March 2021 News
Program Updates Recap: Week of L.I.F.E.Project LIFE’s Week of L.I.F.E. was a huge success! The week was filled with several activities including a LGBTQ+ 101 workshop for professionals, Relationship Red Flags workshop facilitated by Clinical Psychologist Dr. James Stewart and Janet Poles, MSW, The Price is Right: Independent Living Edition facilitated by the Project LIFE team, 100 Ways to Make Love Without Having Sex facilitated by Jeff Mays, and a yoga and mediation session facilitated by Ashley from bareSOUL Yoga. Thank you to all facilitators and professionals who participated and special thanks to all the youth who attended! Stay tuned for more events from Project LIFE!  Sign-up for Updates through Texts Upcoming Statewide Events |
| Talk it Out Tuesdays Dates: March 2 + 16, 2021 | Time: 5:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Virtual events via Ring Central Application Feeling isolated due to COVID? Need someone to connect with? Miss talking with peers? Talk it Out Tuesdays is an open platform for youth to talk with other youth and trusted adults about anything on their minds. Lead by Jamesia and Melissa, you can join in this social session by registering with the button below.  Conference Focus Group Date: March 11, 2021 | Time: 6:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Virtual event via Ring Central Application Use your voice to share your ideas for the Spring Conference. Provide input on the theme and what you want to see happen.  Parenting Together with the Basics Date: March 17, 2021 | Time: 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Virtual events via Ring Central Application Are you a parent to a young child? The baby stage is hard, and some say the toddler stage is even harder. Parents want to help our child grow and learn, but sometimes we don’t know where to start. Band together with other parents to connect with one another, and to learn basic ways to improve your child’s brain growth. We’ll cover 5 different topics over 5 months, and you can attend as many sessions as you want. This group will be facilitated by a peer and an adult expert. Register once using the button below. Contact Kelly with questions. Register Here  Beyond the Binary: An LGBTQ+ Cultural Competency Workshop for Youth Date: March 23, 2021 | Time: 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Virtual event via Ring Central Application Are you interested in broadening your understanding of sex, gender, and sexuality? Curious about how to best practice allyship with LGBTQ+ people? Please join us for an interactive workshop with Casey Butler (he/she/they), Community Engagement Coordinator at the LGBT Life Center. Participants can expect to engage in a variety of topics and activities that will help them foster inclusive environments for the LGBTQ+ people in their lives. Contact Melissa on the PL team with any questions. Register below!  Tax Basics 101 Workshop Date: March 25, 2021 | Time: 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Virtual event via Ring Central Application Overwhelmed by taxes? Not sure the best way to file? Not sure if you even need to file? Talk to two certified public accountants from Mitchell Wiggins, a local accounting firm, to find out more about: tax filing requirements, what income is taxed, what deductions are available, how withholdings work, and much more! Contact Kelly on the PL team with any questions. Register below; you won’t want to miss this opportunity.  Virtual Real World Simulation Date: April 6, 2021 | Time: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Join us for a one day simulation of the Real World that concretely addresses education and employment decisions youth make in combination with lifestyle choices. Based on the belief that exposing youth to better options to enable them to make better decisions in life. This session will provide real life experiences based on the chosen occupations and its salaries. The challenge will be to develop a budget on everyday needs and wants while responding to real life situational crises. Opportunities for discussions, re-evaluating decisions and processing information learned.  Save the Dates for the Spring Conference! Dates: May 18, 19, and 20, 2021 Time: evenings It’s time to get those calendars out and mark down the dates for our Spring Conference. This will be a virtual conference in the evenings of May 17-19. Be on the look out for more info. For now, know that we’re planning lots of fun things, and you can share any ideas that you have for our conference at our focus group. (See above.) Upcoming Regional Events Eastern Region Independent Living Coordinators Committee (ILCC) Meeting Date: March 17, 2021Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Virtual Video Conference with the Ring Central Application All Eastern region DSS agencies and private providers are invited to attend to discuss independent living needs for youth in this region. Contact Melissa if you plan on attending or if you need more information. Eastern Region Education Workshop with Great Expectations Date: March 30, 2021 | Time: 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Eastern region youth are invited to a workshop hosted by Great Expectations. Learn about post-secondary education options. Register here or contact Melissa if you have any questions. Eastern Region Virtual Real World Event Date: April 7, 2021 | Time: 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Join us for a one day simulation of the Real World that concretely addresses education and employment decisions youth make in combination with lifestyle choices. Based on the belief that exposing youth to better options to enable them to make better decisions in life. This session will provide real life experiences based on the chosen occupations and its salaries. The challenge will be to develop a budget on everyday needs and wants while responding to real life situational crises. Opportunities for discussions, re-evaluating decisions and processing information learned. Register here and contact Melissa with questions. Northern Region Independent Living Coordinators Committee (ILCC) Meeting Date: April 27, 2021 | Time: 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Virtual Video Conference with the Ring Central Application All Northern region DSS agencies and private providers are invited to attend to discuss independent living needs for youth transitioning out of foster care. This meeting will cover topics related to transitioning youth into adulthood, TLPs, NYTD support, Youth-Adult Partnerships, virtual workshops and opportunities for youth and working professionals, and any other youth opportunities. Contact George Mack or 804.239.1044 if you plan on attending to get the invite link for this meeting or if you need more information. (Note the date change.) Additional Events and Resources I AM ENOUGH Therapy Group Dates: 2 Tuesdays in March, 2021 | Time: 5:00 p.m. Battling anxiety and/or depression? Looking for connection and less isolation? Need help coping with changes in your life? DePaul Community Resources wants to be there for you. Our new teen therapy group I AM ENOUGH is open now to any teen covered by the DePaul footprint. Group meetings are hosted virtually on Zoom. Tuesdays at 5 p.m. twice a month. To refer a teen, click here. HOW TO BE YOU: LGBTQ+ Therapy Group Dates: 2 Mondays in March, 2021 | Time: 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. You’re invited to be part of a virtual HOW TO BE YOU, an LGBTQ+ therapy group focused on connection and support. HOW TO BE YOU is a safe space to ask questions and talk about many different aspects of life. New members are accepted at any time. This group is open to current foster youth, former foster youth, and youth from outside the foster system. For more information, contact Molly. |
