To return to Convening's home page, click here.
To return to the Table of Contents for Convening XXVII, click here.
Amber M. Racki
R.E.A.C.H.
914 Church St.
Flint, MI 48502
(810) 233-8700 - FAX (810) 233-0263
REACH would like to present a lecture session on the topic of `Dynamics and Interventions Regarding Runaway Youth'. The casework supervisor, Amber M. Racki, will be the presenter. The focus of the lecture will be on youth ages 10-17. The lecture will be a 70-minute PowerPoint presentation meant to be both engaging and informative for an audience comprised of intermediate level participants. The audience will be encouraged to ask questions during both the lecture (time permitting) and the remainder of the 90-minute slot. Materials provided to the audience will include statistical information regarding runaway youth and families, a comprehensive list of runaway shelters and transitional living programs, and an outline of the lecture. The outline will include space for the audience members to make notations. The presenter will speak in global terms as much as possible in order to capture the range of different environments and opportunities experienced by the versatile audience.
Subjects to be discussed in the lecture session will include, but are not limited too, the following:
1) Statistical information regarding runaway youth and their families.
2) Youth's typically cited reasons for running away. Typically cited reasons include abuse or neglect occurring in the home,
disagreements over house rules, etc.
3) Experiences youth may face while on the run from home. Experiences may include homelessness, school truancy,
prostitution, being a victim or perpetrator of crime, emotional reactions of youth and family, and conflicts between youth
and family resulting from the youth's runaway behavior.
4) Common issues often co-occurring with runaway behavior. Common issues may include addictive dynamics and
substance abuse concerning youth and/or family, abuse or neglect of the youth, domestic violence, generation gaps, blended
family issues, lack of effective parenting skills, lack of effective communication and anger management skills among the
family, and grief/loss issues.
5) Various agency interventions available to runaway youth. Agency interventions include shelters, transitional living
programs, mobile medical teams, probate court, police, Family Independence Agency/Children's Protective Services
(FIA/CPS), and agreements between cab companies and mass transportation authorities to provide transportation services
for youth and families.
6) Staff experiences related to employment at a crisis based agency. Staff experiences may include stress related to job
duties, emotional trauma from witnessing the state of youth and families entering our program, collaboration with other
agencies also assisting their cases, support between staff, and education.
To return to Convening's home page, click here.
To return to the Table of Contents for Convening XXVII, click here.