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TSA Field Services Update 
Greetings!
 
We hope you are enjoying your first weeks of Spring.  Here are a few quick updates on what's been happening at Field Services.  We hope to bring you a new edition of Field Views in the very near future.
 
Warm Regards,
Dan, Jill & Sandra
 
Chapter Leadership Training Web Conferencing
 
As we've mentioned in previous emails and our Field Views newsletter, Chapter Leadership Training this year will be in the form of a series of webinars.  These webinars will be scheduled throughout the week of May 11th.  We will try to do two sessions each day, and provide each session twice so that people can pick from a morning schedule or an afternoon schedule, depending upon what works best for them.  While each webinar will be recorded and downloaded onto the TSA website for future viewing, our goal is to have as many of you on as possible so you can benefit from participating in a live event.
 
We are nearly finished developing our curriculum.  So far we will have sessions on:
  • available technologies that can help us all work more effectively and efficiently
  • grant writing
  • IDEA basics and child's rights; IEP/504 process; Response to interventions; and other education advocacy issues 
  • developing a Speaker's Bureau for your chapter
  • Board development and Successorship planning
  • Fundraising
  • Developing an Education Committee for your chapter
  • Kids/Family retreats

Sessions are being developed and presented by your peers in the field, including Chris Brown (FL), Sue Conners (Greater NY State), Tricia Kardon (GA), Deb Kramlich (ME/NH), Erin Farrar (WA/OR), Kathy Giordano (NY-Rochester), Bill Peterson (AZ),  Rovena Schirling (TSA National Board), Sherrie Sponseller (PA), and Marilyn Trichon (NY-Hudson Valley).

We are still developing a few more sessions, and will provide a fuller description in the upcoming weeks.  We would still appreciate your feedback and suggestions for a session that would greatly benefit your chapter and others.  What kind of tools and resources do you need?  Do you know of a successful event or program that another chapter is doing and would like to learn more about it?  Is there something that your chapter does well that you'd like to share?  Please let us know so we can develop a webinar for it.
 
The webinars can be attended by anyone involved with the chapter - Board members, support group leaders, and key volunteers.  The goal is to help build skills, share information, and continue the open dialogue that you get from our traditional in-person conference.
 
2009 Youth Ambassador Leadership Training
 
On Tuesday, March 10, 2009, 21 teams of TSA Youth Ambassadors arrived at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center in Alexandria, VA, for three days of Leadership Training and camaraderie-building that resulted in an experience they will never forget.   They learned public speaking skills, gained poise and assurance, and left ready to make a difference in their communities.
 
Teams consisting of one teen and one parent applied to TSA chapters in the hope of being selected to participate in the program led by Youth Ambassador co-creators Jennifer and Jane Zwilling.  Twenty-one teams were chosen to represent their chapters and become trained as the 2009 class of Youth Ambassador Leaders.  Teams came as far away as Maui, HI and as near as Richmond, VA and in between were Arizona, Utah, California, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Washington.
 
At Tuesday evening's Meet & Greet, kids and parents got to know each other and got excited about the three days that lay ahead.  Wednesday, the training began with a 9:00am open and welcome from TSA President, Judit Ungar.  Jen and Jane took the floor and began the all-day session which included more ice-breaker activities, a run-through of the Youth Ambassador presentation, and practical exercises in presentation skills and program logistics.
 
The Youth Ambassador teams were also treated to a 30-minute session given by TSA Medical Advisory Board Chair Dr. John Walkup.  TSA and the Youth Ambassadors thank Dr. Walkup for taking time out of his demanding schedule to be an invaluable part of the program.
 
Wednesday evening, TSA's Director of Public Policy Elridge Proctor, and Legislative Associate John Yi, conducted a Trip to the Hill preparation session during dinner. 
 
As part of their Trip to the Hill day on Thursday, the Teams had a special experience by attending and taking part in a Congressional Luncheon Briefing at the Rayburn House Office Building.  TSA Board Members Marcie Kirkpatrick Lipsitz and Randi Zemsky, Co-Chaired the event where TSA Youth Ambassadors Jen, Ariel, Isabella, and Hunter spoke to the legislative staffers in attendance on their experiences with TS and asked for their continued support of TSA and our partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  The two recipients of our 2009 Public Policy Award, Congresswoman Judy Biggert (R-IL) and Congresswoman Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-NY), accepted the award and gave remarks on the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, (GINA).  YA's Jackie and Will also participated by introducing the Congresswomen.  Congressman Chet Edwards (D-TX), the sponsor of the Congressional Room, gave a speech of encouragement to our Youth Ambassadors, bringing to conclusion the briefing and the beginning of the Trip to the Hill.
 
Thursday night, teams grabbed dinner on their own, either exploring other areas of Metro DC, Old Town Alexandria, or at Finn & Porter in the hotel. 
 
The program continued Friday morning with sessions on fundraising and the importance of TSA membership; public relations; and Elridge and John stopped by for a recap on everyone's experience on the Hill.  The conference wrapped up at 11:00am, and teams departed for their return home.  It was nice to see the teams congregate in the hotel lobby, wanting to hang out and enjoy each others company up until the very last minute.
 
The Class of 2009 will be a great addition to our Youth Ambassador teams from 2008.  Many of them used the boilerplate press release we gave them prior to the training to garner newspaper articles about the program, and they all left with the enthusiasm and determination to share their stories when they get back.
 
To get in touch with a Youth Ambassador Leader in your area, contact your local chapter.  If your chapter does not have a Youth Ambassador, please consider sending a teen in 2010.  It's an invaluable experience for the teen and their parent, and benefits to your chapter are great.  In less than a year, the 18 teams who participated in 2008 did over 100 activities combined (this includes making presentations, appearing in the media, or training other Youth Ambassadors), and reached over 2.2 million people!  We continue to receive updates each week from them with their activities.  They are also charged with raising funds for the chapter which can go to support Youth Ambassadors.
 
TSA would like to thank Diane and Darryl Mallah for generously funding this program for the second year, in memory of Diane's mother Eleanor Wachter.  TSA would also like to thank Burger King for their contributions as well.
2009 Youth Ambassador Leaders
 
 
YA Group Shot 3.13.09 half compressed
2009 Youth Ambassador Leaders
 
 
 
Jen Zwilling Presenting 3.11.09
Jen Zwilling presenting the program March 11, 2009
 
 
 
 
YA's at the Capitol3 3.12.09 comp
Youth Ambassadors at the Capitol Hill March 12, 2009
 
 
 
 
YA's in Lobby Last Day 3.13.09
Youth Ambassadors together in lobby before heading home March 13, 2009
 
 
 
 (Look forward to a photo gallery in our next edition of Field Views!)
Support Your Local Youth Ambassador Program
 
If your chapter does not already have a Youth Ambassador program in place, we encourage you to start.  The passion and the enthusiasm of the teens, along with the commitment of their parents are a great resource for helping to create awareness for TS and your chapter.  But more importantly, we have seen what this program has done to empower kids across the country.  They have gained the confidence to stand up in front of their peers - in classrooms and in assemblies - and speak about the importance of understanding and tolerance.  They have given confidence to other kids who have requested the YA to present to their class.  
 
Being a Youth Ambassador is not easy.   It requires persistence in getting appointments to present.  It requires a time commitment - sometimes during their own school day - to be at a classroom or assembly in a school across the state.  It also requires some funding.  Youth Ambassadors have handouts and materials that are part of each presentation.  Sometimes they stay over night so they can present to a school that's far away from their home.  While the YA's are responsible for raising funds to support program activities, it should be a collaborative effort between the YA and the chapter.
 
So please support their efforts and the work that they do to help create awareness for TS and TSA!