2023 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book: A Look at Child Well-Being Data Trends and Investing in the “Kid Workforce”

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org 2023 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book: A Look at Child Well-Being Data Trends and Investing in the “Kid Workforce” Featuring the latest county-level data for key measures of child well-being Louisville, KY – The 2023 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book, released today by Kentucky Youth Advocates, features the latest data on 16 measures of child well-being, showing whether outcomes for children across the Commonwealth have improved, worsened, or stayed the [...]

Youth Voice: “Help enforce the existing ‘Tobacco 21′ law to keep these products out of kids’ hands”

As young Kentuckians continue to advocate for meaningful enforcement of Tobacco-21 law and find ways to keep vaping products out of the hands of kids, students are using their voices to speak out on the issue. Sydney Shaffer testifying at the Interim Joint Committee on Licensing and Occupations. Sydney Shaffer, a student from Scott County, shared her experience in a recent Interim Joint Committee on Licensing and Occupations  committee meeting. She shared with [...]

By |2023-11-07T17:04:28-05:00November 7th, 2023|Blog, Education, Health|

Save the Date: Children’s Advocacy Week 2024

For 20 years, advocates for kids have gathered in Frankfort for Children’s Advocacy Day to fill the halls of the Capitol and ask their elected officials to step up for Kentucky kids. The critical mass of advocates in the Capitol building led to many policy wins and raising awareness of issues facing kids and their families.   As we’ve transitioned to Children’s Advocacy WEEK, we've been able to have a series of virtual events with [...]

Youth Voice: Action Needed to Enforce Tobacco 21 Law

Kentucky kids need environments free from nicotine products to learn, grow, and thrive. Availability of products with high nicotine content is growing rapidly and marketing with bright colors and alluring flavors targets kids in stores across the state. Although Kentucky lawmakers have taken important steps to limit youth access to these products, like raising the legal purchase age to 21, action is still needed.   Griffin Nemeth testifying at the Interim Joint Committee on Licensing [...]

By |2023-10-19T16:16:17-04:00October 19th, 2023|Blog, Education, Health|

Bloom KY Growing Hope: Kentucky’s First Opioid Symposium

The opioid epidemic has been a devastating crisis across the United States, and Kentucky has not been immune to its effects. However, amid the challenges and heartbreak, there is a glimmer of hope. Kentucky's First Opioid Symposium, hosted by the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission, stands as a shining example of the dedication and determination to combat this epidemic. This symposium, held at the Central Bank Convention Center in Lexington, Kentucky, brought together a [...]

Strategies to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes in Kentucky

By Yelena Bagdasaryan, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates  Achieving optimal maternal health is critical to mothers across the Commonwealth and affects future generations in our communities. Nationally, improving maternal health has been a focus area due to high maternal mortality rates across the country. Kentucky also experiences similar negative maternal health outcomes.  In 2018, Kentucky’s maternal mortality rate was 40.8 per 100,000 live births. This is significantly higher than the national rate of 17.4.  In 2021 [...]

By |2023-10-11T16:52:03-04:00October 11th, 2023|Blog, Health, Race Equity|

Bloom KY Growing Hope: Spotlight on BRADD Regional Opioid Summit

As we embrace October as Substance Use Prevention Month, it's only fitting that we shine a spotlight on the remarkable work being done in local communities to combat the opioid epidemic. In this edition of Bloom Kentucky’s Growing Hope series, where we’re spotlighting opioid abatement efforts across the Commonwealth, we turn our attention to the Barren River Area Development District (BRADD) Opioid Abatement Coalition's recent Opioid Symposium. On September 18, 2023, at the iconic National [...]

By |2023-10-05T12:35:09-04:00October 5th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Health, Justice|

Health Youth Ambassadors 2023 Onboarding Retreat

Last week, our 2023-2024 Health Youth Ambassador cohort came together for the first time in Bowling Green, Kentucky for their two-day overnight onboarding retreat! Representing 8 different counties from across the Commonwealth – including Oldham, Graves, Daviess, Clark, Hardin, Henry, Jefferson, and Crittenden – our new cohort consists of 13 youth advocates. The Health Youth Ambassadors (HYA) program is a statewide cohort that engages high school aged youth to learn about advocacy and policy, [...]

By |2023-09-28T16:34:23-04:00September 28th, 2023|Blog, Education, Health|

New Report – Fostering Connections: Actions Needed to Prevent Homelessness Among Foster Care Alumni

New Report – Fostering Connections: Actions Needed to Prevent Homelessness Among Foster Care Alumni Featuring Findings from Interviews and Surveys with Young Adults with Lived Experience and Recommendations LOUISVILLE, KY – Whether they exit care through adoption, family reunification, or aging out, foster care alumni are at higher risk of experiencing homelessness as a young adult. According to recent data, approximately one in three young adults who leave foster care in Kentucky will experience housing [...]

Kentucky Youth Speak Out Against Substance Use

We know substance use, among both adults and adolescents, continues to be an issue in communities throughout the Commonwealth.  To better understand just how substance use, as well as the opioid epidemic, are impacting Kentucky’s young people, Bloom Kentucky recently connected with high school students across the state to hear their perspectives on the impact of substance use among their peers and in their communities and how we might address substance use prevention.  We [...]

By |2023-09-14T11:55:50-04:00September 14th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Education, Health|
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