Kids and Families Together

National Kinship Care Awareness Month
2023-09-01 - 2023-09-30
Background
The care of children by kin has centuries of tradition, long before the formal child welfare system was created, including family foster care. Tired parents could get a rest when grandparents would take youngsters and teens for a few hours or days. Relatives stepped in when there were parental financial, medical, or other crises and tragedies. Children would live with grandparents, aunts and uncles, older siblings, or extended family members when parents needed to find employment and couldn’t take the children with them, including when parents were deployed to serve the country.
It was only in the early 1990s that relatives raising their younger family members were identified as a specific child welfare program area. “Family preservation” was coined in the 1970s, and of course foster care and adoption programs date back a previous century. But there was no nationally recognized, consistent name for the policies, programs, and practices connected with relatives raising children. To address growing concerns about the need for improved outcomes for children in foster care, in 1990 the Child Welfare League of America and the National Foster Parent Association collaborated to convene a National Commission on Family Foster Care.
With the considerable increase in the number of relatives caring for their younger family members and their commensurate compelling challenges, the Commission looked for a name that would differentiate foster parenting and care by relatives. Variously described as relative care, extended family care, home of relative care, and foster care with relatives, the National Commission wanted a name that respected and reflected the significance of family relationships. The strength of kinship systems among diverse cultural and ethnic groups had long been documented, for example in the 1974 book by Dr. Carol Stack, All Our Kin – Strategies for Survival in a Black Community. Thus, the name “kinship care” was selected by the National Commission under the leadership of NFPA and CWLA. It was published as a special chapter, “The Significance of Kinship Care,” in A National Blueprint for Fostering Infants, Children, and Youths in the 1990s. (nfpaonline.org)
Kinship Care Today
Kinship care is recognized as the full-time protection and nurture of children by relatives, members of their Tribes or clans, godparents, stepparents, fictive kin, or non-related extended family members. The definition is inclusive and respectful of cultural values and ties of affection. Whether formally through child protective services or informally through family arrangements, kinship care aims to reduce the trauma of family separation and provide cultural and community ties. Within this definition there are two populations of kinship families:

informal, where children live with grandparents or other relatives and are not in the custody of a public child welfare agency;
formal, where children are in the care of a relative or non-related extended family member and in the custody of a public child welfare agency.

Whether informally arranged among family members or formally supported by the child welfare system, it is essential to affirm and support the considerable contributions of kinship caregivers.
Kinship Care in the United States

8 million- number of children who live with a relative who is the head of the household
2.6 million- number of children who are being raised by a relative or close family friend and do not have a parent living in the household
137,356-number of children in foster care being raised by relatives

For every 1- child raised by kinship in foster care, there are 18 being raised by kin outside of foster care
In 2010 26%- of children in foster care are being raised by relatives
In 2020 34%- of children in foster care are being raised by relatives (gu.org)

Local support
In Ventura County, it is estimated that over 5,000 grandparents are raising grandchildren. Kids & Families Together has provided therapeutic counseling and education support services to kinship caregivers for over 20 years. Part of our work is provided by our Peer Partner and Educator program (PPE.) PPEs are para-professionals with lived experience in being a resource parent and or informal kinship caregiver. These amazing individuals walk alongside new or existing kinship caregivers coaching them on the Child Welfare System and Community Resources.
In 2022-2023 PPEs provided education-support services to:

508-Resource Parents: relative and community homes
1157 hours- of education-support services to relative and community homes. This includes coaching families on understanding the Child Welfare System and Community Resources

In 2022-2023 PPEs provided education-support services to:

453– Informal Kinship Caregivers (outside of foster care)

1490 hours- of education-support services to informal kinship caregivers. This includes training and coaching (Informal Kinship Caregivers) on the Child Welfare System and resources and referrals for personal and household items

Advocacy
While much progress has been made to support kinship families – such as Navigator Programs – much more is needed. For example, while there is a National Foster Care Month, we need to advocate for a National Kinship Care Month. Some states have been able to successfully achieve state resolutions for Kinship Care Month, but a National Kinship Care Month is essential to be both celebratory and achieve essential resources for every kinship caregiving family across America. And words matter: there is a need for quality kinship care and quality family foster care. Kinship caregivers and foster parents are better together and advocate together for resources for all children!
Resources/Links/More Information

Home (grandfamilies.org)

Kinship Care – The Annie E. Casey Foundation (aecf.org)
Kinship Care – Child Welfare Information Gateway
KINSHIP CARE – CWLA
Generations United (gu.org)
Kids and Families Together – Ventura County Foster Care, Kinship Care and Adoption Support

Suicide Prevention Month
2023-09-01 - 2023-09-30

Deaf Awareness Month
2023-09-01 - 2023-09-30

Prioritizing Goal Setting for Families and Caregivers
2023-08-29 18:00 - 19:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
New Training- Prioritizing Goal Setting for Families and Caregivers!
Kids & Families Together in collaboration with Ventura County Children & Family Services Care Provider Training Program, presents a new training- Prioritizing Goal Setting for Families and Caregivers
This training is a Spanish Training and live English interpretation will be available via Zoom.
Training Objectives:
• Discuss the value of a shared vision
• Clarify personal or family goals based on identified vision
• Understand how priorities influence progress in goal setting cycle.
When: Tuesday, August 29th, 2023, from 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Where: Zoom
Register: Please click here to register!
This training counts toward required training hours. Please see flyers for more information.

Parent Support Group
2023-08-28 15:30 - 17:00, 2023-08-21 15:30 - 17:00, 2023-08-14 15:30 - 17:00, 2023-08-07 15:30 - 17:00

Women's Equality Day
2023-08-22

Senior Citizens Day
2023-08-21

World Humanitarian Day
2023-08-19

Back to School Gift~Away
2023-08-12 10:00 - 12:00

Nurturing Connections: Parenting Styles
2023-08-09 17:00 - 18:30

International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples
2023-08-09
The United Nations (UN) International Day of the World’s Indigenous People is observed on August 9th each year to promote and protect the rights of the world’s Indigenous population. Also known as World Tribal Day, this event also recognizes the achievements and contributions that Indigenous people make to improve world issues such as environmental protection. Indigenous peoples are inheritors and practitioners of unique cultures and ways of relating to people and the environment. They have retained social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the dominant societies in which they live. Despite their cultural differences, indigenous peoples from around the world share common problems related to the protection of their rights as distinct peoples.
Resources

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples | United Nations
Report: Implementing the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention No. 169: Towards an inclusive, sustainable and just future
New national monument Grand Canyon ‘Ancestral Footprints’ map explored (usatoday.com)
Read about local indigenous peoples: Native Californians (arcgis.com)

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons
2023-07-30
World Day Against Trafficking in Persons
Since its inception in 2013, this day has been sanctioned as an opportunity for raising awareness of the global problem of human trafficking. A few years ago, a few of us had the opportunity to attend the Ventura County Coalition Against Human Trafficking Myth Buster Panel where we learned a lot about what’s going on right in our community. VCCHAT started in 2015 and is comprised of Law Enforcement, Victim Service Providers, Legal Service Providers, Faith Communities, and concerned citizens that are dedicated to working together to address the critical issue of Human Trafficking in Ventura County.
Human Trafficking is defined as the recruitment, transportation, harbor or receipt of an individual by use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of sexual exploitation, involuntary servitude, debt bondage or slave labor; or any child under the age of 18 that is used for the purpose of sexual exploitation. This covers labor trafficking, adult sex trafficking and CSEC Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children.
These common myths were busted:
MYTH-Human Trafficking only occurs outside the United States.
BUSTED: Human trafficking is very prevalent in the United States, here are the 10 states with the highest rates of human trafficking (taken from https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/human-trafficking-statistics-by-state):

Nevada (7.50 per 100k)
Mississippi (4.99 per 100k)
Florida (4.08 per 100k)
Georgia (3.85 per 100k)
Ohio (3.84 per 100k)
Delaware (3.84 per 100k)
California (3.80 per 100k)
Missouri (3.78 per 100k)
Michigan (3.64 per 100k)
Texas (3.63 per 100k)

MYTH -Human Trafficking is always or usually a violent crime.
BUSTED: The most pervasive myth about human trafficking is that it often involves kidnapping or physically forcing someone into a situation. In reality, most traffickers use psychological means such as, tricking, defrauding, manipulating or threatening victims into providing commercial sex or exploitative labor.
MYTH – Only undocumented foreign nationals get trafficked in the United States.
BUSTED: Victims of human trafficking are those of all ages, races, genders and nationalities.
MYTH -If the trafficked person consented to be in their initial situation, then it cannot be human trafficking or against their will because they “knew better.”
BUSTED: Initial consent to commercial sex or a labor setting prior to acts of force, fraud, or coercion (or if the victim is a minor in a sex trafficking situation) is not relevant to the crime, nor is payment.
The vast majority of recruitment is online- make sure you know who your kids are talking to! Since most of the media and imagery that surrounds human trafficking depicts victims who are chained and bound, many victims don’t even know or believe they are being trafficked especially since the perpetrators are people they trust and have developed relationships with as a result of grooming. It is important to point out that it often takes approaching the victim more than one time for them to realize they need help. These victims are scared for their own safety as well as for their families and loved ones. Also, the victims often believe that they will be arrested, deported or lose their children if they report the trafficker. Most successes that have taken place are when the victim has the chance and space to form a relationship with a healthy person.
Human trafficking is oftentimes the end result of a lifetime of vulnerabilities (trauma, disability, abuse, violence, poverty, etc.) which is why it’s so important for the staff at K&FT to be aware of these facts. Many of the parents/caregivers we work with can be at risk. Children in foster care are a high-risk group for CSEC as well as labor trafficking as they move into adulthood and are looking for work.
What Can Commercial Sex Trafficking Look Like in Ventura County?

Escort services- Hotels/Motels, Night/Strip Clubs, Internet Ads
Outdoor Solicitation- “Tracks” or “Strolls” (Street Side), Truck Stops
Residential- Organized Brothels, Private Homes/Drug Distribution or “Trap” Homes, Massage Parlors
Pornography- Informal Distribution, Formal Pornography Companies
Personal Sexual Servitude- Survival Sex, Forced Marriage
Internet Sex Acts- Webcams, Text-Based/Phone Chat, Social Media

What Can Labor Trafficking Look Like in Ventura County?

Massage Parlors- Front Desk, Cleaning Services, Masseuse
Hotels & Hospitality- Housekeepers, Janitorial/Maintenance Services, Cooks
Traveling Sales Crew- Door to Door, Stationed Outside Establishments, Selling Items (magazines, candy, etc.)
Agriculture – Field workers, packers

ACTION STEPS
Who to contact If You See Something/Someone Who Needs Help

National Human Trafficking Resource Center- For survivors or current victims of sexual exploitation. Provides critical support, information, and services to get help; safety planning and tools to combat all forms of human trafficking. Call/text/chat online is confidential and available 24/7 to request assistance or report a tip anonymously. Available in English or Spanish or more than 200 additional languages through an on-call interpreter.

Contact: 1-888-373-7888; Text: 233733;
Website: https://humantraffickinghotline.org/

Law Enforcement- If you witness a suspicious situation and/or there is a possibility of immediate harm, call 911 and use the key terminology “suspected human trafficking” so the call is addressed to the correct unit and routed properly.

Victims Services- There are 2 local hotlines that have lines open 24/7:

Adult Victims- Interface Children & Family Services: 1-800-636-6738
Child Victims- Forever Found R.E.A.C.H.: 1-805-261-1212

If You Are A:

Parent/caregiver, you can learn how youth are targeted and recruited (resources on VCCAHT)
Health Care Worker, you can learn how to identify (Interface Children & Family Services has training specifically for health care industry)

Other Things You Can Do:

Become well-educated on the issue

Talk to the children in your life

Connect, connect, connect!

Read stories
Plan a picnic
Play a card game
Make a pillow fort
Blow bubbles
Have a barbecue

Foster or adopt a child
Read survivor stories

This American Life podcast: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/740/there-i-fixed-it/act-one-16)
I Am Jasmine Strong video- 5min, quick video that explains how grooming/CSEC can happen to youth: I Am Jasmine Strong – YouTube

Support state and federal legislation

Donate to a local organization- Interface and Forever Found (look up foreverfound.org to find information on an upcoming Benefit Dinner & Live Auction)

These are just a few things, find more at

VCCAHT Ventura County Coalition Against Human Trafficking | California Against Slavery
Forever Found www.foreverfound.org/get-involved

National Disability Independence Day
2023-07-26
Disability Pride Month
“In 2015, New York City Mayor de Blasio declared July Disability Pride Month in NYC in celebration of the ADA’s 25th Anniversary. Though not yet nationally declared, the disabled community has adopted New York City’s declaration. Disability Pride is a fairly new and radical idea. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) wasn’t enacted until 1990. Let me put this into
perspective. If you are currently 31 years of age or older, you lived in a
world where people with disabilities were unprotected against discrimination
in education, transportation, the workplace, and other areas vital to a good quality of life. Additionally, many people without disabilities still view disabled individuals as lesser humans. Because many people with disabilities are unable to work in the same capacity as their able-bodied counterparts, they are deemed weak and unproductive. In our capitalistic society, this obviously doesn’t bode well. These hostilities and viewpoints are incredibly damaging to the self-esteem and mental health of people with disabilities. Disability Pride is all about reminding ourselves and the rest of the world that we MATTER and have VALUE just the way we are.”
Everything You Need To Know About Disability Pride Month in 2022 (therollingexplorer.com)
Disability Pride Flag designed by Ann Magill and updated in 2021 to ensure accessibility, each color represents a different type of disability: physical (red), cognitive and intellectual (yellow), invisible and undiagnosed (white), psychosocial (blue), and sensory (green). The charcoal background symbolizes mourning and rage for the victims of ableist violence and abuse, and the colored bands are placed diagonally to convey persons with disabilities “cutting across” societal barriers.
Image pulled from https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/07/22/observing-disability-pride-month-july
Third Places and Disability
What are third places? From Wikipedia “In sociology, the third place refers to the social surroundings that are separate from the two usual social environments of home (“first place”) and the workplace (“second place”). Examples of third places include churches, cafes, clubs, public libraries, gyms, bookstores, stoops, and parks. In his book The Great Good Place (1989), Ray Oldenburg argues that third places are important for civil society, democracy, civic engagement, and establishing feelings of a sense of place.“
Third places are spaces separate from home and work where people find community. Sadly, real-world third places can be difficult to access. Where can kids go to just play, teens to hang out, and adults to relax with others? Where can we go that doesn’t cost money, allows us to be noisy or quiet, allows people from a variety of beliefs to be together, etc.? Online communities have become a third place that is important for many people but especially important for anyone with disabilities that may not be accommodated in real-world third places. Many third places are not physically accessible, not participating in public health safety measures such as masking, or don’t have programs/available spaces that are low to no cost.
Check out this article by Imani Barbarin a Black disabled woman who is also a communications professional.

With Twitter Crumbling, It Feels Like The World Is Collapsing On Disabled People
by Imani
https://crutchesandspice.com/2022/11/16/with-twitter-crumbling-it-feels-like-the-world-is-collapsing-on-disabled-people/

November 16, 2022

I don’t want to leave the platform and I feel like I am mourning it in real time.
They call us the “chronically online,” those who “need to touch grass,” the people who need to “log off,” but for disabled people, online spaces have been a lifeline in a world that seeks to erase and eradicate us. Even prior to the pandemic, platforms like Twitter helped us to feel less alone and gaslit by our experiences and allowed us to contextualize our experiences in a way that gave us peace.
When I started CrutchesAndSpice.com, I was coming off another major depressive episode and was feeling hopeless about the future. It had taken a long time for me to find a job. My resume always “looked good” but I could see the enthusiasm drain from the interviewee’s faces when they clocked my crutches and, now that I had found a job, it was only part-time, and I was spending more on inaccessible transportation than I was making on my checks. Despite all the tv shows and films that I watched, none really showed what it was like trying to be an adult—or any person—with a disability. It was like we all hit adulthood and disappeared.
I was raised to overcome my disability in quiet ways and always outperform people’s expectations, but that didn’t matter much once I was no longer cute and “inspirational.” And, because I was “normalized” in school from childhood, I didn’t have many disabled friends who could relate, and any time I spoke on these things, I was just told to work harder.
That is—until I got to use Twitter more often.
I set up my Twitter profile in 2009 but didn’t spend too much on the platform until I started my first job outside of college in 2014. I had begun using my blog to write stories about being brought up as a Black, disabled child because that was something I never got to see growing up. I shared these stories on Facebook, but then branched out to Twitter and began engaging in conversations like #CripTheVote.
Through those hashtags, I met other disabled people, particularly, Black disabled people who affirmed my experiences and were vulnerable enough to let into their worlds. I was finally seeing the representation I had always wanted and disabled people—Black disabled people were in the directors’ chairs creating our own narratives and forcing people to see us.
Moved by the community, I went to Graduate School for Global Communications with the express purpose of telling better disability stories and utilizing online spaces to create representation and community. Soon, I started creating my own hashtags and online movements like #AbledsAreWeird and #PatientsAreNotFaking.
Through the disability community on Twitter, it is no exaggeration to say that the disability community saved my life, and it is through knowing them that I have found my purpose. I found answers to questions I didn’t even know to ask and support from people who only know me through their phones.
Without their grace, kindness, and understanding, I can honestly say I don’t think I would be alive right now.
The disability communities and discourse that was done prior to 2020 became critically important during the pandemic. We knew that the ways we discussed disability would mean life and death for thousands of disabled folks across the United States. Disabled folks, being criminally underrepresented, now more than ever were reliant upon nondisabled people’s view of the value of our lives as they debated whether it was prudent to participate in COVID-19 mitigation efforts or not.
It was important that we shared information and resources and information with one another as the entire world had stopped more for us than any other group. While a lot of companies focused on the importance of disability in DEI work and how the pandemic proved accessibility and inclusion of us was always necessary, they fail to see the full picture. While the world finally came to the realization disabled people were right the entire time and that accommodations were for all, everything halted completely for disabled people.
We were left for dead.
Hospitals quickly reached capacity and medical rationing guidelines meant that we were at the back of the line to get care. Society and the system saw no point in saving us. On top of that, we were cut off from our regular medical care, services, and education almost entirely. We had to sit and listen as people debated the merits of a disabled life and whether the economy should be punished for our existence.
We were isolated completely, but we were able to connect and come together in our fear and anger over how our community was being pushed to the margins. We could make it to the timeline even if we couldn’t make it out of our homes and despite a world that had forgotten about us.
And now a billionaire has bought Twitter.
It seems cartoonish that he would buy the platform that kept so many disabled people connected and therefore alive (for a greatly inflated price) and then seemingly scuttles it with bad decision after bad decision. For all the talk about how keeping disabled people alive throughout the pandemic was the greatest threat to the economy, it was he who cost corporations billions in mere hours.
Thousands have lost their jobs or quit because of his “leadership” and the guardrails are off as content moderation disappears and accessibility no longer matters to the company.
Aside from the increased threat of harassment, the greatest threat to the disability community is all the advocacy, networks and supports we created on the platform could be wiped off of it.
I fear that if the platform disappears, the visibility that we’ve built—demanded—will be gone as well.
All my sarcasm over the last few weeks has been out of fear of what seems to be this eventuality. I am looking for ways for us to continue to be connected, but I don’t think there’s any platform that can replicate the magic we created on Twitter.
I don’t want to leave the platform and I feel like I am mourning it in real time.
I don’t want to say goodbye.
I have decided to stick it out as long as possible, but before it’s curtains, I just want to say to each of you: thank you.
Thank you for saving my life and making it make sense. Thank you for the trust and privilege of getting to know you. Thank you for helping me understand my purpose. Thank you for helping me reach my dreams. Thank you for being unapologetically yourselves. Thank you for this community.
I’ll see you on the next one—wherever we go.
Find more of her articles as well as social media profiles at https://crutchesandspice.com

Chronicon 2023
“On May 19th, 2023, a group of fabulous and caring people put their heart and souls into bringing the disabled and chronically ill from the Chronicon community, from all over the US and Canada, to meet each other face to face in many cases for the first time. They gathered to celebrate all that they are and all that they can and will become. It was truly the most amazingly iconic day…”

“Chronically ill people are one of the largest marginalized groups in the US and we have a lot of work to do in having real equality in our everyday lives,” was our next topic of discussion led by the following panelists: Komal Minhas, Resilience Educator, Fortune Consultant, and Host, Julia Stephanides, Workers’ Rights Lawyer and Founder of Legally Holistic, Dr. Deepek Penesetti, Triple Board Certified Child, Adolescent, and Adult Psychiatrist, and Emily Ladau, Author, Advocate, and Speaker.
Finding answers to our problems can be extremely difficult. That is why it is important for us to seek answers by finding our community. For instance, “Loneliness is also known as “Death by 1,000 Paper Cuts,” according to Dr. Deepek Pensetti. “When you have something that you do not share with others, that is loneliness.” “Loneliness is also known as “the silent struggle” and the best way to overcome it is with community,” according to Dr. Pensetti. He also added that “change happens when one person humbled by life helps another.” That is what Chronicon is all about.
Go to the website to read the full article about the event. https://mydiversability.com/blog/2023/6/28/summary-of-chronicon-2023-an-amazing-day-for-the-disabled-and-chronically-ill-community-to-come-together-to-celebrate-all-that-we-are
Resources

12 Ways to Celebrate Disability Pride Month
https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/how-to-celebrate-disability-pride-month
What You Need To Know About Ableism
https://mydiversability.com/blog/2020/8/20/what-you-need-to-know-about-ableism
Diversability Website
https://mydiversability.com/
https://mydiversability.com/blog/2023/6/28/summary-of-chronicon-2023-an-amazing-day-for-the-disabled-and-chronically-ill-community-to-come-together-to-celebrate-all-that-we-are
Chronicon
Chronicon is on a mission to elevate the visibility of the 133+ million Americans living with a chronic illness. Because, let’s be honest—this population deserves more love and support.
https://chronicon.co/
https://www.thechroniconcommunity.com/landing?space_id=2928422
PBS – articles and videos about Disability Pride
https://www.pbs.org/articles/disability-pride-month-and-the-disability-rights-movement/
Disability Pride Parade will be held in LA in October 2023
https://www.disabilitypridela.com/
https://www.disabilitypridela.com/faqs
Third Places
https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/04/third-places-meet-new-people-pandemic/629468/

A collaborative effort shared on behalf of the JEDI team.

Independence Day
2023-07-04
Kids & Families Together will be closed on Tuesday, 7/4 in observance of Independence Day.

Father's Day
2023-06-20

Juneteenth
2023-06-19
Juneteenth
Juneteenth marks the day that all slaves were freed in the United States. Although the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1863, slavery wasn’t completely abolished until two years later. On June 19, 1865, 250,000 enslaved Black people in Texas, who were never informed of their freedom, were finally told that they were free. The news came from General Gordon Granger and Union Army troops who marched to Galveston, Texas, to enforce the proclamation and free the last enslaved Black Americans in Texas. His specific statement went as follows: “The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer.” Even though General Robert E. Lee had surrendered at Appomattox Court House two months earlier in Virginia, slavery had remained relatively unaffected in Texas until General Granger stood on Texas soil and read that statement. June 19th marks the day when everyone in the United States was officially free and that’s why we celebrate Juneteenth. It has been celebrated annually on June 19th in various parts of the U.S. since 1865. Juneteenth has been observed in communities and states as a holiday but in 2021, President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law which is when Juneteenth became recognized as a federal holiday.

Local Celebration

This year, in Ventura County, Juneteenth will be celebrated in Oxnard’s Plaza Park (500 S. Street) on Saturday, June 17th, from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. This “Freedom Day Celebration” is free to the public; for more information, check out the flier and visit their website. JUNETEENTH | Juneteenth-Oxnard (juneteenthoxnard.org)

County Offices Closed
Since we collaborate with the county in our work, we wanted to share that Ventura County government agencies will recognize Juneteenth as a paid holiday starting this year. Read more in the VC Star: Ventura County recognizes Juneteenth as a paid holiday (vcstar.com)

Nurturing Connections: Support and Training in Becoming a Therapeutic Parent
2023-06-14 17:00 - 18:30
Nurturing Connections: Support and Training in Becoming a Therapeutic Parent
Who Should Attend: Foster/kinship resource parents, adoptive parents, legal guardians
Description: Support and training, led by a therapist, in a safe and supportive environment where participants can share their experiences as a foster or adoptive caregiver. Participants have a chance to explore their own attachment histories and strengthen their therapeutic parenting skills. Learn about attachment, trauma, development, self-care, and more. Resource parents can earn training hours!
2023 Training Dates/Topics:

Jan. 11th: Staying Connected with
Birth Families
Feb. 8th: Making Sense of Your
Attachment History
March 8th: Ambiguous Loss
April 12th: Transracial Adoptive
Families
May 10th: Vicarious Trauma and
Self-Care
June 14th: Building Resilience in

When & Where: Every 2nd Wednesday of the month from 5-6:30pm, Currently offered via Zoom.
English/Spanish: Group is in English with live Spanish interpretation!
Cost: Free for foster/kinship resource, adoptive, and legal guardian caregivers within the Ventura County Child Welfare System.
Register: Click Here to Register
Contact: Please contact us at 805-643-1446 Ext. 180 or referrals@kidsandfamilies.org with questions.

Please click images to expand

Election Day
2023-06-07

African American Music Appreciation Month
2023-06-01 - 2023-06-30

Caribbean American Heritage Month
2023-06-01 - 2023-06-30
According to the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion:
“A previous study done by the US Migration Policy Institute says that roughly 10% (44.5 million) of the nation’s immigrants are from the Caribbean. While Caribbean American Heritage Month became official in 2006, when President George H.W. Bush issued a proclamation, the Institute of Caribbean Studies in Washington D.C. has been hard at work since the 90s to promote Caribbean-American heritage in mainstream culture.”

The Caribbean (also known as the West Indies) has over 7,000 islands with 20 member states (island nations) as part of CARICOM.  However, 26 countries are considered to be part of the Caribbean.  According to this US Department of the Interior infographic, “The largest Caribbean communities are located in New York, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Texas, and California.”  Between 1980 and 2017 90% of Caribbean immigrants came from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago.
To read more about the lower east side of New York City’s Caribbean American community, go to this link: June is Caribbean American Heritage Month! – Tenement Museum

The history of people in the Caribbean is diverse and built over hundreds of years during which there were periods of colonization and slavery.  The history includes colonial influence by Britain, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain which contributed to the dominant languages spoken today.  However, there are approximately 70 indigenous and Creole languages spoken in the Caribbean.  Those creoles include influences from European, native, and African languages.
Learn more about the history and language on Caribbean and Co’s blog.

On a personal note, one of our members has fond memories of many friendships with people in the Caribbean and Caribbean American communities.  She grew up in a Mexican-American community by East LA and moved to the northeast for college where she met Caribbean Americans for the first time in her life.  Her roommate was Puerto Rican and self-identified as Boriqua and Neorican/Nuyorican from the Bronx.  Within three weeks she had a best friend from Barbados who identified as Black from the West Indies.  During those years she learned that TNT stood for Trinidad and Tobago and that Puerto Rico was home to the Taino indigenous community.  She also was introduced to delicious Puerto Rican food including arroz con habichuleas (yellow rice with red beans) and tostones (fried green plantains) during multiple road trips to the Bronx.  In her last year, she met another best friend who was Haitian-American.  This friend introduced her to another student, Edwidge Danticat, a young Haitian American author of the book Breath, Eyes, Memory, which she had just finished writing.  In college, she also met her current partner whose extended family is from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.   Years of family trips to the Bronx to visit her partner’s relatives led her to discover a love for Dominican mangu (mashed green plantains) and Puerto Rican comfort foods including arroz con gandules (yellow rice with pigeon peas) and pasteles (pork filled dumplings that look like Mexican tamales with dough made from grated green plantains and wrapped in banana leaves).
Book: Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
This amazing fictional story of a girl, her grandmother, and her mom set in Haiti and New York is recommended with content warnings.
Resources
This video is by a professor at Fordham University in the Bronx, NY: “A Rich History of Caribbean Immigration to the US” (1 min 42 sec)
A Rich History of Caribbean Immigration to the US – YouTube
CaribBeing of Brooklyn, NY has created an excellent virtual exhibit in which the viewer scrolls to the next image with a brief excerpt.  It’s a concise and fascinating history of Americans of Caribbean heritage including Malcolm X, Shirley Chisholm, Kamala Harris, Colin Powell, and many others.
Caribbean Spirit — Google Arts & Culture
MISSION – I AM CARIBBEING

Action Items
Local Caribbean Food: Caribbean Haven located at 1780 S. Victoria Ave., Ventura Caribbean Haven – Caribbean Haven Restaurant & Catering – Caribbean Restaurant in CA
Island Space opened in 2020 as the United States first Caribbean heritage museum: Island SPACE: Celebrating Authentic Caribbean Culture (islandspacefl.org)

LA Event June 2-4th, Caricon: Caricon 2023: The Jamaica Cultural Alliance Introduces “The Future Is Now” Event Ahead Of Caribbean American Heritage Month (islandoriginsmag.com)

Carribean Heritage Festival, LA. This event is in September this year. To learn more, visit: Caribbean Heritage Festival LA

LGBTQIA+ Pride Month
2023-06-01 - 2023-06-30
Why Do We Celebrate PRIDE MONTH?
June is Pride Month and it’s an opportunity for the LGBTQ+ community and allies to celebrate identity and show their pride in who they really are. Pride is necessary because most of the LGBTQ+ community went through their formative years in silent suffering. Adolescents in the LGBTQ+ community suffer from exponentially high suicide rates. The Trevor Project estimates that at least one LGBTQ+ youth between the ages of 13–24 attempts suicide every 45 seconds in the U.S. Because many LGBTQ+ youth report attempting suicide multiple times in a given year, this estimate likely underrepresents the extent of how often LGBTQ+ youth attempt suicide in the U.S.

LGBTQ+ youth are not inherently prone to suicide risk because of their sexual orientation or gender identity but rather placed at higher risk because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society. No other identity can cause an individual to be afraid of losing their family and friends by simply revealing who they are. This fear is very real and sometimes never goes away. To some in the LGBTQ+ community, they are afraid of losing their employment, their family, their friends and their lives for expressing their sexual orientation or gender identity. Thankfully, in recent years, we have seen many adolescents coming out of the closet far earlier than before, which just highlights the tremendous progress the LGBTQ+ community has gained in establishing acceptance and making it safe for young people to express their identity with less fear.

The History of PRIDE MONTH
There were some organizations and movements for LGBTQ+ rights that started as early as 1924 but the first Pride Event occurred in 1970. However, the event that triggered the first Pride Event took place exactly one year prior. On June 28, 1969, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) raided the Stonewall Inn, a bar in Greenwich Village that catered specifically to the LGBTQ+ community. The New York City Mafia owned the Stonewall Inn and other similar establishments. The State Liquor Authority and the New York Police Department regularly raided bars that catered to gay patrons. Where the law saw deviance, the Mafia saw a golden business opportunity. To operate the Stonewall and its other gay bars, the Mafia bribed the NYPD to turn a blind eye to the “indecent conduct” occurring behind closed doors. They also blackmailed wealthy gay patrons by threatening to “out” them. Historian David Carter presented information that the owners of the Stonewall Inn were blackmailing wealthier customers who frequented the bar. Some members of the NYPD, reportedly, would receive kickbacks from the liquor sales of the Stonewall Inn, but they did not receive kickbacks on the extortions scheme, so the members of the NYPD decided to close the Stonewall Inn permanently.

At approximately, 1:30 a.m., several members of the NYPD arrived at the Stonewall Inn and announced “Police! We’re taking the place!” Police began to line up the patrons and check their identifications. Patrons were required to wait in line outside of the building for 15 minutes while the patrol vehicles arrived. This created an increased sense of tension for the bar patrons. Their identities were safe in the bar where they could be themselves. They were now forced to confront their fear of identification as they stood and waited in front of the world. However, the patrons and police did not get the response they were expecting from the crowd of people who began to assemble. There was a large population of LGBTQ+ individuals, and it was the first time that the crowd came together in a show of force and solidarity. A scuffle broke out and the NYPD began to break up the crowd with force and the crowd fought back. The situation turned into a riot. The NYPD Tactical Patrol Force arrived to free the police who were trapped inside the bar. The NYPD then turned its attention onto the ever-growing crowd. The protestors fought back and by 4:00 a.m., the streets had mostly been cleared.

On the one-year anniversary of the police raid and ensuing riot, the Christopher Street Liberation Day occurred in New York City with corresponding Gay Pride Marches in Los Angeles and Chicago. Pride had arrived. It soon spread to major cities throughout the United States. Over the years, since 1970, and to some early protestor’s consternation, Pride shed its violent birth and replaced it with a more jovial celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. However, the meaning of Pride remains the same. It is an opportunity to gather and show the LGBTQ+ Community’s force and identity.

Why the RAINBOW flag?
This short clip from a Chicago based news station explains the history and evolution of the rainbow flag: History of the Pride Flag – YouTube

Resources/Action Items
Memorial Day

Memorial Day Weekend Events and Activities Around Ventura County — Conejo Valley Guide | Conejo Valley Events
Memorial Day 2023: Facts, Meaning & Traditions | HISTORY
Remembering LGBTQ veterans on Memorial Day | News | Seattle Pride
Memorial Day – Over 150 Years of Remembrance (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
Honoring LGBTQIA+ Servicemembers on Memorial Day | News | Seattle Pride
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (defense.gov)
Changing of the Guard at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Female Sentinel) Bing Videos

Crisis Support Resources:

The Trevor Project | For Young LGBTQ Lives
Talking About Suicide | The Trevor Project

Crisis Intervention and suicide prevention services for LGBTQIA+ youth

The Trevor Project | For Young LGBTQ Lives

Pride History:

7 Surprising Facts About the Stonewall Riots and the Fight for LGBTQ Rights (history.com)
Pride Month 2023: Origins, Parades & Dates | HISTORY
Pride Month 2023: Origins, Parades & Dates | HISTORY

Children’s Books:

59 Children’s Books That Celebrate Pride – LGBTQ Book List for Kids – No Time For Flash Cards
» Celebrity Interviews, Parenting Tips & Entertainment10 Children’s Books To Read For Pride Month – (celebrityparentsmag.com)

LGBTQIA+ Organizations:

Ventura County

Diversity Collective VC

Worldwide

Top 68 LGBT Organizations in the World [2021] | Diversity & Social Impact Made Easy

Memorial Day
2023-05-29

Memorial Day
2023-05-29
Kids & Families Together will be closed on Monday, May 29th in observance of Memorial Day.

Shavuot
2023-05-25 - 2023-05-27

Harvey Milk Day
2023-05-22

Malcolm X Day
2023-05-19

Mother's Day
2023-05-14
