November 2014 Statewide Youth Conference Information Packet Conference Dates and Times This conference will take place Friday, November 21 through Sunday, November 23. Check-in will run from 3:00 – 4:30 pm on Friday and departure will be at noon on Sunday. A full agenda will be sent out to all attendees prior to the conference. The conference application will become available online at www.vaprojectlife.org beginning Tuesday, September 16. The deadline to submit applications is Friday, October 17. Details on how to register are found in the “How to Apply” section of this document. Conference Focus The November Statewide Youth Conference will focus on the Project LIFE Youth Network. The Youth Network is a core group of foster youth that can be identified to advocate for themselves or others by serving on workgroups and/or committees that need meaningful youth input. This conference will provide youth an opportunity to learn more about the Youth Network and ways they can get involved with this new, exciting group of young advocates. Participants will also explore the definition of advocacy and how it relates to the Youth Network. Due to the focus for this conference, youth who attend MUST have an interest in being a part of the Project LIFE Youth Network. In addition to focusing on the Youth Network, participants will have the opportunity to learn about the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD). Workers should encourage young adults to attend the conference who will be turning 21 between October 1, 2014 and September 30, 2015 as well as the 17 year olds who have taken or will take the survey October 1, 2013 to September 30, 2014. Page 1 of 3 Eligibility Youth interested in attending must meet the following requirements: 1. Between the ages of 14-21; 2. Currently in foster care or adopted after the age of 16; 3. Interest in getting involved with the Youth Network. How to Apply Youth who meet the criteria should submit a conference application with the assistance of their DSS worker. The application includes three sections (to be submitted in any order): 1. Youth Questionnaire – to be filled out by the youth 2. Registration Form – to be filled out by the LDSS worker or the youth (if the youth is 18 years of age or older) 3. Character Form – to be filled out by the LDSS worker The application will be available online at www.vaprojectlife.org beginning Tuesday, September 16. The deadline to submit applications is Friday, October 17. All three sections must be submitted in order for the youth to be considered for the conference. Completed applications will be reviewed by Project LIFE staff and youth will be accepted to the conference based on demonstrated interest in the conference focus and goals and recent conduct. Fifty-five (55) youth will be accepted to the November conference, with the goal of 11 youth representatives from each of the five regions. Workers will be notified by Friday, October 24 of whether or not the youth has been accepted to attend the conference. Youth are encouraged to submit applications as soon as possible. Note: If a youth attended either the October 2013 or March 2014 conferences, his or her worker will not have to submit a new Registration Form. The worker should email Talia Brown, Project Coordinator, at [email protected] to receive the youth’s information that is on file from one of these conferences. The worker will then review the form and either make changes or sign to indicate that nothing has changed. Please note that the youth will need to fill out a new Youth Questionnaire. Conference Site Information The conference will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn Richmond Downtown hotel located at 501 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23219. Page 2 of 3 Attendees will stay in rooms and should expect to share a room and bathroom with 1 other youth of the same gender. Parking is available at the hotel free of charge to volunteers/participants. Please note that the parking is valet only. Workers and youth are encouraged to visit the hotel’s website for more information: http://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/virginia/hilton-garden-inn-richmond-downtownRICDTGI/index.html. Transportation Workers and/or foster parents are responsible for transporting youth to and from the conference. If you need help with transportation, a Project LIFE staff person may be able to connect you with someone in your area who is attending the conference and could assist with transporting your youth. Please direct any questions to Talia Brown, Project Coordinator, at [email protected] or (804) 239-1044. You may also visit our website at www.vaprojectlife.org for more information. Page 3 of 3