Welcome to rtcUpdates for December 2001. rtcUpdates are brought to you by the Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health. Subscribers to rtcUpdates receive occasional email messages from the RTC containing information about the RTC's recent research, publications and other activities, as well as information about developments in the field of children's mental health.

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CONTENTS OF THIS UPDATE:

PART 3: "Caregiver Support and Respite"
PART 4: "Spirituality and Spiritual Community"
PART 5: "Service and Leadership"

(II) FOCAL POINT SLIDE SHOW¯youth art and photography online

(III) RTC PUBLICATIONS¯ newly available

(IV) CONFERENCE¯ Call for presentations now available

(V)FROM THE WEB¯ information, research updates and sites of interest from the Internet.

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(I) FOCAL POINT¯ The Fall, 2001 issue is now available ONLINE ONLY.

The issue, entitled "Enrichment: Building resilience and quality of life for children and families," can be viewed at http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/FPinHTML/FocalPointFA01/pgFPfa01Main.shtml

Enrichment activities bring joy and meaning to life. Research provides evidence of a variety of ways in which enrichments also build resiliency, enhance protective factors, and lead to positive outcomes for children with emotional and behavioral disorders and their families. This issue of Focal Point looks at research related to sources of enrichment and at innovative programs that promote and support enrichment.

PARTS 3, 4 AND 5 of this issue focus on "Caregiver support and respite", "Spirituality and Spiritual Community", and "Service and Leadership", and include the following articles:

"Respite Care for Children with Serious Emotional Disorders and Their Families: A Way to Enrich Family Life," Pauline Jivanjee & Jennifer Simpson. This article reviews the benefits of respite care for families who have a child with a serious emotional disorder and provides examples of a range of respite care strategies. From the Research & Training Center.

"Support Groups Can Become Social Groups, Too," Julie Berry. Family-run support groups provide a welcome haven for people raising children and youth with emotional and behavioral difficulties. Caregivers are also energized by the empowering effects of feeling included, of being accepted, and of being understood.

"Suppers at South," Sheryl Hogan. In South Eugene High School, parents and their children assemble to share a meal and relax. As they do so, they are also fighting isolation on family, educational, and community levels.

"Inclusion Companions: A New Approach to Respite Care," Judith Kearney. The article describes the development of a program that provides respite to caregivers while also offering opportunities for disabled teens to be included in community recreation activities.

"The Dance of Life: Incorporating Disabled Children into the life of the Spiritual Community," Saroya M. King. A minister in Columbus, Ohio describes how she turned her church into a place of belonging for all children.

"Spirituality and Mental Health: A Native American Perspective," Terry Cross. The executive director of the National Indian Child Welfare Association discusses the complex interplay between spirituality and mental health in American Indian traditions.

"Community Service Participation as Enrichment: Rationale, Outcomes, and Best Practices," Elizabeth Caplan & Kathryn Schutte. Reviews research on the outcomes for youth¯including youth with emotional and behavioral disorders¯from participation in community service. The article focuses on principles for designing effective programs.

From the Research & Training Center.

"Youth Millennium," Chalonda Smith. Young people with mental health challenges come together for mutual support, capacity building, and to make a positive difference in their community through service.

"Padres Abriendo Puertras," Betzaida Castro-- En espa*ol. Una organizaci*n de familias hispanas provee un programa exitoso para j*venes Latinos con impedimentos o necesidades especiales. La meta de este programa es el desarrollar las destrezas de liderato de j*venes Latinos, para que aboguen por sus derechos.

"Parents Opening Doors," Betzaida Castro. A Latino advocacy organization hosts a program to increase empowerment and leadership skills among Latino youth with disabilities.

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(II) FOCAL POINT SLIDE SHOW. Youth art and photographs from the programs featured in the Enrichment issue of FOCAL POINT. http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgFPSlideShow.shtml

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(III) RTC PUBLICATIONS-- Newly available:
Walker, J. (2001). Caregivers' views on the cultural appropriateness of services for children with emotional or behavioral disorders. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 10(3), 315-331. Order a free copy online: http://www.rtc/pgPublications.shtml

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(IV) CONFERENCE. Information and instructions for submitting a proposal for the 2002 "Building on Family Strengths" Conference are now online!

This conference brings together family members, youth, researchers, service providers and advocates. Participants share research findings and program strategies that promote family-centered services and enhance quality of life for families and their children who are affected by emotional, behavioral, or mental health disorders. The 2002 conference is scheduled for May 30- June 1, 2002 at the Hilton Hotel in Portland, Oregon.

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(V) FROM THE WEB:

"Powerful Pathways: Framing Options and Opportunities for Vulnerable Youth"
Vulnerable youth * even those who carry with them a decade of inadequate services and poor behavior -- can transform their lives when they get support that respects and builds on their strengths. Learn more in this report from the Youth Transition Funders Group. http://www.ydrf.com/ytfg

"Pizza, Transportation, and Transformation: Youth Involvement in Evaluation and Reseach"
This article is based on focus groups and individual interviews that Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) staff conducted with adults and youth involved in youth-led evaluation and research projects around the country. The goals of HFRP's research were to learn more about what it means to involve youth in evaluation and research and to compile some lessons for others. http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/eval/issue17/html/promising1.html

"Hearts and Minds"
This video documentary follows the lives of four teens diagnosed with mental illnesses. Idaho Public Television and the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare captured a prestigious international Peabody Award for this video. The award announcement described the video as: "A comprehensive educational effort that presents a sympathetic and straightforward examination of mental illness that dispels myths and offers hope*." http://www.namiidaho.org/order/videos.htm

"Community Programs to Promote Youth Development"
This National Research Council report examines what we know about community-based programs that promote positive development for youth, addressing questions such as: What do we know about the role of such programs for today's adolescents? How can we ensure that programs are designed to successfully meet young people's developmental needs? The report offers recommendations for policy, practice, and research to ensure that programs are well designed to meet young people's developmental needs. http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10022.html

"Public/Private Ventures' Evaluation of Faith-Based Programs"
Churches and other faith-based institutions often serve youth at high risk for delinquency who frequently are not reached by other youth service programs. In 1998, OJJDP provided funding to Public/Private Ventures to establish a national multisite demonstration and research initiative involving faith-based institutions. This Fact Sheet describes that demonstration project and provides findings from early assessments of the demonstration sites. http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/pubs/delinqsum.html#fs200138

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Funds to support this activity come from the Child, Adolescent and Family Branch, Federal Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U.S. Department of Education.

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