Yes Arts: Mobilizing the Power of Community and the Arts to Disrupt the Cycle of Addiction When we have the opportunity to celebrate the great work taking place in Kentucky, we make sure to SPROUT it out (our Bloom take on a Shout-Out!) when it comes to opioid abatement efforts. Sometimes tragedy can be a catalyst for change. After losing her daughter to a heroin/fentanyl overdose in 2015, Doris Thurber, along with other local [...]
Child care was a huge topic of discussion during the 2024 legislative session. Advocates appealed to elected officials to help them understand that safe and reliable child care makes it possible for families to be part of the workforce and benefit the whole community. Legislators also examined the price tag that would be attached to stabilizing Kentucky’s child care industry, and that price tag was not small. In previous years, most of the child care [...]
Among the topics that were a focus area for legislators in 2024 is maternal health – both the troubling outcomes for mothers across the Commonwealth and tangible steps we can take to address these issues. Following SB 135 of 2023 which targeted maternal depression, and an administrative change that ensures mothers on Medicaid are covered for 12 months postpartum, the 2024 General Assembly focused on additional ways to keep moms and babies healthy. HB 10, [...]
As the temperature rises, so does our anticipation for the 2024-2025 Health Youth Ambassadors program! Are you a high school student eager to cultivate your advocacy and leadership skills? Do you envision yourself as a catalyst for positive change within your community and beyond? If the answer is yes, then seize this opportunity to become a Health Youth Ambassador with Kentucky Youth Advocates! The Health Youth Ambassadors (HYA) program is designed to empower youth [...]
Kentucky Youth Advocates is looking for photos of Kentucky kids to include in the 2024 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book and other Kentucky Youth Advocates publications. We know you all proudly share pictures of your kids and grandkids by hanging them on your refrigerator and posting them on social media. Here’s your chance to promote those cute kids through Kentucky Youth Advocates’ materials. We need your photos by August 1st so please start sending them in today! In order [...]
This originally appeared as an op-ed in the Kentucky Lantern on April 30, 2024. By Dr. Terry Brooks It’s Spring 2024 in the Bluegrass State. And if I am writing about sports, I should be focused on new basketball coaches and the Derby and the PGA Championship at Valhalla. But as I reflect on the 2024 General Assembly, my mind drifts to football and the 1938 Chicago Bears. That was the team which still holds the [...]
This originally appeared as an op-ed in the NKY Tribune on April 24, 2024. By Barry Dunn and Shannon Moody Child abuse cases grab headlines and our hearts. We are often left asking: “how could this happen?” and “who would hurt an innocent child?” Substantiated cases of child abuse lead to intervention measures, which are necessary when a child can no longer safely be with their parents due to abuse or neglect. Intervention can include [...]
As the dust settles from the 2024 General Assembly, several topics continue to grab headlines including the action surrounding youth vaping. The bills passed this session certainly brought this issue to the forefront but left more questions than answers about the impact for youth in Kentucky. What did Kentucky Youth Advocates prioritize on youth vaping in 2024? As we continue to see the negative impacts of nicotine products on young people and increased concern among [...]
The Regional Prevention Collaboratives, one of the Thriving Families, Safer Children Kentucky initiatives, have been paving the way for proactive, community-driven resources and support for children and families. These collaboratives began during the summer of 2022 with convenings, called Visioning Sessions, where we gathered those living and working in communities to discuss local strengths and gaps, and then brainstorm ideas for community-led efforts that could prevent families from coming to the attention of the child welfare [...]
According to research, there are scientific benefits to smiling. What's better than a grin? Full-on laughter. During the Thriving Families, Safer Children Kentucky team's last meeting, we gathered at one of the collaborating partner's organizations–the Commonwealth Center for Fathers and Families–to exchange our favorite dad jokes. The winning knee-slapper? "I'd like to thank all the sidewalks for keeping me off the streets." But what is funny about child abuse and how does humor and [...]
