royal friends clubs

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royal friends clubs
Joanne Feldmeth, CEO Royal Friends Clubs
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• The first year-round program designed just for
• RFKC
• Campers
• Ages 7-12

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James 127

• Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and
  faultless is thisto look after orphans
• . . . in their
• distress

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The Need

• 3 million reports of abuse or neglect
• 510,000 children in foster care
• Re-abuse in foster care
• Foster Care Drift
• highest risk for emotional, social, academic
  and physical problems

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Foster Care Outcomes

• 45 of kids leaving foster care homeless within
  the year
• 4 years after emancipation
• 60 of the young women had given birth
• 40 had been on public assistance or in jail

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Impact of Mentoring

• Mentored children demonstrated
• Healthier behaviors
• Better relationships
• increased likelihood of going to college

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The Opportunity
Official Journal of the American Academy of
Pediatrics reported Foster children who had
adult friends achieved better health, higher
self-esteem and more academic success in
addition, they were less at risk for suicidal
thoughts and aggression.
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The GAP

• National mentoring programs are not designed for
  foster children to date, foster child mentoring
  programs are LOCAL
• Placement moves mean that foster children are
  less likely to get chosen or to stay in mentoring
  programs

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OUR CAPACITY
7,000 Trained Volunteers 38 States
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TARGET AUDIENCE
OUR CAMPERS AGE 7-12
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Mentoring Foster KidsSept. May
5-day Residential Summer Camps
Volunteers s
Kids
Church
Social Services
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3 LEVELS OF MENTORING
CAMPS
1-TO-1
CLUBS
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• Mentoring makes sense
• But why have mentoring CLUBS for pre-teen foster
  kids?

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RESEARCH ON AT RISK KIDS SHOWS THAT CLUBS HELP

• Clubs have a long term track record of improving
  at risk kids outcomes
• Group activities are often more effective in
  working with abuse survivors

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CLUBS THE ROYAL FAMILY KIDS CAMPS EXPERIENCE

• Healing
• More than the counselor.
• GROUP experience
• CAMP CULTURE of treating people royally

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COMMITMENT

• A personal relationship
• demonstrates it
• A public community
• celebrates it

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Revolving Door of Foster Care

• Most infants in foster care
• Move every 12-18 months
• Have 3 homes by age 4
• Older children move even more

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• AFFIRMINGCOMMITMENT
• IN COMMUNITY
• Caping Ceremony
• A Promise MADE

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SYMBOLISM OF THE SEAL A SOLEMN PLEDGE TO BE
TRUE TO ONES WORD
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• Caping Ceremony
•  

When the first club kid was caped, it brought a
tear to my eye.  There was a palpable feeling of
expectation
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Celebrating A Promise Kept
Closing Ceremony RFC Pendant
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• TIMELINE September May
• MENTORS
• 4 hours a month with matched club kid
• Attend monthly club meeting
• CLUB STAFF (COACHES)
• Monthly Club Meetings/Group events

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LEADERSHIP TEAM

• MENTORING DIRECTOR
• CLUB COORDINATOR
• CLUB COUNSELOR

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PILOT 7 CLUBS 100 KIDS!

• Corona, CA
• Geneseo, IL
• La Mesa, CA
• Bremerton, WA

• Cuyahoga Falls, OH
• Sandy, UT
• Tyler, TX

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• 2009 TRAINING INSTITUTES
• March 5-7, 2009
• April 24-25, 2009