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Adolescent Mental Health is Declining and We Need To Understand Why

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the prevalence of mental health challenges across the nation, especially among youth. While there were policies proposed to expand access to and affordability of mental health treatment and to improve social indicators of well-being, youth mental health is still declining according to a recent report from Child Trends. Improvements in social indicators of well-being have caused an increase in the thriving index for youth, however, indicators of depression, anxiety, and suicide [...]

By |2023-09-13T11:18:17-04:00September 13th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Education, Health, Race Equity|
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Back to School, Back to Anti-Vaping Efforts

By Yelena Bagdasaryan, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates As Kentucky counties are heading back to school, there is a buzz of anticipation and excitement for students to be back in the classrooms and with their peers. However, the start of classes also reignites concerns for student’s health, specifically their use of e-cigarettes or vapes.  The use of vapes has increased dramatically, creating a new generation of youth that are dependent on nicotine. According to a [...]

By |2023-08-17T15:46:44-04:00August 17th, 2023|Blog, Education, Health|
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Making Kids Count in the 2023 Election

Kids cannot vote, but you can ensure that their voices are heard by engaging with candidates in local, state, and federal elections. The leaders we elect determine policy that will impact our daily lives for what may be generations to come. But how often do we pause to consider–specifically–how our choices at the ballot box will impact us, and particularly young children who depend on us to make the right choices? We must keep [...]

By |2023-10-20T13:43:23-04:00August 16th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Youth Join Together to Sow Resilience for Kentucky Kids and Families

We are still reminiscing on the Sowing Resilience: A Bloom Kentucky Listening Tour that wrapped up earlier this summer. One session in particular that we can’t stop thinking about is the Youth and Young Adult Session hosted in Jefferson County. In June, a group of nearly 40 young people from across Jefferson County came together to share their thoughts, ideas, and recommendations on helping Kentucky kids grow up healthy and hopeful. Discussions ranged from [...]

By |2023-08-07T16:43:27-04:00August 7th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Reflections from Sowing Resilience: A Bloom Kentucky Listening Tour

Over the course of just 6 weeks, Kentucky Youth Advocates and Bloom Kentucky covered over 2,000 miles around the state hosting 19 regional listening sessions. We heard from over 350 Kentuckians including parents, teachers, community leaders, service providers, elected officials, youth, and more. Hosting these convenings and hearing from communities all over the state would not have been possible without our partner organizations who acted as co-hosts for each event.  Throughout the tour we asked [...]

By |2023-08-08T14:55:04-04:00August 7th, 2023|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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Expanding the Impact of Kentucky’s Community Health Workers

Each year in Kentucky, July marks the implementation of legislation passed in the previous legislative session. This month, along with other new laws taking effect, Kentucky has seen the implementation of House Bill 525 from 2022, which designated services offered by Certified Community Health Workers to be Medicaid eligible in Kentucky. Following the 2022 legislative session, the Department for Medicaid Services (DMS) filed a state plan amendment and began work to create billing codes and [...]

By |2023-08-02T13:00:54-04:00August 2nd, 2023|Blog, Health|
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Journey to Success KY: Community Conversations Coming to a Town Near You!

Journey to Success is a policy advocacy campaign that seeks to improve opportunities and outcomes for all youth and young adults who experience foster care by promoting their healing, family connections, and economic security. Kentucky Youth Advocates has developed a team of foster care alumni that represent the Journey to Success campaign in our state. In 2021-2022, the Journey to Success Kentucky team met with staffers of Kentucky’s Federal Delegates to advocate for policy [...]

By |2023-08-01T13:35:35-04:00August 1st, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Race Equity|
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The Impact of Guns on Kentucky Kids

By Kaitlin Lacefield, Intern at Kentucky Youth Advocates Since 2020, the number of child deaths by a gun has surpassed car accidents and motor vehicle-related deaths. Firearms are the leading cause of death for children under 18 in Kentucky and nationally. Now, there is a challenge to prevent accidental shootings involving children by building knowledge and increasing awareness. The number of gun deaths among Americans has been on the rise since 2019. Unfortunately, children are [...]

By |2023-07-27T15:59:32-04:00July 27th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Health, Justice|
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The Growing Movement of Thriving Families, Safer Children

“Hope means we all have a role to play in ensuring that all children in America grow up safely in thriving families and supportive communities.” Casey Family Programs aims to inspire hope, and according to their recent 2023 Signature Report overviewing the Thriving Families, Safer Children (TFSC) collaborative, there are reasons to have hope and to act on it. Since 2005, the number of children in care across the nation has decreased by 23%, and [...]

By |2023-07-12T12:53:30-04:00July 12th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Race Equity|
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REFORM Louisville: Youth Perspective on Mental Health and the Courts

It can be easy for life to get you down when obstacles constantly stand between you and your future. When you make mistakes as a child, it can hinder your ability to maintain stable housing, employment, and educational opportunities. It can be discouraging and difficult finding your voice when you’ve been told for so long that you don't have one.  Helping youth and young adults find their voice is one thing a group called REFORM [...]

By |2023-07-05T16:09:07-04:00July 5th, 2023|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
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