Families Together, in New York State

 

News & Events | Mission | Leadership & Structure | Staff | Work & Activities | Get Connected

 

YOUTH POWER! is the New York State Partner of The National Youth Leadership Network
www.NYLN.org

 

 

 

Become a Member Today!

 

Complete and return the membership form, available
in PDF and Word format.

 

 

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YOUTH POWER! is Hiring

 

YOUTH POWER! is the New York State network of young people who have been labeled and are seeking change. Through peer-to-peer mentoring, we empower young people to be active citizens that are aware of government operations, their rights and the ability to use their voices to influence policies, practices, regulations, and laws.

 

Systems Advocate- Part Time Status

The Systems Advocate shall represent the positions of the YOUTH POWER! Advisory Board and  network to advocate for systems change at the state level.  While serving on committees and councils, the Systems Advocate shall use their personal experience to illustrate the perspective of young people who are receiving services. The primary system  the Systems Advocate will focus on will be Children’s Mental Health.

 

For detailed job description Word

 

Western New York Regional Youth Partner

The Western Regional Youth Partner will be one of five Regional Youth Partners (RYP) statewide.  The RYP will connect local youth groups, coordinate regional youth advocacy teams, and facilitate the planning of “for youth by youth” events.

 

For a detailed job description Word

 

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YOUTH POWER! News & Events

 

YOUTH POWER! will be hosting our third annual Statewide Youth Leadership Forum August 10-12, 2010 in Albany, New York.  This year's theme is "Together We Stand for Change" and we will be focusing on uniting our voices to make a stronger youth movement for systems change. We will be selecting up to 20 youth applicants to attend this all expenses paid trip. 

 
The forum is a gathering of young leaders with disabilities and social-emotional challenges.  Together, we will learn, share and connect to fight for positive changes in the way New York State supports young people.   There will be guest speakers and activities that will help to increase personal knowledge of advocacy and activism.

 We will also be holding our Annual Leaders' Dinner that gives young people an opportunity to share their perspectives with leaders in state government.  

The forum is being planned by the young people who make up the Special Events Workgroup of YP! and is for youth, by youth event.    

• In order to be selected you must:
• Be in the age range of 16-24.
• Youth under 18 must have guardian approval.
• Have a disability and/or a social/emotional challenge.
• Be a New York State resident.
• Be willing to be active in the network for at least 1 year.
• Complete the application and return it by July 5, 2010.

Please download the PDF or Word applications here.

 

 

 

 

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The second annual YOUTH POWER! Youth Leadership Forum was a great success! More than twenty youth from across New York State traveled to Albany for this event, which featured educational workshops on advocacy, leadership development, among other topics. It was an exciting event for the youth who attended, the staff and volunteers of Families Together and YOUTH POWER!, as well as the special guests who attended the second annual Leaders' Dinner.

 

2009 Youth Leadership Forum Slideshow:

 

 

 

Our Mission

YOUTH POWER! is the New York State network of young people with disabilities and/or social-emotional challenges.  Together, we have decided to speak up about our experiences because no one knows what it is like for us better than we do.  Through peer to peer mentoring, we empower young people to be active citizens, aware of government operations, their rights and the ability to use their voices to influence policies, practices, regulation and law. 

 

We are young people helping other people, ensuring availability of self-help, peer support and changing systems so that young people get the support they need with the respect and dignity they deserve.

 

Leadership & Structure

The YOUTH POWER! Advisory Board is the guiding force of all of the network’s work and activities.  The board meets at least once a month through conference calls.  The board also facilitates three working groups that drive the activities of YOUTH POWER!

Action Group – Speak Out!
The action workgroup leads our advocacy and activism efforts.  This group ensures that the voice of young people is heard. It creates the YOUTH POWER! annual policy agenda with input from our membership and community youth groups.  Workgroup members meet with government officials and organize opportunities for youth to Speak Up and Speak Out!

 

Click here to download our 2010 policy agenda in PDF or Word.

 

Outreach Workgroup
The outreach workgroup creates ways to grow the YOUTH POWER! network and strengthen our voice.  The workgroup reaches out to our current members regularly for input and provides information to them.  Promotional materials, media and YP! news is managed by this group.

 

Special Events Workgroup
The special events workgroup plans the YOUTH POWER! major events such as the Families Together in NYS Annual Conference Youth Track and our Annual Statewide Youth Leadership Forum.

 

To join these workgroups you must be a member of

YOUTH POWER!

Staff of YOUTH POWER!

We currently have three young adult peers under the age of thirty who are employed as the staff of YOUTH POWER! Each of our staff has years of experience working as youth leaders.  They operate as official representatives of YP!, mentors of our young leaders, and coordinators of network activities.

 

To find out more about our staff, please click here.

 

Work & Activities

YOUTH POWER! is very active in increasing the youth voice on all levels of service.  We are currently engaged in a number of special projects. 

Highlighted Projects:

 

 

Ready to Achieve Mentoring Program (RAMP): Led by the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL www.iel.org ) the "Ready to Achieve Mentoring Program" (RAMP) will provide high-tech career-focused mentoring and is designed to address the over-representation of youth with disabilities in the juvenile justice system.  YP! is one of several organizations to partner with IEL to deliver this project nationally.  YP! is working with Families Together in Albany County, Chemung County Children's Integrated Services and the Regional Center for Independent Living in Wayne County to deliver this program on a local level.  RAMP is funded for three years by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

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Regional Youth Partners: As a joint initiative of the Children’s Plan , YP! will hire one young adult with personal experience in receiving services from multiple state systems in each of the five regions of the State Office of Mental Health (OMH). The Children’s Plan includes the goal to “create infrastructures and funding mechanisms to support meaningful family and youth participation in planning and policy making and the improvement of service systems at the provider, local and state levels.” To achieve this goal OMH is supporting YOUTH POWER! in enhancing our statewide structure by funding regional peer positions. The Regional Youth Partners will: • Network Organized Youth Involvement, Empowerment and Peer support • Directly Assist & Support Youth Groups and Councils • Train & Educate Youth and Adults • Develop Outreach Materials •Increase Youth Involvement & Advocacy on Local, Regional and State Levels

 

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We work toward strengthening youth involvement by offering:

 

Youth Leadership Activities and Opportunities:  YOUTH POWER! strives to bring the voices of youth to local, state and national government officials through persistent advocacy.  We provide regular leadership opportunities to the young people in our network.

 

 

 

Trainings: YOUTH POWER! offers a variety of trainings on youth leadership, advocacy and engagement. Trainings for youth and adult partners are available.

 

Events: We have designed a variety of empowering and educational events for both youth and adults.  Some examples of events we have organized are statewide & regional youth forums, educational sessions with staff of inpatient psychiatric centers, conference youth tracks, youth speak outs, dinner with dignitaries, round table sessions, informational sessions on youth engagement and empowerment and youth cultural competency seminars.

 

Technical Assistance and Support: We offer our expertise, strategies and support to existing or newly formed groups who seek help with development, structure and any other technical concerns.

 

Networking and Promotion: The YP! network reaches all parts of New York State.  We strive to connect youth leaders and groups who then share information and support one another in their advocacy efforts.  We promote the work of local groups and help to link young leaders with government officials and community based organizations that can help them in their efforts.  We also invite youth to join us in statewide activities, as well as recommend them for other activities locally and regionally that come through our office.  Let us know about YOU!

 

GET CONNECTED!

Add us as your friend:

 

Facebook

 

Myspace

www.myspace.com/youthpowerny

 

Not a youth but want information?

Join the Free
YOUTH POWER! Info E-mail List

 

Support YP!  Buy something cool!

Check out the YOUTH POWER! online store, where you can support the youth movement by purchasing and using YOUTH POWER! products, such as the military cap, personal journal, stickers and more!

www.cafepress.com/YOUTHPOWER

 

 

For more information and/or to become involved in our efforts, please contact us at:

Phone: 518-432-0333 | Toll Free: 1-888-326-8644
Stephanie Orlando, Director sorlando@ftnys.org x21