I still carry my green dot with me on my backpack. It was one of my first memories as a college freshman at the University of Kentucky—walking into the Student Center for a Green Dot training. The training, put on by the Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) Center, introduced me and hundreds of fellow college students to a new perspective on preventing and responding to violence. The Green Dot program focuses on primary [...]
The 2015 general election is just days away! Here are five reasons why Kentucky kids are depending on you to show up at your polling place on November 3rd: 1. Kids aren’t old enough (yet) to vote, so they’re counting on you to advocate on their behalf. Whether they’re 17 days old or 17 years old, our youth need you to be their voice. 2. Big policies affect individual children. Many of the issues being [...]
Kentucky Youth Advocates is the independent voice for Kentucky kids with a mission of making Kentucky the best place in America to be young. Because we do not take government money, individual supporters are the foundation of our work. Want to learn more about how you can join with us to ensure that Kentucky kids have the loudest possible voice? View our new Invest in Advocacy video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSf1vjlZLsw For an overview of how we put [...]
Mark your calendars! Open enrollment for health insurance plans—via kynect—begins November 1, 2015 and closes on January 31, 2016. If you don’t have access to health insurance, have trouble affording health care, or have inadequate health coverage, be sure to visit the kynect website to compare the options that could best work for you or your family. This year, kynect will have two stores (one in Louisville and one in Lexington) open in mid-November to assist anyone [...]
By Pam Darnall Kentucky’s network of 15 child advocacy centers (CACs) is among the state’s best-kept secrets. Not because anyone intentionally seeks to hide or withhold information, but rather because of the too often unspoken nature of its work: helping child victims of sexual abuse. Last year, the state’s 15 CACs served more than 6,000 child victims of abuse – primarily sexual abuse, but some physical abuse cases as well – with multidisciplinary team investigations, forensic interviews, [...]
This time last year, my wife and I were expecting our first child and were thrilled that in just six short weeks we would be able to cuddle our newborn. As an expectant father, I had many dreams and many visions of raising a child, along with many questions and unknown answers that sparked serious concerns and fear in my mind. Reflecting on the past, I realize many of these questions or fears were somewhat ridiculous [...]
On October 1, 2015, a new federal rule went into effect governing the terms of consumer credit that can be offered to military members and their families. As of 2013, Kentucky had the 9th largest number of active duty service members in the United States, and the new rule brings the number of military members and their family members in Kentucky potentially receiving protection from these kind of products to nearly 100,000. The types of [...]
October is Health Literacy Month, which is the perfect time to focus on the health and oral health of Kentucky’s children and families. Oral health is a key component of overall health and wellness, but it remains an issue of concern for many Kentucky families: According to PEW Center on the States, Kentucky received a “C” grade in providing oral health care to children and a “D” grade in overall oral health prevention. Nearly 43 [...]
Elected officials often play important roles in creating, implementing, or enforcing policies that are good for kids. In just a few weeks, Kentuckians will go to the polls to cast their votes for the state’s executive offices, one of which is the Attorney General of Kentucky. The Attorney General is Kentucky’s chief prosecutor, law officer, and law enforcement officer, and these responsibilities are crucial in ensuring that state systems work for Kentucky kids. Want to [...]
The federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has a proven record of keeping people working. Claimed only by people earning income through work, the federal EITC has become the nation’s largest and most successful anti-poverty program with a thirty-year proven track record of lifting children and families out of poverty. The federal EITC alone lifted 6.1 million people, including 3.1 million children, above the poverty line in 2011. Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia have gone [...]
