Happy Pride Month!
The month of June is federally recognized as the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month. It is meant to honor the 1969 Stonewall uprising and work to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity for LGBTQ Americans. Pride also commemorates the impact LGBTQ individuals have had on history. Memorials are held during the month for community members who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. Pride has become an important time to celebrate and welcome the diversity and spectrum of sexual orientations and gender identities.
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Why Supporting LGBTQQ2+ Foster Youth is Important
There is an overrepresentation of youth who identify as LGBTQQ2+ within the LA County child welfare system.
Nearly half of these identifying youth reported being treated poorly while in dependency and almost all of them shared that they experienced discrimination due to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. LGBT foster youth tend to experience more living transitions, placements in congregate care and hospitalizations in comparison to youth not identifying as LGBT. This can have detrimental impacts on a youth’s permanency and well-being. It is important to recognize the above challenges that LGBTQQ2+ foster youth face. A CASA can be an affirming ally to these young people by ensuring that they have access to affirming services, other supportive adults, and advocating for safe and supportive placements, schools, etc.
What does CASA/LA do specifically for LGBTQQ2+ foster youth
The CASA/LA LGBTQQ2+ committee includes staff, volunteers, court personnel, and community stakeholders dedicated to ensuring that our organization is culturally humble to those who identify as LGBTQQ2+ and their allies. Committee initiatives include...
- Identifying resources within LA County
- Building partnerships with agencies that share our values
- Providing ongoing learning opportunities to staff, volunteers, and the court regarding how best to advocate, support, and uplift youth involved in child welfare
- Ensuring that CASA/LA policies, processes, and communications are inclusive
- Identifying the different forms of intersectionality and strive to actively educate and promote equity between these relationships.
Want to learn more?
- Attend an In-Service Training in our Pride Series (see below)
- Read a Book: “A Guide to Gender" by Sam Killerman, “Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches" by Audre Lorde, “Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out” by Susan Kuklin, “The Meaning of Matthew” by Judy Shepard, “A Queer History of the United States” by Michael Bronski, “Pedro and Me” by Judd Winick
- Watch a Movie: Freeheld (2015), How to Survive a Plague (2012), Two Spirits (2011), Kinsey (2004), And The Band Played On (1993), Paris is Burning (1990)
- Watch a TV Show: Vida (Amazon, Hulu, Starz), Sex Education (Netflix), Pose (FX, Hulu, Netflix), One Day at a Time (Netflix, YouTubeTV, fuboTV), Transparent (Amazon)
- Check this out: “them”, a next-generation community platform with a YouTube channel, “them” chronicles and celebrates the stories, people and voices that are emerging and inspiring all of us, ranging in topics from pop culture and style to politics and news, all through the lens of today’s LGBTQ community.
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A Testament to Katherine Hill
Our dear volunteer, Katherine Hill passed away last week. She was a fixture in the CASA office and she will be missed greatly. Here is Susan Shiells, Recruitment and Outreach Coordinator, sharing some memories about Katherine.
"
When I first started at CASA/LA almost 3 years I was told about a CASA who was “just lovely”. I met Katherine a few weeks later and her kindness was calming. She would come into the office to help interview potential volunteers and I would sit and talk with her while she waited. We would talk about her current case and about her life's adventures. Turns out we both where scuba divers in our younger days. Katherine loved to travel and she spent a few years in England working as a teacher where she skydived for the first time!
I looked forward to Katherine’s visits in the office. She would always have a book in hand and always made a point to say goodbye to me when she left. I appreciated that gesture so much. One day Katherine asked me if she could help me with anything and I excitedly scooped up that offer. She became one of my info session speakers and always came early to help set up. She spoke about her current case, which she was on for over 7 years, with such passion that sometimes a few sniffles were heard. Katherine stepped up when I needed someone to host house parties to assist with volunteer recruitment. She was always was eager to help. When she hosted an event at her home she told me to come by to make sure it would suit for the event. I met her husband Dave for the first time that night and all I could think when I saw them together was “lovely just lovely.”
Katherine was a bit old school… whenever I sent her an email she always called me about it to discuss it. She preferred to talk! I will miss seeing her name come up on my phone. I will miss our talks. I will miss Katherine Hill very much. I will miss her loveliness."
If you knew Katherine Hill and would like to share a story or photo of her, we will be collecting messages and sharing the CASA/LA love with her family. Send items to Maegan Mattock at
mmattock@casala.org
by Friday, June 5.
Katherine’s family has generously asked that anyone wanting to pay final respects to Katherine make a donation to CASA/LA in lieu of flowers.
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CASA IN-SERVICE TRAINING
DCFS 101
When:
Tuesday, June 2 at 12-2 PM
Where:
online via Zoom
Continuing Education Credits:
2 hours
Benefits: LGBTQ+ 101
When:
Wednesday, June 3 at 12-2 PM
Where:
online via Zoom
Continuing Education Credits:
2 hours
Benefits: Supporting Queer Youth With Their Mental Health
When:
Wednesday, June 10 at 12-2 PM
Where:
online via Zoom
Continuing Education Credits:
2 hours
Transyouth and Their Health
When:
Thursday,
June 18 at 12-2 PM
Where:
online via Zoom
Continuing Education Credits:
2 hours
Obtaining a Legal Name and Gender Marker Change in Dependency Court
When:
Friday, June 26 at 12-1 PM
Where:
online via Zoom
Continuing Education Credits:
1 hour
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BOOK CLUBS
C
oastline Book Group
Where
: Online
When
: Wednesday, July 8 at 1:30-3 PM
We're Reading
: “Brown Girl Dreaming,” by Jacqueline Woodson
San Fernando Valley Book Group
Where
: Online
When
: Ju
ly 7 at 7 PM
We're Reading
:
"Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City" by Matthew Desmond
Want to host a book club?
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Recycled products = $$$ for CASA/LA!
Do you have hard to recycle products? We can help! Join
TerraCycle
’s free recycling program to support our environment
and
children in LA County’s foster care system. Simply choose the TerraCycle program you’d like to join, start collecting to earn points, mail the TerraCycle waste to be recycled, and convert your points into a dollar donation for CASA/LA!
Please reach out to Kelly at
klozo@casala.org
or call (323) 859-2888 x6353 with any questions.
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Thank you, Sexy Boss Babe!
Special shout out to our friends at
Sexy Boss Babe
for including CASA/LA in their May campaign to extend a hand to foster youth and survivors of sex trafficking. With every purchase of Quick Nails made last month, Sexy Boss Babe donated 15% of the proceeds to support our advocacy.
Plus, our very own Boss Wende Julien sat down with Sexy Boss Babe’s CEO Arzo Yusuf to discuss CASA/LA’s vital work. Listen to the podcast
here
!
If you or someone you know would like to partner with CASA/LA too, please contact Kelly at
klozo@casala.org
.
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CASA/LA LIVE! Recap
We're pleased to announce that our first foray into virtual fundraising was a success.
CASA/LA LIVE! took place on Tuesday, May 5th and
raised over $615,000
! The show kicked off with hosts Ashley and Topher Grace who gave us a behind-the-scenes look at how the 'Safer at Home' order has affected them and their growing family. This was followed by the premiere of our new CASA/LA short film about CASA volunteers Sam Bernstein, Renne Bilson and LaTanya Hill who shared their stories of advocacy and determination alongside the resilient children they work to serve.
Special messages were shared from CASA volunteers Erin Foster, Aishwarya Bhave and Brad Tsai along with appearances from Rhea Perlman, Rachel Bilson, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Andy Grammer and Alan Muraoka with incredible performances by Krystal Joy Brown from Broadway’s “Hamilton,” rapper 24kGoldn and a spoken word performance by Ruth, a former foster youth. The online event was a great success and shows that even a world-wide pandemic will not stop us from supporting the foster youth we serve!
Miss the event? You can watch it on
YouTube
.
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Alliance for Children's Rights
The Alliance for Children's Rights has put together a list of
resources and information
geared towards foster youth and families impacted by COVID-19.
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Aim 4 the Heart
Aim4TheHeart.org provides community-based programs designed to positively intervene in the lives of at-risk youth through the Arts. Now offering online classes. Visit their
website
to learn more.
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You can visit our
website
for the most up to date version of our Court Report Writing Handbook and templates for your court report.
In-service trainings on this topic are held quarterly.
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CASA/LA cares about the well-being of our advocates. As a volunteer, you have access to our
EAP program for
anonymous telephonic counseling.
Company code: CASAOFLA
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Join the CASA Resource Forum in
Muut to search/share resources, communicate with other CASAs, ask questions, and get updates. Read the following
Instructions to begin.
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Visit
Litmos
to access webinars on Transitional Aged Youth, Early Childhood, etc.
Look in your advocate email for an invitation from CASA/LA or contact your supervisor.
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Take a look at our
Volunteer Handbook for any CASA/LA policies regarding anything from conflict of interest, mandatory reporting, boundaries, or posting on social media.
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“I know that you cannot live on hope alone,
but without it, life is not worth living.
And you...And you...And you...Gotta give em hope.”
― Harvey Milk
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