well as connect them to a network of parents by facilitating bilingual support groups in the region. Keep up the great work, Aida!

The southeast region detention centers have begun to hold their holiday family events to nurture family engagement and give opportunities to families to meet each other and exchange experiences. The southeast region continues to collaborate with PPAL family support specialist Candice Gabrey by connecting as many families as possible to her support. Great work, Candice! 

Jonathan Mobley and Mateo Anderson, in collaboration with Department of Youth Services (DYS) have been on the road visiting detention centers, holding focus groups, and increasing youth voice in order improve the juvenile justice system. Youth have truly welcomed and appreciated Jonathan's support.  Although they might feel hopeless at times, they have made a connection with Youth MOVE and are thankful for the opportunity to speak. We look forward to continued collaboration! Way to go, Jonathan and Mateo!

 

Happy holidays from the PPAL Juvenile Justice team!

 

Feel like giving a smile this holiday season? Christina Smart, our 2016 Youth Award Winner is hosting her 2nd holiday gift drive for children, youth, and young adults who are in hospitals for the holiday season. The project started after she was hospitalized during the holidays and all she got was the same pair of socks or the same coloring book as everyone else. "Everything was the same. It didn't feel special," she recalls. Now, she wants to help make the holidays special for kids in Massachusetts. She hopes the whole list gets bought, but she really just wants to see "smiles on everyone's face." 

 

"Everything counts!" she says. The donations are going to 5 hospitals in Massachusetts, and she is hoping to give gifts to over 200 kids and teens. The drive is going great, but she could use your help! There are still items available for under $10! 

 

When Christina isn't running a mental health gift drive, she loves being with her family during the holiday season and making gingerbread cookies with her grandparents. We're so happy Christina is such a strong advocate for kids, youth, and young adults with mental health needs and we hope you can participate in Christina's goal to give some smiles this holiday season!

 

Check out her list here!

Check it out! PPAL's executive director, Lisa, was a guest on The Right Mind Media Podcast where she talked about access, stigma, advocacy, system challenges, and the importance of parent to parent support for families with children with mental health needs. 

Listen to it now!

Why is your voice important? Because it becomes part of many voices that become powerful data shown to people who need to see it! Check out our new infographic on how we translate family voice into positive change! Collecting family and youth voices allows us to bring voices to the statehouse, important meetings, or state agencies. Families and youth have important things to say and we want everyone to hear them!