SFCASA November Newsletter

RSVP for the Youth Holiday Party!

Our Youth Holiday Party is just over a month away!

Please invite the youth you serve and plan to join us for a magical afternoon filled with activities, games, gifts and holiday cheer.

Please RSVP HERE by December 1st. If you have any questions please email [email protected]. Thank you, and we look forwards to seeing you there!

CASA Ambassadors Needed!

With over 80 youth on our waitlist, SFCASA recognizes that word of mouth is the best way to recruit more volunteers. Are you passionate about the CASA program and willing to talk with prospective CASAs? As a CASA Ambassador you will share your experiences as an Advocate and answer questions they may have. If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to Eduardo Mayorga ([email protected]).

Volunteer Tax Preparers Needed

for the Foster Youth Tax Project!

SFCASA is gearing up for its second year as an independent IRS-certified Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site focused on serving San Francisco County’s current and former foster youth.

The 2024 filing season will be the second year for the fully refundable CA Foster Youth Tax Credit and we want to ensure that every eligible young adult secures this critical resource in the amount up to $1044.

If you or someone in your network may enjoy volunteering in this unique capacity, we’re keen to connect! Learn more here and complete this easy form as a first step. No prior experience is necessary and certification support is available!

Calling all Artists!

In our ongoing commitment to honoring "Voice," we're thrilled to announce a special transformation for our annual gala: next year, instead of the usual silent auction, we're showcasing youth-created and collaborative art. We're calling on all artists in our Advocate community to join us as thought partners in shaping this inspiring initiative. Your creativity and insights will be invaluable. If you're curious or interested, please contact Shiko at [email protected]. Let's unite to empower our youth and create a gala that truly reflects our SFCSA spirit. Thank you in advance for your support in uplifting youth voice!

Recruitment Panel Info Session

Our winter training is just around the corner! We are hosting a virtual Panel Info Session on November 15th from 6 to 7 pm via Zoom. Two of our volunteers will be sharing their stories and talking about the program. Please share this post with friends and family who might be interested in becoming a CASA volunteer. Help spread the word by selecting "interested" on the Facebook event and sharing it with your networks. They can register HERE.

ADVOCATE SPOTLIGHT

Elizabeth "Libby" McBride

Libby has been matched with her young person for 7 months. As soon as she was sworn in as a CASA she immediately wanted to take on the role as an Educational Rights Holder. As an ERH, she was quick to get every team members' contact information and their role. Libby was also put in situations where she was a mediator for her youth’s IEP team, and service providers. She advocated for her youth's preference in schooling, and through her young person’s IEP plan, reviewed thoroughly what is best for her youth. She also requested an IEP meeting once her youth changed placement.

Libby's previous job at the Alameda County Assessment Center with WestCoast Children's Clinic, gave her experience in working with many teens from the ages 14-18 who had JJ and/or CSEC involvement. She demonstrated her expertise in requesting assessments, sharing the state mandated (SB89) Sex Ed curriculum in school, CSE-IT screening tool, and reviewed all of their youth’s health and education records.

As a CASA, she is adventurous and invites her young person to do activities like bowling, costume shopping, roller skating and explore foodie places! Libby highlights her youth’s personality and embraces her for who she is, especially when she shares positive insights about her youth to her team. She is a go to for her youth’s team in reaching out to the staff at the youth’s school and essential in mediating those conversations. She is a go-getter who handles any situation with a compassion and empathy.

Thank you Libby for being an amazing CASA!

ACTIVITIES & RESOURCES FOR YOUTH

A Home Within: CASA Therapy Project

SFCASA partners with A Home Within to offer mental health services to youth in foster care ages 12 to 21 and those who have aged out. Ideal participants are those who want to improve communication, address anxiety and depression, and learn self-esteem and self-love so symptoms don’t become severe. Participants whose needs can be addressed safely through A Home Within will engage in one-hour per week talk teletherapy sessions. Youth willing to participate can receive $25 Visa Gift Card after three sessions and an additional $25 Visa Gift Card after 10 sessions for a total of $50. Access the referral form HERE.

Educational Advocacy

Educational Advocacy Resources

Does the youth you support have an IEP? If so, is it current and have you uploaded it to Advocate Link? High school transcripts should be uploaded as well. These documents strengthen your advocacy as a CASA and help ensure that the youth is receiving all the services and support they need. CASA youth experience a lot of transition and may change schools several times during their academic tenure. When these essential documents are available on Advocate Link, they can be submitted to the new school immediately. Districts may not send the student’s files promptly. This is an opportunity for the CASA to aid in a smoother transition for the student.

FAFSA Reminder

It’s almost time for FAFSA Applications! FAFSA is changing and improving, thus the application will be available in December of 2023. There’s still time to register for FAFSA 101 workshop that is being hosted by SFUSD on November 1^st at 6p via Zoom. Remember that California requires all seniors to apply for the FAFSA to be eligible for financial aid. Check out the FAFSA Challenge for California students!.

Coalition College Application

Are you an advocate for a senior who graduates this year? It’s time to start having conversations about life beyond high school graduation. The Coalition College Application simplifies the college application process. Explore this page with the youth you support.

Transitional Age Youth (TAY)

Corner

SFCASA Peer to Peer Grant Program

SFCASA’s YOUth Empowerment Board Peer to Peer Grant Program will be accepting applications again from November 1^st – November 15^th! The application will open on the 1st of every month and close on the 15th of every month. Young people can apply for grant award amounts between $500-$1500. Young people must be between the ages of 16-24 years old, be currently or formerly system-impacted, AND be under San Francisco jurisdiction. This grant is intended to address needs such as education, transportation, housing, and more. Those who identify as Black or Black/multi-ethnic are highly encouraged to apply.

Some key things to keep in mind are:

1. Young people must apply on their own (advocates, PSWs, etc. are welcome to support but cannot apply on the young person’s behalf).

2. Two paragraphs must be submitted in the young person’s application or it will be denied

3. All submitted applications must have an invoice, receipt or screenshot of the item with cost estimate from a business to support the amount being requested. Youth will not be receiving the grant money directly. SFCASA will only be paying vendors directly or reimbursing. This means that we will not accept grant applications for smaller requests such as toiletries or ongoing needs as the funding is a one-time support.

4. Applications do not open for viewing until the 1st of every month.

San Francisco Independent

Living Skills Program

The San Francisco Independent Living Skills Program, supports youth 16-22 years old who are experiencing foster care or the juvenile justice system. They offer robust education support services with many paid workshops available for young people to attend either in person or on Zoom. Their team also offers support with housing, financial literacy, healthy living skills, and more! They will be hosting an open house on November 30^th at their site! This is would be a great opportunity to check out their programs and meet their staff with the young person you are supporting so they can ask questions, get familiar with the location and staff, learn more about the resources available to them as they venture into adulthood, and engage with SFCASA’s TAY Specialist & Case Supervisor, Theodora as well as the YOUth Empowerment Board Members

San Francisco ILSP Open House

Resources for Advocates

Continuing Education (CE) Requirement

CASAs are required to earn 12 CE credits per calendar year.

There are a variety of ways you can earn CE credits:

attend SFCASA CEs (zoom and/or in-person)
attend Casa Community Network meetings
volunteer at a Community Event that SFCASA is participating in
serve as a VITA tax volunteer. Learn more HERE

You are strongly encouraged to register and attend CEs in November!

We will be reaching out to you by the end of the year to let you know how you are doing towards your CE credit requirement.

If there is a CE topic you would like to suggest - please do! We are here to support you. You can contact our Training Specialist, Diane Posner at [email protected] with any questions or suggestions.

Court Reports in Advocate Link

We are excited to announce that starting November 1 you will have the option of writing your court report directly in Advocate Link!

This will greatly simplify and streamline the court report writing and editing process, as most of the fields will auto populate, and the formatting will be all preset. Plus you can use the youth’s full name because the writing is in our database, and not sent in an email.

No more fussing with the formatting
No more using initials for the youth’s name
No more emails back and forth with your Case Supervisor or multiple versions of the report

Instructions for writing your next court report in A.L. can be found HERE (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zPiqA1LC9-YLAZuJ-EFi-up0xHJEP_DoSOYtCkTOXMQ/edit#heading=h.3bngsi6zyced). We will soon offer a “How To” webinar as well.

We encourage those of you writing court reports in the next few months to give it a try! However, if you strongly prefer to continue writing in a Word document, you can.

Please reach out to our Data Specialist, Janey Kemp at [email protected] for support or with any questions. Thank you!

Continuing Education for Advocates

FOSTER YOUTH BILL OF RIGHTS

Multiple dates/times on Zoom (2 CE credits) Presented by The Office of the Foster Care Ombudsperson

These virtual trainings are instructor-led, interactive classes designed to improve your knowledge about the Foster Youth Bill of Rights. For more information, please check out our website or call The Office of the Foster Care Ombudsperson M-F 8:00 AM- 5:00 PM at 1-877-846-1602

NOVEMBER 2 @ 10 AM – 12 PM

DECEMBER 7 @ 5:3O PM --7:30 PM

FAFSA 101 FOR FOSTER YOUTH

Wednesday, November 1, 2023 6:00-8:00pm on Zoom with Ling Busche, SFUSD Student Family Services Division (2 CE credits)

The financial aid application process may feel daunting but truthfully, there is plenty of support and resources to help us, help our foster youth navigate (both in and outside of school!). This workshop is a starting point for supporters of our foster youth who are embarking on the financial aid application process (which is an expectation for all). Participants will gain a basic overview of the FAFSA/CADAA and have the chance to explore key resources (grants and scholarships for foster youth and services and programs at respective universities) that we can help our students with their postsecondary plans.

VICARIOUS TRAUMA AND SELF CARE

Thursday, November 2, 2023 6:00-8:00pm on Zoom with Allison Roeser (2 CE credits)

How do you handle exposure to the trauma(s) experienced by the youth you serve? It's helpful for your own mental health to be aware of how trauma exposure might impact you, and how you can practice (and model) self-care.

In this workshop, you will connect with other CASAs who have similar experiences, build community, and explore self-care strategies that can empower your advocacy. This CE is helpful for ALL Advocates!

EMPOWERING YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES (Focusing on advocates working with older youth, teens, and young adults)

Tuesday, November 7, 6-8pm via Zoom with Kidpower (2 CE Credits)

Learn ways to help older youth, teens, and young adults with diverse abilities build skills and confidence to use right away to be safer and strengthen relationships of all kinds!

Using relevant role-plays and scenarios, we will practice and adapt skills for all abilities including:

Using awareness, calm, and confidence
Recognizing what is and is not safe
Move away from trouble physically, emotionally, and digitally
Setting powerful and respectful boundaries
Protecting ourselves emotionally to stay in charge of what we say and do
Advocating assertively and persistently for help with safety problems

KNOWING MY RIGHTS WORKSHOP (Especially for advocates working with older youth, teens, and young adults )

Wednesday, November 8, 2023, 6:00 - 8:00 PM on Zoom with FLY (Fresh Lifelines for Youth) (2 CE Credits)

FLY’s mission is to partner with youth to unlock their potential, disrupt the pipeline to prison, and advance justice in California and beyond. We are pleased to collaborate with the non-profit organization FLY to support your advocacy for youth and the juvenile justice system. Learning outcomes include:

What are Rights?
What is a Police Encounter?
When are officers allowed to speak to a youth without a warrant?
Knowing My Rights P2
Stay alive
What are my rights after I am arrested?

We look forward to seeing you there!

YOUTH-CENTERED RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

Thursday, November 9, 2023, 6:00 - 8:00 PM on Zoom (2 CE Credits) with Joey Hess.

What does it mean to be youth-centered? How does a Harm Reduction approach support positive engagement and relationship building with a young person? Harm Reduction recognizes that young people have valid reasons for the choices they make and supports them in thinking through their feelings and options with a focus on safety. Please join us for an evening of practice and learning with Joey Hess, who will provide a Harm Reduction workshop focusing on youth-centered relationship building and maintenance. There will also be time for case-specific questions. We look forward to seeing you there!

HOLIDAY BLUES: WORKING WITH YOUTH WHO ARE STRESSED AND DEPRESSED

Wednesday, November 15th at 6-8 PM via Zoom (2 CE Credits) with Dr. Natalia Estassi.

Stress can increase their depression, anxiety, and trigger suicidal thoughts. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 1 million people die each year from suicide. It is the SECOND leading cause of death for ages 10-24 and the THIRD leading cause of death for college-age youth and ages 12-18. Four out of five teens who attempt suicide have given clear warning signs. Learn how to recognize these warning signs and what you can do to save a life. Review the signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety and how they are directly linked to suicide. Study misconceptions about suicide and how to address them in your work. Discuss several tips on preventing suicide, including how to assess the level of suicide risk. Explore common suicide risk factors for children and teens, including problems that may trigger a suicide attempt. Examine alarming statistics to remind you of your crucial role as providers to assess and address suicide with all our youth. Learn how you can make a difference!

CASA COMMUNITY NETWORK HUDDLE

Wednesday December 6th, 2023 from 6:00 to 7:00 PM on Zoom (1 CE credit)

Topic: Learning From Each Other … Sharing With Each Other

This will be an opportunity for CASAs to celebrate our successes, as well as share any challenges we're facing with our youth, for example: anger management strategies, emotional dysregulation around the holidays, improving communication, etc. It will be a great chance to learn from each other about ways to support the young person we serve.

The CASA Community Network (CCN) is a network for CASAs, organized by CASAs and hosted by CASAs. We share, lean in and on, and support each other through events, such as The Huddle. Sometimes we learn from expert guest speakers in continuing education sessions. In The Huddle, we learn from experts – ourselves – we have collective years of expertise among us. We are a network of support – who better understands the ups, the downs, the joys, the challenges than we do.

SELF-AWARENESS & RESILIENCY WHEN WORKING WITH YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE with Natalia Estassi

Tuesday, December 5, 2023, 6:00 - 8:00 PM on Zoom (2 CE Credits)

As CASA volunteers we are in close proximity to children and families who have and may continue to experience trauma. This can put a lot of strain on CASA volunteers. Support is here! Participate in the following training. Participants will explore the importance of reflecting on your own experiences and developmental stages when working with youth in foster care. In this training Natalia will explore the importance of boundaries, self-care, cultural sensitivity and tips to positively impact relationships with youth in foster care. We will also explore resiliency in youth.

Trainings are offered to inform your advocacy,

help you think creatively about your case,

and to build community.

SFCASA Advocates are required to earn 12 CE credits

per calendar year.

Please visit Additional Continuing Education Opportunities for alternative options.

Do you have ideas for future CEs? Let us know by emailing [email protected]