NYAP Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 1, 2012

(Columbus, Ohio, February, 2012)  On February 1, 2012 SYNTAXIS has joined the National Youth Advocate Program to further the mission of the organization and to expand the continuum of programming for youth and families in the Columbus OH area.

Marvena Twigg, President/CEO of the National Youth Advocate Program announced the joining of the two organizations.  The founder of SYNTAXIS, Father Springer and Director, Joe Friend, have been major contributors of the overall development and execution of the outstanding programs of SYNTAXIS.  Ms. Twigg, further states this merger will provide the opportunity for expanded services for youth and families. Together, through innovative programming and advocacy, families are provided with community resources which enable them the ability to grow, develop, and rise above the challenges and difficulties of their lives. 

SYNTAXIS joins the National Youth Advocate Program, a non profit 501 c (3) organization founded in 1978 by Dr. Mubarak Awad. The National Youth Advocate Program provides a wide array of services to youth and families in Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Services include: Counseling, Therapy, Drug and Alcohol Assessment, Home-Based Services, Mentoring, Parent Advocacy, Shelter Care, Treatment Foster Care, Independent Living, Respite Care, Positive Adolescent Sexuality Services (PASS), Constant and Never Ending Improvement (CANEI) and Care Management.  For more information  www.nyap.org   877-692-7226

Contact:

F. Edward Sparks, Executive Vice President
1801 Watermark Drive, Suite 200
Columbus, Ohio 43215

(614) 487-8758 ext. 3824
888-688-9964

esparks@nyap.org

November 7, 2011 Columbus, Ohio – Six Buryatian delegates participating in the Open World Program will spend November 4-12, 2011 in the Columbus area examining children advocacy practices, focusing on the protection of children’s rights.  Buryatia is a federal republic of Russia, located just north of Mongolia.  This delegation will focus on local agencies and organizations that promote children’s rights, education, and development.  The Columbus International Program will host the delegation in partnership with the Open World Program.  Managed by the independent Open World Leadership Center under Congressional mandate, Open World is designed to enhance understanding and cooperation between the United States and Russia by developing a network of leaders who have gained significant, firsthand exposure to America’s social services programs and child advocacy organizations.

On November 8, the delegation will be traveling to the National Youth Advocate Program to participate in discussions on programs and organizations that are part of this program.  The National Youth Advocate Program (NYAP) has provided cost effective, community based services and support to children, youth and families since 1978.  They offer flexible, creative, outcome based solutions to meet the unique needs of communities that are served.  During the 30 years of NYAP’s existence the child welfare community has evolved from being almost singularly focused on abused, neglected and delinquent children to a holistic approach placed on preserving and unifying families and strengthening the communities they call home.

During their time in central Ohio, the delegates will also meet with officials from the Buckeye Ranch, The Ohio Association of Child Caring Agencies, Court Appointed Special Advocates of Miami County, Scioto Juvenile Corrections Facility, The Ohio Supreme Court, and multiple local high schools.

Based on Open World Guidelines as well as the participants’ backgrounds and goals, we have structured our program around these main themes: protecting children’s rights in America; promoting and strengthening child services through advocacy, education, and support; promoting child welfare; integrating juvenile criminal offenders back into mainstream society; preventing child abuse and neglect; caring for special needs children; and the promotion of American and Buryatian cultural awareness and understanding.

The visiting delegates are Dora Dondokovna Batuyeva, Prinicpal of Bulum Village Secondary School; Yuliya Yuryevna Salnikova, Resource Specialist for the Republican Information & Resource Center; Yelena Viktorovna Sandipova, Social Work Specialist for Infant Abandonment Prevention at City Maternity Hospital; Irina Nikolayevna Tupik, Vice Chair of the Board for the Social Initiative Foundation, “Absolut” NPO; Nikolay Yefremovich Vasyutkin, General Counsel for “Absolut Plus” LLC.

Delegates will be housed with local families in order to experience American family life.  They will also take part in several cultural and community activities, visit popular locales in the area, attend sporting events, and sample restaurants.  These activities are designed to expose participants to the wide array of American culture and pastimes.

The U.S. Congress established Open World in 1999 and expanded the program in 2003 to all post-Soviet states.  Thanks to Open World, some 14,000 current and future Eurasian leaders have experienced American civil society and have been exposed to new ideas and practices that they can adapt for use in their own work.  Open World also promotes partnerships and continued communications between delegates and their American hosts and professional counterparts.  Open World currently operates exchanges for political and civic leaders from Russia,Ukraine,Moldova,Georgia,Azerbaijan,Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan,Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.

For more information, please contact Mark Poeppelman, Executive Director of the Columbus International Program at 614-425-2268 or 221-0034 or Maura Shelden, Open World Public Affairs Officer at 202-707-6197.  For more information on Open World, please visit http://www.openworld.gov.

(Source: nyap.org)

The National Youth Advocate Program in Akron is hosting a workshop on Thursday, January 28 from 1:00-3:30PM at The Job Center, 1040 E Tallmadge Avenue in Akron. The workshop is about Child, Family and Systems Advocacy and will be presented by NYAP’s founder, Dr. Mubarak Awad. Dr. Awad is a lifelong advocate for the rights of children and families worldwide.

When Dr. Awad’s father was killed in 1948, his mother was not able to support Mubarak and his siblings. As a result, they were placed into an orphanage and his quest to reunite his family began. Based on his own personal life experiences, Dr. Awad developed the philosophy NYAP has embraced since 1978; that the primary focus of support must be placed on preserving and unifying families and strengthening the communities they call home. NYAP continues to embrace this philosophy today.

Following the workshop, NYAP will host an Open House from 4-6PM for people who would like to learn more about the programs and services we offer, to meet Dr. Awad or to talk to us about the benefits and rewards of becoming a foster parent. The NYAP office is located at 30 Northwest Avenue, Building A, Suite 120, in Tallmadge. For more information, please contact us at 330-633-4187.

About NYAP

The National Youth Advocate Program (NYAP) is a not-for-profit 501(3) c organization that has provided cost effective, community based services and support to children, youth and families since 1978.

We are committed to supporting and protecting youth and families and to strengthening the communities we are proud to serve. We provide opportunities and resources to youth and families through our innovative programs and services. We strongly support and offer guidance to our dedicated foster parents. We work hard to build community support. We advocate with public agencies and officials on behalf of youth and families. We are united by our humanity and enriched by our diversity. We are NYAP.

(Source: nyap.org)

(Hackensack, NJ, May 2009) – The Foster Family-based Treatment Association (FFTA) recently held a Public  Policy Institute and Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. on May 18-19. The two-day event included over 80 visits on Capitol Hill where attendees met with US Senators, Representatives and congressional staff. The goal for the event was to participate in health care reform discussions representing children, families and treatment foster care (TFC).

“I want to thank the offices of Sherrod Brown for their time and this opportunity to discuss the needs of Ohio’s most vulnerable children in treatment foster care.” said Edward Sparks of the National Youth Advocate Program based in Columbus, Ohio.

One objective of the congressional visits was to discuss with Congressional members new legislation that would strengthen treatment foster care services, delivery, and accountability. “The bill FFTA is presenting is extremely important to health care reform.” states Laura Boyd, Ph.D., FFTA Public Policy & Government Relations Consultant. “We anticipate that requirements and policy expectations would be expanded, supporting the highest standards of treatment and care,” she added.

There are approximately 50,000 TFC children in out-of-home care nationwide. This bill would provide options that best suit each state for Medicaid reimbursement to providers, while reducing expenditures for federal and state governments by serving children in community settings who do not need higher, more restrictive levels of care.

“This is the first time that our Institute included a visit to Capitol Hill. FFTA is intent on taking a leading role toward public policies that affect TFC,” stated Ken Olson, FFTA Public Policy Committee Chair. The event, which took place during National Foster Care Month, exceeded last year’s attendance record and began with a one-day instructional briefing, which included panel discussions on the topic at-hand.

Established in 1988, the nonprofit Foster Family-based Treatment Association (FFTA) is the leading advocate for Treatment Foster Care (TFC) with 400 member agencies throughout North America. For more information about
FFTA, visit www.ffta.org or call (800) 414-3382, extension 113, 121, or 118.

Established in 1978, the National Youth Advocate Program (NYAP) has provided cost effective, community based services and support to children, youth and families.  NYAP has established a reputation for creating innovative, community-based, family-focused programs that use community resources and greatly minimize the costs incurred by the counties and agencies we serve.

(Source: nyap.org)

The following is an excerpt from an article in the Dayton Daily News:

In Attorney General Mike DeWine’s office, there’s a 1997 photo of DeWine holding his daughter Anna, who was 5 at the time, at a White House bill-signing ceremony with President Bill Clinton. The bill, sponsored by DeWine, then a U.S. senator, made clear that the best interests of a child must be No. 1 when deciding whether to leave a child in foster care or reunite a family.

He’s using the AG’s office as a bully pulpit to make sure that Ohio does all it can to protect the nearly 12,000 children in foster care. DeWine has called for a broad review of the foster care system and kicked off the effort with a summit earlier this month in Cincinnati.

He plans similar summits around the state, including the Dayton area, about every six weeks with representatives from foster care agencies, law enforcement, prosecutors, advocacy groups and anybody else who’s interested.

“I don’t pretend to have all the answers,” DeWine said.

To help find them, DeWine hired someone with first-hand experience, attorney Melinda Sykes, as director of children’s initiatives. Sykes was removed from an abusive home at 13, placed in foster care and adopted by her foster mother when she was nearly 18. Sykes said that there is more emphasis now than before 1997 on making the safety of the foster child a top priority. Still, situations vary, by county and social worker, she added.
“I think it’s always timely to shine the light on foster children and abuse and neglect issues,” Sykes said.

FYI – Not only is this article of interest to NYAP due to foster care issues, but Melinda was adopted by Barbara Goldman, NYAP’s Education and Professional Development Manager.

(Source: nyap.org)