March 27, 2018

The Youth Count 2018 was a success with contact at over 120 schools, 26 colleges and with the help of 300 plus volunteers.   The planning leading up to the Youth Count was extensive statewide and included our burgeoning Youth Engagement Team Initiatives (YETIs) which are regional groups populated by youth service providers, outreach workers, shelter and housing providers and McKinney Vento liaisons.

Involvement in the Youth Count can begin with local discussions about homelessness and resources available to address this issue.   CCEH with Meriden schools has created the school engagement packet (https://www.cceh.org/provider-resources/youth-resources/ ) which is meant to expand awareness and foster these vital local discussions.  Ledyard schools under the leadership of Krissa Anderson, the district McKinney Vento liaison, presented an amended version of the engagement packet to faculty and had these newly trained staff present the content school-wide to students during an advisory period.   Woodstock Academy students from the club FRESH (Family Related Efforts to Support Humanity) engaged with the content and themselves presented to their peers over the school wide advisory period last November.

Both of these efforts are great examples of expanding discussions about housing instability and homelessness to our secondary school partners.   Although the content can be used at any time during the year these efforts were part of our statewide focus on Hunger and Homelessness awareness week which is the week before Thanksgiving nationwide.   Please join us during the week of November 12-16 2018 when we will again work with our school partners in as many districts as possible in Connecticut to educate both faculty and students.   Further this content prepares communities for the significant endeavor of the Youth Count by providing districts with content that makes clear the scope of experience of homelessness by youth and the system of services and access that we have created statewide to address these instances.   The Youth Count will take place during the week of January 23-29 2019.   Please work with your local YETI leaders to find out how you can be involved in the Youth Count for next year !

More youth resources can be found through this link http://www.ctyouthhelp.org/ .

YETI leads can be found here https://cceh.org/youth-engagement-team-initiatives/.