#scysthelimit

This week’s blog is written by Dion McGill, SCY Communications and Community Outreach Manager. 

1) Strengthening Chicago’s Youth Annual Survey

Have you taken the SCY Annual Survey?  

No??? 

Why not? 

Share your feedback through Strengthening Chicago's Youth’s (SCY) 2019 Annual Survey! 

This survey is intended to assess SCY’s strategies, activities, communication, and partner resources. Your feedback will give us a window into what we’re doing great, and what we can do better. 

Additionally, this survey will help us to determine priorities for violence prevention, policy and advocacy, and future strategies and activities.

Completion of the questionnaire is voluntary, you may skip any question, and there are no right or wrong answers. The survey is anonymous, which means we will not be collecting identifying information about you. When you have completed the survey, you will also have the option of entering a raffle for a chance to win one of five $50 Visa gift cards. I consider that a win/win! 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. 

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2) SCY Quarterly Meeting

This meeting will focus on the connection between justice reform and violence prevention. The topics explored will include addressing policies and systems that create racial disparities and providing better support and resources. A panel discussion and action-oriented breakout groups will examine how changes to the juvenile and criminal justice systems can result in less involvement for youth and help make communities safer.

Join SCY and partners across Chicago to explore the role you and your organization can play in addressing these issues, discuss asset-based solutions, and promote the health and healing of all Chicagoans.

SCY Quarterly meetings are also a great time to meet, network, and collaborate with like-minded individuals from across the city. You never know who will be in the room.  I do know that we have a fabulous panel planned, and I will be there.  Be sure to stop me and say hello.  

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3) Time Vaping Article

It goes without saying that vaping is a hot button topic right now. 

If you are a dedicated reader of our blog, you’ll recall the article I wrote previously on e-cigarettes, vaping, and Juul.  

Additionally, Dr. Maria Rahmandar of Lurie Children’s spoke at a press conference with Senator Dick Durbin, shining a special focus on the dangers of vaping, and speaking from firsthand experience at the increase of adolescents that Lurie Children’s has seen as a result.  

Now, an amazingly insightful and well written article was recently released by Time magazine.  

How Juul Hooked Kids and Ignited a Public Health Crisis

As our Executive Director Rebecca Levin wrote in her letter this week in the SCY Newsletter:

“As part of SCY's work on substance use prevention, the topic of vaping and electronic cigarettes is a growing concern. The Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery has recently provided information and advisories regarding vaping related illness. SCY hopes that by sharing these recommendations with partners we can help keep Illinois and Chicago youth healthy and informed.”

Suggested Listening: The Juul Paradox

What's better: promoting e-cigarettes to help smokers quit, or restricting vaping so teens don't pick up a new nicotine addiction? 

Listen to the podcast HERE.

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4) Spooky Ooky Kooky Contest

What is your favorite fall non-alcoholic drink?  

SCY’s project Preventing Alcohol Abuse in Chicago Teens, as a part of their I Got This! campaign have announced the Spooky Ooky Kooky Contest. 

Whip out that recipe, and you could have the chance to win a $25 gift certificate in our new fall mocktail contest.  

Winners will be chosen and taste-tested by Strengthening Chicago’s Youth staff.  

Entries can be posted now on either Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook using the hashtag #SpookyNotSpiked.  

Strengthening Chicago's Youth (SCY) Blog turned 6 today!

This week’s blog is written by Dion McGill, SCY Communications and Community Outreach Manager. 

Photo courtesy of flickr.com. Labeled for reuse. 

If you’re anything like me, you are waiting with bated breath for the series finale of Game of Thrones!  Amazingly enough, we are down to the last episode...and I know that I’m not the only one excited about it. 

Every Monday morning, I stop by the offices of some of my colleagues and discuss what we witnessed the previous evening. Kirstin, SCY Operations Coordinator, hadn’t even seen an episode of Game of Thrones four weeks ago.  She watched the entire series in three weeks, and is now caught up and ready to enjoy the finale.  Program Assistant Gabriella and I have traded theories and reflections multiple times a week for at least a month.  The excitement is in the air. 

But what does Game of Thrones have to do with the work of SCY?

I’m glad you asked! 

One of SCY’s Focus on Five is equitable access to high quality mental health services. As stated in our policy agenda:

Strengthening Chicago’s Youth (SCY) supports public policies that will prevent violence and build resilience among our youth.  These policies generally share the following principles:

Developmental approach that recognizes how violence emerges over the life course and the impact of trauma on development.

Ecological approach which notes that violence and its solutions occur at the individual, family, community, and societal levels.

Recognition of the interconnectedness and co-occurrence of many forms of violence, including child maltreatment, teen dating violence, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, community violence, and bullying.

Knowledge that each child, family, and community is unique.

Recognition that it is better to keep a child or family from being exposed to all forms of violence than to treat the effects of exposure.

Strength-based approach that focuses on development of assets and skills over remedy of deficits.

Acknowledgement that violence prevention requires involvement from many different disciplines.

Use of data, data visualization, and mapping to monitor emerging health and safety issues, develop evidence-based policies, and implement ongoing evaluation of violence prevention interventions.

Attention paid to enhancing existing infrastructures, building local capacity, sustainability, implementation, and funding.

Participation of the people and organizations most affected by the policy in its development.

Acceptance of the fact that violence cannot be addressed without addressing race, segregation, gender, sexual orientation, and poverty.

Basis in social justice, ensuring that potential negative effects of policies should not be borne disproportionately by already oppressed populations.

As a result, four of SCY’s nine policy recommendations for 2019-2020, directly address youth trauma:

Adopt and implement evidence-based, trauma-informed gun violence prevention policies that reduce access to illegal firearms and keep our communities safe.

Support publicly funded organizations with youth programming, including schools, to require professional development training for all staff on the effects of all forms of violence and trauma on children and youth.

Support policies in education, law enforcement, and the legal system that reflect evidence regarding brain development, combat systemic racism, and address the impact of trauma on individuals and communities.

Implement sustainable funding mechanisms for school-based, community-based, and faith-based mental health and substance use services, including health promotion, standardized screening, connection to comprehensive services, and outcome tracking.

And while Game of Thrones is one of the most highly viewed shows in TV history, we’ve all had a moment or two where we had to stop and acknowledge,  “Man...these people are having a rough go of it!” 

The plain fact of the matter is that The Game of Thrones is a game of trauma.  

Throughout the seven full seasons, and five episodes of the eighth season, we have seen a plethora of trauma befall the characters.  Some of the most notable moments of the show have been ones that depicted horrendous trauma on often young characters, for example Arya having to witness the death of her father. 

One of the most beloved characters of the show, Sansa Stark, has bore the brunt of some of the most egregious forms of trauma the show has had to offer.  From feeling guilt stemming from the death of her father, to being wed and mercilessly bullied, belittled and tormented by the hellish Joffrey, to later being raped and tormented by her second husband Ramsey.  Sansa is a GOT character that has had to bear the weight of many lives on her adolescent (In season 8, Sansa Stark is 20 years old) shoulders. 

"Sansa is a victim of complex trauma, particularly in the form of domestic violence," says Sharie Stines, a therapist, relationship coach and writer who specializes in complex trauma recovery and personality disorders. "She was betrayed by everyone and abused and objectified."That's not something a person just gets over, Stines says. In fact, even when someone is healed, the ordeal is never completely erased."All of our experiences mold and shape us, so recovery is a lifelong process, not a destination." Source: CNN

Of course, Game of Thrones is made palatable by the fact that it has dragons.  I mean, it’s all fantasy right?   Unfortunately, the level of trauma we witness in Game of Thrones is a sad reality for many Chicago youth.  Witnessing daily trauma, in the form of community violence, domestic abuse, and sexual assault, unfortunately occurs to Chicago youth every day.  

Community Violence Produces Loud and Silent Trauma

Infographic courtesy of the Sandy Hook Columbine Collective

Infographic courtesy of echotraining.org

Two key components of Strengthening Chicago’s Youth is promoting the idea of a trauma-informed care approach towards youth, as well connecting and mobilizing the city around a public health approach to violence prevention.  

Violence and trauma for Chicago youth is by no means a game, and is far too real.  

If you’re not familiar with terms like Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma-Informed Care (TIC)...well, we’re here to help: 

CDC information on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES)

Harvard Health Publishing: Trauma-Informed Care - What it is, and why it’s important? 

Psychology Today: Trauma-Informed Care and why it matters

CDC Infographic: 6 Guiding Principles to a Trauma-Informed Approach