Hi all!
Youth Chaplaincy Coalition has transitioned from the Church Council of Greater Seattle to youth chaplaincy @ Circle Faith Future. You can find us at circlefaithfuture.org ! We look forward to seeing you there!
We’ve Moved!
Interrupting Racism: developing cultural competency
Hi! I’m Rev. Terri Stewart and I’m the Director of the youth chaplaincy program at the Church Council of Greater Seattle. I am also a Qualified Assessor for the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). The IDI measures intercultural competency which is the ability to positively engage similarities and differences in values, beliefs, and practice within your own cultural group and other cultural groups. Intercultural competency is developed just as any other skills are, through learning and engagement.
The Intercultural Development Continuum (IDC) is a developmental lens that recognizes that there is cultural self-understanding and cultural other-understanding that can be illustrated across a developmental arc, just as human development is described. From the IDC, the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) has been developed that measures a person’s capacity to engage their own and other’s cultures. The IDI has been cross-culturally validated in over 30 countries. It is rooted in measuring three aspects of social development.
- Other-centered: the ability to center the needs of other people
- Engagement-centered: the ability to be fully present with other people
- Development-centered: the work begins where a person’s development is rather than where others think they are
The IDI measures stages across monocultural mindsets (identify and understand one culture) through intercultural mindsets (identify and begin to understand at least one other culture).
In the process of striving for racial justice, or a minimum of creating an anti-racist mindset, measuring intercultural competency with the IDI and then creating an intentional development plan has been proven to be a validated, strategic way to change and shape hearts and minds. Cultural competency relates to equity as decisions that are better for many people rise from those who have intercultural mindsets rather than from a monocultural mindset. Intentional development also grows people who are more effective at social justice, anti-oppression work, white privilege work, and creating inclusive environments. Intentional intercultural development also begins the process of interfering with implicit bias by revealing blind spots at each stage of development.
As a leader of youth who are primarily in cultures different than mine, it has long been an imperative for me to develop myself as much as possible so that I can flow in and out of their realities, but it is also important to me that our communities engage the developmental process so that the youth I engage with (and others) have people around them who can accept and adapt to their lived experiences. Which brings me to you. The IDI can be done as individual assessments but it can then be compiled into a group assessment. People can then work individual development plans and groups can work development plans together that meet the goals of the community organization. This will make for better anti-racist, anti-oppression, racial justice community organizations! Including our churches! We have expanded my work to include racial justice work and so I am offering this tool to you as a way of developing your cultural competency. My time as a Qualified Assessor would be offered, however the actual assessment costs $20 per person, so that would not be included in my time.
In the story of the Samaritan woman meeting Jesus at the well in Samaria, Jesus demonstrates some degree of cultural competency when he takes the time to hear her story and to know who she is. He is not afraid of her and he engages with her theology without defending the practice of excluding and oppressing the Samaritans. With work, it is possible to develop ourselves so that we can do the same.
Please contact me at ycc-chaplain@thechurchcouncil.org if you would like more information about the Intercultural Development Inventory!
Peace,
Rev. Terri Jane Stewart
Decreasing juvenile incarceration
King County’s juvenile detention numbers have gone down since the COVID-19 pandemic, but there is more that can be done! In June, we joined a coalition of over 40 community organizations and leaders, including elected officials, in co-writing a follow-up letter to the King County Council calling for more action to release, with supports, the approximately 30 youth incarcerated in the county detention center, most of whom are awaiting the outcome of their cases.
Thank you to TeamChild for sharing this letter that we signed onto.
Statement on Black Lives Matter
Below is the statement on Black Lives Matter that our mother organization, the Church Council of Greater Seattle, has published and with which we align:
Making the Necessary Linkages: A Statement from the Church Council of Greater Seattle In solidarity with our Black siblings as we demand justice for Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and every Black life lost to racist violence
May 29, 2020
“America’s original sin.” That is what preacher and author Jim Wallis of Sojourners calls racism – and it is. For people of faith who are not Black, a moment of lamentation for our complicity needs to give way to a lifetime of prioritizing the dismantling of the system of racism, whose virus of white privilege and white supremacy threatens our nation, just as COVID-19, climate change or the potential for war.
The brutal, premeditated killing of Ahmaud Arbery three months ago sparked local and national protest, leading to the arrest of the perpetrators Mr. Arbery was jogging, unarmed, pursued by two white men who claimed they wanted to question him about alleged burglaries. Brazenly, they took arms and felt authorized to confront Mr. Arbery and take this young life. The horror of his murder was documented on video, the surfacing of which contributed to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation finally taking action. The failure of local prosecutors to act previously was a betrayal of justice. And, it is symptomatic of something more insidious.
Our outrage is redoubled at the recent, callous murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade by police. We join in demanding accountability from law enforcement, justice for their families, and transformation of the systems that perpetuate racist and reprehensible acts against the African American community.
“The acceptance of evil is cooperation with a lie,” theologian Jon Sobrino reflects.
The murder of African American citizens and fellow human beings is evil. The lie of our cooperation is rooted in white supremacy. In the U.S. context, white supremacy is: a system of domination where the violence of imposed suffering, poverty, lack of opportunity, compromised health care, denied workplace rights, and the thwarting of democratic voice and vote, is held up as unfortunate casualties in our “exceptionalism” for realizing “the American dream.”
No white person is immune to this lie. Sobrino notes that “good” people, perhaps even progressive, are engaged in hypocrisy wrapped around culpable blindness in knowing about the lie but not changing our lives accordingly to challenge it.
Rep. Karen Bass, the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, urges us to “make the necessary linkages” from this unspeakable incident:
Who is disproportionately falling ill with COVID-19?
Who are a great percentage of front-line workers in our service and health sectors putting their lives on the line, often without sufficient protective equipment, on our behalf?
Who bears the most significant burden of unemployment in Washington State and throughout the United States?
It is undeniably people and communities of color. Systems of oppression are laid bare in these pandemic times. Violent acts of hate are not isolated events, but interconnected with a society that permits willful ignorance, not only around matters of basic health and science, but also around the every-day practices and structures that perpetuate the cruelty of systemic racism.
May the names of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and every Black person whose life is lost to hateful, racist violence be called out loud. May they be called out not only during this time of shock and disheartening, but until policies that bend the arc toward justice are promulgated and every human being may live out their lives in peace and equity.
Download this statement as a PDF here: CCGSStatement_NecessaryLinkages_5-29-2020
Update on Chaplaincy
Hi folks! these are hard times during COVID19.
We ask that you keep all the youth, their families, the staff and all affected folks in your prayers as we pray for their safety, health, well-being, and growth during this time of social isolation. If you think your isolation is bad, imagine being locked in a cell and not allowed to see your loved ones–or even your liked ones!
The youth in detention, at Echo Glen and at King County, are doing pretty well, all things considered. There have been no illnesses due to COVID19 among the youth. The adults, however, have experienced some amount of illness and illness within their families that has affected how staff shows up to the youth.
Families, volunteers, mentors and chaplains are being kept apart from the youth and are contacting them via telephone or web conferencing. Each facility is doing the best they can in a time where supplies are hard to get (web conferencing supplies like webcams and microphones). If you can donate anything, let me know!
Gratitude from Naselle Youth Camp
Hi all!
I just received a thank you note (below) from youth at Naselle Youth Camp. The Associate Superintendent reports that some youth characterized this Christmas as the best Christmas they have ever had.
I think we, the social we, need to hold in our hearts what it means for a child to have the best Christmas they’ve ever experienced in a secure detention facility. To me, that means that they have been failed in systemic ways that are beyond my ability to fix. But together, I believe we can work on fixing them.
Thank you all for participating in the gift drive!
Peace,
Rev. Terri Jane Stewart
Christmas 2019 Update
WOW! The community comes through!
We are in the midst of collecting the gifts bags as promised from the community. What was originally a promise of 200 bags to cover all the youth at Echo Glen Children’s Center and at Naselle Youth Camp, has grown to be able to cover all the youth at the various group homes across Washington State. That’s amazing!
Thank you to everyone who has participated! I’ll update a list of that later after all the gifts have come in.
Below: Gift bags from Sky Ministries in Renton. Each bag is packed with presents! This was just the start of our bounty. Background: Echo Glen.
Christmas 2019
Hello all!
This is Rev. Terri Stewart here. I hope this moment in time finds you capturing moments of peace and the inbreaking of Love in your life.
Last year, through a partnership with a local PTA and many churches in the state of Washington, we were able to provide Christmas gift packages to 120 youth at Echo Glen Children’s Home and at Naselle Youth Camp. This year, we do not have the partnership of that particular local PTA so it falls to us to be the hands and feet of Christmas!
I am here to ask you if your community can commit to gathering and donating gift bags for youth that include:
- 1 board game, card game, or dominoes
- 1 sports ball (basketball, volleyball, soccerball)
- 1 youth-level book to read
- 1 package of shampoo and conditioner
- 1 package of peanut-free candy (skittles type candies)
- 1 note/card of encouragement (affirmations and encouragement, no personal information, not in a sealed envelope)
It does make our lives much easier if you can gather complete gift bags rather than gathering only one of the items. If just 12 churches commit to 10 bags each, we will have enough for two institutions and the youth and children held there to know that someone on the outside knows where they are and knows that they are beloved children of the most High.
Please contact me at 425.531.1756 or at YCC-Chaplain@thechurchcouncil.org if you can commit to providing one to 120 gift bags! No donation is too small.
Peace,
Rev. Terri Jane Stewart
Training for Mentoring Incarcerated Youth
Rev. Terri Stewart of the Youth Chaplaincy Coalition is bringing two trainings in April and May. She will be teaching how to be effective mentors that teach youth how to create action plans that lead to transformed lives on April 24 and will be bringing continuing education to current mentors on May 8. The training is free if you commit to working with incarcerated youth!
What a way to live into the promise of Resurrection! Resurrecting and reforming the lives of youth. We can become a new creation!
Rev. Stewart is also available for pulpit supply where she speaks of our commitment to ministering to the incarcerated through transformative listening and to interrupting racism through practices of peaceful non-violence.
MAP Mentor Training: Beginning the Conversation
April 24, 2018
5:30-8:30
The Norton Building
Register at: https://mentor-training.eventbrite.com
Learn how to be a mentor (MAPper) for incarcerated youth at King County Juvenile Detention Center.
Please make a donation to cover the cost of goods received.
MAP is a program designed to assist youth with creating transition programs so they can have a more successful go of it when they return to their home. It is created to take youth deeper over time resulting in a concrete action plan and community contacts.
What is MAP?
MAP is a mentorship program different from chaplaincy, probation counseling, or other mentorship programs for incarcerated youth. MAP was developed as a re-entry planning program which emphasizes autonomy, empowerment, and goal setting through a one-on-one mentorship relationship.
Mission
MAP elicits the wisdom of incarcerated youth by creating a process that allows them to access internal and external resources to assist them in the creation of their own re-entry action plan.
Goals
- Provide drop-in coaching or mentoring to strengthen youth for the journey -or-
- Provide consistent mentorship for four months or longer in order to strengthen confidence and commitment to future success upon release.
- Through the setting of short-term goals or milestones, youth will be able to make minor achievements toward larger, long-term goals, potentially preventing recidivism.
- Identify resources in the community that align with the self identified areas of concern that youth have identified through the MAP mentorship process.
Minimum Requirements to be a Mentor
- 21 years or older
- Ability to pass a government background check
- Clear commitment to the MAP mission and goals
- Great listening and communication skills
- Ability to maintain clear professional and social boundaries
- Demonstrate accountability and integrity under all circumstances
- Commitment of 12 months
MAP Mentoring: Continuing the Conversation
May 8, 2018
6:00-8:00
The Norton Building
Registration at: https://mapcontinuinged.eventbrite.com
This is our first gathering of MAP Mentors and Coaches who work with youth at the King County Juvenile Detention Center. We will be gathering to:
-Learn about each other
-Learn about recent changes at King County Youth Service Center
-Learn about the program, and to
-Learn about how to do better
Best Starts for Kids Program: In the Eyes of an Intern
I asked my intern, Londyn, to reflect on King County’s Best Starts for Kids program. Below is her reflection. Please note that she used information available at their website: http://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/community-human-services/initiatives/best-starts-for-kids.aspx .
“I found it absolutely incredible that Best Starts for Kids is not only leading the nation in this approach but also the annual dollar amount invested by them into King County families. This is so encouraging to know. I’ve always been taught that your check book is a reflection of your priority’s, and clearly this expresses how much KC values not only their community but the young as well.
This reminded me of what scripture says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6 NKJV). I admire their tactics, such as, investing early, maintaining the growth, valuing community and focusing on the results and data.
Although, these all go much deeper, they did a wonderful job of making their mission clear and their strategies evident. Boasting low juvenile detention numbers consistently compared to the demographic average. Through the use of alternative programs, equality of races and the reform of the juvenile justice system and practices they’re striving to eradicate disproportionalities of race within the system. Some alternatives mentioned on their site included, family intervention & restorative justice, creative justice, 180 programs, restorative mediation, step-up program and drug court.”
Youth Chaplaincy Coalition and Peacemaking Coordinating Team 