Opinion Archives | Page 34 of 84

Trauma: Middle section of woman in blue with long brown hair, purple fingernails writing in notebook with red pen or pencil.

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Our Lives Are At Stake

I won’t let you fill me up anymore. Your hatred is toxic and time consuming You taught me to run away and...

Mentoring: 2 boys, 1 girl seated at table playing with vehicles with wires attached; man in glasses, open shirt over T-shirt bends over to point at paper on table.

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Mentoring Programs Need to Experiment With What Works Best for Foster Youth

If you work with youth in foster care, you know that every child is unique with specific needs, strengths and opportunities. It...

volunteers: Standing smiling woman with curly dark hair in peach short-sleeved top gestures while talking to seated group of three people facing her.

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Finding the Right Volunteers Through Targeted Recruitment

Volunteer coordinators are often told to develop an elevator speech to use in their efforts to recruit volunteers. An elevator speech is...

Gun violence: Gun lying on desk with 3 blue-covered books, paper with word School on it and pencil holder with pens, pencils, ruler; geometry drawing on blackboard is in background.

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Applying Escalation Model to School Shootings Can Keep Everyone Safer

The tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018 reawakened our national terror of school shootings and renewed...

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Mentoring Graduation Coaches Needed for Mass. Students

Massachusetts is considered a leader in education in the country, with the highest standardized test scores and some of the best public...

Adult hands holding child's hands holding an apple over wooden boards.

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The Department of Child and Family Services Mostly Failed Me, But Still I Persist

I was in the Department of Child and Family Services foster care system for nine years of my life. It was my...

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Youth Leaders Need Extra Thought, Sensitivity to Help the Young Enjoy Outdoors

The next generation is responsible for protecting an environment that they may not know how to connect with. As someone who sees...

Restorative Justice Even Works With the Big Bad Wolf, Training Shows

The first lightbulb moment for me was when I got to attend a restorative justice training for high school students in Seattle.

Let’s Make College Smoother for Students From Foster Care

Young people who’ve been in foster care face some challenging circumstances, but they still hope to go to college just like their...

Connecting Urban Youth With Nature in Cities Is Crucial

A connection with nature can offer unique support during the transitional life stages of youth. Today in the United States, most people...

The Arts, Especially Theater, Can Be Savior for Foster Youth

Extracurricular activities and a social life may seem commonplace to most youth growing up in the United States. However, it is common...

concept as a human head brain made of cement being destroyed or renovated by a group of wrecking ball objects with 3D illustration.

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Help Crime Victims By Committing to Restorative Justice

From the federal level to state legislatures across the country, criminal justice reform measures are a hot topic of conversation and proposed...

Personalized learning: Young woman in denim jacket with long dark hair wearing white headphones seated at table looks at white laptop. Bookshelves behind her.

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Kids Need More Personalized Learning to Keep Them in School

I recently reconnected with two of my best and brightest former fifth-grade students; let’s call them Maya and Avery. While I have...

2 smiling young women with long brown hair, seated at table, look over papers one is holding; one on left has short-sleeved gray top, one on right has open denim overshirt.

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How to Find, Retain High School Students As Peer-to-peer Mentors

In a perfect world there would be a mentor for every teen who wanted one. There would be more for those teens...

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Stopping Child Predator Law: What a Victory for Kids!

“Think of the children!” Among the many people who wail this admonishment when they have nothing useful to say in an argument...

Mother holding a child with a window in the background, sunshine streaming in.

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Paths to Success for Young Parents in Foster Care

Research has shown that adolescent parenthood is far more common among young people in foster care than among their peers in the...

Two people sitting at a desk, with coffee cup and paper and laptop computer open.

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Interns to Outcomes: The Post-secondary Experience in the Juvenile Justice Environment, Part 3

As previously covered, clear and timely communication, flexibility, plus a collaborative mindset are the essential elements of a vibrant juvenile justice or...

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Michigan Can Do Better Helping Foster Youth When They Age Out

Michigan is considered to have one of the better foster care systems in the country. One of its major differences is when...

Restorative Justice Helps Us Take Kids Where They Want to Go

Humans of Restorative Justice (HORJ) stories highlight the incredible individuals working to build and restore strong relationships in their communities. They are...