In similar opinion pieces in the Connecticut Mirror, Hearst CT Media, and Hartford Courant, I discussed federal funding--with a focus on Connecticut.

While sketching the broader context, the article highlighted examples of three federal funding streams affecting Connecticut CASA:

• the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) and Crime Victims Fund (CVF);
• a Prevention Innovation Grant received, with HHS funds under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA);
• Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) funds to help CASA and other organizations aiming to prevent children's move from the dependency (child protection) to the dependency side of the juvenile court.

 A version of the piece also appears on Medium.

A Yale advisee, Jeannot Basima, and I co-authored an opinion piece (also on Medium) about his hometown of Goma, Congo--with references to international humanitarian organizations and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Jeannot, a sophomore studying political science and a member of Yale's varsity basketball team, is developing a nonprofit--fiscally sponsored by Dwight Hall at Yale--to support youth development in Goma.

In September 2024, Jeannot and I jointly presented at a Yale Alumni Nonprofit Alliance forum. Jeannot's portion of the program is on YouTube here, while my portion is excerpted on Connecticut CASA's YouTube channel.

On the holiday in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and during Mentoring Month, this is to recognize an interview of Erik Clemons--founding leader of ConnCAT and ConnCORP--by Professor Khalilah Brown-Dean, now of Wesleyan University.

The conversation, part of her "Disrupted" series on CT Public, addresses "community, hope, and love."

In earlier years, this blog has evoked MLK's "I have a dream" speech at the 1963 March on Washington--in which my father participated--and the theme of mentoring.

The Connecticut Mirror and various Hearst CT Media outlets published different versions of an opinion piece that I wrote on the occasion(s) of Youth Justice Action, Domestic Violence Awareness, and Substance Use/Bullying Prevention Month(s)--October.

Relating Connecticut CASA and child welfare to the 119K Commission focused on concerns around some 119,000 young people ages 14-26 who are "disconnected" from school or employment or "at risk" of becoming so, the piece also addresses prevention priorities for children before age 14.

This month brings three public events involving Connecticut CASA:

• a September 12 documentary film screening in New Haven, with speaker Ijeoma Opara (PhD, LMSW, MPH) described in the Arts Paper, following an earlier article there;
• a September 19 book talk by Marc Brackett (PhD), at Athena Books, with a portion of proceeds benefiting Connecticut CASA; and 
• a September 25 joint presentation, by my undergraduate advisee Jeannot Basima and myself, about youth development--from Congo to Connecticut.  Register here to join in person in New York City or via Zoom.