2020 NSPN Award Winners

National Safe Place Network (NSPN) recognized several individuals, organizations, and businesses during its 2020 national awards ceremony on August 18th and 19th at Focus 2020. The 2020 NSPN award categories and winners are:

• Model Program Award – Fresno EOC’s Food Services Program
• Helping Hands Award – Isaiah Duncan, Y-Now Mentoring Program, YMCA Safe Place Services
• Safe Place® Coordinator of the Year Award – Chuck Paul, Roy Maas Youth Services
• Community Involvement Award – Bank of America, Knoxville, Tennessee
• Youth in Action Award – Eric Wolfe, Anchor House
• Culture of Respect Award – Judith Clark, Hawaii Youth Services Network
• Executive Leadership Award – Lisa Thompson, Project Oz
• Essential Voice Award – Dr. Matthew Morton, Chapin Hall
• Together We Can Award – Darla Bardine, National Network for Youth
• Lifetime Achievement Awards –
• Patricia Balke, Wisconsin Association for Homeless and Runaway Services
• Phil Garrett, Every Child’s Hope

((Pictured left to right: NSPN Award winners Dr. Matthew Morton, Isaiah Duncan, and Chuck Paul with their awards.)

Congratulations once again to all of our 2020 NSPN award winners. We are honored to celebrate you. To read more about the 2020 NSPN awards and view photos, speeches, and videos from the winners, please visit www.nspnetwork.org/2020-nspn-awards.

Various Resources for Youth-Serving Agencies

The following resources will vary month to month and cover a wide variety of topics and interests for those who work in youth serving
organizations. This month’s resources include a guide on a community-based early intervention program, a drop-in center that has established successful procedures in response to Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and a training guide to help adapt evidence-based trauma treatment approaches while utilizing teletherapy. Click the links below to access these resources.

• Youth Reconnect Program Guide: An Early Intervention Approach to Preventing Youth Homelessness
• "In Tumultuous Times, St. Paul's Only Drop-in Center for Homeless Youth Adapts"
• Trauma Teletherapy for Youth in the Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Adapting Evidence-Based Treatment Approaches

Resources for Youth-Serving Agencies

The resources below cover a broad range of topics that include youth mental health systems, racial equity, positive youth development, youth and dating violence, a youth-centered approach to homelessness services, and holistic health resources for Native youth. All resources are downloadable.

• 10 Core Competencies for Youth and Young Adult Centered Mental Health Systems (report)
• Embedding a Racial Equity Perspective in the Positive Youth Development Approach (brief)
• Dating Violence Reported by High School Students, 2017 (infographic)
• Redesign of a homelessness service system for young people (report)
• We R Native: an online holistic health resource for and by Native American teens and young adults (website)

Lost in America Foundation PSA

The Lost in America Foundation has partnered with National Safe Place Network (NSPN) and the National Runway Safeline (NRS) to help raise awareness about homeless youth during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Several celebrities have taken part in a Public Service Announcement (PSA) to bring awareness to the issue of youth homelessness and help raise funds for NSPN and NRS. You can view the PSA and donate here. Feel free to share the PSA to your social media channels and tag NSPN on Twitter and Facebook. The Lost in America documentary is now available on certain streaming platforms. You can find out more about the documentary here.

Will You Help Them on Their Journey to Safety?

Right now, in your community, there are youth who are dealing with bullying, suicidal thoughts, homelessness, abuse, and neglect. These young people need your help accessing safety. These are youth like Amaya, who left home in the midst of a global pandemic because of fights with her father. Or Zander, who was contemplating suicide after the death of his mother. When these youth felt like there was nowhere else to turn, Safe Place® and TXT 4 HELP were able to connect them with resources and provide access to safety.

The Journey to Safety campaign seeks to increase support of Safe Place® so young people like Amaya and Zander know that there is somewhere to turn when they are experiencing bullying, suicidal thoughts, homelessness, abuse, and neglect. The Safe Place sign is the universal symbol of safety. All youth in crisis can access help when going to a Safe Place or utilizing TXT 4 HELP. National Safe Place Network (NSPN) will be sharing the stories of various youth on their own journeys to safety throughout the year on our Facebook and Twitter pages. You can read more about the Journey to Safety campaign here, and give to support young people’s access to safety here.