It's no secret that mental, social, and emotional health is a hot topic for society right now. And yet there continue to be far too many barriers to access when it comes to behavioral healthcare. As Director of Emotional Well-Being for the Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Joseph County, Erica Kelsey is working to remove those barriers. 

In the final episode of Season 2 of our Staffing, Safety, Society podcast, we talk to Erica about her efforts. 

Whether it's through Club-wide mental health screening and education services, staff-focused counseling and support, or targeted early interventions for youth most at risk, Erica's work offers pathways and insights for how community-based nonprofits can offer an innovative, proactive alternative to traditional healthcare settings. 

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In the 2023 camp season, Terri Mulks and her team at Camp Susan Curtis sent 43 campers home, a number that was about 400% above their baseline rate. And this appears to be a phenomenon that was mirrored in other camps all across the country. In our latest episode of Staffing, Safety, Society, we talk to Terri about what has changed since the pandemic. She also shares how she has used data to better illuminate both the nature and scope of the problem. And she points us toward some of the potential solutions that she and her team have implemented.

From tighter supervision ratios to raising the age at which children are considered eligible for camp, Terri is clear about her goal: To make sure that such high rates of exclusion do not become the norm moving forward, and to ensure that every camper gets a chance at the incredible experience they deserve.

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In our latest episode of Staffing, Safety, Society we talk to Tom Rosenberg, President and CEO of the American Camp Association. He tells us about his vision for camp as a positive force for young people’s mental, emotional, and social health, and as an antidote to some of the negative impacts of our online world. We explore why camp is such a powerful force in the societal battle against the tides of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and social disconnection affecting today’s youth. And he provides some guidance for ways that camps can teach the mindsets, skills, and dispositions everyone needs to thrive in school, work, and life.

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Season 2 Episode 7: Gun Violence Prevention, Beyond the Politics
According to the CDC, gun deaths are now the leading cause of death for children. But how can we protect young people when the very mention of guns elicits polarized, highly entrenched points of view? Lucria Ortiz knows more than most on this subject. She serves as the President and CEO of the Yonkers Family YMCA—an organization whose gang violence interruption program that has become a model for other communities across the country. She also serves as the co-chair of the YMCA Gun Violence Prevention Group. In this episode, she discusses the role of youth serving organizations in addressing this issue in a way that transcends the typical political or demographic divides. 

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Preventing peer-to-peer abuse requires a nuanced and human-centered approach. As VP of Child Protection and Organizational Risk for YMCA of the USA, Britt Darwin-Looney has a wealth of experience in how to approach that challenge. In this conversation, she emphasizes the importance of zero tolerance for youth-to-youth sexual activity, robust and comprehensive reporting, and also being careful to focus more on supervision and preventing problematic behaviors, than on excluding or stigmatizing youth as 'perpetrators.' 

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As an author, parent and social worker, Meghan Hurley Backofen knows that abusers rely on secrecy to perpetrate their crimes.  That's why she works to empower children to recognize and report abuse—including through her children's book Who's the Boss Of This Body?, and podcast 10 Tips for Sexual Abuse Prevention. In this episode, Meghan explains that it is always the responsibility of adults to protect children from abuse. Yet, she says, part of that responsibility includes teaching the knowledge, skills, and even vocabulary that kids need to seek help, should they ever need it. 

--------- EPISODE CHAPTERS WITH SHORT KEY POINTS ---------

(0:00:01) - Understanding Child Sexual Abuse 
Meghan Hurley Backofen shares how she came to the work of child sexual abuse prevention, and explains why empowering children to speak up is such an important aspect of the work. 

(0:04:34) - Practical Steps for Empowering Children
Meghan shares the importance of break myths, teaching children to protect themselves, and emphasizing honesty and bodily autonomy. We also discuss some of the challenges of balancing bodily autonomy with legitimate requirements of being a parent. 

(0:11:43) - The Role of Organizations in Education and Empowerment
We talk about the role of organizations and youth programming staff in empowering children and educating the community. Meghan shares her vision for how we can all help children to recognize their own agency over their bodies.

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"Whether you know it or not, you have had trans kids in your camp." — This powerful statement arose out of our conversation with Chris Rehs-Dupin, in which we explore the inclusion as a prerequisite for safety. As a founder of Transplaining for Camps, Chris is an expert in navigating sometimes fraught and divisive conversations. He explains the importance of education, discusses the dangers of othering, and provides practical recommendations for safeguarding the inherent right of every child to feel safe, included, respected, and seen. 

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An Upstream Approach to Child Abuse Prevention
Adverse Childhood Experiences, such as abuse and neglect, are correlated with 5 of the top 10 causes of death in The United States. In this episode, we speak with Sharon Hirsch, President and CEO, of Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina about taking an upstream approach to address the root causes of child abuse. She shares how youth-serving organizations can nurture positive childhood experiences for the youth that they serve.

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The Rising Threat of Antisemitism, and How to Respond
Last year, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) recorded the highest ever frequency of antisemitic violence and threats that they had ever seen. In this episode, we speak with Emily Snider of the ADL about ways that all community organizations—JCCs, YMCAs, Boys & Girls Clubs and summer camps alike—to stand in solidarity against antisemitism, and all other forms of hate.  

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In this episode, we're exploring the importance of changing perspectives and looking at things differently—a theme we'll return to throughout the season.  Specifically, we'll hear from attendees at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America national conference about how the work they do has taught them to see the world and the youth they work with differently. We hope that their powerful insights will help inform your own work to create safe communities for all. 

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