Army National Guard Child and Youth Program 2017 Annual Report
Our mission is to ensure that military children and youth have the tools and resources they need to be resilient while supporting their social, emotional, educational, and recreational needs.
Identify and support military youth and families throughout the deployment cycle by providing resources, opportunities, referrals, and support services Develop and facilitate meaningful trainings, programming, and activities that support the social, emotional, educational, and recreational needs of military youth while building resiliency skills and community Gather military youth from around the state to learn, grow, explore, and have fun, while cultivating a support network of peers Educate and provide resources to the community, especially schools and professionals working with military youth, on the impact of the deployment cycle on youth, families, and the community Create, nurture, and encourage community support networks for military youth
"Service Members and spouses make a conscious decision to join the military or marry into it. But children have no say and do not willingly sign up for the difficulties of a military family. These difficulties are compounded in the Reserve Component as families do not live on post and are displaced from resources and other military families. The Child and Youth Program is an indispensable ally to keep the family strong and the kids resilient!" CH(MAJ) Tim Bourquin, Service Member and Parent, RI ARNG, JFHQ, Cranston, RI Branch/Component Ages 6-12 Ages 13-18 Adults Army National Guard
520
228
1,599
Air National Guard
104
81
319
Army Active
14
0
18
Army Reserve
24
9
21
Air Force Active
4
0
6
Air Force Reserve
8
4
8
Resources and Referrals
Navy Active
86
17
80
1,925
Navy Reserve
12
1
11
Marine Active
5
0
12
Marine Reserve
1
0
1
Outreach Contacts
Coast Guard Active
14
4
11
58,199
Coast Guard Reserve
1
4
7
Other
9
20
329
TOTAL:
802
368
2,422
Total YOUTH Served in FY 2017: 1,170
Programming Hours 218.5
Youth Served, Ages 0-5 517
Military Family, Community, and School Outreach, Professional Development Briefings, and Trainings Family Readiness Group Events Youth Council Meetings RI Military Family Program Events Teen Resiliency Trainings
Military Appreciation Days at Sporting Events Military Youth Development Camps Service Learning Projects State Youth Symposium Regional Youth Symposium Partnered Gold Star Teens Camp Bring Your Child to Work Day
adult and youth volunteers logged hours Volunteers supported our day camp, residential camp, and
Family Program Events Volunteers were recognized at our RI Military Family Program’s Volunteer Appreciation event where they were honored with a special award from the Adjutant General. This reinforced the importance of their work, which helps retain current volunteers and recruit new ones!
The Rhode Island National Guard Child and Youth Program and the Rhode Island 4-H have always had a mutually supportive relationship, but each year it grows and strengthens benefitting the youth we work with. This year, 4-H supported our Youth Leadership Forums by providing classrooms and outdoor space at the University of Rhode Island (URI), and access to URI’s teaching staff, leadership development program, and college-level resources and facilities. 4-H delivered curriculum to support our learning objectives, provided lunch, and ice skating! They also granted access to Peckham Farm, where the military youth were able to work with the farm animals and learn about 4-H. Working with 4-H enables the Child and Youth Program to offer more well-rounded programs to our military youth, and we are thankful for the partnership that we have.
Rhode Island held three Teen Resiliency Training workshops where the two-hour curriculum was delivered to 37 Army National Guard youth and teens, ages 11-16. These workshops were called, Bounce, Don’t Break!, and were presented as part of full-day programs, offering leadership development, team building, healthy relationships, physical fitness, and fun!
This year we had our oldest campers, the Foxtrot Squad, transition into new roles as Senior Campers during our annual RING Leaders Military Youth Camp. The nine Senior Campers, received additional training and took on extra responsibilities before and during the residential camp. Some of their main responsibilities were to work with the younger squads as role models and mentors, leading icebreakers and helping to reduce worries and anxiety, assist soldiers in running morning physical training, and to support the Lead Child and Youth Program Coordinator during Resiliency Training. During this training, the Senior Campers helped to teach the skill of “Hunting the Good Stuff” by guiding discussions, offering ideas for real-world application, and showing the younger campers how to paint and decorate a “Good Stuff” box, where youth can store notes about all the “good stuff” they hunt throughout their day.
Our Youth Council, consisting of 10 members, volunteered their time at many programs and events to work with younger military children, together volunteering over 160 hours this year! As a group, they created and facilitated a “haunted hallway” at our annual Halloween Bash, and activity booths for our annual Holiday for Heroes winter event and Carnival for Heroes summer event. This winter the Youth Council worked hard to support a new initiative that was inspired by a “resiliency kit” that started in New Hampshire. Together, they worked to develop a package filled with activities, challenges, and lessons to build resiliency, strengthen families, and fight boredom during winter school vacation week. We were proud to mail out 61 kits to eager military youth, ages 6-12! In June, four of our Council members traveled to New Hampshire for the Regional Teen Symposium! There, all of the New England military teens worked towards the goal of “finding your voice.” Our RI teens had the opportunity to share their strengths as a Council, they chose to share about their passion for working with younger military children and volunteering with the Family Programs.
National
&
State
Partners
Building Community Capacity
Together with youth, adults, schools, civic groups, military and private organizations, we have created a support network that is growing larger and stronger! This collaboration has provided much needed support for our amazing military kids and families. Hasbro donated over 750 toys to military children during the holidays. The Rhode Island Parent Information Network has a military liaison to help meet the needs of military youth in the public school system. The YMCA and the Y On the Move supported the Youth Program during Yellow Ribbon Events. Project Y.E.S! (Youth Extension Services) supported pre-deployment and during-deployment Yellow Ribbon events. Operation Homefront’s Backpack Brigade program supplied RI military youth with over 500 backpacks filled with school supplies donated by our community. Rhode Island 4-H supported 2 Youth Leadership Forums, a crafting workshop at Holiday for Heroes, and Survival Skills programming at the RING Leaders Military Youth Camp, serving over 525 military youth. The West Bay Anglers provided 50 spaces for military youth and adults to go on a deep sea fishing trip through their “Take a Kid Fishing” program. The Wood Pawcatuck Watershed Association provided a kayak trip for 40 military youth and adult military volunteers. Our national partners, Child Care Aware, Our Military Kids, and Tutor.com, have supported countless Rhode Island military families, especially during deployments. Naval Station Newport supported our “purple” programs, promoting them to the families of their Naval War College and Child Development Center. Providence College Basketball, Providence Bruins Hockey, and the Pawtucket Red Sox hosted Military Appreciation sporting events, honoring military families and children.
"The Youth Program in RI is such a vital part to our retention and resiliency! Throughout the whole year, the Youth Program will have events for our families with children that promote healthy relationships, resiliency, and morale. Families are heavily involved with the Youth Program. The feedback from the families is always positive and they are energized, feeling that they belong to a great organization which is important to the retention of our members." Tina L. Scully, TSgt, Region 1 Drug Demand Reduction Program Manager NGB/SGOH
Army National Guard Child and Youth Program 2017 Annual Report
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@ringyouth
For more information, please contact:
Lead Child & Youth Program Coordinator Rhode Island National Guard
401-275-1254 401-529-5848 Holland.k.tulip.ctr@mail.mil
"As an MFLC, I have personally seen the impact of the RING Child and Youth Program on military members and their families. I see children that struggle with deployment, negative behaviors, anxiety, depression, family issues, and social skills attend Child and Youth Programming and they end up becoming more resilient, confident, and use positive coping skills and positive behaviors. There are countless stories of children that feel alone in their struggle until they attend a Child and Youth Program event and see other military children or youth come around them for a shoulder to lean on. They are no longer alone when they see how many other children are in military families across the state. Just this summer, at an overnight camp, I remember a camper struggling with anxiety. Through peer encouragement and support, the camper persevered, pushing himself to limits he had never reached before. Even as a therapist in the community, I continue to refer to the Child and Youth Program because I know the impact it has on children and their families. It is such a confidence booster to a military parent to see their children grow into more confident kids and broaden their skills through the Child and Youth Program . This is an essential program for military members and their families." Faith C.B. LaMunyon, LICSW, MFLC, Warwick, RI