Today is the last day of National Runaway Prevention Month. Throughout the month, organizations and individuals across the nation came together to be a source of light, hope and support for runaway, homeless and at-risk youth. A huge thank you to all who hosted and participated in the many national events throughout the month. Your support built critical awareness on an issue that too often feels invisible.
Below are some highlights from events held by NRPM partners but you can certainly find more by going on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and searching the hashtag #NRPM2018.
#NRPM2018 HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE NATIONAL EVENTS
2018 National Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) Grantees Training
We kicked off National Runaway Prevention Month at this year’s RHY Grantees Training hosted by the Runaway and Homeless Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center. This was a perfect way to kick off NRPM alongside our partners and fellow RHY providers across the nation all in one place – Austin, Texas.Wear Green Day
Light the Night
Cities across the nation held “Light the Night” events to highlight runaway and homeless youth issues. Some of these events included:
– A Runaway Candlelight Forum and Vigil by Family Services YMCA & SBCC Guardian Scholars
– Skate Park After Dark – Albany, OR AND Corvallis, OR. by Jackson Street Youth Services.
– Lighting up the Brighton Center:November is National Runaway prevention month. 3,000 lights are beaming at Homeward Bound Shelter for “Light the Night” to represent the approximate number of homeless youth in Northern Kentucky and to #ShineALight on issues surrounding youth in crisis. #NRPM2018 pic.twitter.com/F9LKjlKeim
— brightoncenter (@brightoncenter) November 14, 2018
Teachable Tuesday
To kick off #TeachableTuesday, we’ll be highlighting some findings from Chapin Hall’s Voices of Youth Count initiative. In their Missed Opportunities: National Estimates brief, they found that 4.2 million youth experience homelessness every year. #NRPM2018 pic.twitter.com/NIAjWcbrb7
— NRS (@1800RUNAWAY) November 20, 2018
For Teachable Tuesday, NRS provide current runaway and homeless youth statistics available for individuals and organizations to share on social media to raise awareness about RHY issues. We highlighted information from Chapin Hall’s Missed Opportunities report, True Colors Fund’s State Index report and more toolkits and materials.
Shine a Light Twitter Chat
Welcome to the #NRPM2018 Twitter Chat! November is National Runaway Prevention Month so we’re going to talk about runaway prevention through a series of 10 questions. Follow along with #NRPMChat and make sure you click “Latest” to see the latest posts. pic.twitter.com/bBLzD35eiy
— NRS (@1800RUNAWAY) November 29, 2018
A2: Youth runaway for a lot of reasons! They may be experiencing or witnessing abuse (physical, sexual, emotional, spiritual) and leaving home often seems like the best or only option for them. #NRMPChat https://t.co/orJI4HUedU
— Wichita State CCHT (@wsuccht) November 29, 2018
A5: According to the annual San Diego Point in Time Count in January 2018, there were 928 identified sheltered, unsheltered and unstably housed homeless youth (up to age 24) on a single night in the County. #nrpmchat
— Krysta Esquivel, MSW (@EsquivelKrysta) November 29, 2018
While NRPM is nearing a close, we encourage everyone to continue these critical conversations to “shine a light” on these issues all year round! If you’re not already a NRPM partner, please reach out to Rachel Reynolds, Outreach & Prevention Specialist, at rreynolds@1800RUNAWAY.org to learn more.
A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE NATIONAL RUNAWAY PREVENTION MONTH PARTNERS:
