A Message from our Care & Closure Project Team
Care & Closure: a plan for youth healing, accountability, and community safety. This is King County’s effort to expand community-based alternatives to secure youth detention and close the youth detention center – centered on youth well-being and care, accountability, and community safety. Each month, we share project updates and upcoming opportunities to be involved.
Listening to Impacted Youth, Families, and Communities
As we shared in our previous newsletter, DCHS is thankful for our partnerships with community organizations to lift up youth and family voice about the community-based supports and accountability needed to support young people. Together with our partners, King County has engaged more than 1,000 impacted community members, including young people in detention, family members, and harmed community members, to identify what community-based alternatives to youth detention are needed.
We have compiled the initial findings from all that engagement into several recordings and also included written findings. You can find those materials on our website here.
Find Us in the Community
We showed up at the Empowering Resourceful Communities Health and Resource Fair in Rainier Beach to spread the word about Care & Closure, get feedback from community members, and raffle some prizes! The May 6th event was hosted by Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, Arms Around You, and FreshStarts PS.
We plan to be at events across King County throughout the summer. Do you have an event coming up that you’d like us to attend? Let us know!
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Join the Advisory Committee Meeting
Mark your calendar for our next Advisory Committee on Monday, May 22 from 4 to 5:30 pm. The meeting will be virtual and open to the public. You can find more information about the meeting and previous meetings here.
We are seeking additional young people with experience in the juvenile legal system, parents and family members, and community members who have been harmed by young people to help create recommendations for community-based alternatives to youth detention. If you know of someone who might be interested, please let us know!
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What We’re Learning
We learn so much from our young people, families, and communities when we ask them what they want and need. This month we encourage you to hear what our impacted communities are saying; check out the materials here. Young people impacted by the legal system highlighted they want and need more caring and consistent mentors; safe and welcoming spaces where they can heal from their own trauma, get connected to resources, and reflect on harm they’ve caused; enhanced supports for their families and parents; and more. Listen and learn here.
Help Others Get Connected
Please share this monthly newsletter to anyone you think might be interested in learning about this effort. Folks can sign up to get these monthly newsletters and project updates here. Folks can also learn more about the project on the website here. Lastly, check out our new two-pager if you want a high-level summary of the project here.
Do you have any questions or want to get involved in this project? Connect with us!
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