As we work our way through the winter months, keeping ourselves busy with indoor activities, we look forward to spring and the wonderful things it brings - like the 2013 Trainer Conference! This issue provides information about the conference and how to register as well as trainer tips and resources related to diversity and inclusion. 

2013 Trainer Conference

Making the Best of Your Training Day: Skill Building for  Trainers 

The OCWTP is pleased to welcome performers from OSU's InterACT Theatre Project for Social Change as keynote presenters at the 2013 Trainer Conference on March 4, 2013, at the Crowne Plaza North in Columbus.

InterACT, led by Dr. Robin Post and Elizabeth Wellman, uses interactive theatre to engage participants in difficult discussions on diversity and inclusion.

In a recent On Campus interview, Dr. Post stated, "...I think (theatre) is a really good way to address issues of social change. It allows dialogue about difficult topics to take place in a safe setting." For the past seven years, InterACT has been using theatre to address such issues as ethical practices, inclusiveness and differences in faith as they apply to teaching and learning. Troop members perform a series of skits, and then stay in character after the performance to respond to the audience's questions.

InterACT's performance at the Trainer Conference will address diversity issues identified by OCWTP trainers. The theater students will present skits that demonstrate conflicts in a learning environment that are not handled optimally by the trainer. Through discussion and interaction with the performers, participants will begin to re-create the skits with more positive results.  

In addition to the InterACT performers, conference attendees will have the opportunity to participate in learnings facilitated by Beth Ann Rodriguez, Leslie Ahmadi and Jayne Schooler.   Beth Ann and Leslie will focus on strategies to address two questions all OCWTP trainers must answer when preparing learning outlines:

• How do you identify, select and plan to address diversity issues that relate to your training topic?
• How do you effectively respond to diversity and diversity issues in the training room?

The training will incorporate themes and strategies from the morning session and draw heavily on the OCWTP Guide How to Address Diversity Issues in Your Training.

Jayne's training will explore the ethics of addressing diversity in the learning environment. She will focus on the trainer's responsibility to identify and manage ethical dilemmas. Participants will work to identify strategies to cope with the cognitive dissonance learners experience when their values and beliefs are confronted.

As in past years, winners of the Linda Pope and Rising Star awards will be recognized at lunch. After lunch, a networking session will provide an opportunity for conference attendees to meet with representatives from each RTC.  

We are excited about this year's conference and hope you are too. Don't forget to register through E-Track by February 28th!

 TRAINER TIPS

If you have doubts about your understanding of the intersect between diversity and your area of expertise, take comfort in the fact that no one knows all there is to know about a topic. When a participant poses a question in regard to diversity that you had never considered, use the opportunity to model self-awareness and openness. You can share with participants that you appreciate the insight and will use this as an opportunity to grow in your expertise.

If you are afraid you will lose control of participants or their emotional reactions will be too much, know that often the most significant learning comes from the tension created when beliefs are challenged. Rather than avoid emotional reactions, you can use them to aid the learning process. If tensions do feel too high, have participants take a "time-out" by journaling their feelings. If they want, they can then share what they wrote with one other participant.

If you are concerned that your evaluations could be negatively impacted, keep in mind that the most important measure of success is that participants have grown and learned from your training. While they still may be struggling at the end of training, ultimately they will be further along in their journey toward diversity competence.  RTC and IHS staff are aware of situations that can negatively impact evaluations and do not use the evaluation summaries as the sole determinate of a trainer's competence.

Meet Arlene Jones 

The OCWTP is proud to introduce Arlene Jones, another one of our dynamic, engaging foster care alums. Her experiences in care have stirred her to become a strong voice for other youth still in care. Arlene embraces the concept of "giving back." Through her training opportunities, she uses her expertise to help inform caseworkers and foster caregivers about the needs and issues of foster youth.  

    What is one of your specific advocacy concerns as it

    relates to foster care?

One of my biggest areas of concern regarding foster care advocacy is the lack of normalcy for youth, created by agency policies and systemic barriers.

     Can you give some examples of why this area needs 

     reform?

As an alumnus of Ohio's foster care system, I personally experienced issues relating to normalcy. I frequently went AWOL from placements to spend time with friends in their homes, attend sleepovers, school events, participate in club activities, and even have contact with my siblings. In fact, the lack of normalcy in foster care was so prevalent that I began referring to my siblings as "siblings," something I had never done prior to entering care. I had always referred to them as my brothers and sisters.

If our system was a true replica of a real family setting, perhaps we could see much better outcomes for our youth. I envision a system that is willing to let kids be kids and permits them to grow and develop in a fashion similar to kids not in care. It's okay to let us make mistakes and bad choices- we cannot learn if we are constantly being "saved." After all, growing up, none of us made right choices 100% of the time, yet we survived. We should change the status quo by becoming less reactionary and start implementing best practices in practical ways that do not involve additional red tape for foster youth. We should always remember that perfection is a moving target that we are obliged to chase if we are to be responsive to the children and youth entrusted in our care.

What about this issue do you want caseworkers/foster parents/adoptive parents to know?

The primary things caseworkers, foster parents, adoptive parents, administrators, and directors should know is that foster youth want normalcy; they do not want overprotective parents; they want a system that is receptive and responsive to change. They want their voices heard.

There is so much improvement we can make within the current child welfare system provided that we see the difficulties as opportunities rather than barriers in achieving desired goals. We have to change the way we think and use our creative minds and critical thinking skills to bring about desired change. We need to take advantage of training opportunities to learn new approaches, and most importantly, listen to our youth.

Do you have any creative ideas regarding how this information might be shared in a workshop setting?

In workshops, we hear much about what we can't do and touch on some things we can do. Perhaps it's time to focus more attention on all of the things we can. In other words, balance every "can't/don't" in a workshop with 2-3 "can's and do's."

 Arlene is a founding member and former Media Spokesperson for the Ohio Youth Advisory Board (O.H.I.O. YAB). She graduated from Wright State University in Dayton, OH and is planning to pursue an MBA in Public Administration at Ohio Dominican University. Arlene is employed at Franklin County Children Services as an ongoing caseworker. She is married, has three sons and is a kinship caregiver for her nephew. 

CORTC News

CORTC has had numerous staff changes in the past month:

• Alison Rodgers, MSW LISW, is the new CORTC Director. Congratulations, Alison!  
• Shawney Johnson, MSA, will move into Alison's previous position as Staff Training Coordinator.  
• Joy Xaybandith accepted a position in FCCS' Volunteer Department. 
• Shelley Weaver, BS, will move into Joy's position as Staff Training Coordinator.  Previously, Shelley was a Caseworker in the Kinship and Foster Care Programs.
• Mikki Holmes has accepted a position with the Institute for Human Services as a part of the E-track Management Team.  The new Adoption Training Liaison will be announced soon.
 

 NEORTC News

In January, Debbie Huff joined 65 other doctors, dentists, nurses, pharmacists and social workers from the U.S. to travel to Honduras to provide health care to estimates of 3,000 to 5,000 children, youth, and adults.  She is a great example of the following quote: Always remember "to the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world." -Anonymous

NEORTC is also excited to welcome back Joy Roderick, who had a baby girl this past fall.  Joy covers caregiver trainings.  Staff and trainers are grateful for her return! 

New Content Outline Form

Trainers, in response to your requests, we have developed an optional Content Outline Form that you can use when submitting your outlines to the RTCS for review. The next step is to pilot the form and we need your help. If you are currently working with an RTC on developing a new learning and would like to help us pilot the form, please let your RTC know. Thank you for your assistance!