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December, 2017 Hard Copy

Wisconsin Promise Is Pleased To Present... Reyna's Story

Meet Reyna, a Youth with Promise. She’s resilient, strong, and knows how to advocate for herself. Reyna struggled with a lot of trauma and anger issues throughout her life. She was feeling stuck in the system and starting to age out of foster care when she found Wisconsin Promise. With support from Promise including trauma-informed care, which is the center of Wisconsin First Lady Tonette Walker’s Fostering Futures initiative, Reyna has begun to harness her independence. Reyna is a Youth with Promise, with plans to change the world. Reyna's Story

It's Not Too Late! Finish Training Before Promise Ends!! Remember, Promise services end in September 2018! It’s hard to believe that there is less than a year left on the Promise project. Youth, families, and Promise partners have learned a lot over the course of the past four years. That being said, we want to make sure you are getting the full benefit of the trainings we offer. Since you have a lot on your plate, we’re making it easy for you to find out what trainings are left so you can take them before our time together draws to a close. Each youth participant will receive a personalized progress report that shows which courses have been completed, and which ones have yet to be taken. You’ll also get instructions on how to access remaining courses. Those who complete all modules will receive a certificate of completion at an end-of-project celebration. Watch the website or your family advocate’s message channels for more information as it becomes available.

Promise Services Guide Over the course of the project, we’ve all worked together to uncover and gather resources that will help youth and families to succeed when it comes to training for, finding, and keeping a job. Recently, we’ve compiled all that information into a single resource, so you have everything you need right at your fingertips. You can download your free copy here .

Keeping The Momentum With "Next Step" Stipends One of the ways Promise is continuing the momentum created at community conversations is to award Next Steps Stipends to successful applicants. The purpose of the Promise Community Conversation Next Steps Stipend is to support local grassroots groups to carry out an idea that emerged from a Promise Community Conversation. These activities will make changes in their communities that result in a positive impact on employment opportunities for youth with disabilities. Stipends are funded up to $3000 by Promise and are available to people who have attended a Promise Community Conversation. Recently Promise awarded 5 stipends to projects that emerged from the Siren Community Conversation. The following organizations had successful applications: Diversified Services, Inc., Siren School District, North Country Independent Living (2 projects), and the St. Croix Tribe. In addition, the Eau Claire Area School District was awarded a stipend following the Promise community conversation in Eau Claire. Completed projects funded from previous events have had positive results, such as a follow up meeting and request for training with the HR department in a large company, an increase in the number of internships offered in one community, and an increase in overall awareness and enthusiasm from both employers and potential employees with a disability. The consensus is that every project has added value and has furthered the work started by the community conversations. Look out for news about future community conversation in your area and the opportunity to apply for a stipend.

Ellie's Updates Promise Services Summary The impact of Wisconsin Promise depends on making a difference in the lives of all Wisconsin Promise youth and families. The more impact we can have with more youth and their family members, the more we will be able to demonstrate how Wisconsin Promise Services and Supports can help to increase participants’ education, employment, and financial self-sufficiency. Promise success Story Miguel's Story: A Family Moving Forward Together Miguel just opened up a  Promise Matched Savings Account  with the goal of purchasing a laptop! This is just one of several goals he’s accomplished with the support of his family and Promise Counselor.

Wisconsin Promise's Response to SSA's Request: Are there Federal, State or local partners that were not included in Promise but that, upon further reflection and based on your experiences, perhaps should have been included? Juvenile Justice. Early on we discovered that some Promise youth were being referred to the legal system, so we believed that developing a partnership with the state and county Juvenile Justice System was necessary. We held a Wisconsin Promise Community Conversation with a focus on Juvenile Justice on June 26, 2015. Another development that has promoted ongoing partnership was the incorporation of the Wisconsin state Juvenile Justice division into the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF), making partnership with Wisconsin Promise even easier.

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Steering Committee Profile Members and Emails

Project Director Meredith Dressel [email protected] Project Manager Ellie Hartman [email protected]

Members Cayte Anderson [email protected] Nancy Molfenter [email protected] Sam Ninnemann [email protected] Wendy Henderson [email protected]   Jenny Neugart  [email protected] Suzanne Lee [email protected]