Reopening Statement

Effective: Monday, June 14, 2021 Re: In-Person Meetings

At Safe Families PLUS, we have been closely following the advice and guidelines set forth by the CDC and City of Chicago, while paying close attention to the trends of COVID-19. Since the city has moved into full reopening, we have loosened some of the restrictions in place regarding in-person meetings.

In-person Match Meetings can completely resume at the comfort of mentors and youth. Most scheduled match meetings will be held at cafes with outdoor seating options or neighborhood parks to allow for social distancing as much as possible. Additionally, we are asking everyone in attendance who is not vaccinated to continue wearing face masks.

Also beginning June 14th, mentors and mentees can resume having in-person outings together. We have researched some of the safest ways to accommodate for the current climate, and have suggestions on where these meetings can take place outdoors. We also recommend mentors and mentees only meet in person if they are feeling well, have no COVID-19 symptoms, and if they have refrained from high-risk environments without a mask. Safe outing ideas include: taking a walk outdoors or at the lake, having a picnic in the park, going for a Divvy bike ride around the city, having coffee or a meal on an outdoor patio, and walking to an ice cream shop or Italian ice place nearby. We ask that mentors and mentees remain cautious if attending outdoor activities that may attract large crowds like festivals, theme parks, and zoos, by continuing to wear masks in these settings. If mentors and mentees decide on an indoor outing and they are unvaccinated, masks must still be worn.

If anyone is uncomfortable meeting in-person during this time, we completely understand. We can still arrange for a virtual match meeting to occur via Zoom or Google Hangouts. If your youth’s caretaker or residential staff suggest that the meeting or outing should happen indoors, the mentor coach and mentor will either be fully vaccinated or wearing face masks to prevent any potential exposure or contraction of COVID-19. If any mentors need masks or hand sanitizer before they meet with their youth, please let us know! If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please reach out to Brittani Kindle, Program Director, at bkindle@safefamilies.net.

Sincerely, Safe Families PLUS Staff

Updated COVID-19 Statement

The current Stay at Home order mandated by Governor Pritzker and Mayor Lightfoot has been extended until May 30th with some modifications. According to the press conference given by the Governor on April 23rd, people are now required to wear face masks in public, even children as young as 2 years old as long as they can medically tolerate wearing a face mask. Some businesses will be allowed to re-open on May 1. Garden centers, green houses, nurseries, animal grooming, State parks, and golf courses are some of the establishments that have been given the green light to re-open while ensuring the health and safety of employees and consumers are top priority.

While this is a mandatory Stay at Home order is not ideal for any of us, the Safe Families PLUS staff would like to extend our deepest appreciation to the mentors and mentees for staying strong and remembering that we are in this together! Below are a few resources, sites, and tips to use to stay connected as we shelter in place alone but together!

Gaming Apps

House Party: It’s an app that allows people to play games together. It can be dowloaded on most mobile devices and used on computers as well.

Health & Wellness Apps

• Planet Fitness on Facebook- Every day at 6pm, Planet Fitness will do a 20 minute workout video for free to do at home. 

https://www.facebook.com/planetfitness/

• Core Power Yoga On Demand

https://www.corepoweryogaondemand.com/keep-up-your-practice

• 305 Fitness- Has 20 free at home workout sessions on Youtube channel

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZfi2O6K-r93l4dLnUfPGoRXrBxjG-npn

• Nike Training Club App- Designed for full workouts at home or at the gym, with or without equipment, this app offers countless free workouts led by trainers.

• FitOn App- This app is free to download and the workouts, which vary from cardio to weight training to Pilates, are free to access and use at any time. Just sign up, answer questions based on your fitness levels and goals, and you’re set.

• YouTube Videos

  • Quick workouts: 

    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP-DCmWjwiA

There are also tons of apps to help manage anxiety and stress during quarantine such as the Calm App, Shine, Insight Timer, and Headspace is free at the moment.

Managing Anxiety and Stress during COVID-19: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/managing-stress-anxiety.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fabout%2Fcoping.html

How to Talk to Kids about COVID-19

https://childmind.org/article/talking-to-kids-about-the-coronavirus/

Tips for Adults to Cope with Coronavirus Anxiety

https://theconversation.com/7-science-based-strategies-to-cope-with-coronavirus-anxiety-133207

Apps to Manage Stress for Meditation/Mindfulness

https://www.inc.com/lolly-daskal/13-of-the-best-apps-to-manage-stress.html

Entertainment

Audio Stories are offering some free reads right now!

HayMarket is also offering free download of E-Books

Puzzles are always a great way to pass time while being entertained.

Netflix Party! Netflix has developed a new add-on that allows multiple viewers to simultaneously watch a movie & chat virtually (new movies have also been added)!

The number one resource above all else is mindfulness. We are all experiencing trauma in some way, shape, or form on different levels as it pertains to COVID-19 and unfortunately it may be a trigger for some youth. The best way to support your mentee right now is open and frequent communication. We highly encourage video calls to provide youth with extra support while following the state’s guidelines. Let your mentee know you are there for them all ways, always!

Updated COVID-19 Statement as of March 31st

Dear Safe Families PLUS Mentors,

In an effort to ensure all of our youth, volunteers, and staff remain healthy and safe during this time we will be extending our shelter in place practice until May 1st. This is in accordance with the national shutdown in place to stop the spread of coronavirus and prioritize all of our health.

Please continue to have no in-person contact check-ins with your mentees during this time. As mentioned before, these are included but are not limited to: email and video conversations via Google Hangouts, Zoom, or Facetime. Furthermore, the time spent communicating with your mentee will count towards your two visits per month requirement.

In the meantime, please take some time to check out and like  our Facebook page (Safe Families PLUS) and follow us on Instagram and Twitter (SafeFamPLUS)!! Sometimes mentoring may seem like a thankless job, but we are using these platforms to show our ongoing gratitude for your astounding work as mentors to our youth :)

Thank you so much for your patience, understanding, and unconditional support during this time.

Updated COVID-19 Statement

Dear Safe Families PLUS Mentors,

In an effort to ensure all of our youth, volunteers, and staff remain healthy and safe during this time we will be extending our shelter in place practice until April 13th. Though the City of Chicago may lift it before then, we simply want to continue the best practice of keeping your health a priority. 

Please continue to have no in-person contact check-ins with your mentees during this time. As mentioned before, these are included but are not limited to: email and video conversations via Google Hangouts, Zoom, or Facetime. Furthermore, the time spent communicating with your mentee will count towards your two visits per month requirement.

In the meantime, please take some time to check out and like  our Facebook page (Safe Families PLUS) and follow us on Instagram and Twitter (SafeFamPLUS)!! Sometimes mentoring may seem like a thankless job, but we are using these platforms to show our ongoing gratitude for your astounding work as mentors to our youth :)

Thank you so much for your patience, understanding, and unconditional support during this time.

Stay Well,

Safe Families PLUS

AOI Podcast!

Brittani Kindle, Program Director, sat down with Lynn Tonini, Aging Out Institute, to discuss the different strategies of helping youth transition out of care and how the foster care system can improve on how they are preparing emancipated youth for independence!

See below for the link!

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-tqenf-d60565

Safe Families PLUS: COVID-19 Update

Dear Safe Families PLUS Community,

This is a challenging time for all of us, as we are living in a time of shared concern and caution. I wanted to let you know how we are doing our part to reduce exposure to illness and prevent the spread of COVID-19 among our youth, volunteers, and staff. 

Effective immediately, we will be working remotely through close of business on Monday, March 30. As ever, our team will remain in close communication with our mentors/mentees and will be maintaining the safety, health and well-being of every youth in our program. We will also be suspending all in-person mentor outings and check-in meetings during this time, but encourage mentors to use alternative methods of connecting with their mentees. These include but are not limited to: email and video conversations via Google Hangouts, Zoom, or Facetime. The time spent connecting with mentors and mentees remotely will be counted toward the two visit per month requirement. If you have any immediate concerns about staying in touch with your mentee via these alternative methods, please contact your Safe Families Coach immediately and we can help troubleshoot. 

Lastly, all large gatherings, such as mentor trainings and group events, will be postponed or occur via video/phone conferencing if possible. 

Please know that this decision was not an easy one to make, but it is in the best interest of all of us. Your coach will be available during normal business hours to continue to support mentoring relationships during this unprecedented time.

As a reminder, please continue to check for updates through the Center for Disease Control, Chicago Department of Health, and the Illinois Department of Health.

Stay well, 

The Safe Families PLUS Staff

2019 Relationships Award!

(L to R) Sondrea, Program Coordinator; Brittani, Program Director; Zach, Mentorship Coordinator.

Safe Families PLUS was selected to receive the 2019 Relationships Award from the Aging Out Institute.

Check out the description from the Aging Out Institute below:

The Aging Out Institute (AOI) Awards Program recognizes organizations for the work that they are doing to help foster youth age out of foster care and into independence successfully. Relationship building is a key success factor for all youth, but because of their difficult childhood and the inherent challenges of being part of the foster care system, foster youth do not often have the time or desire to develop strong, stable relationships with adults who will support them in their transition to adulthood. This year, Safe Families for Children was selected to receive the AOI Relationships Award for helping youth build supportive relationships with mentors as they age out of foster care through its PLUS (Providing Lasting Unconditional Support) program.

Paint Night Success!

We had such a great time expressing ourselves through painting! Take a look at a small sample of some of mentors and mentees who attended.

The Courage to Ask for Help

In a culture that promotes independence and self-sufficiency, asking for help is often overwhelming. We may fear that asking for help makes us seem weak, incompetent, or needy. Or we may simply fear that we will be told ‘no’, and not want to bother another person.

It is a mistake, however, to equate needing help with weakness – especially when we consider the self-awareness and courage it can take to make a phone call. Every parent that reaches out to Safe Families asking for help with their children has dealt with fear, and has most certainly exhausted their other options for help! By calling, they show their strength as a parent in desiring the safety and well-being of their children above all else, and setting fear aside. Maybe they are new to the area, have lost family, or do not have reliable or safe people around them. Regardless of their individual situation, being willing to meet someone new and trust them with their most valuable possession (their own child) is bold, brave, and noteworthy.

At Safe Families PLUS, we are matching youth who are aging out of foster care with committed, caring adults to befriend them and be a safety net for them as they transition to adulthood. With every application we receive for a youth in care who is asking for a mentor, I am in awe of their willingness to ask for help. The majority are older teenagers living in residential group homes. They may have been in 20 different foster homes, lost contact with family, or been abused by the people who were supposed to protect them. Despite so many challenges, I am inspired that these youth are still reaching out, and are willing to try trusting an adult again.

“We lost our parents…”

“I try to stay out of trouble…”

“I could use a big sister to talk to…”

For youth who have not experienced the people around them as reliable, opening themselves up to a relationship with an adult is remarkable. And for teenagers who tend to think they have all the answers, wanting advice from an adult is unheard of!

There is no young person who is turned away from Safe Families PLUS because of behavioral issues, a delinquency history, or mental health needs. At Safe Families, we believe that no one is beyond help – and everyone has the potential to experience significant healing. We believe in a God of restoration and the preciousness of every person. We also believe that experiences of trauma can ultimately be transformed into a person’s greatest strength through resiliency, empathy for others, and the determination to overcome.

The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University conducted research exploring this question of why some children who experience adversity end up doing well, and others struggle. Research continues to point to one common theme: the most significant factor that changes a youth’s outcomes is the presence of a stable, committed adult. Knowing that someone cares, and continues to show up for you, can change excruciating stress into hope.

Mentoring does not mean that you have to have all the answers, or special training in career planning. Many teenagers living in group homes have few opportunities to make decisions for themselves, or to plan how they would like to spend their time. They may be taken on field trips in a large group that are not interesting to them, or they may have multiple restrictions on their time. Simply having the opportunity to get out in a new setting, whether it is a grocery store or a park, can be impactful. We cannot underestimate the value of being present, showing up on time, being consistent, and creating a safe space to listen.

It's TIME to Make a Difference!

"Spend TIME doing what matters to them, because it matters to you"

If you've ever wanted to become a Mentor and make a difference, now is the TIME! Come out to learn how you can be a positive influence in the life of the next generation. There will be food, music and games.

Saturday, Dec 2nd
4 - 6 pm

The Firehouse Community Arts Center
2115 S. Hamlin Blvd.

If you have any questions, email SafeFamiliesPLUS@SafeFamilies.net or call 773-653-2259