February 2009
We may have lost funding from the state, but that has not stopped the needs of families and children! As you would assume, when economic times are tough, there is an increase in domestic violence, in addictions, and in stress and trauma triggers. We have doubled our intakes in the last few months and we are doing more and more pro bono work. The families need help but they cannot afford the payments and their insurance goes, when the job is ended.
It is astounding that at a time when families and children need us most, the Governor cuts the line item for Children and Families in half! Our old contract hasn't increased in 23 years and the new one hasn't either, and yet we see more and more families with very special needs every year. The children of the Commonwealth who are adopted and their families (birth and adopted) need ongoing and seasoned services in order to stay healthy and strong. So now we have this interesting problem of a loss of funding and a struggle to keep ourselves serving, while not having enough room to do all of the groups and trainings and to see all of the families and children!
If you can think of any space in the neighborhood that we could rent, we need a large training/meeting space and some smaller art therapy spaces. We are quite desperate, as we are overbooked and are taking on new staff to meet the needs of so many new clients. Anyone who has a lead for such space near CFFC, please let us know. Anyone who wishes to donate a space during the economic downturn! Even better! You could be a patron of the kids by getting us a space and either subsidizing or paying for it! We would make a plaque in your honor!
The ACTION Conference starts Monday February 23rd. The conference will be incredible! The content in terms of international and national speakers is fabulous. Two films being screened! Monday and Tuesday, book sales and cocktails/appetizers from 5 to 6:30 at the Marlowe in the foyer outside the conference room.
We are losing one of our excellent therapists, Judy Hu and we are gaining two new ones - Vicki Peterson, LICSW who brings a great deal of expertise in adoption as former CEO of Wide Horizons (Vicki will be here part time) as does Mitch Davidowitz. LICSW who has been a bereavement counselor for many years, and uses humor and kindness to help to heal children and families.(Mitch will be here Fee For Service). We welcome them and we are sad to see Judy leaving. Paula Noyes, who has been with us for a couple of years, is taking on a larger Fee For Service job and will head up the Intern Program. Jennifer Eckert is finishing up her externship and has agreed to stay on Fee For Service and head up our Groups Program after July 1.
We are in the midst of intern interviews and will have a few selected by the end of the first week in March. There are great candidates this year and the choices are many and most difficult.
We have a new Kellogg grant, which I am working on and I hope to involve Vicki in this project as well. If you are an adult adopted internationally or a parent of a child or adult who was adopted internationally, please let us know if you are interested in being involved in our focus group and our first pilot program. (contact larisak@kinnect.org)
Our major issue of late is funding (of which we need more) and space (of which we need more). Invest in kids - there is no chance of losing anything if you invest in kids!
Sincerely,
Dr. Joyce Maguire Pavao
Center For Family Connections CEO and Founder
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2009 ACTION CONFERENCE
February 23-25th, 2009
Hotel Marlowe, Cambridge, MA, USA
Click Here for More Information
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ACTION Film Screenings
Join Us for a Day of the ACTION Conference! See Flyers for more Details.
Click HERE For More Information.
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Information From Our Friends
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More Dual Citizenships Eyed in 2009 By Bae Hyun-jung
*"Those who have been given foreign nationality due to involuntary circumstances, such as adoption or birth abroad, will also be allowed dual nationality, the ministry said."*
The Justice Ministry said yesterday it will allow more dual citizenships in an effort to draw foreign investors and "exceptional talent" in various areas such as the arts and science.
In its new policy report to President Lee Myung-bak, the ministry said it plans to lower the minimum requirement for foreign investors to get dual citizenships starting in 2009.
It will also allow limited dual nationality for those who show exceptional talent in the arts, science and other fields.
Those who have been given foreign nationality due to involuntary
circumstances, such as adoption or birth abroad, will also be allowed dual nationality, the ministry said.
Justice Minister Kim Kyung-han put forward a plan to reduce the number of human rights violation cases in law enforcement and to take strong measures against those who unjustly accuse lawful processes of being suppressive.
"We will lead the way in building an advanced state by providing a firm and just legal culture," he said.
The ministry is to revise the bankruptcy law to offer repayment rights to corporations with higher possibilities of revival when they take a loan for working funds.
The trust law will also be revised to allow conversion of trust properties into securities, in order to prevent bankruptcies caused by temporary lack of liquidity.
The Ministry of Government Legislation and the Anti-corruption and Civil Rights Commission also gave new policy briefings to the president.
The Legislation Ministry said it will shorten the usual 120-day legislative period to less than 30 days to speed up legislation of bills needed to help revive the economy and support the livelihoods of the poor.
The civil rights commission reported that all civil petition centers will be unified in order to collect all the opinions of the people.
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Teen Birth Rate Increased in 26 States in 2006
January 7, 2009
As reported in today's news new data from the National Center for Health Statistics show that the teen birth rate increased in 26 states between 2005 and 2006, confirming a widespread national trend and reversing a 14-year decline in teen birth rates. Among the findings:
· States with the five highest teen birth rates in 2005 (above 60 births per 1,000 females ages 15-19, compared with 41.9 births per 1,000 females ages 15-19 for the U.S. overall) experienced increases:
· Arizona: 7% increase
· Arkansas: 5% increase
· Mississippi: 13% increase
· New Mexico: a statistically non-significant 4% increase
· Texas: 2% increase
· States with the four lowest teen birth rates (New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut) showed non-significant changes.
· The state with the highest teen birth rate in 2006 (Mississippi, with 68.4 births for every 1,000 female teen ages 15-19) has a rate that is more than 3.5 times the rate of the state with lowest teen birth rate (New Hampshire, with 18.7 births for every 1,000 female teens ages 15-19).
· Alaska showed the greatest increase in teen birth rates (up 19%), while the District of Columbia reported the most dramatic decline in rates (down 24%).
· The national numbers confirm increases in teen birth rates for all racial/ethnic groups:
· Whites: 3 percent increase
· Blacks: 5 percent increase
· Hispanics: 2 percent increase
"The widespread increase in teen birth rates across states and racial/ethnic groups highlights the need to continue focusing program and funding efforts on pregnancy prevention," said Senior Research Scientist Jennifer Manlove, Ph.D.
A recent paper written by Senior Scholar Kristin Anderson Moore, Ph.D., and published by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, examines factors that may have contributed to the increase in teen births, such as teen sexual activity, contraceptive use, and abortion, as well as broader social and economic changes.
"Given that these data relate to 2006, one wonders how these families are faring in today's economic climate," said Dr. Moore.
Additional research on teen sexual activity and teen pregnancy is available on Child Trends' Web site.
Get the full report from the National Center for Health Statistics.
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A Dog's Purpose?
Unknown author
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up: ''I know why.''
Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. He said: ''People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?'' The six-year-old continued, ''Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.''
Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:
· When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
· Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
· Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
· Take naps.
· Stretch before rising.
· Run, romp, and play daily.
· Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
· Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
· On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
· On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
· When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
· Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
· Be loyal.
· Never pretend to be something you're not.
· If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
· When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.
· Enjoy every moment of every day!
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Please contact us with any questions or comments. Center For Family Connections
350 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02141
p. 617.547.0909
f. 617.497.5952
cffc@kinnect.org
Office Hours:
Monday- Thursday: 9am-8pm
Friday: 9am-5pm
Sincerely,
The CFFC Team
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FaCT Training
RESCHEDULED
Understanding Trauma and its Role in
Attachment Disorders
New DATE:
March 18th, 2009
9 am- 12pm
This is a workshop to help workers and parents to understand why children have the behaviors that they do and what kinds of treatments might be best considered. This is necessary for anyone working or living with children who have suffered trauma.
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Interesting Links:Taking a Break: Creating Foster, Adoptive and Kinship Respite in Your CommunityClick Here ______________________________
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Words of Wisdom
"Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come." --Chinese proverb
"Life is a movie... Act happy."
"Do you desire to be happy? (Remember this!) The proof of desire is pursuit.... You must go to happy places. Pursue happy people. Create happy days. If you really desire happiness in your life, you must be willing to reach for it! Never blame anyone or anything for your unhappiness. Life rewards reachers.... Happiness is NEVER placed in your life, happiness is simply placed within your reach! Now go out there and have a happy day...."
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Facebook is Pimping your Children
By James R. Marsh, January 30, 2009
By posting User Content to any part of the Site, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to the Company an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, excerpt (in whole or in part) and distribute such User Content for any purpose, commercial, advertising, or otherwise, on or in connection with the Site or the promotion thereof, to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, such User Content, and to grant and authorize sublicenses of the foregoing.
Yes Facebook can SELL little Susie's beach picture to Playboy for their Facebook Hotties edition. Yesterday, an astute follower of my burgeoning Facebook site pointed out to me that I have freely given Facebook the absolute irrevocable right to SELL anything I post to ANYONE ANYWHERE in the world. (This person is not a lawyer, mind you, and they say lawyers ruin everything). Not only can Facebook sell my content, they can SUBLICENSE it to anyone anytime without any further consent on my part or on the part of the person portrayed in whatever it is that I have posted.
So gentle Facebook readers, fans, posters, devotees, tell everyone you know that anything you post on Facebook now BELONGS TO FACEBOOK. They can sell it. They can license it to others.
Those cute baby pictures - GAP KIDS. Your one of a kind video documentary on the Bush White House - CNN. Your son or daughter's half-naked drunken orgy - HARVARD ADMISSIONS. Those pictures of you skinny dipping at camp in 1972 . . . . okay okay I know, well who would want those? Perhaps the AARP NEWSLETTER.
You and your children are hereby warned. Tell everyone you know: Facebook is THE MAN. They are George Orwell's 1984 and the Bush Administration ALL IN ONE. They want your children. They want you. Content content content is king. It all belongs to Facebook. And you just gave it to them for FREE!!!
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Casey Family Programs Requests Nominations for 2020 Youth and Alumni Advisors
Casey Family Programs' 2020 Youth/Alumni Advisors offers an opportunity for Youth and Alumni with experience and expertise in the areas of Mental Health, Education, and Employment to advise Casey's Executive Leadership on the respective elements of 2020, including strategies and policy positions around child welfare, education, employment, and mental health.
These Advisors shall work in specific consultation to Casey executive leadership regarding topics that include but are not limited to - safe reduction, education, employment, mental health, and permanence. This national group shall not attend formal in-person meetings as a whole. However, there will be small workgroup meetings from time to time that are topic specific.
Nominations will be accepted until positions are filled in the age ranges of 11-15 (emphasis), 16-18, 19-25, 26-35 and 36+.
If you know of youth and alumni who meet the initial description above, access the web based nomination form via the link provided. Click Here
CCE recommends that you speak with the nominee prior to nomination submission to ensure their interest as well as information accuracy. CCE shall make the final Youth and Alumni Advisor list available once a determination has been made.
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