ACS Commissioner joins Youth Communication in honoring resilient teens

On Wednesday, May 29, ACS Commissioner Ronald Richter will join Youth Communication in honoring 16 teenagers in foster care, winners of our annual foster care essay competition. In a ceremony at the College Board, they will receive scholarship checks and recognition of their writing, their resiliency, and their service to others. The Awards for Youth in Foster Care was created to promote a more positive and accurate image of New York City foster youth among agency staff, youth workers, and the general public. The award is supported by the Sunny and Abe Rosenberg Foundation and the Tin Man Fund.

See more information here [PDF].

Youth Communication Executive Director wins Child Advocacy Award

Youth Communication Executive Director Keith Hefner was honored by New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services for his decades of work on behalf of vulnerable youth. As founder and head of Youth Communication, Hefner started Represent, a groundbreaking magazine by and for youth in foster care, and he continues to produce resources to improve the experiences of teens in the system. The award recognizes those who have made “extraordinary efforts to protect children and strengthen families;” other winners included Linda Gibbs, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, and Angela Diaz, Director of the Mt. Sinai Adolescent Health Center.

Represent’s Gangs issue honored by major educational and policy organizations

”Gang Life: The Grime Beneath the Glamour,” the Winter 2012 issue of Represent, is a finalist in the 2013 Association of Educational Publishers (AEP) awards in the One-Theme Issue category. The AEP is the national, nonprofit professional organization for educational publishers. Each year, their awards recognize excellence and innovation in learning resources.

Represent’s Gangs issue is also a finalist in the 2013 Media for a Just Society Awards in the magazine category. The awards, sponsored by the National Council on Crime & Delinquency, honor media outlets whose work furthers the public’s understanding of criminal justice, juvenile justice, child welfare, and adult protection issues. Represent is nominated in the same category as The New Yorker and Mother Jones.

The Gangs issue of Represent features unflinchingly honest first-hand accounts from youth about the realities of gang life, explores the reasons why they join gangs in the first place, and offers advice on how they can leave the life for good.