Written by: Hillary Ladig, Communications Coordinator for National Safe Place Network, Media Release written by Ann Glaser, Public Information Specialist, Valley Metro

Safe Place is an outreach and prevention-based program for youth coordinated by licensed agencies in communities across the country. The program relies on community partnerships to strengthen the safety net for youth and to provide designated Safe Place locations where young people can access immediate help and safety. Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development, located in Phoenix, Arizona, recently announced an expanded partnership with Valley Metro to add 900 buses to the community's network of Safe Place locations.

Written by: Hillary Ladig & Elizabeth Smith Miller, NSPN Communications Team

Between 1.6 and 2.8 million youth run away each year. If all of these young people lived in one city, it would be the fifth largest city in the U.S. These numbers are simply unacceptable, especially when you consider that many of these youth will end up on the streets. They are not bad kids; they are good kids caught up in bad situations. By supporting National Runaway Prevention Month (NRPM), you're showing America's runaway and homeless youth that they are not invisible and they are not alone.

Written by: Katie Carter, Director of Research, Education & Public Policy for National Safe Place Network

Photo credit: https://mfgtodayblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/vote.jpg

Written by: Elizabeth Smith Miller, Director of Marketing and Events, National Safe Place Network

Did you know that millions of Americans are directly affected by more than 37,000 suicides each year?   September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month with this week being National Suicide Prevention Awareness Week.  World Suicide Prevention Day is Saturday, September 10^th.  Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people and your prevention efforts are critical.

Written by: Katie Carter, Director of Research, Education & Public Policy, National Safe Place Network

As a political junkie, I love presidential election years. I especially love years like this: where a few months ago there was no incumbent and wide-open races on both sides (depending on who you ask). These campaign cycles can also be incredibly frustrating. Candidates visit small towns where they would never otherwise set foot, eat state fair food, rub elbows with locals, and mug for photos. It all feels inauthentic. Fake. How can a long-serving U.S. senator really speak on behalf of working families? How can a billionaire relate to middle class workers? How can privileged white men and women relate to the plights of runaway youth? How can powerful people understand what it’s like to be homeless when they have never had to worry whether they will have a place to sleep, or a hot meal and shower waiting for them in the morning?

The United Nations declared August 12 International Youth Day in 1999, providing an opportunity to celebrate young people around the world. The focus of this year’s International Youth Day is to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. You can read more about the agenda here: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld

Written by: Lisa Tobe, Executive Director, Wildflower Consulting

I lost my six-year-old son Mateo under a yellow helmet with a face-cover. I could see his little hands and knee knobs stick out from what looked like black Kevlar body armor. My friend, Thea, stood beside him explaining the gears, throttle and brakes on the blue four-wheeler their seven-year-old son Trey rides. Mateo nodded gravely. I watched the side of his helmet bob up and down in slow, short movements. She had his rapt attention, but I wondered if he’d absorbed the directions. I hadn’t.

Written by: Sonia Tagliareni, writer and researcher for www.drugrehab.com

Adolescence is a period of uncertainty, during which teenagers are not inclined to share anything with their parents. It may be challenging to broach the drug and alcohol conversation. Your teen may try to avoid the conversation, or you may not know how to begin.

Written by: Elizabeth Smith Miller, Communications Coordinator, National Safe Place Network

You might have heard of this little monster game called Pokemon Go.  This game is all the rage right now and has been downloaded more than 7.5 million times (and hasn’t even become available everywhere yet!)  You might be asking… “Why is NSPN talking about this?”  The answer is simple… “potential.”  With so much interest and emphasis on mobility, organizations have the potential to use the game to draw community members to them.  When community members come to you, there’s an opportunity to share available youth and family services and resources (including your organization and the local Safe Place program.)

Written by: Freddi Birdwell, CFRE, CEO of Red Bird Consulting

Image created by woodleywonderworks: https://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/4759535970

Written by: Elizabeth Smith Miller, Director of Marketing and Events, National Safe Place Network

It’s no doubt technology has made life more…let’s say convenient. Technology has provided increased accessibility for education, safety, healthcare, and entertainment. It has also paved a new way to build “social connections”. But, with these new “social connections” – are we really connecting? Technology enables increased efficiency and productivity; however, it has disabled true conversation, connection, and togetherness. Take a moment and watch a powerful video authored by Prince Ea. In this video, he shares a simple message to encourage you to be balanced, mindful, and present. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRl8EIhrQjQ

Written by: Karlaa Williams, Public Relations & Donor Associate, Seton Youth Shelters

National Safe Place Week 2016 (#NSPWeek2016) is upon us! This nationally recognized week serves to raise awareness of Safe Place, an outreach and prevention program for youth in crisis. NSP Week is also a dedicated time to recognize the various partners who collaborate to offer immediate help and safety for young people. Partners include licensed Safe Place agencies, businesses, civic and social services organizations, volunteers, donors - both on the local and national levels. These partners stand together to strengthen the safety net for youth in America and that's exactly the reason we're celebrating this week!

Written by: Katie Carter, Director of Research, Education & Public Policy, National Safe Place Network

President Obama released his 2017 budget proposal last week. It includes some bright spots in funding for runaway and homeless youth programs and supports for child welfare programs. This is just a proposal though, and serves as a blueprint Congress will use to build its own budget.

Written by: Hillary Ladig, Communications Coordinator, National Safe Place Network

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (MLK Day), a time to commemorate Dr. King's vital role in the Civil Rights Movement. On MLK Day, Americans of every age and background will unite in a day of service as a way to transform Dr. King's life and teachings into community action that helps resolve social problems.

Written by: TC Cassidy, Director of Technical Assistance, National Safe Place Network

By the time someone has been trafficked the system has already failed at what should be its primary goal: PREVENTION. We need to work to prevent human trafficking from occurring so the need for services doesn’t exceed the availability of services. Prevention efforts are not often sensational; however, focusing on preventing some of the risk factors that lead to an increased vulnerability to human trafficking will prove the adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Written by: Susan Harmon, Director of Safe Place National Operations

By now you have probably seen, heard or read a great deal about human trafficking - what it is, who the victims are and where they are.  Here are just a few statistics NSPN would like to share with you:

Then and Now: The Reality of New Beginnings
By: Shauna Stubbs, RHYTTAC Principal Investigator for National Safe Place Network 

Human beings tote baggage around everywhere we go.  Sometimes we hold that heaviness inside and struggle to let it go.  Experiences of disappointment, pain and loss teach us to survive by limiting expectations, eliminating vulnerability, and disconnecting from others.  Other times that baggage gets stuck in the environment around us.  Failing an assignment at school colors a teacher’s perception of a student’s potential.  A mistake at work results in colleagues or supervisors doubting a young person’s reliability.  A common but destructive error in judgment breaks a parent’s trust and makes it difficult for a youth to restore it.

Written by: Steve Tarver, President / CEO, YMCA of Greater Louisville

It's Christmas Eve, after six in the evening. Most of the stores are closed and the streets are starting to get very quiet with little traffic. The daylight hours are few, so it's dark outside. Cars parked in driveways and lights on in most homes indicate that families are gathering for holiday celebrations.

National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month is coming up in January. We encourage you to join us throughout January as, together, we can increase awareness of human trafficking and combine our efforts to prevent it. Each week, we’ll highlight and share information on the following topics: About Human Trafficking, Raising Awareness, Human Trafficking Prevention, and Celebrating Survivors. The topics were created to make it easy for YOU to make a difference.

Want to start supporting this campaign before the official start date of January 1, 2016? Join our ThunderClap! ThunderClap is a platform that allows users to flood Facebook, Twitter with a shared message - at the same time. By joining, Thunderclap will automatically post the following message to your page on January 11, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. ET. It’s easy to join.  Just visit http://thndr.me/zDh2DU to schedule your post and join the nation in making some noise on social media to #EndHumanTrafficking.  Thunderclap Message: “I stand against human traffickers. People are not for sale. Together we can #EndHumanTrafficking.”