March 2019
Monthly News and Updates
Bridges to the Future Open House
The Bridges to the Future System of Care (SOC) grant held its first Open House on March 20, 2019 with great success. Over 75 community partners, agencies, youth, young adults, families and lots of key stakeholders were in attendance! We had resource tables, activities and hands-on information from staff about the Bridges Initiative. Our Government Project Officer, Eric Lulow from the Federal Substance Abuse Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) was able to attend and offer words of encouragement for our program through his national experience and from his own personal journey. Dr. Raymond Crowel, Chief of Behavioral Health and Crisis Services, spoke about the importance of programs like this in Montgomery County and Terrill North, new CEO of Montgomery County Collaboration Council expressed his excitement of the Collaboration Council’s role and the partnership with the Federation of Families to bring this type of program into the community. Debra Cady, Project Director with the SOC grant discussed the transition pathway for youth and young adults with mental health challenges and encouraged other community members and groups to support this program, the only one like it in the county. 
Community of Practice
The 2019 Youth Development Symposium is coming soon!  Join more than 150 Montgomery County professionals working with youth in Montgomery County May 14-16th at the Universities at Shady Grove. The symposium will showcase subject matter experts on a wide array of youth development topics designed to increase and reinforce critical knowledge and skills necessary for practitioners who work with youth. 

We are excited to welcome Fausto Lopez, Senior Technical Assistant with the American Institute for Research, as our Keynote Speaker. Mr. Lopez is a nationally recognized speaker and expert on youth development, social emotional learning, and college and career readiness. 

In addition to learning, sharing, and networking opportunities during the symposium, two distinguished leaders will be awarded the Collaboration Council's " Time Well Spent Award” for their work supporting women and girls of color.

There is still time to register for April CoP workshops, including: 
  • Advanced Motivational Interviewing April 4
  • Restorative Practice Approach for At-Risk Youth and Families April 10
  • Youth Development Practices for Facilitating Groups of Older Youth April 11
A word from our Prevention Coordinator
Opioid Education and Awareness Community Forum:


Our Know the Risks about Opioids education and awareness forum at Damascus Recreation Center has been rescheduled for April 9, 2019 from 7-8:30 pm. Adults and children are invited to attend this event designed to share information about the impact of the opioid epidemic on Montgomery County residents and the current efforts to prevent and reduce opioid use, misuse and overuse. 
 

We look forward to seeing you at this event!
EBB Highlighted in the Recent OLO Report "Afterschool Bookings at MCPS Elementary Schools"
The EBB Elementary Out-Of-School (OST) Time program model, a collaborative effort of the MCPS Office of Student and Family Engagement, the Montgomery County Recreation Department and the Collaboration Council, were heralded in the most recent Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) report as a model of OST that should be expanded as a solution to the challenge of addressing inequities of access to quality afterschool programming to Montgomery County youth.

Collaboration Council Supports OST Quality

MCCC’s OST department which oversees the quality and evaluation of the EBB program model will now be offering more targeted Program Quality Focused Professional Development to engage Montgomery County’s OST Program Leaders and Supervisors and not primarily the front-line instructors. The goal is to embed the strengths of Positive Youth Development into the very fiber of the organizations providing OST experiences to our youth.
EBB/CoP takes Texas
In preparation for our upcoming CoP Youth Development Symposium, EBB participated in the SXSW Education Conference in Austin, Texas March 4 th -6 th  focusing on equity, SEL & leadership. These topics have great implications for the work of the Excel Beyond the Bell model which focuses on strengthening the developmental experiences of youth in the County to ensure that they grow positively.
Attendees of the SXSW conference ranged from various stakeholders in the education and youth services sector: from funders, to educators, district leaders, legislators and advocates gathered to hear keynotes and participate in discussions around system wide integration. The message heard very clearly throughout the conference was “Social Emotional Learning is Equity”. There were opportunities to learn from the examples of district leaders around the nation about equitable models of formal and informal learning environments and how to support the formal and informal learning environments where we serve youth.
Click here to hear more of what we heard, check out the SXSW audio recordings on Soundcloud.
 
 
R.E.D. Committee
(Racial & Ethnic Disparities)
This past month, the R.E.D. Committee (Racial and Ethnic Disparities), formerly the DMC Reduction committee, met with Shebra Evans, President of the Montgomery County Public Schools Board of Education, to discuss the work of the Board and its priorities for the current school year. Mrs. Evans provided helpful insight into how the Board approaches its oversight of MCPS, addresses issues including a growing student body, the achievement gap and equitable student access to services. She stated that ultimately the Board works diligently to foster the best environment possible for young people to thrive within their school community.