2006 Conference Outcomes

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2006 Conference Outcomes
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2006 Conference Key Outcomes
188 Attendees 11 Academic Workshops (up from 5 in
2006) Nationally Recognized Keynote Speaker
Regina Louise Panel Discussion with Springfield
PD Youth Aid Bureau Looking In Theater
Lunch-time Presentation Afternoon Panel with
Girls from Terri Thomas Program Continued Local
Media Attention Volunteers Secured to Initiate
Local Task Force
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188 Attendees
Summary of Evaluations The evaluation used to
rate the conference was a Likert scale (1-5) with
a rating of five as Exceeding Expectation and
one as Below Expectation. The conference was
evaluated in the following categories 2005
2006 Keynote address 4.53 4.83 Morning
workshops 4.23 4.09 Afternoon workshops 4.07
4.07 Panel presentation 4.46
4.63 Logistics and setup 4.42 4.3 Would
you recommend this workshop to a colleague?
Yes 42 No 0

• Continued Relevance
• While growth in numbers of girls in the juvenile
  justice is outpacing boys, there are few
  resources to train workers in the field.
• Recognized Experts
• Well known national and regional names
• Wider Marketing
• Two mailings to list of over 4,500 contacts in
  Southern New England

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11 Academic Workshops

• Morning Sessions (click title to view
  description)
• Health and Health Access for Girls in the
  Juvenile Justice System A Report on the Girls'
  Health Passport Project
• Making Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Work
  Implementing DBT into a Residential Setting
• Law Enforcement Efforts to Work with Juvenile
  Girls
• Department of Youth Services' Female Initiative
  and Effective Systemic Interventions
• Understanding and Supporting LGBTQ Youth
• Teen 101 Exploring issues facing youth through
  personal stories of teenage girls 
• Full descriptions can be found at
• www.throughhereyes.org

• Afternoon Sessions
• Detention Reform and Girls Challenges and
  Solutions
• The Mental Health Status of Incarcerated
  Delinquent Girls How Can We Help?
• As Though Gender Mattered Assessment and
  Intervention with Girls Who Are Aggressive
• Understanding Victims of Prostitution and
  Commercial Sexual Exploitation Dispelling Myths
  and Breaking Down Barriers
• Creating a Gender Responsive Juvenile Detention
  System for Girls

CEUs (Continuing Education Credits) were offered
for conference participation. Attendance and
feedback was required from all those requesting
CEUs.
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Panel Discussion with Springfield Police
Departments Youth Aid Bureau
Panel Discussion "Law Enforcement Efforts to
Work with Juvenile Girls Panelists Sergeant
Trent Hufnageland several other officers from
the Springfield Police Departments Youth Aid
Bureau Moderator Ronn JohnsonDirector of
Community Relations, MassMutual Former
chairperson, Springfield Violence Prevention
Taskforce   
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Nationally Recognized Keynote Speaker
Regina Louiseauthor of the memoirSomebody's
Someone Regina brought many in the audience to
tears when telling her story about her childhood
filled with abuse. She reminded the audience
that what young people need most is a caring
adult. Springfield Republican news article
4/27/06
Regina Louise signed copies of Somebody's
Someone, which was available for purchase along
with other relevant books courtesy of The Odyssey
Bookshop
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Continued Local Media Attention to Issues
Troubled girls get own care Sunday, August 06,
2006 By BEA O'QUINN DEWBERRY SPRINGFIELD - All
Julie wanted to do was escape her pain. Born
into a home with a crack-addicted father who beat
her mother, Julie and six siblings lived in
foster care most of their lives. Life got
tougher for Julie, a wide-eyed 16-year-old whose
chubby cheeks make her look more like 12, after
she was raped by a man in her foster home. Last
month, she ran away to a friend's house only to
be caught in a police raid that uncovered a cache
of guns and drugs. Now facing serious criminal
charges and an uncertain future, Julie (not her
real name) spends her days in lockup at the
Center for Human Development's Terri Thomas Youth
Assessment Center in Springfield, a secure
treatment facility for adolescent girls.
Author survived history of abuse Thursday, April
27, 2006 By BEA O'QUINN DEWBERRY  The writer
shared her story at the "Through Her Eyes,"
conference at the Springfield Marriott.
SPRINGFIELD - In her youth, Regina Louise
Kerr-Taylor lived in more than 30 foster homes,
detention facilities and shelters. She suffered
serious abuse at the hands of adults, but she
didn't allow that to break her spirit, her
resiliency or her determination to succeed..
Caught in the crossfire of family dysfunction,
sexual abuse, foster care, and peer pressure,
more girls like Julie are ending up in the
juvenile justice system. "It's a national
problem and an emerging trend," said John D.
Roberson, director of juvenile justice programs
at the Center for Human Development. The center
operates the Terri Thomas Youth Assessment Center
under contract with the state Department of Youth
Services and an adjacent secure facility for boys
on Tinkham Road. The department has 12 girls
programs statewide.
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Data on Young Women Demonstrates Growing Trend

• In the past decade, the number of girls in the
  commonwealth's juvenile justice system has more
  than tripled, reaching a high of 517 girls
  committed - those sentenced to serve time - in
  2003, according to state statistics.
• Though the numbers are decreasing with 453 girls
  committed in 2005, that number has more than
  doubled since 1996 when 213 girls were held in
  the state's system. That's compared with a nearly
  5 percent decrease in boys - down from 2,248 to
  2,142 - during the same period.
• In Western Massachusetts, the Terri Thomas Youth
  Assessment Center's caseload has been consistent,
  serving 250 girls in 2005, while intakes for boys
  have decreased by 9.4 percent. The center treats
  girls in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and
  Berkshire counties and some parts of Worcester
  County, Roberson said.
• In Hampden County, which includes sessions in
  Springfield, Holyoke and Palmer, 514 delinquency
  orders against girls in fiscal year 2005 were
  reviewed, exceeding the state's 11 other juvenile
  court systems including that of Suffolk County,
  which includes the much larger Boston,
  Dorchester, Chelsea and West Roxbury in its
  jurisdiction.
• Department of Youth Services and
  Massachusetts Juvenile Court statistics taken
  from 8/6/2006 Springfield Republican article

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2006 Conference Partnerships that Worked!
Terri Thomas Girls Assessment Program
Pioneer Valley Area Health Education Center
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2006 Conference Benefits of Sponsorship

• Appearance in all marketing materials
• 4,500 piece mailing of conference brochure
• over 40 flyers placed in local human service
  agencies
• rotating logos on conference website
  www.throughhereyes.org
• poster boards at conference
• Mentions at conference
• during opening, lunch, and closing
• Raising community awareness
• confirmed organizations commitment to the
  community