Helping Our Challenged Youth

Tonight’s meeting of the Transitional Youth Work Group at the McHenry County Mental Health Board was again fairly lightly attended. This group is composed of students, parents, and representatives of various mental health agencies in the County, and one of its purposes is to aid youth with special challenges in their transition from high school to whatever is next – college, junior college, work or ???

I suspect that many students and parents do not know of this group or its purpose. They are struggling, trying to find resources and solutions to problems the students and other young adults face.

What is so surprising to me is that NO educators attend! A component of every Special Education student in the State of Illinois from Age 16 is a Transition Plan. And the planning for Transition is to start two years before that – at age 14. Wouldn’t you think that educators would want to be part of a team that focuses on this group?

The excuse at tonight’s meeting was that teachers won’t show up at evening meetings. My comment was that, in the 15 months that this group has been meeting, I don’t think there has been even one teacher from any of the school districts in McHenry County.

So of the 10-12 school districts and the 15 meetings, no one from a school district has shown up. Let’s change this by inviting the Superintendent or Associate Superintendent or Director of Special Education or Special Education Coordinator or Transition Specialist from every school district in McHenry County to the next meeting on Thursday, December 6, 2007, at 5:30PM. The meeting is only 90 minutes and includes a light supper.

The speaker in December will be Bob Scanlan, Public Service Administrator, Office of Rehabilitation Services, Illinois Department of Human Services, from the Elgin office. Even though he wasn’t scheduled to speak until the December meeting, Bob was at the group this evening to find out what they might like to hear in December. Now, that’s dedication! Thanks, Bob!

I’ll bet if each Superintendent or his/her designee attended the December meeting, then there would be strong “encouragement” for participation by each district in this worthwhile group.

Plus more parents and more students are needed. The target group of students is those with some form of mental illness. Will you help get the word out? Thanks!