Fostering Futures Training

The clock is ticking... is your youth ready to leave the foster care system?

Would you like to learn about some concrete activities you can do with older youth in foster care in order to help them prepare for independent living?

Would you like to learn about resources regarding housing, education, employment, relationships, health and life skills?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, please join us for an exciting Guardian ad Litem Training called Fostering Futures!

The North Carolina Guardian ad Litem Program has been chosen by National CASA to be a pilot site for the Fostering Futures Program.  Through this training, volunteers will be better equipped to work with our adolescent youth who are at-risk of aging out of the foster care system.

You'll learn how to better advocate for youth ages 14 and up in regards to independent living skills such as:

• Housing
• Employment
• Life Skills
• Supportive Relationships
• Mental and Physical Health
• Education
• Local Resources

Another key component of this training revolves around a theory called Possible Selves, which helps young people achieve their full potential by promoting a positive self-identity, setting goals for the future and planning to achieve those goals.

NC Guardian ad Litem Volunteers have said that these activities have served as a wonderful springboard for discussion.  This training is useful for all Guardian ad Litem Volunteers who have an interest in working with older youth in foster care (ages 14 and up).

This program follows the blended learning approach, with 4 hours of an e-learning experience (complete at your leisure before the training) followed by a full day in-person session.

Friday, February 4th from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Cumberland County Courthouse

117 Dick Street

Room 119 (this is on the 1st floor)

Fayetteville, NC 28301

Please reserve your space today!  Contact Kristie Kelley at (910) 321-3822 or email her at Kristie.P.Kelley@nccourts.org.  RSVPs must be received by Wednesday, January 26th 2011.

AMBER Alerts now available on Facebook

At a news conference last Wednesday, Laurie O. Robinson, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs, joined representatives of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and Facebook as they announced a partnership to enable 140 million Facebook users across the country to receive AMBER Alerts via their accounts.

The AMBER Alert program works to mobilize communities to search for and rescue abducted children. In serious child abduction cases, law enforcement issues bulletins that are distributed by media, the trucking industry, the wireless industry, and Internet service providers to a targeted audience. The AMBER Alert program has been credited with recovering 525 children. Robinson remarked, "These efforts demonstrate the high priority this Administration places on child protection. While we can't fulfill every parent's dream and completely insulate children, we can promote programs and partnerships that protect children and help bring them home."

Resources:
For dial-in information, go to www.livestream.com/facebookdclive.

For more information about the AMBER Alert program, visit http://www.amberalert.gov/.

Click here to visit the North Carolina Amber Alert Facebook Page

Ring in the New Year with Volunteering

Did you resolve to help others in 2011?  Look no further than the Cumberland County Guardian ad Litem Program!  Volunteers are always needed to advocate for children in our community who have been abused or neglected.  You could make a huge difference in the life of a child.

Our Spring 2011 Training Session is scheduled.  Submit your Volunteer Application to our office to begin course registration.  The five week training is free-of-charge.  You will receive our Volunteer Manual and other resources throughout training to assist you in your Guardian ad Litem Volunteer role.

Spring 2011 Training Session will be held on five consecutive Thursday evenings from 6-9 p.m. in Fayetteville beginning March 10th.  Please contact us for specific location and class registration.

Spring 2011 Volunteer Training dates:
March 10th
March 17th
March 24th
March 31st
April 7th