Roundup: How States Can Use Automation to Increase Health Coverage for Teens; and More

Training

• Trying to engage your community? You might be interested in this training on asset-based community development, to be held September 10-12, 2009, in Chicago.

News

• Here's another way of looking at a report we posted about last week from the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA): 95.6% - an estimated $357.4 billion -- of federal and state substance abuse spending in 2005 went to dealing with the costs of addiction, rather than treatment or prevention. Guess what would be cheaper ...

• How states can use automation to increase health coverage for children.
• New research shows that Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) reduces recidivism -- and pregnancy rates among delinquent girls. 
• Karen Pittman, the Director for the Forum for Youth Investment, has put out a call to community-based organizations (CBOs) working with young adults to take part in conversations about how CBOs can play a bigger role in supporting kids and keeping them on track.
• The Obama drug budget fails to shift priorities from interdiction and law enforcement to treatment, according to Join Together.
• Michigan seems to be tapping youth on policy issues: a 21-year-old who grew up in foster care is now advising the governor on juvenile justice issues. Before that, she was an advocate for the Michigan Youth Opportunities Initiative.
• Check out this great podcast from the Campaign for Youth Justice on Pennsylvania's Youth Art and Self Empowerment Project, which provides weekly art, poetry, music, and empowerment workshops for incarcerated youth as well as re-entry services.
• Radio story on how New York is rethinking juvenile justice; meanwhile, Wyoming advocates recently asked their legislature to stop locking up kids.
• Here's a timely reminder for professionals working with parents that parenting styles differ across cultures.
• You don't often see a bank or a country club sponsoring a fundraising event for an organization aimed at helping youth in the justice system, but here's a model:  a golf benefit for the Youth Treatment & Education Center (YTEC) in San Francisco.