Homeless Youth Workshop

2011
Homeless Youth
Awareness Workshop
!
DO
NOT
miss this workshop
Monday, March 21, 2011
Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency
729 21st Street • Bettendorf, IA
Directions: http://www.aea9.k12.ia.us/documents/filelibrary/images/maps/Bettendorf_Office.jpg
Sponsored by Mississippi Bend AEA and Davenport Community
School District this workshop will provide pertinent information
and resources for educators and community stakeholders about
programs, laws, and services for Homeless Youth.
Keynote Speaker - Maggie Tinsman
Century Slavery: Human Trafficking
8:00-8:30 a.m.
8:30-9:30 a.m. 9:30-10:30 a.m. 10:30-11:30 a.m. 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. 12:15-2:45 p.m. 2:45-3:00 p.m. 3:00-4:00 p.m. 4:00-4:30 p.m. Registration and Refreshments
Poverty/Homeless Simulation
Services Providers
McKinney Vento 101 and Homeless
Summary from St. Ambrose
Simple Lunch/Socialize
Maggie Tinsman: Human Trafficking
Break
Homeless Youth Panel (stories/Q&A)
Summary: what is needed, what can you do
$15.00 (includes simple lunch and materials)
CEU’s available (additional $10)
Register at the link below!
Registration closes 3/14/2011
Register Here: http://www.solutionwhere.com/mbaea/cw/showcourse.asp?2157
Homeless Youth Awareness Workshop – Monday, March 21, 2011 –
90 registered so far - Sponsored by AEA & Davenport Schools
In Attendance:
Quad City Times (all day) – Kay Luna & Craig Devrieze – Other Media invited
Maggie Tinsman
Ellen Reilly, Davenport Schools (co-sponsor with AEA)
Some AEA Staff – social workers/ school psychs/Early Childhood
Community Member Registrants
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Project NOW
Bethany Home
The Center (food pantry/shelter)
Humility of Mary (family shelter)
Catholic Charities
YWCA – Rock Island
Family Y
ROE
St. Ambrose
Scott County Foster Care
Community Foundation of the Greater River Bend
Eastern Iowa Community College
Family Resources
Law Enforcement
Big Brothers/Big Sisters
CADS – Center for Alcohol & Drug Services
QC Affirming Diversity
Scott County Lawyers
Cindy Swanson, AEA Homeless Youth Liaison, March 21, 2011
Suggested Points Related to What Participants will Know, Understand and be able to Do at
end of day
(Either within Glenn’s opening comments or Cindy following)
• At the end of the day, you will be aware of the day-to-day realities faced by homeless
teenagers in our area (Homeless Simulation) and resources that may assist you in your
current role with youth.
• You will learn about the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act that provides
guidelines for schools to serve homeless youth and learn of the educational impact on
homeless children.
• There are alarming data points that will be detailed by Dr. Matt McCormick, St.
Ambrose, and others that may bring a new awareness to this issue and you will
understand what you may do in terms of your role as a community member, agency
representative, parent, or educator.
• You will hear from Maggie Tinsman, who served as a State Senator and specializes in
advocating for health and human services issues, including speaking on “Global and
Local Problems of Human Trafficking”. Our homeless youth are at great risk for human
trafficking due to the gap of services for an unaccompanied homeless youth shelter and
other accessible resources.
• You will hear from a panel of homeless youth and learn from their experiences
• You will have time to network and learn about community resources that are trying to
address this problem and the gaps in services for this population
___________________________________________________________________________
Other background information you may wish to refer or know that will be covered throughout the day:
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Nationally, 1.37 million (or 39%) of the total homeless population are children under the age of 18.
Almost 50% of youth in shelters report intense conflict or physical harm by a family member as a major
contributing factor to their homelessness
• In the US, as many as 20,000 children and youth are forced into prostitution by human trafficking networks
every year.
• In 2009, 629 students were identified as homeless in the AEA 9 schools (minimal count)
• Measuring the number of unaccompanied homeless youth in our area is difficult because of the fluidity of their
situation and the fact that many are considered “sofa surfers” spending nights on friend’s sofas and moving
around in unsafe environments when in crisis.
• Our communities within AEA 9 and in the bi-state area do not have an unaccompanied homeless youth shelter
(there are services for families, single parents with children) but not for unaccompanied youth
• 50% of adolescents aging-out of foster care and the juvenile justices systems will be homeless within 6 months
because they are unprepared to live independently, have limited education and no social support
Cindy Swanson, AEA Homeless Youth Liaison, March 21, 2011
•
Over 25% of former foster children become homeless within 2-4 years of leaving the system.
(Just FYI)
Maggie Tinsman – After Lunch Keynote
Trafficking in persons is modern-day slavery, involving victims who are forced, defrauded or coerced into labor
or sexual exploitation. Human trafficking deprives people of their rights and freedoms, it is a global health risk,
and it fuels the growth of organized crime. It has a devastating impact on individual victims, who often suffer
physical and emotional abuse, rape, threats against self and family, and even death.
The major forms of human trafficking include: forced and/or bonded labor, debt bondage and involuntary
servitude, involuntary servitude among migrant laborers, involuntary domestic servitude, forced child labor,
child soldiers, sex trafficking and prostitution, children exploited for commercial sex, and child sex tourism.
In the spring of 2006, Iowa become the 14th state to pass a law criminalizing human trafficking, making it a
serious felony with social services available to victims regardless of immigration status, and making training
available to law enforcement. In the fall of 2008, this Iowa law was used to convict Leonard Ray Russell of
human trafficking and other charges for bringing two 15- and 16-year old runaway teens from Omaha,
Nebraska to Iowa for the purpose of prostitution and performance at strip clubs. This activity took place in rural
Iowa- Denison, although the girls were also taken to Davenport, Iowa and Rockford, Illinois. They were taught
how to negotiate for sex and were required to turn over all the money they made to Russell, who provided
them with food, shelter, clothing and transportation.
How can we uncover this undercover crime? What can we do about this situation in our communities, schools,
colleges and universities? How can our civilized society stamp out this crime that deprives people of their
human rights and freedoms?
Cindy Swanson, AEA Homeless Youth Liaison, March 21, 2011