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Accelerating Student Achievement Through Runaway Prevention

Accelerating Student Achievement Through Runaway Prevention. November 6, 2011 Katrina Wyss M.S., Prevention Specialist. National Runaway Switchboard 3080 N Lincoln Ave. Chicago, IL 60657 1-800-RUNAWAY (24 Hour Hotline) www.1800RUNAWAY.org. Today’s Objectives.

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Accelerating Student Achievement Through Runaway Prevention

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  1. Accelerating Student Achievement Through Runaway Prevention November 6, 2011 Katrina Wyss M.S., Prevention Specialist National Runaway Switchboard 3080 N Lincoln Ave. Chicago, IL 60657 1-800-RUNAWAY (24 Hour Hotline) www.1800RUNAWAY.org

  2. Today’s Objectives • Overview of the National Runaway Switchboard • Overview of NRS caller statistics • Introduction to the Let’s Talk Runaway Prevention Curriculum

  3. National Runaway Switchboard How many are familiar with NRS? How many have used our services before, or worked with a youth or family that has?

  4. Started in 1971 as Metro-Help, a crisis line in Chicago, IL and in 1974 became the federally designated communication system for runaway and homeless youth • Mission: To keep America’s runaway, homeless and at-risk youth safe and off the streets

  5. 1-800-RUNAWAY • 111,059 calls handled in 2010 • Confidential crisisline for runaway and at-risk youth and their families • 24-hour crisisline is toll-free and accessible from anywhere in the United States and its territories • All calls to the crisisline are anonymous • All calls are handled by our frontline team of staff and volunteers using a five-step model of solution focused crisis intervention

  6. www.1800RUNAWAY.org • Anonymous crisis chat • Anonymous message board for teens • Helpful tips for teen and parents (can be downloaded) • Caller data 2000-2010 • Areas of information for youth, parents, and educators • Download and customize with agency information: brochures, newsletters, education and prevention materials • Free Prevention and Education materials • Videos can be downloaded for easy viewing –including a webinar and webcast about Let’s Talk: Runaway Prevention Curriculum

  7. Information and Referral NRS maintains a national database of over 13,000 agencies and services including: • Housing • Alternative schools • Counseling • Residential treatment • Substance abuse treatment • Medical assistance • Legal information • Law enforcement • Child protection

  8. Message Relay • Confidential • Indirect method of communication • Goal….move toward a conference call

  9. Three-Way Conference Calls • Confidential and safe • We advocate, mediate, and articulate • Explore agency/shelter rules and expectations

  10. HomeFree Program • In partnership with Greyhound Lines, Inc., NRS helps reunite runaway youth, 12-17, with their families or legal guardians and assists runaway and homeless youth 18-20 in stabilizing themselves with supportive family members and/or preparing for self-sufficient independent living. • In addition to a bus ticket, NRS provides youth and families with resources in their communities to help start the process toward long-term positive outcomes.

  11. How is my community affected? 1.6 - 2.8 million youth run away or are expelled from their homes annually!

  12. 2,172 266 216 115 1,198 1,608 78 183 1,385 240 9,177 125 10,979 99 5,065 98 1,278 2,764 2,243 1,204 444 4,451 2,475 1,310 7,521 325 14,338 674 1,636 650 1,954 2,167 1,933 554 679 747 1,986 1,815 1,545 1,781 890 427 870 2,991 882 923 7,731 926 5,446 100 2010 NRS Crisis Call Numbers by State 96

  13. Who do youth talk to? What would youth do if they couldn’t talk to parents and needed help? • Talk to a friend 74% • Talk to another adult 39% • Search the internet 29% • Talk to a teach or school counselor 28% • Talk to a friend’s parents 20% • Talk to someone at church 17% • Call a hotline 6% • Go to a shelter 4% • Wouldn’t tell anyone 3% • Other 5%

  14. Runaway Youth NRS 2010 Crisis Caller statistics depict youth as: • 56% were away from home • 10% were contemplating leaving home • 26% have run before • 54% have been out of the home for 1 week or less • 45% of youth callers have been on the street 1-3 days before they call NRS In recent research when shelter and street youth were asked about their departure (Why They Run): • More than 70% of youth interviewed described their leaving home as spontaneous. • 36% percent who ran said they planned it in advance, while 23% who were thrown out said they were planning on running anyway. • 56% of runaways said that someone else knew they were planning to run away.

  15. Runaway Youth NRS 2010 crisis caller statistics show: • Females (71%) call more often; 29% Male, >1% Transgender • 45% of youth callers are 15-17 years old, 30% 18-19yrs, 11% are 14 and under • 52% identified friends and relatives as their means for survival In recent research when shelter youth were asked about staying connected (Why They Run): • More than half report that friends know where they are, while 26% have reported that parents and 25% have siblings who know their whereabouts. Only 13% said that nobody knew where they were. • Nearly 45% of youth attended school, with 70% attending regularly. • Nearly two-thirds of shelter youth attended school, while 28% of street youth continued attending school.

  16. Prevention and Awareness Tools Community Action Toolkit A well designed toolkit developed to assist local community member in planning, conducting, and promoting community projects and activities to be held during National Runaway Prevention Month. Let’s Talk: Runaway Prevention Curriculum An interactive, 14-module curriculum intended to build life skills, increase knowledge about runaway resources and prevention, educate youth about alternatives to running away, and encourage youth to access and seek help from trusted community members. Kids CallCreated as a forum where youth and adults can get answers to questions about runaway and homeless youth and discuss NRS services. You must schedule in advance with NRS’ prevention specialist by calling 773-289-1723.

  17. Let’s Talk: Runaway Prevention Curriculum • Let’s Talk: Runaway Prevention Curriculum (RPC) is a 14 module skill based curriculum. It is available to download at www.1800RUNAWAY.org or to order in CD-ROM format. • Target Audience: Grades 5 -12 but can be modified for other age groups. • The overall goal of the Runaway Prevention Curriculum is threefold: • Educate youth about alternatives to running away; to build life skills so that youth can resolve problems without resorting to running away. • Educate youth about seeking help from trusted adults. • Increase knowledge about runaway resources and prevention through the involvement of community members as trained instructors.

  18. Curriculum Benefits Let’s Talk comes with free one-on-one technical assistance and support. Let’s Talkwill support life skills acquisition and prevention efforts. The curriculum can be included in service learning projects and/or used to complement existing required curricula, such as health. It can also be used within an after school program. Let’s Talkcan be implemented by activity, module or in its entirety. Let’s Talk provides additional resources, worksheets, and handouts for learning, as well as pre- and post-tests to assist in determining if learning has occurred. Let’s Talk is user friendly - “A runaway prevention curriculum and a companion film provides easy to use lessons with all the materials needed when teaching youths…” -Principal Magazine, Jan/Feb 2007

  19. Let’s Talk: Runaway Prevention Curriculum Module 1: Communication & Listening: Youth will identify barrier to communication and utilize active listening skills in real-life scenarios. An introduction to the NRS Crisis Intervention Model is provided. Module 2: Adolescent Development: Youth will learn the normal aspects and challenges associated with adolescent development. Youth will create a personal identity space based on their strengths and qualities. Module 3: Personal Influences & Decision Making: Youth identify how personal values, principles, and beliefs will impact their decision making. Youth will reflect on the role of influential others in decision making.

  20. Activity Time Who’s On Your Bus is an activity from Module 3: Personal Influences. It assists youth in identifying who are the “influential others” in their lives.

  21. “Who’s On Your Bus?” Directions: THINK about if you could fill a bus with the people in your life who are most important when it comes to making decisions about your life, who would be on that bus? FILL IN each “bus seat” (represented by the oval) with a person/group that is most important. PLACEa starnext to those who are close to your age.PLACE an arrownext to the older or younger people on your bus who also influence your choices about your life.SHAREwith a partner who you invited onto your bus. Greyhound Lines, Inc. bus borrowed with permission. www.greyhound.com, 1-800-231-2222. Greyhound Lines, Inc. partners with NRS to provide the Home Free program.

  22. Who’s On Your Bus? • Who are the people on your bus? Who isn’t on your bus? • Why are they important to you? • Are there some that have more influence than others? • Can you count on these people when you are in trouble or in need? • Do they help you make good decisions? Always? Most of the time? Some times? Never? • Do you feel good about the decisions they help you make?

  23. Let’s Talk: Runaway Prevention Curriculum Module 4: Peers: Youth will discuss positive and negative, direct and indirect peer pressure and characterize their current friendships and social groups. Module 5: Families: Roles & Responsibilities: Youth will define the term “family” for themselves and will consider the roles and responsibilities each “family” member holds. Techniques to improve communication among family members and skills to resolve family challenges will be addressed. Module 6: Runaway Reality: Youth will brainstorm reasons why young people choose to run away, questions to consider before leaving, and options other than running.

  24. Let’s Talk: Runaway Prevention Curriculum Module 7: National Safe Connections: Youth will identify their own personal “safe place” and learn about the National Safe Place program, which invites local businesses and agencies to provide access to immediate help and supportive resources for all young people in crisis. Module 8: Community Response & Responsibility: Youth will consider who in their community is affected, both directly and indirectly, by a runaway incident. Youth will learn to use their community as a resource and discover ways to contribute to their community. Module 9: Anger Management: Youth will identify and recognize mental and physical reactions to anger and learn positive ways to deal with these reactions.

  25. Let’s Talk: Runaway Prevention Curriculum Module 10: Stress Reduction: Youth will determine their individual stressors and learn problem-solving techniques, stress management skills, and resources to avert a potential crisis situation. Module 11: Drugs & Alcohol: Youth will learn facts about and reasons why people use drugs and alcohol. Some of the consequences and risks associated with drug and alcohol use will be discussed. Module 12: Sexuality & Sexual Orientation: Youth will consider the roles that sexuality and sexual orientation play in the lives of youth and those who choose to run away. 

  26. Activity Time Decision Tree is an activity from Module 10: Stress Reduction. It assists youth gain problem solving skills.

  27. Directions: STATE the problem at the “root” level. For every different way the problem could be resolved, CREATE a “branch.” MAP out the pros/cons and consequences of each option, using different “branches” connected to the main option. USE the tree below as a guide to start your “Decision Tree.”

  28. Let’s Talk: Runaway Prevention Curriculum • Module 13: Internet Safety & Fun: • Youth will brainstorm their current uses of the internet and ways to remain safe online. Role plays will be used to encourage internet safety. • Module 14: Future Life Planning: • Youth will discuss barriers to and facilitators of achieving the life goals they’ve identified in this module.

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  32. Opportunities to promote awareness • Kids Call • Join Street Team • Facilitate a service learning project • Utilize the NRPM Tool Kit during National Runaway Prevention Month (November) • Order free materials from NRS to have available for youth and adults • Facilitate activities from the Let’s Talk Runaway Prevention Curriculum

  33. Thank you for joining us! Any Questions?Comments?

  34. You can reach me at: Katrina Wyss, MS Prevention Specialist kwyss@1800RUNAWAY.org or 773.289.1722 For more information on the National Runaway Switchboard, visit: http://www.1800RUNAWAY.org

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