CIL-NET Presents
A National Webinar & Teleconference: 
Investing in the IL Movement Means Investing in Youth
Presented by Keri Gray and Allie Cannington
March 20, 2019 

>> TIM FUCHS: All right. Good afternoon, everybody. I'm Tim Fuchs with the National Council on Independent Living. I want to welcome you‑all to today's latest webinar, "Investing in the Independent Living Movement Means Investing in Youth". So as always, today's presentation is brought to you by the IL‑NET training and assistance projects. IL‑NET is operated through a partnership among ILRU in Houston, nickel here in Washington, D.C., APRIL in Little Rock, Arkansas and Utah state universities centers for persons with disabilities in Utah. Support for the project is provided by the administration for community living at the U.S. department of health and human services. 
    So before we get into today's content and we learn more about our presenters, I just wanted to talk about housekeeping. So first and foremost, we are recording today's webinar. So that you can access it on ILRU's website. So just know that we're all currently in presentation mode. A, you will be able to access this later, and B, we've got plenty of time set aside today for questions. 
    Before I talk about questions, I just want to mention that captioning, of course, is available today. You can access the captioning by using the menu bar at the bottom of your screen. If you don't see your menu bar, hover your cursor over there. It auto hides itself. You'll be able to click closed captioning. If you don't see the closed captioning option, it might be under the more menu. So I want to just mention that the closed captioning here, there is an arrow key. And you can make it larger and smaller. But if you want to manipulate the font size, the contrast, the color, I'd really recommend that you use the full screen CART and StreamText.net. If you're having trouble seeing it, consider using the captioning link at StreamText. It's a full screen of CART. It has a chat feature as well so you can submit questions during the webinar. That link is a little too long for me to read out, but it was included in the confirmation e‑mail. I'll put in the chat box in a minute. 
    Questions, we've got three Q&A breaks today, a lot of time for discussion and questions. I really encourage you‑all to be engaged. Please know you can enter your questions anytime during the presentation. We are going to wait until our Q&A breaks to address them. But anytime you have a question or comment, please use that. There is also a chat feature. I'd like to encourage you‑all when you have actual questions to submit them in the Q&A tab. It just keeps them all in one place and makes sure your question gets asked during the Q&A break. The chat is great, though. If you see people you know, you can send direct chats. If you're having technical issues, the slides aren't changing, picture goes away, that's a great place to let us know in the chat. If you write something to us, we're going to see it and respond to you. 
    What else did I want to mention? Oh, I know. When the webinar ends today, there's an evaluation that will pop up on your screen. So if you could take a minute to fill it out, we would really appreciate it. We try to keep those short. I know it's not fun to fill out evaluations, but we take those really seriously. We put a lot of effort into our efforts to make these programs better, and we can't do that without your suggestions. So please do that. If you truly don't have time today, the link to that same evaluation form was also included in the confirmation e‑mail. I know it's not easy to remember to go back and do these later, so hopefully you'll do it at the end of the presentation today. 
    Let me just ‑‑ let me go ahead here to slide three and walk through these objectives for our presentation. Here's what we're hoping we will all learn today. We want to cover the importance of working with youth in supporting a robust and self‑sustaining culture in CILs. Strategies to locate, recruit and engage young people with disabilities to represent community, embrace independent living philosophy, embrace independent living philosophies, tools and strategies for developing relationships and collaborations with community youth and advocacy organizations. And finally, we will learn leadership qualities in youth with disabilities and how to facilitate their transition into leadership roles that support their goals. 
    So that's a good agenda for 90 minutes. And with us, we have two ‑‑ I can think of no two better people to lead this workshop than Allie and Keri. Allie and Keri, thanks so much for being with us today. I'm going to start off with Allie because she's first alphabetically. Allie Cannington is a white queer disabled community organizers advocate and educator. Allie, we were previously blessed to have Allie here at the youth transition fellow at NCIL a few years ago. She's the statewide organizers for a program of CFILC, the California foundation of ILCs. Allie, thank you for being here. Also with us is Keri Gray, Keri is a diversity and inclusion influencer, millennial and talent expert and public speaker. During the day, Keri is also newly ‑‑ congratulations, Keri ‑‑ the senior director of stakeholder engagement and communications at AAPD right downstairs from us. If I stomp loudly enough on the floor, Keri could probably hear me. I'm so excited to get started. I'm sure everyone is tired of hearing me. I'm going to turn it over to Allie to get us started. Allie? 
>> ALLIE CANNINGTON: Thanks so much, Tim. Can y'all hear me? Okay. Awesome. This is Allie speaking. I just want to take a moment and express a lot of gratitude to everyone on this call. I usually, you know, the ideal setting is that we're all in one room and that we can, you know, feel each other's vibes and engage in one another. I hope that we can bring that kind of energy into the time that we have together today. I just feel really grateful and honored to be able to do this alongside Keri who was, you know, the youth transitions fellow after me at NCIL. And I ‑‑ I want us to ‑‑ I'm here to help frame the dialogue for us today, and before I do that, I want to introduce myself with also my gender pronouns. So I use she and they pronouns. I do that because ‑‑ I've learned from a lot of the youth who I've worked with in the past who are LGBT which is a disproportionate amount of our disability community, and I introduce my pronouns because we can never assume someone's gender pronouns based on how they present to the world. 
    So getting to today's dialogue, first and foremost really as we think about what it means to invest in youth transition as a core service, I want us to think about the roots of IL. The roots of the movement that's brought us all here today, and that we are all working so hard and stretched in so many ways at an independent living center, but remembering that the work of youth transition is not just the support of each young person that walks ‑‑ that wheels or walks or limps through your ILC, but it is also an investment in the future of our movement. And that's just the bottom line. And also in today's dialogue, I just want to name that myself and Keri, we do not claim expertise, right? Like we are here to share what we've learned through the immense experiences that we've had in different ways through different lenses and what I hope is that you‑all are able to ‑‑ to take away key concepts and tools to further your local work in your area. 
    Which also leads to the fact that we are all working in different areas around the country, so this is all ‑‑ of course a national webinar. So please, you are all the experts and our continuously learning about the unique demographics after your catchment area for your independent living center. So balancing the larger concepts today and applying it to your local area, and then I also like to highlight that no matter whether you're 5 years old or 98, we are all always learning. And there ‑‑ although we have done independent living work for, you know, 40 plus years, there has been youth development work happening as well in other spaces. So I want to really encourage us to not have to recreate the wheel. And we really cannot do this work in isolation of each other nor other youth work that's happening outside of ILCs because youth with disabilities are everywhere. 
    And I hope that, you know, this can kind of help to frame what we move forward today. I'll pass it along to Keri. Next slide. 
>> KERI GRAY: Thank you. Can y'all hear me? Okay. Great. So I also want to start off and just say thank you to NCIL, the IL network and everyone for having me and both of us here to present today. This is a topic that I also consider extremely important to me and I'm sure to everyone that's on the call today. 
    I also will clarify that my pronouns are she/her. Excited to chat with y'all today. The first part of the presentation that we're going to get into is basically recruiting young people to be a part of your CILs, be a part of the program, time to create. In doing that, I think it's really important for us to understand this current generation of young folks. So the very beginning of the presentation, we're looking at what do young people value and how can we understand their values, how can we, you know, appreciate that so that we're able to incorporate it in our work. 
    And one of the things that young people have continuously said is they have a unique nature of valuing diversity and inclusion. So that meaning that they are in a place in their lives where they want to embrace the multitude of identities that they identify with and also even if they don't have a personal connection, they still want to see that level of representation. So we're talking about disability, we're talking about people of color, we're talking about gender, women, LGBTQ, immigrants, so many different types of folks that are not always traditionally at our table or at least not to a high degree and a high level, but young people at a place where they want to see it. They're hungry to see it. If you have that represented, it means something. 
    One particular framework that is really important when it comes to diversity and inclusion is this word called intersectionality. So intersectionality I know has been used a lot over the last couple of years, but I think it's always important to kind of go back to its origin. It was coined as a term in 1989 by a woman named Kimberly Crenshaw. She coined this word to describe the unique experiences of black women, specifically people who live at the intersections of both race and gender. And what she found is that when you live at the intersections of both of those identities, you have a unique experience to violence and discrimination. So that means that, say you have a situation where you experience sexual assault. Unfortunately, you know, that does happen quite a bit. And what she's saying is that when you look at the experience of violence that occurs through intersectionality, this person didn't experience the violence because they were black, because they were not selected because they were a black man, because they were a person of color to a certain nature. It wasn't just that. They weren't selected because of their gender. So meaning that, you know, they weren't targeted as a person who experiences violence because they didn't target white women. 
    They were specifically targeted because they were black and a woman. And the combination of those identities have made a unique experience that people want to understand and they want it to be heard and they need it to be understood. So if you research this term intersectionality, you will see that there are many court cases, there are many examples of in the employment setting, when we're talking about politics, when we're talking about policies and practices that it is because of the combinations of these identities together is what creates this experience of discrimination and violence. So it started from the framework of looking at what happens specifically to black women and then since then it's expanded to this idea of intersectionality as a framework that describes the unique experience of people that live with multiple marginalized identities. 
    That means that if you look at the bottom bullet, it can say what is your unique experience because you live at the intersection of race, gender, sexual orientation and disability. It's really important not to use the word "or."
You know, it's really important not to prioritize any of those identities over the other. It's important to note that the combination of any of those identities creates a unique experience. So when we're looking at recruiting and working with young people, it's important that when they walk into the room, we're not saying to them, oh, you're disabled, like, identity. That's important, but if they also walk into the room with color, with queerness, with gender, those things also need to be discussed and heard. 
    If we go to the next slide, I just want to break this concept down just a little bit more as it does relate specifically to disability. So intersectionality, as I mentioned, originally started from the framework of looking at the experiences of black women. And since then, we've been able to study intersectionality as it relates to disability. So one thing that I want to point out ‑‑ I'm just going to read this definition. It says, we must expand beyond working with disabled folks that are the easiest to assimilate into our already existing cultures. This means we should not recruit or work with or have on our staffs and boards disabled folks that are the most privileged race, gender, sexual orientation, et cetera. So this essentially is acknowledging the diversity of our disability community. If we look at the statistics, we understand that the majority of people with ‑‑ people with disabilities are also people of color. In fact, we see that about 30% in the American Indian, native American population, about one in four black people have disabilities. About one in five white folks have disabilities. And it goes from there. 
    And so you just kind of see that there's this demographic and understanding that we're intersecting with each other. We can see one other statistic I'll mention is that among lesbian and gays and bisexual adults ‑‑ unfortunately I don't have the stats on queer and trans folks ‑‑ 30 to 40% of folks have a disability. These people are stepping into our centers, they're stepping into our spaces. Again, we have to think about how are we not ensuring that the people of a predominant race are existing. And just to be a little bit more clear about that, we have to think about the idea of is the majority of our staff, the majority of our programs, are they white people? Are they heterosexual folks? Are they folks that are of the same gender? If so, how can we ensure we're transferring into something that really represents the diversity of our communities? Allie, do you have anything you want to add to that? 
>> ALLIE CANNINGTON: No, I ‑‑ I think that you said it perfectly. Thanks, Keri. 
>> KERI GRAY: Appreciate that. Cool. So if we go to the next slide, so we know that when it comes to working with young folks with disabilities that they value diversity and inclusion on a whole nother level and that it's really, really important that we look at our practices through a framework of intersectionality. So that means acknowledging their unique experiences and their intersection. That means, you know, making sure that we aren't having them choose one identity over another. And then, too, we're looking at the representation on employment and the different opportunities that exist so that we can operate out of this framework. 
    But we do also recognize that it is challenging just to get disabled folks in the door sometimes. I can say for myself, it took me 20 years for me to acknowledge that I had a disability. For me to want to step into any type of environment where I felt like I could talk about this, I could be open about it. So this slide right here is an example of the things that we're up against. Poster kids and Jerry kids is the name of the slide. And I'm sure many of us have seen these types of images in the past with the ‑‑ one of them is a ‑‑ a poster from St. Jude's commercial. Another one is a kid with two amputated legs running, smiling and saying your excuse is invalid. And these types of images are all over whether it's the media, whether it's different promotions and events. And as you get older, you know, when you become a teenager, when you become an adult, you don't want to be associated with that type of image. And it affects you in wanting to be able to step into a CIL, which we know are empowering, which we know are helpful, but because of the stigma and all of these other images, how do we get past this? 
    If you go to the next slide, it just gives one more example of this. So it talks about disability day of mourning where we honor the lives of people killed by their parents or caregivers and it talks about the disproportionate level of violence that young people with disabilities face. And so it's challenging. I think it's ‑‑ the point of these slides is just to acknowledge the fact that when we're working with young people, we're fighting, you know, not only the imagery that they experience every single day, but we're also fighting against the violence that they experience because of their disability and other intersections that they exist in. 
    And so we need to be thinking creatively and innovatively about how we can take these ‑‑ take our branding, take our programs and initiatives in a way that doesn't continue to beat them down, but shows them that this is something to be a part of. You can go to the next slide. 
>> ALLIE CANNINGTON: Thanks, Keri. Sorry. It was muted. 
    So as we ‑‑ as Keri shared, you know, there's barriers upon barriers that we're ‑‑ we're facing when trying to do the work of independent living, the work of disability rights. And it's ‑‑ you know, I think what my experience has been in working with young people both within independent living movement as well as within other youth serving organizations that we're not disability‑specific, but we're disproportionately serving young people with disabilities, it's really helpful to name things, right? Because whether or not we give a name to something, people are still feeling all of the barriers and all of the pain and all of the complexities that Keri was speaking to. And so as we continue to build a foundation of what we're going to further discuss today in terms of investing youth in our centers, I ‑‑ I think it's ‑‑ it's never the wrong time to talk about the social and medical model of disability. 
    And, you know, I'm sure everyone on this call is familiar with these concepts, right? But a majority of folks coming through our doors, whether that be, you know, young people, older adults, kids, most likely this is going to be the first time that ‑‑ that they are understanding their experiences of disability and oppression within a larger context. And that it's complex and that disability pride exists and you can be proud and you can also experience pain. And there's just a nuance that I don't ‑‑ that I think can be really appealing and helpful to talk through with young people. 
    And then in terms of, you know, naming the form of oppression that we face as people with disabilities, which is ableism and so, you know, I ‑‑ I've noticed that there's kind of a spectrum within centers of using that term, but my experience ‑‑ just speaking from my experience with young people with disabilities who are experiencing a multitude of other oppressions as Keri spoke to, having a word that names our oppression in terms of disability is really helpful. Not just in connecting someone's personal experiences to larger systems at play, but also building connections amidst other parts of who they are, right? And that you can experience multiple oppressions. Racism, ableism, sexism, for example. 
    And so ableism as just a refresher is the oppression against people can disabilities. And I ‑‑ the oppression against people with disabilities based on their disability, right, or their perceived disability. And ‑‑ and one thing I really like to illuminate here is that this oppression is benefiting able‑bodied people at the expense of people with disabilities. As able‑bodied people are experiencing access and opportunity, that is actually juxtapositioning with ‑‑ if that's the right word ‑‑ with ‑‑ with people with disabilities experiencing oppression as a result of that privilege. 
    And so any kind of oppression takes ‑‑ plays a role in our lives in a variety of ways. One way is systems, right? So there's actually laws and ‑‑ that intentionally still discriminate against people with disabilities. There are, you know, I just ‑‑ I just was reminded yesterday that California is one of the 33 states where, you know, your child can be taken away from you based on disability. That's in the law. That's systematic ableism. And the laws that, you know, whether that be, you know, explicit discrimination or implicit, which is less obvious, that feeds into the systems. The government agencies, the organizations that influence our community on a daily basis, right? So in addition to systematic or institutional ableism, there is also the individualized ‑‑ individual level of ableism which means that, you know, for instance Keri would ‑‑ we would have an interaction and Keri would discriminate against me based on my disability. And then all of this oppression is really surrounding our lives, let's be real. 
    One ‑‑ the second we're born onto this planet, we are absorbing everything. Everything. And the world tells us the disability is less than. And so ‑‑ and the laws tell us that. And so we internalize this and then people with disabilities often ‑‑ I still struggle with internalized ableism. So the sense of I internalize the ableism that I've soaked in my whole life. And so do many people with disabilities. And I also like to name not just ableism here, but audism. Audism is the term that the deaf community coined for the specific oppression facing folks who are deaf and it's the fact that our world benefits those who are hearing at the expense of those who do not hear or who are hard of hearing. 
    And so with oppression of course there are disproportionate levels of trauma, violence, and that ‑‑ all of ‑‑ all of these really like painful realities that we sit and move through every day are impacting the young people that we would like to serve or that are currently being served within our independent living center. I just want to highlight the last statement. It's bolded. The IL philosophy and work of centers of independent living combats ableism at all levels. Systems change, support, and so really thinking about these pieces and how they intersect with other kinds of oppression and how that impacts the young people in our communities. Keri, is there anything else that you would like to add? 
>> KERI GRAY: I think that covers it. 
>> ALLIE CANNINGTON: Next slide, Tim. 
>> KERI GRAY: Okay. So I know we've been a little heavy, but this next slide is some of the things about this generation that I just get excited about youth. Maybe I'm biased. It excites me when I think about who this generation is. Talking about generation ADA, often times we are talking about folks that are around about 35 and younger. These are folks ‑‑ and that's mostly like the millennial generation, generation Y and X. Generation ADA specifically is empty term coined for folks after the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990. So those folks would be around 29 around this time or younger. 
    So looking at that generation, there's a couple of characteristics that I think will help when we're developing our programs and our outreach activities. One, I would talk about, they are typically very entrepreneurial minded. So that means that, one, they're really oftentimes interested in trying something new. Very interested in learning new skills and they have a multitude of passion. So what's different about that from other generations is that you might have a generation where you end up getting a job and you work there for the next, you know, 30, 50 years of your life. When we look at the characteristics of this current generation, we see that by the age of 30, they may have already had somewhere between six to ten different jobs. And every two to four years, they like to try something like very new. 
    So this in some ways can feel very overwhelming. If you're having an organization and trying to create strategies and programs that you can move and scale and things of that nature. But if we understand the entrepreneurial mind, we can learn to leverage that. So that means that, you know, when it comes to disability rights, when it comes to advocacy, there's so many different areas that we want to touch on. It could be education. It could be voting. It could be, you know, poverty, all these different things. And if we find a way to rotate our interests within the young people that we work with, we can help keep them engaged and we can expand the efforts of the things that we cover in our work. So just bearing that in mind. 
    A second thing that I would point out about this generation which is probably not very new to folks is that they are very technology oriented. So what you probably see today is that, you know, there are 2‑year‑olds and 5‑year‑olds that have iPads at this point. And we know that people are constantly on their phone. Not everyone has access to the same level of technology, but we know generally speaking that is kind of a societal move that's happening. And so with that, we want to think about how we can leverage technology in our outreach efforts. How we can leverage technology in the programming that we build, and how we can allow the trends and the ways in which it evolves to help us and to move for us and not against us. 
    So a couple of things to just bear in mind. Next slide. 
>> ALLIE CANNINGTON: So the big question, which we've ‑‑ we've kind of touched on, how does all of what Keri and I have shared connect to youth transition. And, you know, as we've talked about intersectionality, as we talked about generation ADA, as we talked about, you know, the systems of oppression. I already am reading a great question about oppression that I hope we can explore in this Q&A. I just want us to all kind of take a deep breath like we just went over a lot. And just think about what ‑‑ what you have heard so far, how does it ‑‑ how does this connect to the youth transition work that you are currently doing or that you want to ‑‑ want to do more of. And I think we'll move into our first Q&A session. 
>> TIM FUCHS: Great. Thanks, Allie. Thanks, Keri. So we now have five to ten minutes set aside to take your general sessions, but also would love to hear your responses to the question that Allie and Keri just posed about how you think the previous slides from this first part of the presentation connect to youth transition. 
    I'm going to start with the questions that came in while we wait for those other responses to ‑‑ to come in. So first, Denise asks: How can we bring rural areas together when barriers such as transportation, technology, and opportunity are not available? And I'll start with you, Allie. I know California has not just rural, but even frontier areas. So what do you think? 
>> ALLIE CANNINGTON: Thanks, Tim. You know, again, y'all, like, I'm ‑‑ I ‑‑ I just want to reiterate that you are all experts on your areas. I really ‑‑ and I have so much to learn in terms of what it means to participate, lead, and support rural organizing and rural programming. So I am not the expert. What I will say, though, is that there ‑‑ I already can notice that there are folks on ‑‑ on this ‑‑ on this call, on this webinar that I know are doing that work. And I think it's really important that Keri and I name ‑‑ I'll just speak for both of us ‑‑ that like ‑‑ you know, that ‑‑ that there's a really ‑‑ there are barriers that rural communities face that that are not the same as urban or suburban spaces. 
    So, you know, I ‑‑ I wonder ‑‑ like one of my questions would be what is the level of internet access available in your rural communities. And I know that that also ranges immensely. But, you know, my first go‑to is thinking about there is a ‑‑ an incredible, rich organizing and community and cultural space within the disability community online. Whether that be Twitter, whether that be Facebook. And so I would also, you know, think about there's so many free platforms nowadays. For instance, Google Hangout where, you know, a group of young people ‑‑ and it may be an adult ally could host a conversation online. But, again, we would have to talk about access to internet. So ‑‑ which just further articulates the importance of talking specifically about rural youth work, and I really want to elevate the work of APRIL and the mentorship that they do. And I'll ‑‑ I'll stop there. 
>> TIM FUCHS: Okay. Great. And I want to ‑‑ I actually wanted to bring this up during our Q&A break anyhow. But one of the things that I wanted to mention is that APRIL is actually doing a series of calls just for youth coordinators. And we had previously done some of this through NCIL. They're doing this through the IL‑NET project now, which is the same project we're doing today's call through. I believe it's like the first Tuesday of every month. It's April 16, May 7, May 21st and June 4th. So not the first, but one ‑‑ one a month for the next few months. And you can check out APRIL's home page or the IL‑NET page to find out more about that. I'm also happy to point you to the link. Just be aware of that. The first call is actually on Tuesday, April 2nd. So coming up just around the corner. And they'll work through a lot of these same ‑‑ same issues. Keri, did you have anything you wanted to add? 
>> KERI GRAY: No, I would definitely highlight APRIL on that question. 
>> TIM FUCHS: Thanks. All right. Next question comes from Darren. Darren says: Please clarify oppression versus ‑‑ clarify oppression versus difference. I'm not sure that most people can define that. I'm not sure most able bodied people wake up in the morning and intentionally decide to oppress people with disabilities. Allie, do you want to ‑‑ I see you shaking your head. Do you want to start on that one? 
>> ALLIE CANNINGTON: I'm happy to. I have many thoughts on this and it's a great question. Thank you so much for asking it. Keri, do you have any thoughts first? And then I'm happy to go after. You let me know. 
>> KERI GRAY: Sure. Yeah, I'll just ‑‑ I'll just touch on a couple of things. So one ‑‑ yeah, I'm glad you asked this question. I'll touch on the oppression part. I'm not sure I understand the oppression versus different. But in relation to your oppression question, I think one topic that's really challenging for all of us to kind of fit in is this idea that all of us have privilege that we leverage. Whether it's intentional or unintentional, sometimes that just doesn't matter, it happens. So I'll use an example of myself first and then I'll kind of get a little specific. So I'm a black disabled woman, but I'm not queer. And because of that, I constantly have to check myself and I have to learn what are the experiences of people who are queer and the privilege that I have that in some ways continue to create this nature of oppression. 
    So for instance, this idea that, you know, when marriage was an issue, this idea of getting access to all of your partner's information in every situation, such as going to the hospital, access to job opportunities, like if you were queer, you have a unique experience to that of discrimination and violence that I don't have. And so it is part of my responsibility to speak on it and it's part of my responsibility to acknowledge it and be a part of that conversation or it adds to the oppression. And, again, I don't take the term intentional or unintentional weighted. I just acknowledge that that exists and it's creating harm. 
    So I think in other situations, you know, even able‑bodied individuals who are not intentionally trying to cause harm or oppression still have to acknowledge that we exist in a society where their privilege does exist. And so what do we need to be doing to ensuring when we're talking about young people and we're talking about their futures and like the access that we want them to get control of, their own livelihood, their bodies. Like all of that is like not only important, but it's like ‑‑ it's critical. It's their livelihood, like life or death, right? And so when we're thinking ‑‑ so that's what I would just mention. I would just say we have to sit in it, we have to wrestle with it. We're not trying to point fingers at anybody, but it is part of the conversation. 
>> ALLIE CANNINGTON: If it's okay, I'll just add briefly. So this is Allie. I ‑‑ I think the distinction between difference and oppression is oppression to me the way I've ‑‑ I've learned about the definition is that it connects to those systems that I was talking about and also connects to historic discrimination. So history, right, of an entire peoples whether that be, you know, indigenous folks, whether that be people with disabilities, whether that be LGBT folks, African‑American black folks, like there's a history of discrimination that influences the world we currently live in. Difference is also real, right? Like Tim has a beautiful beard right now. And I do not. Right? Our facial hair is different. And that's important, but it doesn't connect to ‑‑ it doesn't ‑‑ it's not the same as connecting with an experience that relates to a history of an entire group of people being pushed down by another group that has more ‑‑ that ‑‑ that has unfortunately more privilege and power, right? 
    And the other thing I'll share is, you know, as a white person, I, you know, I spend a lot of my life thinking that I had nothing to do with racism because I didn't feel that, you know, I ‑‑ I was directly being racist to anyone, right? But I think what I've learned and what's really shook me and I think this work, this ‑‑ these conversations we're talking about right now are so crucial to everything we do and it's uncomfortable. And so I just want to like sit in ‑‑ be able to sit in that discomfort and say that that's how we grow. So one thing I've learned in acknowledging my white privilege and learning about what it means to be a white person in the United States right now is that a core characteristic of privilege is that it goes unsaid. Right? So you notice that, you know, in articles, right, in newspapers, you usually see, you know, people being, you know, talked about as, you know, an Asian person or a black person, but you rarely hear people say a white person, right? That's the ‑‑ the way that privilege is hidden. 
    Even though I experience ‑‑ I experience a certain kind of life because I am white versus folks who are not, who experience racism. And whether or not I intentionally participate in re schism, because we live in this ‑‑ in racism, because we live in this world, unless I am actually always working on being anti‑racist, I am a part of the system of racism by being white. So it is a responsibility to me to ‑‑ to constantly be checking myself, as Keri talked about in terms of being straight, constantly checking myself and thinking about how can I be in solidarity, how can I learn about what it means to be an alliship with communities of color. 
>> TIM FUCHS: Thanks, Allie. That's great. We're going to have to move on, but I want to get to this next question. It's actually a couple questions that I'm going to paraphrase here. Two people have asked, you know, how can I work with LGBT youth when in one instance I'm in a very religious area at a state where youth don't ‑‑ quote, unquote don't identify that way or don't want to hear that or aren't out. And the other one is when parents don't want me talking about that with them. I'd love to hear your thoughts on that. Allie, do you want to kick us off? 
>> ALLIE CANNINGTON: Sure. I have many thoughts, and I really appreciate the questions. I think that, you know, one of the core components of ‑‑ of a youth ‑‑ of youth development practices is safety. And, you know, disproportionately LGBT youth feel unsafe, often in all areas, including their home and in school and in ‑‑ in every ‑‑ pretty much every space. And so, you know, I think individual advocacy here and one‑on‑one peer support is the most powerful and safest thing you can do for ‑‑ for a young person who is struggling with being in a transphobic or homophobic or both environment. So, you know, it's ‑‑ yes, there are ‑‑ there's like systems change that needs a happen, right, to create more acceptance. But first and foremost, I would center that particular young person you're working with, and you know, if they do feel comfortable, having a one‑on‑one meaning, you know, going to a space they feel comfortable in and maybe they choose and say, hey, I'd really love to chat. And actually sit down with them. 
    If they are out,  right, if they are out as LGBT, engage in a dialogue about what can I do to support you in taking care of yourself and in feeling the safest that you can. Because the reality is, is that they may not come out or they may not, you know ‑‑ and so to me, number one step, is you know, are we able to support those young people in putting together a self‑care and like safety plan for them.
And then reminding ‑‑ and being, you know, aware of ‑‑ of the timing of that, right? So if they're in a group with a majority of folks who are straight and religious and don't connect, not that there aren't LGBT religious folks, like that's not the space to bring it up. Then that would put that young person ‑‑ that LGBT young person at risk. So that would be my first step. And actually, even before doing that, make sure that as a ‑‑ as a ‑‑ a staff person at the ILC, remembering the ‑‑ what we started with, that we always have more to learn and that, you know, that person is going to identify how they identify. And I think that needs to be affirmed. Because there's so many different identities now as we continue to evolve, especially with young people in this generation, that we may not ‑‑ you may not understand what it means to be gender queer. But the last ‑‑ the last thing that person is going to want to hear, that young person's going to want to hear is, oh, what's that, or ‑‑ great question is, oh, I'd love to learn about what experience means to you and how I can support you. 
>> TIM FUCHS: Great. Thanks, Allie. I'm going to move on only in the interest of time. Thanks so much. You guys made quick work of some really complex discussions. I'm going to go ahead and slide 14. We're going to stick with you, Allie. 
>> ALLIE CANNINGTON: All right,  y'all. So we're going to go back and get our thinking caps on in terms of youth transition and youth as a core service at our centers. So whether, you know, you are ‑‑ you already have a robust program or you're just, you know, starting to really dive deep into what youth transition looks like at your center, there is never the wrong time to do an environmental scan. Meaning, where young people already being served in your community. So the first question I'd ask: Are you already serving young people 14 to 28‑year‑olds within your center? Already, right? That's most likely the case. They may not be doing youth transition work specifically as the way that we envision it, but there may be young people already in your center. And I would also ‑‑ so the first bullet point says seek referrals from your personal and professional networks. Not just within your CIL but within the tables you're already sitting at. Ask questions about where ‑‑ what are your favorite youth‑serving organizations or, you know, do you know any youth leadership programs or YMCAs that you really connect with, right? 
    Which follows to the second bullet, which is identify key youth‑serving organizations in your area. And I ‑‑ I just have to say that I've ‑‑ I've worked at several youth direct service leadership advocacy, you know, case management, quote unquote, organizations that serve thousands of young people. And although they were not saying they were serving youth with disabilities, a majority of the youth that I worked with were youths with disabilities. A majority were ‑‑ had nonapparent disabilities, but as soon as, you know, for instance working with youth experiencing homelessness, as soon as I was able to provide them like the framework of even access and accommodations, their whole world opened up. And I thought about, wow, I cannot wait for hopefully this young person to get connected to an ILC. So I ‑‑ I share that because there are young people with disabilities in all youth organizations, whether or not they have an official diagnosis, which doesn't matter at a CIL. You self‑identify. And that, you know, I just lost my train of thought. But there are youth with disabilities everywhere. Identify those key youth‑serving organizations. 
    Identify also not just non‑disability specific organizations but disability‑specific organizations in your area serving youth. Are there any specific mental health youth groups organizations in your area. Are you connected to the ARC. I saw a question earlier that we weren't able to get to. It was about how do we build unity across disability. That's a question I ask myself all the time. Youth with disability in our community as a whole is so diverse and how do we kind of break down the silos the ways that we're separate from each other and come together. So youth transition is another way to do that. Also, you know, identify public and non‑public high schools and colleges in your area. And then are there key government‑funded agencies that are serving young people, you know, department of behavioral services, regional centers, department of rehab. All of you are probably connected to these already, but are you engaging in their youth‑specific services that those government agencies are doing. 
    One other piece that I love are public libraries. Public libraries are spaces where, you know, disproportionate amount of folks who experience a multitude of oppression hang out in. You know, again, this ranges in areas, you know, there's some rural areas where libraries are closing down, right? Again, these are larger concepts, but thinking about building those connections and ‑‑ and then as you are doing this environmental scan, really, you know, take ‑‑ take the time ‑‑ although it may not have any immediate ‑‑ any immediate, like, positive impact, building relationships, grabbing ‑‑ you know, reaching out to the YMCA and saying, hey, I'd love to talk about areas of connection between the work we're doing here at the center and the work you're doing with youth. Because those relationships will help foster a reciprocal relationship where your center is being supported, where you're supporting another organization, and that most likely you'll be getting referrals and being able to connect to young people that may ‑‑ may not know that an independent living center exists for them. 
    Lastly, key search terms if you're doing, you know, Google search which is nothing wrong with that. Search youth services, youth development organizations, TAY, which stands for Transitional Age Youth, in your area. Next slide. And then, you know, we're not really diving deep around program design and development today, but I ‑‑ I wanted to just pose these questions to all of you as you continue to think about furthering your youth work. I already said this, but what is your CIL doing already that's engaging 14 through 28‑year‑olds. Again, I want to honor like the ‑‑ the ‑‑ our capacities, right, as each independent living center. We do so much amazing work and it's a lot. So what are we already doing and how can youth transition and be integrated into what's already happening at your center. 
    With your environmental scan, consider your capacity. Whether that be staffing, budget, physical space. The greatest needs of youth in your area or the youth involved in your center. Asking the youth already involved in your center what they would want to see as they're thinking about, you know, transitioning into adulthood. And will your CIL's youth work be integrated into an existing program, will there be on new on‑site program or an offsite programming and service delivery option. For instance, thinking about where young people are already hanging out and starting to build relationships with where they already feel safe and comfortable because they're experiencing so much. Next slide. 
>> KERI GRAY: All right. So we've recruited some folks into our CILs, into our program, what are some more ideas of what we can do? So this slide talks about some ways that many of us have been able to really engage young folks. So political and social education is ‑‑ and actually really interesting and great way to get people energized and to transfer the knowledge that they have, the things that they're trying to learn about, and get them ‑‑ if they're interested in advocacy, if they're interested in activism and organizing. So I'll give you an example. I've done a collaboration with Morgan State University which is a University of Baltimore. We did a political education around ‑‑ with young folks in the area around what does it mean to be politically active and how can we engage people in our local areas around the topics that are important to us. And so political and social educations are really teaching folks and equipping them on new skills so that they can do it for themselves. 
    So that being teaching on the medical or social model, activities of daily living, political work, any of that can be really interesting. I would also say peer networking groups are amazing. Oftentimes when I'm working with young people, like they're looking to meet their peers. They're looking for more spaces where they can connect to folks in their same age group. And so the more that we can create spaces that we're not necessarily having to be the leader on, if we're not in their age bracket, but we're just creating a space for them to connect with their own peers that is extremely appealing and helpful. There's all different types of activities, advocacy programs, but I would also definitely say community events are ‑‑ are big and really, really helpful. So we've seen CILs conduct everything when it comes to community events that are centered around food that can be centered around beer, that can be centered around mentoring, education. You name it. Those types of things are appealing because people ultimately ‑‑ and a lot of ‑‑ not everybody, but a lot of people really do like to be in the same space, get to know each other, and do an activity that's for a greater cause. 
    So these are a few examples that we have seen be successful. If we go to the next slide. So one of the things that I want to touch on is employment. So even as a young person, you could be working with 14‑year‑olds and they are in a place where they're looking for employment and they're looking for opportunities. And that might sound harsh, should a 14‑year‑old be working, is that even legal? But we have to remember that we're working with marginalized communities and there's connection to low income. They're looking for some level of employment opportunity, not just because you want a couple of extra dollars to go hang out with your friends, but because you're looking for extra funds to be a part of your household, to help keep your water on and your electricity. 
    So one of the things we find helpful in working with young people is this idea of teaching economic empowerment. We realize that this is important because a lot of our community is still facing pretty aggregated results when it comes to unemployment. So this slide shows that we have twice as many people with disabilities that are unemployed than those that aren't. But to talk about that in terms of young people with disabilities, so youth unemployment is typically around 13%, but youth unemployment with disabilities is about 25%. 
    And so when we're thinking about young people who are constantly looking for opportunities, this is one of the places where we can really make a big impact. If we go to the next slide. So one of the things that I was able to work on ‑‑ so this information from the current slide and the slide before this comes from a report that was released by a company called Assensure. They studied large companies to see whether increased benefit to working with people with disabilities. So I understand like as CILs, sometimes we're connected to large companies. You could be working in a city where there's like Microsoft and Bank of America and all these other places that are hiring. You could also be looking at this from the standpoint of local businesses and small businesses. And also at some point or another needing employment, needing volunteers, needing community engagement. So this research shows things that we know. It shows the value, something that you can present if you're trying to pitch to different companies and organizations of working with the young folks that you work with. But it definitely shows that there are large economic benefits to having diversity. 
    Diversity pushes results, it makes us stronger as an organization, and that diversity includes people with disabilities definitely. I would also just finally say when it comes to the employment piece that I think a beautiful thing that I've been able to do when working with young people is just exposure. I remember taking some of my young folks to the Merck headquarters out in New Jersey. The moment that they walked through those doors, it's like they've never seen a place like this before. I remember being one of those young folks. I've never been in one of these fancy buildings and they're looking like they're doing important things and labs and cafeterias and all this and that. And when you're in these spaces, it completely starts to open people's minds to the possibilities. Some folks, when at a young age you want to be able to do ‑‑ work at your local hardware store and you want to be able to learn about tools and that's amazing. Then there's also this idea that some young folks have a love for sports, but they never consider the idea as a young person with a disability, could I work for ESPN one day, could I work for one of those places. 
    I think we can do a lot when it comes to preparing folks for economic empowerment, but also connecting the dots and building relationships so that we can dream as big and as large as we want to. Next slide. 
>> TIM FUCHS: Okay. All right. Great job. So just in the interest of time, I'm just going to catch up on those questions we didn't make it to in the last break. And then we'll make sure to capture the rest of the pending questions in the final Q&A at the end of the call. 
    I know the next question in the queue was from Darren. I think this is the one you eluded to Allie. How can we more effectively deal with apathy and getting people with differing disabilities on the same page in terms of advocacy? I realize we could spend a day and a half talking about that, but Keri, do you want to kick us off on some ideas about getting people to care about this and helping them build their connection to issues of advocacy in their lives? 
>> KERI GRAY: I would definitely say storytelling makes a big difference. You know, there's all different types of people. There's going to be, I think, certain folks that you just start to realize that they're not going to grow the apathy, you know? And that's frustrating and annoying and harmful, but for those that we do have a chance that ‑‑ I've often seen that if we do see some type of lack of apathy, it's usually due to ignorance. And I would say the more that we tell stories about our experience, the more that it starts to resonate with people. I remember telling the story about one of my students and she going on like a hundred different job opportunities and just struggling. And people hearing that story and thinking about all the different times that they've had to search for jobs and it begin to resonate with them. 
    And I remember ending that story and saying, you know, the moment that the recruiters found out that she was blind, it made a difference. And it resonated with folks because they thought about, you know, their tattoos, about all the different things that have had people have questions about them.
And they started to understand that there's something going on here and maybe I should be a part of the larger conversation. 
>> TIM FUCHS: Thanks, Keri. Allie, anything you want to add? 
>> ALLIE CANNINGTON: Just briefly. I ‑‑ I think one thing we haven't named, but a majority of people with disabilities outside of IL may not ‑‑ may not identify as people with disabilities. Have not had the access that we have all had to have a ‑‑ have a politicized concept of disability, meaning that disability is something that's connected to larger systems, right? A movement of people with disabilities who have fought for our rights to be able to be in ‑‑ have access to what we need, even though there's a lot of work to do. There's, you know, still this ‑‑ this larger concept and ‑‑ and that's really empowering. And the reality is that a majority of folks don't have access to that framework. And so I think it's really, really crucial ‑‑ and this is happening at all centers already, but, you know, meeting folks where they are and remembering that we were, you know, a majority of us on this call probably were not lucky enough to be born into a family where disability pride and disability history and ableism were openly talked about from a young age. 
    So I think meeting folks where they are and also inquiring, like, what do they enjoy. What makes them laugh. What ‑‑ and if there's nothing, right, because that's real for folks, then maybe just inquiring about, you know, what are some of the reasons why you feel this way. I think, you know, Keri mentioned sharing stories. I really love this concept that I learn from this amazing activist named Kim Crosby. She talks about possibility models. So instead of role models, which kind of can create some comparison, a possibility model ‑‑ a possibility model is thinking about someone who ‑‑ who lives their life and does things in a way that creates a sense of possibility for yourself. 
    So thinking about how centers can ‑‑ how we can be more ‑‑ be possibility models for the young people that come through our doors.
And lastly, I think intersectionality plays a role in all these conversations. So looking at, you know, if a young black man comes into a center and it's a majority white staff, it's going to be harder to reach that young person. Like let's just be real, right? Or if someone ‑‑ and especially, you know, what if that young person ‑‑ young black man has an intellectual disability and there's no one on staff who identifies in that way, it's going to be harder to break through that apathy because it's going to be harder for them to have possibility models because folks don't ‑‑ don't look like them, right? And that doesn't mean you can't still work with that young person, but it's acknowledging those barriers and that distinction and how ‑‑ how alliship can be built and reaching out to your networks and seeing if there are other spaces also that that young person can be around more other, you know, young black men or, you know, enriched in more black communities. 
>> TIM FUCHS: Great. All right. Great ideas. All right. I'm going to go ahead to slide 20 and turn it back over to Keri for the next section. 
>> KERI GRAY: All right. So we want to talk about how do we attract and create inclusive environments for young people in our CILs. So this kind of goes with the idea that Allie was just discussing, is that we still have a ton of people who don't identify with disability have questions and concerns about it. It's a journey. Like even if you do get to the point that you start identifying with your disability, there are layers and ‑‑ and different bumps along the way when it comes to that. And part of our responsibility is looking at the environment that we're creating so that people can continue to, you know, ask those questions and feel good about it. So if you go to the next slide. So some of this comes with, you know, the ideas of branding. And so here on this slide kind of discusses some of the questions that we can be asking in order to create spaces that are appealing, that are safe, that are ‑‑ allow us to think critically and in our own way. 
    So what is your mission and message. From the jump. Why should I come here? What are we doing that allows people to say this is going to be helpful to me. Is your message unique. And I do want to say that sometimes we don't have to, you know ‑‑ my CIL has to be completely different from, you know, the CIL that's ten minutes away from me. You know, that's not what we're saying. But this idea of your message being unique and how does it resonate with this current generation and how is it something that doesn't sound like the same old same old that people have been hearing their whole lives and may or may not be making a difference. Does it resonate. How often are we communicating and on what platform? I think if we are able to go through these questions, we're able to better reach and those concerns that we talked about on ‑‑ towards the beginning of the presentation when we were discussing the images that looked like pity model and poster kids and the violence that people are experiencing, you know, branding does not address all of that, but it does start to try to create a new narrative that can be attractive to young folks. 
    So on the next slide, I give an example of this. So this is from a project that I've been working on via Instagram. Feel free to check me out @Kerigray90. This picture shows a picture of me, a black woman. You see I have a prosthetic leg on my right limb. It's a little busted up. It's got a crack in the middle of the knee so you see the metal coming out and I'm wearing a red romper and I'm talking in the picture. And next to what I'm just thinking about like life. And I'm talking and I'm saying, I just want to be free in who I am. And then I realized I have a say in the matter. We have a say in the matter. You see the scars across my body, I used to be ashamed of them. It told a story that I wasn't ready to share and let the questions that I would much rather ignore. It was a constant reminder that people would see me different and thus treat me different. All these years I let fear hold me back. But look at my sense of joy today, look at my sense of freedom. 
    And for me, this was a project and an opportunity to define my own narrative based upon the experiences that I've had over the years. I mentioned just part of my personal story that, you know, I'm not quite 30, but for the large majority of my life, my disability, the scars along my body, I have just so many insecurities about them. And I've heard that story over and over and over again from the young people I work with. Why should I tell people I have a psychiatric disability. Am I really about to do that? A learning disability? And I'm already black? It's just like all of these different things interconnected and do we feel safe to be in a place to express our identity and leverage in it way that gives us meaning and freedom in life. That's just one of the things that I would mention is in our CILs and like how can we explore the identity of our CILs, our mission, and allow that to be something that gives space for young people to do the same. Next slide. 
>> ALLIE CANNINGTON: All right. So thank you, Keri, for sharing your truth with us. I think it's a beautiful example of a possibility model. So thank you. 
    And I'll just do a quick little blurb on outreach. So the environmental scan that you ‑‑ you did turns into your outreach list. Those relationships that you're building with organizations that are disability and non‑disability organizations, they're, you know ‑‑ they're the folks that you want to outreach to. I think also attending and tabling at key stakeholder events. So what ‑‑ are there ‑‑ and they don't have to be disability specific either. Disability is everywhere. So whether that be a local community college career event or, you know, often there are transition fairs. Making sure that your CIL has a table that you're sharing the information with those who come by your table whether or not they have a visible disability because you just never know. And then of course when you think about outreach, you want to utilize your existing relationships and networks and you want to think about how do you transition work that you're doing, the outreach that you're doing, how is that being communicated across your staff at your center. And are the same messaging that Keri was speaking to. Are folks on the same page internally at your CIL about that message that we're giving to young people or ‑‑ or parents that are receiving services. Maybe they have a kid, right? 
    Also external communication methods. You know, of course Keri has spoken to social media outlets and, you know, there's ‑‑ there's several hash tags that are really, you know, that are widely used in the disability community. And being able to utilize hash tags as a tool to engage with more people, especially young people, is a great tip I would recommend. And then also young people, majority of which may not use their e‑mail. That's been my experience. And the quickest way to get to them is text. And if they do have access to a cell phone. And so I actually and often of course because of a lot of different reasons, we can't have cell phones that we use at work. But you can easily make a Google number that you can make through Google and you can actually give that as your contact number and you can text the young people that you're working with. And that can be their main way of communication or one of the ways that they can communicate with them. You can send them reminders before events or, you know, anything of that sort. It's a great tool that I hope more and more folks can ‑‑ can use if you ‑‑ if you aren't already using it. Next slide. 
    So, again, it's going back to how do we, you know, create, strengthen, and sustain programming specifically the youth core service. And I want to start by utilizing and talking about youth development practices. Youth transition work is youth development. We don't use that term really in the IL space, but it is youth development. There are so many resources out there, y'all. There's so many like pre‑created curriculums that you can adapt to your center. Like we do not have to recreate the wheel, right? Time is precious. And so many folks have spent years studying and ‑‑ and looking at how youth development practices can be applied to so many different groups. 
    So there's five key components to youth development practices. And you'll see different variations, but I wanted to go with the main five, the most general five. And that's number one is safety. So speaking to a lot of the young people that, you know, all these situations that we've spoken to, there's so much oppression, there's often, you know, inconsistency of services, of support. And so when we think about building, you know ‑‑ we can't be able to support that young person in their goals and leadership and transition into adulthood without first and foremost creating a sense of safety. And that means, you know, there's the importance and power of consistency. So are you consistently in communication with them. Is there follow‑through on ‑‑ on your end, and most likely there won't be as much on their end. But it ‑‑ the more consistent you are, the more there will be that ‑‑ that sense of trust to be built. 
    Safety, there's emotional safety, there's physical safety, there are, you know ‑‑ it can be very helpful to establish group agreements. If you're doing groups ‑‑ youth groups, you want the ‑‑ the young people to help create group agreements that can inform how the space can be as safe as possible. Also, agreements within even a one‑on‑one meeting. Like what are the values that, you know, you and the young person that you're working with want to practice when you're doing a one‑on‑one session with them. Also really thinking about trauma‑informed support and trauma‑informed work. There's again a lot of resources out there and we don't ‑‑ I believe that we don't talk about trauma enough in our IL community and in our disability community even though we experience it at disproportionate levels, particularly those with disabilities who have multiple marginalized identities. 
    Next is relationship building. So, you know, how can that young person develop relationships with those in ‑‑ you know, around them, whether that be in the CIL or the different other spaces that they are occupying. You know, relationship building is like practical support, right? Like how can we develop that safety plan with them to feel safe if they're, you know, experiencing homophobia or how can we develop, you know, talk about with a young person where they know ‑‑ where they know people. Sometimes it's really helpful to just sit down with a young person and say, hey, where do you meet up with people. How ‑‑ what are the core people that you communicate with. And it may be just two people or maybe one person. But they may go to a library or they may play video games. Maybe they can connect with folks virtually. Relationship building is key as we support youth in their transition and in their development. 
    Also modeling boundaries and healthy relationships with the young people you serve and support. And also, you know, the relationship building component of youth development really emphasizing that it's a focus on that particular individual and how they connect with others. But it's really, like, coming from the self, right, from that individual young person. Then there's the third practice which is youth participation. So that is the concept of when that young person is able to feel a little bit more stability in their ability to like lead themselves. And ‑‑ and then youth participation is how they lead with others. It's being able to co‑create programs with young people, give them leadership opportunities so they can take on responsibility. Community, so it's that ‑‑ how that young person connects to the larger community as a whole. And then there's skill building. How can the work that ‑‑ that you do with that young person or with that group of young people actually be investing in tangible skills they can take on with them as they continue to transition. 
    I just want to highlight that an amazing Poem that I use to help frame different spaces that I do with young people is called an invitation to Brave Space. And so it ‑‑ it's called invitation to Brave Space by Micky ScottBey Jones. Please take a look at it. It's a beautiful piece, and it helps to really ground us in environment that you are trying to create with young people and utilizing your youth development practices. Next slide. 
>> KERI GRAY: All right. So I'm going to basically wrap us up and just mention a couple of things. So on this slide, it just mentions, you know, we kind of started to go through of the ways that we really believe investing in young folks. Leadership development is definitely a part of that. I think most of the young folks that I work with experience a quarter life crisis about every three years. And usually that's because, you know, life just got five times more real and they didn't know how to respond to that. So I would definitely say the development piece in leadership and really important. Next slide. And then I would also just mention a couple more items that really motivate this generation. Again, this is part of the current generation ADA. So in the next so many years, we'll have to re‑evaluate this. But when we're looking at activities to build, empowerment is a big piece of that critical thinking, challenging their current mindset, how they see the world is really helpful. Building an atmosphere of trust. You may not be able to get that from everyone, but if you can at least get a couple core people involved that build a trusting relationship with the young folks that you work with, it's pretty critical. 
    As we just talked, the leadership development, mentoring, coaching, hungry for learning new activities. It's really, really helpful with young folks. And then finally, personal brand. And personal brand in the sense of young people are trying to establish their own brand for themselves. And so being able to walk that journey with them and guide them along the way. So the final slide before some references to resources is just kind of like this vision that ‑‑ that I would leave folks with. So this is a photo of me again, black woman with my prosthetic busted up limb on my right leg and wearing a silver skirt and a leather jacket with my afro out. It basically says ‑‑ well, it says it's super scary showing my scars. Is this appropriate? Will people see ugliness where I see survival? Will folks give me pity instead of respect? I have a lot of reasons and questions that could have me hide the most unique parts of myself. However, I have found that success first starts with taking risks and having confidence in yourself. Stop hiding. 
    So that's just something that I would just leave everyone with in your own personal journey, as youth transition coordinators, as staff, and with the young people you're working with, I think we're constantly on this journey of finding ourselves and identifying who we are and hopefully finding confidence in that. We're here as a resource. If you have questions along the way. I know that you're welcome to reach out to Tim and contact us. Look us up on social media. But I really appreciate all of the work that y'all are doing. I know how important it is. And I know it comes with tough days. So thank you. With that, I'm going to pass the mic to Allie. 
>> ALLIE CANNINGTON: Oh. I just want to say thank you as well. As y'all see on the ‑‑ on the slide, there's a number of resources. Tim, I'm sure everyone has access to all these, so I won't read them aloud for time sake unless we need to for access. 
>> TIM FUCHS: No, that's perfect. Everyone has a copy of this in the format ‑‑ in an accessible format. I'm going to move ahead with the last couple minutes that we have to take questions. So please take advantage of the few minutes that we have to submit your questions. Again, you can type them in the Q&A tab. If you're on the full screen CART, you can ‑‑ you can use the chat feature there. So we'll take a minute to see. I know there was one we hadn't gotten to earlier. Kara is wondering about finding young people through parent organizations. So care are asked how can centers work with parents and parent‑run organizations like the parent training centers to bring young people into the movement and develop self‑advocacy skills. I know you talked about partnerships earlier, Allie, talking about the environmental scan. Is there anything you want to mention specifically about parent organizations? 
>> ALLIE CANNINGTON: You know, you‑all know ‑‑ I think that there is a ‑‑ a hesitancy for legit reasons why, you know, IL and disability rights we ‑‑ because of our ‑‑ our history of feeling, you know, marginalized by parent‑led, able‑body led organizations, there can be a resistance to those partnerships. I think there's no time like the present to start to really discover where bridges can be built. So thank you for that question. I would say that if they're, you know, starting with those relationships, y'all, like who is the decision maker at that parent‑led organization or who are the key individuals and start building relationships and having an open mind and modeling that for them, and then thinking about, you know, are ‑‑ is that parent organization engaging young people like the parents' kids and how ‑‑ and is there a way that there could be maybe a partnership ‑‑ a co‑hosted event or maybe there could be a partnership leadership program and a youth leadership program that's happening, you know, in a day to build that partnership and see, you know, not just what your independent living center can get out of the parent organization, but what does the parent organization want to gain from working with the independent living center, having that reciprocity in ‑‑ in partnerships. 
>> TIM FUCHS: Great. 
>> ALLIE CANNINGTON: Keri, do you have anything to add? I know we're very tight on time. 
>> KERI GRAY: No. I think for time sake, I'll just push it back to Tim. 
>> TIM FUCHS: Thanks, you‑all. Well, good news. Those were the questions that came in. We had a final comment from Bobby who said thank you for your guidance. I'm paraphrasing here. We're trying to build transition aged youth program. This webinar is very well organized and filled with great information. Thank you, Bobby. I really appreciate that. 
    So Allie and Keri, I just want to thank you. It is 4:30. So I'm going to go ahead and begin to close. I just want to thank you so much for being willing to share what you‑all know. I know that you've distanced yourself from the word expertise. And I appreciate how open you‑all are that you still have things to learn. We all do. But you‑all really are ‑‑ if you‑all aren't experts on this, I don't know who is. I really appreciate you‑all taking the time out of your days. I know you're slammed. To be with us, to share what you‑all know as centers really try their best to complete this work. Of course creating the programming is totally separate from actually being an organization that youth connect with. It really is. It's a big job and we recognize that. 
    So I also want to remind everybody, my ‑‑ if you have questions that come up in the next few hours or weeks or ‑‑ or years, my e‑mail's really simple. It's just Tim @NCIL.org. I hope you'll let us know if there are things that we can help with, no matter how specific. In addition to having Allie and Keri to lean on, I mean, part of the IL‑NET project that we run at ILRU and NCIL and APRIL is helping people with these specific TA problems they run into every single day. Let us know how we can help. I hope you'll share your questions with us. I do need to close because we're a little bit late. Please don't forget about the evaluation. The link is on your screen on slide 29. When I close the webinar, it will pop up on your screen. I'd love to have your input. 
    Thanks to all of you, too, for taking time out of your day to join us. I really appreciate that. I know it's not easy to make time for these presentations, and it's great that you‑all signed up and joined us. Don't forget the archived version will be on ILRU's website by the ‑‑ by the end of the week, actually. And I hope to hear from you‑all soon. Have a wonderful afternoon. Bye‑bye. 
>> ALLIE CANNINGTON: Thank you. 
    [ Webinar concluded at 4:34 p.m. ET ]