WEBVTT 00:00:01.058 --> 00:00:10.013 - All right, good morning, everyone. It is 8.30. Welcome, and thank you so much for being here at the 00:00:10.013 --> 00:00:19.774 - 10th Annual Monroe County Childhood Conditions Summit, or MC3. Thank you. Yeah. I think that's a call for... 00:00:20.066 --> 00:00:26.435 - Round of applause. My name is Melanie Vestledge, and if you haven't met me, I'm the prevention coordinator 00:00:26.435 --> 00:00:32.864 - at the Youth Services Bureau of Monroe County, a member of the Building a Thriving Compassionate Community, 00:00:32.864 --> 00:00:38.995 - BTCC, and a member of the MC3 planning team. So being here today was made possible by many individuals 00:00:38.995 --> 00:00:40.126 - and organizations. 00:00:40.418 --> 00:00:46.436 - Thank you to Judge Galvin, who saw the need to address the rise in children in need of services or CHINS 00:00:46.436 --> 00:00:52.455 - cases. He called for change and a convening of stakeholders like yourselves who could make a difference. 00:00:52.455 --> 00:00:58.416 - Thank you to the first YSB prevention coordinator, who was tasked by Judge Galvin in 2016 to bring this 00:00:58.416 --> 00:01:04.319 - convening to life with a team of dedicated community members looking to make an impact on the upstream 00:01:04.319 --> 00:01:08.446 - factors that were impacting young people and families in Monroe County. 00:01:09.346 --> 00:01:15.008 - Thank you to the Youth Services Bureau. I know there's a number of you here today for your continued 00:01:15.008 --> 00:01:20.726 - investment in MC3 over the past 10 years. Thank you to our friends at Marquis for creating this audio 00:01:20.726 --> 00:01:26.332 - visual experience. Thank you to Katz for recording our sessions in the great room. And thank you to 00:01:26.332 --> 00:01:31.994 - the Convention Center for being a great partner for MC3 over the past 10 years. And thank all of you 00:01:31.994 --> 00:01:35.582 - for showing up today and supporting the summit year after year. 00:01:37.090 --> 00:01:43.179 - Thank you to our many co-hosts. I know it's a long list of thank yous, but thank you to our co-hosts, 00:01:43.179 --> 00:01:49.447 - Youth Services Bureau of Monroe County and Building a Thriving Compassionate Community, or YSB and BTCC, 00:01:49.447 --> 00:01:55.774 - as you might know them. For the past 10 years, YSB and BTCC have funded and partnered on MC3, co-building 00:01:55.774 --> 00:02:01.803 - a space for youth workers, for parents, educators, social workers, teens, and everyone with a shared 00:02:01.803 --> 00:02:05.982 - stakeholder or shared stake in childhood conditions to come together. 00:02:07.202 --> 00:02:13.040 - Thank you to the MC3 planning team. Everything that you see here today, every thoughtful detail is here 00:02:13.040 --> 00:02:18.823 - because of the work of many people putting many months into planning. They're the ones that are making 00:02:18.823 --> 00:02:24.605 - those meaningful connections. They're mulling over the details. They're making it all happen. And many 00:02:24.605 --> 00:02:30.331 - of our planning team members are from partner organizations who contribute staff time to support MC3. 00:02:30.331 --> 00:02:34.654 - And some of them are volunteering their hours as a part of the BTCC network. 00:02:35.394 --> 00:02:41.712 - One of those incredible volunteers that I would like to highlight is Tara Green, maybe wave. Tara is 00:02:41.712 --> 00:02:47.967 - going to join me up on stage here in a second. Yeah. A huge thank you to Tara. She has been part of 00:02:47.967 --> 00:02:54.348 - the MC3 planning team for the entire 10 years that MC3 has been a part of our community. So that's no 00:02:54.348 --> 00:03:00.665 - easy feat. She's a community volunteer who has put in countless hours over the past decade. So thank 00:03:00.665 --> 00:03:01.854 - you so much, Tara. 00:03:03.170 --> 00:03:09.140 - I also want to thank our financial sponsors and supporters for MC3. Like I said, Youth Services Bureau 00:03:09.140 --> 00:03:15.167 - has been a primary funder of MC3 for the past 10 years alongside several community sponsors every year. 00:03:15.167 --> 00:03:21.079 - In addition to YSB funding, we are really grateful for the support of Juvenile Detention Alternatives 00:03:21.079 --> 00:03:25.310 - Initiative, or JDAI, who specifically provide funding for accessibility. 00:03:25.634 --> 00:03:31.866 - Thank you also to Bloomington Health Foundation, Anthem, Family Solutions, the City of Bloomington Office 00:03:31.866 --> 00:03:38.097 - of the Mayor, Firefly Family and Children Alliance, O'Connell Case, LCSW, LLC, Sylvan Learning, Hopscotch 00:03:38.097 --> 00:03:44.035 - Coffee, that's what you're all drinking today, and several of you who provided donations through the 00:03:44.035 --> 00:03:49.914 - registration event at Eventbrite. And some of our sponsors are also in the Duke West Room, if you'd 00:03:49.914 --> 00:03:51.678 - like to touch base with them. 00:03:51.906 --> 00:03:57.438 - Their combined support made it possible to host this event free of charge for participants to offer 00:03:57.438 --> 00:04:03.523 - you meals and snacks throughout the day, to ensure accessibility services like these microphones, magnifiers, 00:04:03.523 --> 00:04:09.055 - and to help pay for the continuing education credits for select sessions throughout the day through 00:04:09.055 --> 00:04:14.586 - the National Association of Social Workers. So if you didn't pick up one of those CE forms when you 00:04:14.586 --> 00:04:18.846 - came in, you can also do that throughout the day. Finally, thank you to you. 00:04:19.266 --> 00:04:25.351 - There are so many agencies that are represented in this room today. And the summit simply doesn't exist 00:04:25.351 --> 00:04:31.671 - without you here in this room. We hope that you're able to spend today engaging and learning and connecting 00:04:31.671 --> 00:04:37.522 - throughout today. Know that we really appreciate you being here and contributing to MC3. So at this 00:04:37.522 --> 00:04:43.783 - point, I would like to introduce a special guest who is deeply invested in childhood conditions throughout 00:04:43.783 --> 00:04:47.294 - the county, the Honorable Judge Holly Harvey. Judge Harvey. 00:05:02.882 --> 00:05:10.176 - It is an old picture up there. It's so great to see you all today. And I've already noticed this is 00:05:10.176 --> 00:05:17.907 - going to be a great conference because nobody's sitting in the front row. Again, my name is Holly Harvey. 00:05:17.907 --> 00:05:25.274 - I'm currently serving as a juvenile court judge in Monroe Circuit Court 7. I preside over the chins, 00:05:25.274 --> 00:05:31.838 - juvenile delinquency, adoptions, and occasional paternity and guardianship. So thank you. 00:05:31.938 --> 00:05:40.829 - for being here today. As I prepared this statement today, I typically look back to the website and see 00:05:40.829 --> 00:05:50.152 - what is the theme for the summit. And today's summit is a decade of growth, empowering youth, strengthening 00:05:50.152 --> 00:05:57.662 - our village over the past decade, strengthening our village. And over the past decade, 00:05:57.858 --> 00:06:05.013 - The summit has been guided by the concept of what surrounds us, shapes us. So right now, ask yourself, 00:06:05.013 --> 00:06:12.167 - who are we surrounded by today? I see a room full of dedicated community members and service providers 00:06:12.167 --> 00:06:19.183 - who want to make positive change and build a community where youth and families thrive. How have you 00:06:19.183 --> 00:06:24.254 - all shaped the community in which our Monroe County youth live and grow? 00:06:24.354 --> 00:06:31.728 - And so you can ask yourself that as we go throughout our day. I come to you in my small role as a juvenile 00:06:31.728 --> 00:06:38.895 - court judge so I can give you only just a snapshot of what I see and have seen over the past few years. 00:06:38.895 --> 00:06:45.993 - And I thought it would be helpful to kind of go back in time to see where we were and where we are now 00:06:45.993 --> 00:06:51.230 - just in terms of our numbers. So I did a little research in preparing this. 00:06:51.330 --> 00:06:59.488 - So Judge Galvin has lived through this, but in 2017, in the height of the opioid epidemic, he was at 00:06:59.488 --> 00:07:07.564 - the helm of the juvenile cases when Shin's case has reached a high in April of 2017 of 486 children 00:07:07.564 --> 00:07:16.045 - in his caseload of a total of 623 total children in care. That would include Shin's case's collaborative 00:07:16.045 --> 00:07:21.214 - care and informal adjustments. At the end of September of 2025, 00:07:21.890 --> 00:07:29.861 - The total children in care was 280, with only 205 CHINZ cases pending in Monroe County. So that is a 00:07:29.861 --> 00:07:37.832 - tremendous improvement, and I think it reflects the work that you all do. In that same year of 2017, 00:07:37.832 --> 00:07:45.803 - there were 692 total referrals pending before juvenile probation. In 2024, there were 320. So again, 00:07:45.803 --> 00:07:47.934 - really a vast improvement. 00:07:49.026 --> 00:07:56.035 - In 2013, the Monroe Circuit Court implemented the juvenile detention alternatives initiative, and the 00:07:56.035 --> 00:08:03.525 - fidelity to the evidence-based practices within that program keeps our detention rates stable and relatively 00:08:03.525 --> 00:08:10.397 - low. So shout out to juvenile probation today, and they are really represented here today. In 2015, 00:08:10.397 --> 00:08:15.070 - again, the Youth Service Bureau received 451 referrals for service. 00:08:15.618 --> 00:08:22.110 - In 2024, YSB received, the Minkley House received 544 referrals for service. And I think Vicki would 00:08:22.110 --> 00:08:28.537 - probably tell you it's really hard right now. So that's one of those factors that maybe hasn't gone 00:08:28.537 --> 00:08:35.093 - down, but it does reflect all the work that's still necessary and still very much at the forefront of 00:08:35.093 --> 00:08:41.906 - what you all do. And YSB doesn't blow its horn nearly enough, but it provides emergency shelter services, 00:08:41.906 --> 00:08:44.798 - short-term counseling services to residents, 00:08:45.058 --> 00:08:51.407 - Also, intervention and prevention services such as the Truancy Termination Project, Empowering Parenting 00:08:51.407 --> 00:08:57.514 - Workshop, and Seeking Safety. And those are from the 2024 report. I know that there are new programs 00:08:57.514 --> 00:09:04.286 - being implemented all the time. But they're doing a fantastic job. And it is invaluable to this community, yes. 00:09:08.770 --> 00:09:15.267 - So these figures, while not completely representative of all of the childhood conditions in Monroe County 00:09:15.267 --> 00:09:21.580 - that we seek to improve, they give a measurable snapshot of how we are doing as a community in keeping 00:09:21.580 --> 00:09:27.770 - our young people and our community safe. The goal of today's summit is not only to look back at what 00:09:27.770 --> 00:09:34.083 - has shaped childhood conditions in Monroe County over the last 10 years, but also to look ahead to how 00:09:34.083 --> 00:09:37.822 - we continue to develop a community in which children thrive. 00:09:38.338 --> 00:09:44.766 - According to the Essentials for Childhood Framework, which I did look up, it's on the website for today's 00:09:44.766 --> 00:09:50.951 - summit, I did a little homework, we do this by raising awareness of the importance of promoting safe, 00:09:50.951 --> 00:09:57.137 - stable, and nurturing relationships, which you'll talk about today, using data to inform our actions, 00:09:57.137 --> 00:10:03.444 - creating space for changing norms and programs to promote healthy children and families, and developing 00:10:03.444 --> 00:10:05.566 - policies to carry out those goals. 00:10:06.786 --> 00:10:13.509 - My role as juvenile court judge, I am honored to have just one small role in the protection of children 00:10:13.509 --> 00:10:19.973 - in this community and contributing positively to the essentials of childhood. I took over that role 00:10:19.973 --> 00:10:25.856 - from one key individual responsible for shaping childhood conditions in this community and 00:10:25.856 --> 00:10:32.126 - who was instrumental in creating this summit. Prior to his election to the Monroe Circuit Court, 00:10:32.578 --> 00:10:38.502 - Senior Judge Steve Galvin served as counsel for the Office of Family and Children, prosecuting cases 00:10:38.502 --> 00:10:44.603 - of abuse and neglect for 14 years. And from 2004 to 2022, he served as judge of the Monroe Circle Court 00:10:44.603 --> 00:10:50.468 - 7, and most of those years presided over the juvenile cases. I don't think he would blow this horn, 00:10:50.468 --> 00:10:55.806 - but he has served on a number of committees focused on juvenile justice and child welfare. 00:10:56.098 --> 00:11:02.153 - and since his retirement has been serving as senior judge on cases throughout the state as well as special 00:11:02.153 --> 00:11:07.868 - projects intended to improve court performance. The Monroe County child welfare and juvenile justice 00:11:07.868 --> 00:11:13.470 - climate has been indelibly influenced by the leadership of our next speaker, Judge Stephen Galvin. 00:11:28.866 --> 00:11:37.660 - Good morning. All right. This is like old home week. Gary waving in the front row. Yeah, that was a 00:11:37.660 --> 00:11:46.453 - wonderful buildup. I'm not sure I can live up to that. What I can say is that I came prepared to do 00:11:46.453 --> 00:11:55.423 - my own introduction and I'm gonna throw some of that out there for you and I'll try to explain why as 00:11:55.423 --> 00:11:56.478 - I go along. 00:11:56.834 --> 00:12:04.369 - I started out as an attorney here in Monroe County 45 years ago, 45 long years ago. I started out as 00:12:04.369 --> 00:12:11.978 - a public defender. I was a public defender for five years. I was a prosecutor for three years. And as 00:12:11.978 --> 00:12:19.588 - Judge Harvey has said, I was a DCS attorney. I was a county attorney. And then for the last 21 years, 00:12:19.588 --> 00:12:26.078 - I've been a judge. Now, the reason I tell you all of this and reinforce this on you is 00:12:26.498 --> 00:12:35.033 - so that you will truly understand that I cannot hold a job. Okay. And also so that you'll understand 00:12:35.033 --> 00:12:43.482 - that I've been around here a long time and I've been able to see what you all do. And I've seen the 00:12:43.482 --> 00:12:52.862 - impact you have on children and families. So that's the framework we're starting with here. I want you to then 00:12:53.026 --> 00:13:01.256 - know that I was asked to sort of give a synopsis of how and where the inspiration for MC3 came from. 00:13:01.256 --> 00:13:09.649 - And when you ask an old person to give a synopsis of anything, what you get is a story. So what you're 00:13:09.649 --> 00:13:17.879 - going to get this morning at 8.30 in the morning is a story from me about this. So the first part of 00:13:17.879 --> 00:13:21.790 - the story is somewhat boring. It deals with me. 00:13:22.626 --> 00:13:32.706 - but I think it helps explain how we got here today. Um, going back to 1989, I was a lawyer in the prosecuting 00:13:32.706 --> 00:13:42.511 - attorney's office. I was a trial attorney and, um, I was really reaching the point where I wasn't enjoying 00:13:42.511 --> 00:13:48.926 - what I was doing. Um, it seemed that I wasn't accomplishing anything. 00:13:49.538 --> 00:13:59.248 - And I was really considering changing professions. I quit my job in the prosecutor's office, and I took 00:13:59.248 --> 00:14:08.864 - my bike. I went around the world. And when I got back, I took a job for what I thought was a temporary 00:14:08.864 --> 00:14:19.134 - job for Monroe County, for county government. And so I was representing the county council and commissioners. 00:14:19.234 --> 00:14:26.365 - Early on in my employment, there was a meeting where there was a judge who appeared. And that judge 00:14:26.365 --> 00:14:33.781 - was Viola Taliaferro. Does anybody remember Judge Taliaferro? I know we got some. Those of you who have 00:14:33.781 --> 00:14:41.340 - not heard about Judge Taliaferro, please talk to those who knew her and saw her. She was an extraordinary 00:14:41.340 --> 00:14:46.046 - individual. I was sitting in a council meeting with her one night 00:14:46.274 --> 00:14:53.839 - And one of the council members, we were talking about the juvenile court budget. And one of the council 00:14:53.839 --> 00:15:01.549 - members looked up and said, now just explain to me why we're spending money on those children. And before 00:15:01.549 --> 00:15:09.042 - they could get those children out of their mouths, Judge Talia Farrow said, no, you mean our children, 00:15:09.042 --> 00:15:12.606 - don't you? Our children. And she kept saying it. 00:15:12.834 --> 00:15:20.113 - She would never let them say anything other than our children. If you go to a council meeting today, 00:15:20.113 --> 00:15:27.320 - if you hear if Marty Hawk was here sitting next to me, Marty would say, we say our children because 00:15:27.320 --> 00:15:34.887 - just what she did. I got to tell you that had a profound impact on me. It really did. All at once things 00:15:34.887 --> 00:15:41.950 - started to change. But I also say that as I went along, I got to know Judge Talia Farrow so well. 00:15:42.722 --> 00:15:50.575 - I realized something, she's one of you. She was a social worker. She was a teacher. She went to law 00:15:50.575 --> 00:15:58.507 - school after she raised a family. And after all of that, she was an advocate. She had built this up. 00:15:58.507 --> 00:16:06.989 - And I guess what I'm going to be saying at some point here is that you remind me a lot of Judge Taliaferro. 00:16:06.989 --> 00:16:09.502 - Because of her, I took the job. 00:16:09.826 --> 00:16:19.410 - as the attorney for the Office of Family and Children at the time. And that was still probably the welfare 00:16:19.410 --> 00:16:28.546 - department. I was a trial lawyer doing this job. And that's where I really started to get to know you 00:16:28.546 --> 00:16:37.592 - all, started to encounter you on a day-to-day basis. One of the things I did as the DCS attorney was 00:16:37.592 --> 00:16:39.294 - that I prepped you 00:16:40.642 --> 00:16:47.918 - prepped all, well, I shouldn't say all of you, but it seems like I've at one time or another, 00:16:47.918 --> 00:16:55.736 - your predecessors, I prepped each, each and every one of them to testify. So it was routine that I'd 00:16:55.736 --> 00:17:03.553 - be preparing caseworkers and causes and teachers and social workers, psychologists, nurses, doctors, 00:17:03.553 --> 00:17:08.894 - child service providers of all kinds to give testimony in court. And 00:17:09.378 --> 00:17:18.422 - From those interviews, I came to a conclusion. I came to a conclusion that I found you all to be amazing. 00:17:18.422 --> 00:17:26.954 - You had something in common. A fierce commitment to children and families. You had empathy. You had 00:17:26.954 --> 00:17:35.828 - resilience. I could see that your jobs were often exhausting, thankless. But you all persevered. That's 00:17:35.828 --> 00:17:38.046 - something I never forgot. 00:17:38.466 --> 00:17:45.590 - that perseverance. And I can't tell you how much, well, I saw that you had the passion for your work, 00:17:45.590 --> 00:17:52.784 - and I can't tell you how much I admired that passion. I continue to admire that passion. I'll give you 00:17:52.784 --> 00:17:59.768 - some examples of the interviews that I had, just very briefly. My first CASA interview, if you're a 00:17:59.768 --> 00:18:07.102 - CASA, we got CASAs here, I see CASAs, raise your hands. My first CASA that, well, you can, I'm all right 00:18:07.102 --> 00:18:07.870 - with that. 00:18:12.226 --> 00:18:21.926 - The first CASA that I interviewed, I was just doing the routine questions. How long have you been a 00:18:21.926 --> 00:18:31.722 - CASA? Well, OK. What's your training? And the next question was, and how many hours have you devoted 00:18:31.722 --> 00:18:39.870 - to this case? And they looked at me and said, 250. 250 hours. These are volunteers. 00:18:40.162 --> 00:18:47.649 - struck me. I've never been able to get over that. I've seen cases that have twice that many hours now. 00:18:47.649 --> 00:18:55.136 - That was amazing to me. I remember trying to get a probation officer to concentrate on their testimony 00:18:55.136 --> 00:19:02.477 - and preparing them, but they didn't want to talk about their testimony. They wanted to, they were so 00:19:02.477 --> 00:19:09.310 - enthusiastic about the fact that they had one of their people on their caseload, one of their 00:19:09.538 --> 00:19:15.871 - juveniles was going to graduate high school. And that's all they could talk about. We have probation 00:19:15.871 --> 00:19:22.266 - officers. We've already given you all a round of applause. So I'm not going to give you two, but, but 00:19:22.266 --> 00:19:28.850 - I want you to know that that also had a profound impact. I remember a teacher when we were getting ready 00:19:28.850 --> 00:19:35.120 - to get her to testify. And she said, you know, I woke up thinking about this child at three o'clock 00:19:35.120 --> 00:19:35.998 - this morning. 00:19:37.602 --> 00:19:43.950 - She wasn't worried about her testimony. She was worried about the child. She wanted to talk about the 00:19:43.950 --> 00:19:50.298 - child, what was going to happen to the child. That was her focus. That, by the way, 3 o'clock wake up 00:19:50.298 --> 00:19:56.771 - in the morning seems to be common for you all. It's common. Judge Harvey and I were talking about doing 00:19:56.771 --> 00:20:03.119 - the same thing. It's common for all of us. And finally, I remember when I was at the Office of Family 00:20:03.119 --> 00:20:04.862 - and Children trying to prep 00:20:05.090 --> 00:20:12.555 - caseworkers one morning after they'd had a particularly bad time. And they were crying. Do 00:20:12.555 --> 00:20:20.759 - we have caseworkers here today? Do we have any caseworkers? We do not. Do we? All right. Okay. They 00:20:20.759 --> 00:20:28.962 - weren't crying because they were upset or giving up. They were crying because they were frustrated. 00:20:28.962 --> 00:20:33.310 - They were really mad and they wanted to make certain 00:20:33.538 --> 00:20:42.184 - that what happened to the children that were in their care and on their caseload was going to turn out 00:20:42.184 --> 00:20:50.914 - right. These are all instances that I found incredibly inspiring and they stayed with me and they stuck 00:20:50.914 --> 00:20:59.392 - with me. It struck me at the time as I interviewed all these different individuals who had different 00:20:59.392 --> 00:21:02.750 - backgrounds, they had a common outlook. 00:21:03.842 --> 00:21:12.645 - but they operated in silos. Each person had their own silos. Each group had their own silos. But they 00:21:12.645 --> 00:21:21.620 - couldn't see what I was seeing. They couldn't see each other and the common interests, the common goals 00:21:21.620 --> 00:21:30.595 - for children and family that they had. And that also had a profound impact on me. When Judge Taliaferro 00:21:30.595 --> 00:21:32.062 - retired in 2004, 00:21:33.346 --> 00:21:41.473 - She basically told me you're gonna run for judge and I did what she told me. And I became a judge. This 00:21:41.473 --> 00:21:49.757 - notion of getting us all together to share our common experiences and to learn from each other was always 00:21:49.757 --> 00:21:57.650 - kind of in the back of my mind. Now, I wanna tell you something that you might not know. When judges 00:21:57.650 --> 00:22:03.198 - get together, we often talk about you. I imagine you don't think that, 00:22:03.490 --> 00:22:11.377 - Judge Harvey, I think would confirm that. We talk about something extraordinary you may have done in 00:22:11.377 --> 00:22:19.342 - court or helping a child, the challenges that you face and the common problems that you all share. So 00:22:19.342 --> 00:22:27.228 - this is a common thing we do. And in the early teens, I was having a conversation with a judge named 00:22:27.228 --> 00:22:32.382 - Charlie Pratt from Allen County. Charlie was a wonderful juvenile 00:22:32.610 --> 00:22:41.853 - court judge. And Charlie had started an annual conference in Allen County that dealt with those who 00:22:41.853 --> 00:22:50.726 - dealt with children and families. And he put this together, he said, to celebrate what they do. 00:22:50.726 --> 00:22:59.230 - And I thought, well, now it seems like now or never, if he's doing it, we can do it. But as 00:23:00.546 --> 00:23:09.289 - Judge Harvey said, this was the height of the opioid epidemic. And my caseload had gone through the 00:23:09.289 --> 00:23:18.294 - roof. And I didn't have time to organize this. And I met with Vicki Tavenaugh. Vicki's here. And Vicki 00:23:18.294 --> 00:23:27.299 - and I talked about, where is she? She's back there. Okay. Vicki and I talked about this. And we talked 00:23:27.299 --> 00:23:29.310 - about creating a forum 00:23:29.794 --> 00:23:38.176 - where people who serve the children and families of Monroe County could gather as a group outside their 00:23:38.176 --> 00:23:46.315 - silos to share their stories and to learn from each other and to support each other and to celebrate 00:23:46.315 --> 00:23:54.616 - their common goals. Now, notice that we talked about, I talked, did I have time to do this? I did not. 00:23:54.616 --> 00:23:59.774 - But Allison Zinfer-Hair was the prevention coordinator for YSB. 00:23:59.874 --> 00:24:09.528 - at the time. And she, along with BTCC, picked this up and ran with it. They were amazing. They worked 00:24:09.528 --> 00:24:19.087 - together and they and you all created MC3. That's who created this. Because here's the truth when we 00:24:19.087 --> 00:24:29.214 - talk about the creation of starting this program and starting doing this. This wasn't the work of a judge. 00:24:29.634 --> 00:24:38.519 - This was the work of you all. You all did it. You and your predecessors, you inspired this and MCC, 00:24:38.519 --> 00:24:47.936 - excuse me, MC3 is a reflection of you and your commitment to our children and families. So this is yours. 00:24:47.936 --> 00:24:56.821 - So my long winded story is really only about you. All right. Well, in closing, I'd like to say that 00:24:56.821 --> 00:24:59.486 - when I look around this room, 00:25:01.090 --> 00:25:10.061 - I think of how much you all remind me of Judge Taliaferro. You understand what it means to serve and 00:25:10.061 --> 00:25:19.209 - to fight for children. And like Judge Taliaferro, you've always been an inspiration to me and for that 00:25:19.209 --> 00:25:24.094 - and from all the children that you serve, I thank you. 00:25:38.658 --> 00:25:45.546 - Thank you Judge Galvin and Judge Harvey for sharing that perspective and for caring so deeply for our 00:25:45.546 --> 00:25:52.434 - community. Hello everyone. My name is Tara Green. I'm a member of BTCC. My background is in education 00:25:52.434 --> 00:25:58.174 - and I'm on the planning team for MC3. I've got a scratchy voice today, so I'm sorry. 00:25:58.274 --> 00:26:04.063 - to give you my husky voice side. But I'm so excited for us to be together again. Many of you have been 00:26:04.063 --> 00:26:09.795 - here before. Some, it's your first time. And I'm so glad that we get to share space together. Because 00:26:09.795 --> 00:26:15.641 - I really believe that it's when we get together, when we make the connections that we do in places like 00:26:15.641 --> 00:26:21.598 - this, it fuels us. It fuels our collective power to create more possibilities in our community for youth. 00:26:22.594 --> 00:26:28.540 - Each year, we gather to talk about conditions. So what do we mean by conditions? We're looking at the 00:26:28.540 --> 00:26:34.369 - Monroe County youth and how they're living, playing, growing, learning, and how the adults in their 00:26:34.369 --> 00:26:40.606 - lives are able to support that. As Judge Harvey mentioned, we use the phrase, what surrounds us shapes us. 00:26:42.146 --> 00:26:48.775 - Children's lives and ours are shaped by big structural conditions like housing, healthcare, policies 00:26:48.775 --> 00:26:55.602 - at all the levels. And that's just a few. We can dig into some more of the details of that. Let's piece 00:26:55.602 --> 00:27:02.362 - out a few more. I think we can move on to the next slide. It has a whole list of different things. And 00:27:02.362 --> 00:27:08.926 - these are just some. You'll think of your own as well. But conditions of how the children are born. 00:27:09.122 --> 00:27:15.150 - their family life, how they're treated in the organization's programs, even their access to sidewalks 00:27:15.150 --> 00:27:21.651 - that support social inclusion and connection to others in the community, their family's workplace conditions, 00:27:21.651 --> 00:27:27.916 - the ability of their parents and caregivers to spend time with them, their perception of their potential, 00:27:27.916 --> 00:27:33.944 - the access they're given for opportunities for growth and connection to others, and so much more than 00:27:33.944 --> 00:27:35.422 - what's even listed here. 00:27:36.386 --> 00:27:43.526 - A big condition we have highlighted in the data walk that's in Duke East is the living wage, a parent's 00:27:43.526 --> 00:27:50.530 - ability to earn a living wage. And I want to give a big appreciation to Katie Hopkins for introducing 00:27:50.530 --> 00:27:57.533 - me to that so long ago. If you haven't connected with Monroe County's living wage, I really encourage 00:27:57.533 --> 00:28:02.270 - you to check out the data walk. We have a panel there that tells you 00:28:02.402 --> 00:28:08.941 - in reality what type of income is needed to be able to support yourself and your family. And we know 00:28:08.941 --> 00:28:15.544 - that many of the conditions that we're talking about are shaped by distributions of resources, money, 00:28:15.544 --> 00:28:22.148 - power, social capital, and children across our community do not have equal access to all of those. So 00:28:22.148 --> 00:28:28.686 - today we're asking what can we do to provide the support of conditions to meet the needs so that all 00:28:28.686 --> 00:28:30.046 - children can thrive. 00:28:31.106 --> 00:28:37.698 - And as we're talking about children, I want to bring some pictures of children up. These are some children 00:28:37.698 --> 00:28:44.167 - in our community, some that I know, some that you may know. People shared photos of kids in their lives. 00:28:44.167 --> 00:28:50.327 - So we're going to be thinking about these kids in our own lives and the organizations that we touch 00:28:50.327 --> 00:28:56.858 - in the community in general. And it's going to remind us of who we're gathering for today. What childhood 00:28:56.858 --> 00:28:58.398 - do we want them to have? 00:28:59.490 --> 00:29:05.947 - Sometimes I like to fast forward and think of these children as adults. And I imagine the types of community 00:29:05.947 --> 00:29:11.871 - conditions that influenced how they grew, how they became the adults that they did. And sometimes I 00:29:11.871 --> 00:29:17.972 - do the reverse. Sometimes I look at the adults in our community, those who look like they're thriving, 00:29:17.972 --> 00:29:23.896 - getting by, those who might seem like they're struggling. And I wonder, what were the conditions of 00:29:23.896 --> 00:29:26.206 - their childhood? What influenced them? 00:29:27.490 --> 00:29:33.442 - We know that supportive conditions are not equally distributed. Some kids are being enriched from the 00:29:33.442 --> 00:29:39.336 - moment they're born and some are not. Some have their needs met within their families, their schools 00:29:39.336 --> 00:29:45.229 - and some of our organizations and some get missed. Some face many bumps along the way and others not 00:29:45.229 --> 00:29:51.298 - so much. I feel a sense of urgency because these children are developing as we speak. Right now they're 00:29:51.298 --> 00:29:54.974 - having moments in the community that are shaping who they are. 00:29:55.874 --> 00:30:01.584 - And they are developing in these current conditions. And they're going to grow to be the adults in our 00:30:01.584 --> 00:30:07.294 - community. So today we're talking about what can we do to support optimal conditions for the children, 00:30:07.294 --> 00:30:13.115 - like the ones here and the ones that we're thinking about throughout today. Those were some of the youth 00:30:13.115 --> 00:30:15.998 - that helped plan one of the summits many years ago. 00:30:17.090 --> 00:30:23.930 - Judge Harvey mentioned a phrase that we use a lot, and that's SSNREs. If you've been to an MC3 before, 00:30:23.930 --> 00:30:30.704 - you've heard us say this phrase. It's on the inside of your program if you want some more information 00:30:30.704 --> 00:30:37.478 - about it. This phrasing comes from a framework from the CDC, from their Essentials for Childhood. And 00:30:37.478 --> 00:30:44.185 - they boil down to the most simplistic form what children need to thrive. They need safe, stable, and 00:30:44.185 --> 00:30:46.974 - nurturing relationships and environments. 00:30:48.290 --> 00:30:54.327 - Each of those words might have their own meaning to us as individuals and to the different children 00:30:54.327 --> 00:31:00.364 - and families that we serve. But we can think about that for a minute as we start our day. What does 00:31:00.364 --> 00:31:06.944 - safety mean to you or to the children you're thinking about? Physical safety, emotional safety, intellectual 00:31:06.944 --> 00:31:13.041 - safety, social safety? What does it mean in the different environments that they move about and then 00:31:13.041 --> 00:31:16.542 - the different relationships they have across their lives? 00:31:17.474 --> 00:31:24.377 - What does stability look like? What does it mean to nurture children in relationships and environments? 00:31:24.377 --> 00:31:31.479 - We know that SSNREs promote positive childhood experiences. Here at MC3 and other spaces in our community, 00:31:31.479 --> 00:31:38.382 - we've talked a lot about ACEs, adverse childhood experiences. What we want to ask is, how can we create 00:31:38.382 --> 00:31:43.294 - community conditions that prevent ACEs from happening in the first place? 00:31:44.514 --> 00:31:50.414 - For me personally, I spent many years teaching middle and high school. And I became really interested 00:31:50.414 --> 00:31:56.199 - in early brain development and how much that affects the lifespan of a child. So I'm often thinking 00:31:56.199 --> 00:32:02.157 - about the youngest, the babies. You might be thinking about kids across the span of what we call youth 00:32:02.157 --> 00:32:07.941 - or childhood or into young adults. I'm thinking about what are the supportive conditions that I can 00:32:07.941 --> 00:32:13.726 - do that I can influence the organizations that I'm in that are literally influencing how they grow. 00:32:13.890 --> 00:32:19.979 - For babies, for me, I'm thinking about how our interactions are building their brains. It's literally 00:32:19.979 --> 00:32:26.007 - shaping their brain architecture. So I'm thinking about how can we as a community provide conditions 00:32:26.007 --> 00:32:32.096 - that continue to support that? How can we provide conditions so that their caregivers can provide the 00:32:32.096 --> 00:32:38.184 - supportive environments they need for SSNREs? One way we can think about what we can do is by looking 00:32:38.184 --> 00:32:40.990 - at a model called the social ecological model. 00:32:41.378 --> 00:32:48.391 - And this is also in your program, just on the inside. It's a way we can look at all the levels of where 00:32:48.391 --> 00:32:55.538 - we have influence. Where can we support conditions that can help children thrive at the individual level, 00:32:55.538 --> 00:33:02.281 - the interpersonal, institutional, the community level, and at the policy level? Each of us is going 00:33:02.281 --> 00:33:08.350 - to have our own version of that. Some of us will work very individually, interpersonally. 00:33:08.578 --> 00:33:14.127 - one-on-one with kids. Others of us are going to be setting policies that trickle down and affect the 00:33:14.127 --> 00:33:20.061 - families which affect the children. So today I hope as we move about our sessions and we share in community 00:33:20.061 --> 00:33:25.556 - with other people who are thinking about childhood conditions, we can share each of our own version 00:33:25.556 --> 00:33:31.160 - of ways that we're influencing conditions to support youth. So I hope to see you in some sessions and 00:33:31.160 --> 00:33:35.006 - now I invite Melanie back up to tell us more about our time together. 00:33:42.818 --> 00:33:49.892 - Thank you so much. Oh, you're much taller than me. Thank you so much, Tara. So like we've said, this 00:33:49.892 --> 00:33:56.965 - year we're taking a look back on a decade of growth, empowering youth and strengthening our village. 00:33:56.965 --> 00:34:03.969 - What have we been able to accomplish coming together as a village at MC3 for the past 10 years? And 00:34:03.969 --> 00:34:10.622 - where do we go next? So in 2016, we took a look at the concept of what surrounds us shapes us. 00:34:11.138 --> 00:34:17.828 - because we know that the conditions that surround young people shape the people that they grow into, 00:34:17.828 --> 00:34:24.585 - and that young people who are surrounded by those SSNREs, safety, stability, nurturance, they're more 00:34:24.585 --> 00:34:31.209 - likely to thrive, to grow into thriving adults, and build thriving communities. And over the years, 00:34:31.209 --> 00:34:38.098 - we've covered a range of topic areas that are listed up here. We've talked about youth health, building 00:34:38.098 --> 00:34:40.350 - connection, equity and inclusion, 00:34:40.514 --> 00:34:48.450 - mattering and belonging, power and possibility. We even braved turning this into a virtual and a hybrid 00:34:48.450 --> 00:34:56.234 - event over the COVID pandemic. But if you've been to at least one other MC3, I do invite you to think 00:34:56.234 --> 00:35:01.118 - about what it is that brought you back. Why are you here today? 00:35:02.274 --> 00:35:08.025 - Have you seen any changes in the community conditions, stronger partnerships, other collaborations, 00:35:08.025 --> 00:35:13.891 - or things that have affected the well-being of our community over the past 10 years? I'm going to run 00:35:13.891 --> 00:35:19.872 - through these slides quickly, but as Tara mentioned, we do have these data walk slides in the Duke East 00:35:19.872 --> 00:35:25.680 - Room. But you can check out these infographics there. In this display, you see an assortment of data 00:35:25.680 --> 00:35:28.958 - that's assembled from both MC3, or I guess in that room, 00:35:29.058 --> 00:35:34.845 - data from the past, as well as this intentional set of posters reflecting on some specific changes in 00:35:34.845 --> 00:35:40.575 - the past 10 years. And like Judge Harvey mentioned, we've got some census data, DCS data, that shows 00:35:40.575 --> 00:35:46.249 - some positive trends. We've got the children in poverty, we've got chins cases that seem to be down 00:35:46.249 --> 00:35:51.979 - since 2014. But meanwhile, unsurprising to any of us in this room, things like housing. It remains a 00:35:51.979 --> 00:35:55.326 - significant burden for families that are in our community. 00:35:56.258 --> 00:36:02.553 - Our team also found that graduation rates, those were up in Monroe County in 2024 compared to 2014. 00:36:02.553 --> 00:36:09.226 - But the number of students that were receiving free and reduced meals, that was up. And the third graders 00:36:09.226 --> 00:36:15.710 - that were passing the iREAD went down. And to also talk about what Tara mentioned, the MIT living wage 00:36:15.710 --> 00:36:22.383 - calculator. This is a tool that estimates living wage as what one full-time worker must earn on an hourly 00:36:22.383 --> 00:36:25.342 - basis to help cover the cost of their family's 00:36:25.474 --> 00:36:32.527 - minimum basic needs where they live while still being self-sufficient. In the year 2025, a person making 00:36:32.527 --> 00:36:39.446 - minimum wage is making less than a poverty wage here in this county. And Tara also noted the community 00:36:39.446 --> 00:36:46.163 - conditions that influence well-being are shaped by the distribution of power, money, and resources. 00:36:46.163 --> 00:36:50.462 - And we know here in this room that the conditions are changing. 00:36:50.594 --> 00:36:56.119 - We've got people that are more isolated than ever before. There's a disconnect between wages and the 00:36:56.119 --> 00:37:01.698 - housing market that's intensifying. We have mental health crises, suicidal ideation. These are all on 00:37:01.698 --> 00:37:07.223 - the rise, and it's hitting our young people really hard. And all the while, like we saw in that last 00:37:07.223 --> 00:37:09.630 - slide, those wages, they just don't add up. 00:37:10.306 --> 00:37:16.141 - Right, families are left without guaranteed paid family leave policies, affordable childcare. We have 00:37:16.141 --> 00:37:21.976 - things like Medicaid, SNAP, our WIC, and Head Start funding, it's being paused if not slashed. And we 00:37:21.976 --> 00:37:27.982 - have legislation like SB1 that's cutting income to local counties who are maintaining these public goods 00:37:27.982 --> 00:37:33.702 - like schools, roads, and our other infrastructure. And this, I mean, it has an impact on the, or it 00:37:33.702 --> 00:37:36.734 - affects the impact that we're able to have with MC3. 00:37:36.930 --> 00:37:43.045 - whether that's the exact funding for this event itself or the energy and the time that our community 00:37:43.045 --> 00:37:49.281 - partners have to contribute because we're all being asked to do more with less. So I think that we are 00:37:49.281 --> 00:37:53.822 - at an inflection point for the summit because what surrounds us shapes us. 00:37:55.074 --> 00:38:00.812 - This is an event that's primarily funded through the county government. And as we at YSB, we've been 00:38:00.812 --> 00:38:06.606 - impacted by alongside other programs at the local level. And you might have seen in my communications 00:38:06.606 --> 00:38:12.571 - about this year's event that due to the need to focus on staffing and running the very essential service 00:38:12.571 --> 00:38:18.309 - of the Binkley House Emergency Youth Shelter, MC3 was taken out of the YSB budget for 2026. But this 00:38:18.309 --> 00:38:20.638 - doesn't necessarily mean the end of MC3. 00:38:20.930 --> 00:38:26.992 - There's a lot of work to do. But regardless of what the future holds, it is more important now than 00:38:26.992 --> 00:38:33.236 - ever, I think, to lean into our values of connection, of building collective impact, while we organize 00:38:33.236 --> 00:38:39.298 - to impact the structural determinants of our physical, our psychological, and our economic wellness 00:38:39.298 --> 00:38:45.602 - as a community. And I want this community to be better for children now and in the future. I think that 00:38:45.602 --> 00:38:50.270 - all of you might also want that. So what does this look like for MC3 itself? 00:38:51.170 --> 00:38:56.890 - Well, I'm gonna bring us back to these questions of what brought you to MC3 in the first place? And 00:38:56.890 --> 00:39:02.724 - what is it that brought you back if you've been here more than once? What are the changes that you've 00:39:02.724 --> 00:39:08.615 - seen in our community over the past 10 years? And what do you wanna see more of? What positive changes 00:39:08.615 --> 00:39:14.564 - do you wanna be a part of? And what would it look like if in 10 years Monroe County really was the best 00:39:14.564 --> 00:39:18.110 - place to be a child in the whole state, nation, or the world? 00:39:19.202 --> 00:39:25.305 - So while MC3 is not budgeted for 2026, I really do believe that we can meet the moment by working together, 00:39:25.305 --> 00:39:31.012 - by laser focusing on our common goal of a thriving community for young people, and really taking the 00:39:31.012 --> 00:39:37.001 - next year to reconnect, to combat isolation, to relearn who our allies and our friends are, both familiar 00:39:37.001 --> 00:39:42.708 - and unfamiliar might be, and to really use the skills, the knowledge, and the connections that we've 00:39:42.708 --> 00:39:48.472 - built over the past 10 years at the Monroe County Childhood Conditions Summit to change our world for 00:39:48.472 --> 00:39:49.150 - the better. 00:39:51.010 --> 00:39:57.981 - As Octavia E. Butler once wrote, all that you touch, you change. And all that you change, changes you. 00:39:57.981 --> 00:40:04.749 - And the only lasting truth is change. And whether it's through MC3 or other work together, I really 00:40:04.749 --> 00:40:11.653 - want to be a part of that change, building a better world for young people, for families, and for our 00:40:11.653 --> 00:40:13.886 - whole community with all of you. 00:40:15.490 --> 00:40:21.193 - And I've got some housekeeping that I should plug. There is a question in your evaluation form. If you'd 00:40:21.193 --> 00:40:27.059 - like to be part of that imagining of MC3, it's in your evaluation sheet. Because we are looking to schedule 00:40:27.059 --> 00:40:32.653 - an exploratory meeting in January or February of next year. So just please do let us know. If you want 00:40:32.653 --> 00:40:38.139 - to be on that short list, you've got my contact. And we can hop into some housekeeping. So we really 00:40:38.139 --> 00:40:42.430 - do have an awesome lineup today. I wish we had recording in every single room. 00:40:42.530 --> 00:40:46.142 - But we hope that you will be able to join us all the way also. 00:40:46.402 --> 00:40:51.720 - through the closing session, because we're going to come back to here to the great room after our whole 00:40:51.720 --> 00:40:56.935 - day of learning. And we're going to do some intentional reflecting and connecting with other folks at 00:40:56.935 --> 00:41:02.100 - these tables. Don't worry. We're not going to ask you to commit or add anything to your workload. We 00:41:02.100 --> 00:41:07.673 - know that everybody is stretched pretty thin. But this is purely another chance for some guided conversation 00:41:07.673 --> 00:41:12.837 - and exploration with other folks that you might not normally get a chance to talk to before we leave 00:41:12.837 --> 00:41:13.502 - for the day. 00:41:14.722 --> 00:41:20.482 - Be sure to check out the Data Walk. We've mentioned this a couple times in Duke East. There's some other 00:41:20.482 --> 00:41:26.242 - community resources there. If you also brought some brochures, feel free to put them on the table. Check 00:41:26.242 --> 00:41:31.783 - that out on your way to a session or on your way to lunch. Like I said, we have some historical Data 00:41:31.783 --> 00:41:37.378 - Walk materials as well as some updates, so those specific things from 2014 to now. And I really would 00:41:37.378 --> 00:41:42.919 - encourage you to take a moment to reflect on what that data tells us. If you have a sticky note, you 00:41:42.919 --> 00:41:44.510 - can even just jot a question 00:41:44.706 --> 00:41:49.837 - Plop it on any of those boards if you'd like. The other housekeeping items for the day. We've got our 00:41:49.837 --> 00:41:54.968 - full session details. They can be found in your program. If you didn't pick one up, they should be on 00:41:54.968 --> 00:42:00.049 - the registration table. This has more information about all of our wonderful presenters, their bios, 00:42:00.049 --> 00:42:05.281 - where everything is within the Convention Center. If you need to ask somebody a question, find somebody 00:42:05.281 --> 00:42:09.758 - with an orange lanyard. This is a planning team member or somebody who's a staff at YSB. 00:42:10.274 --> 00:42:17.245 - We have sessions up here in the Great Room, the Duke Room, also downstairs in the Cook and the Zabenden 00:42:17.245 --> 00:42:24.081 - Hansen Room. We will be having a beverage station, so you should have seen that when you came in. But 00:42:24.081 --> 00:42:30.784 - knowing that that's going to be open all day and that we do have sessions here in the Great Room as 00:42:30.784 --> 00:42:37.754 - well as the Duke Room, please keep your chatter to a minimum or pop into the Duke East Room if you need 00:42:37.754 --> 00:42:39.966 - to continue those conversations. 00:42:40.738 --> 00:42:46.762 - If you're already dreaming about lunch, your lunch is also color-coded on your here. So just make sure 00:42:46.762 --> 00:42:52.669 - that you check in with a planning team member if you forget. Let's see. I'm also very excited to say 00:42:52.669 --> 00:42:58.459 - that we've got 3.75 continuing education credits that are available this year through the National 00:42:58.459 --> 00:43:04.482 - Association of Social Workers. So if you would like to receive CEs, we've probably got some more forms 00:43:04.482 --> 00:43:07.582 - that are down on the entry-level registration table. 00:43:08.098 --> 00:43:13.865 - Those are all marked in your program as well. Restrooms are upstairs, downstairs we've got coat check. 00:43:13.865 --> 00:43:19.632 - We've got Wi-Fi through the convention center on the network MCCC guest. We're going to have 15 minute 00:43:19.632 --> 00:43:25.511 - breaks between sessions. And finally, we do hope that you will provide feedback on all of your sessions. 00:43:25.511 --> 00:43:31.614 - You'll have session evaluation forms in each of your breakouts as well as these ones that are inside of your 00:43:31.746 --> 00:43:37.339 - your program today. So if you do have to leave before the end of the day, you can scan the QR codes 00:43:37.339 --> 00:43:42.988 - that are on your table tents. That also has a QR code to your resources, so all of the slides that I 00:43:42.988 --> 00:43:48.581 - have in PDF form if you'd like to check those out before your sessions. But if you do need to leave 00:43:48.581 --> 00:43:54.622 - before the end of the day, plop that evaluation sheet on the appropriate location on the table as you exit. 00:43:54.722 --> 00:43:59.300 - And I think that's all the information. I'm sure that I've forgotten something. But thank you so much 00:43:59.300 --> 00:44:03.924 - for being here. I really appreciate you all. For anybody that's sticking around here in the great room 00:44:03.924 --> 00:44:08.412 - for that first session, please move to the front few rows. And for everybody else, we invite you to 00:44:08.412 --> 00:44:12.542 - head to your first session of the day. That's going to begin at 9.30. So thank you so much.