YCC Team

What is SNAP®?

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Getting Help When Your Child Is Acting Out

New mom Octavia was excited about starting her family. She was a proud momma – to say the least – when she had her first child. Smart and sweet, her son was well behaved at church, during visits to his grandparents and when he played with friends. So, when her son turned five years old and the school called Octavia about some behavior problems, she was truly surprised. “I guess I was in denial,” said Octavia. “Every call from the school made me dig my heels in even deeper in defense of him. I even went to the school board to complain that they were falsely accusing him of being a bad kid.”

Warning Signs

That all changed when a school bus camera captured her son fighting with a school bus staff member who was trying to prevent him from jumping off the bus. Octavia was shocked. How could this be the same sweet boy she knew? Unfortunately, that was just the start. It all came to a head when he was admitted to a behavioral hospital to prevent him from hurting himself and others. It was at that low point when Octavia was told about the Youth Crisis Center’s SNAP® program.

What is SNAP®

SNAP®, which stands for STOP NOW AND PLAN, is an evidence-based program that focuses on how a child thinks, as well as why they are acting out. Developed at the Child Development Institute (CDI), SNAP® helps children and their parents learn how to effectively manage their emotions and ‘keep problems small’.

The SNAP® program is focused on children ages 6-11 who are engaging in aggressive, anti-social behavior and/or have come into contact with authority figures at school or in the community due to poor behavior. Experienced and highly trained staff works with each family to assess challenges and problems and develop an action plan. The goal is to prevent future anti-social behavior and reduce the chances of conflict with family, peers and authority figures.

The Benefits of SNAP®

Octavia credits the program with giving her son the skills to think and work through whatever was upsetting him – before it blew up into something that sent him out of control. She saw his anger and aggression decrease as he went through SNAP® and at age nine, his IQ testedas that of a 14-year-old – in the top 25 percent of Florida students. Her son was allowed to rejoin sports and developed into a star football player. Octavia says her son is about to turn 11 years old and they still employ the SNAP® techniques when he has his “moments.” “I tell him, you know what to do and you know how to put them to use,” said Octavia. “It also helped me as a parent to learn when to use consequences or a reward to get the right response.” Octavia also went through SNAP® with her other son and plans to go through it with her daughter when she is old enough. She believes every child and parent could use the skills from SNAP® to learn how to handle whatever life might throw their way.

If you think your child is exhibiting problematic or concerning behavior and can benefit from our free SNAP® program, download our FREE ebook “Six signs your Child May Have Behavioral Issues or Concerns.”

Download our free ebook!

 Six Signs Your Child May Have Behavioral Issues or Concerns

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Nonprofit Seeking More “Safe Place” Sites Across Northeast Florida

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The Youth Crisis Center, located in Jacksonville and founded in 1974 is seeking additional Northeast Florida locations to be Safe Place sites where at-risk youth can get immediate help.

Area Safe Place sites are characterized by the yellow and black Safe Place sign, and include police and fire stations, public libraries, local businesses, Walmarts, Sam’s Clubs and Home Depots. Any young person in need of help, on the run, homeless, or trying to escape sex traffickers can go to any location with a Safe Place sign and they will be immediately connected to YCC then taken home or to an emergency shelter.

Nationwide there are 21,750 Safe Place sites in 1,443 communities that have directly helped over 12,000 youth a year. To learn more about Safe Place and how to become a site, click here to read the full article.

 

 

 

 

Warning Signs Someone Could Commit a Violent Attack; How to React

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“If you see something, say something- it could save someone’s life.” Kim Sirdevan, President and CEO of Youth Crisis Center spoke to CBS 47’s Jenna Bourne about the warning signs that could indicate someone may be capable of a violent attack. Some signs include loss of temper on a daily basis, announcing threats, plans for hurting others and enjoyment in hurting animals. For the full story click here or watch the video below:

 

 

 

Kids and Officers Work to Address Misconceptions

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In 2012 the state Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) launched focus groups centered around Gaining Appreciation by Adjusting Perspectives, otherwise known as GAAP, with the goal of establishing positive relationships between youth and law enforcement. On Monday, February 12th, 20 kids from the Youth Crisis Center took part in a GAAP discussion covering everything from officer-involved shootings to their own experiences with law enforcement.

We greatly appreciate DJJ for facilitating this discussion as well as the officers for taking time out of their schedule. Click here to read the full story.

First Coast Connect Interview for National Runaway Month 2017

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For National Runaway Month, YCC President and CEO Kim Sirdevan stopped by First Coast Connect to talk with Melissa Ross about youth homelessness and how YCC is helping to tackle this issue. Nationwide over 3 million children run away each year. In Duval County, 74% of the 3,000 plus missing person reports filed involve youth between the ages of 13 to 17. Sirdevan mentions that there are many signs to indicate that your child is contemplating running away, but some of the most common are changes in behavior/mood, sleep pattern, and the group of friends, as well as the child not engaging in regular family activities. To learn more, listen to the full interview below.

Jacksonville’s Youth Crisis Center to Add Area’s First LGBTQ Emergency Shelter

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About 60% of Jacksonville’s homeless youth population identify as LGBTQ, when the national average is 40%. To combat this, the Youth Crisis Center has joined forces with JASMYN and Changing Homelessness to establish a safe space. Read the full Times-Union article here to learn more about this effort and what it means to the Jacksonville community.

First Coast Living Interview on World Mental Health Day 2017

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Kim Sirdevan, President and CEO of Youth Crisis Center stopped by First Coast Living on World Mental Health Day to talk with Charlene Shirk about YCC’s rebranding and focus on early trauma detection while supporting children and their families. The interview also covers ways to acknowledge and help people suffering from trauma in the workplace, which is also the focus of World Mental Health Day 2017.

 

Jacksonville BUZZ Magazine interviews YCC President and CEO, Kim Sirdevan

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On September 8th, Kim Sirdevan spoke with Chelsea Vance from BUZZ Magazine. She discussed YCC’s history as a haven for children since 1974 and how YCC is maintaining this status by adding more programs designed to help children and their families. Click here to read the article.

The Youth Crisis Center is open 24/7 and has staff available daily to provide immediate guidance. The Youth Crisis Center Hotline is 904-725-6662.

 

The Youth Crisis Center, Butterfly Garden Luncheon: Celebrating the Wings of Change

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Join the Youth Crisis Center on Friday, November 17th 2017 for our Butterfly Garden Luncheon, Celebrating the Wings of Change. YCC has a lot to celebrate, including our new focus towards awareness on the impact of trauma for youth and families and our recent collaboration with Jacksonville Area Sexual Minority Youth Network (JASMYN). Enjoy a garden picnic luncheon on our campus to celebrate and learn more about this alliance, and you’ll also have the opportunity to help us put the finishing touches on our new butterfly garden.

YCC, established in 1974 as Florida’s first runaway program, has grown to be one of the largest and well-known providers of services for children, adolescents, young adults and families. YCC’s nationally accredited programs provide residential crisis care services, mental health counseling, life skills training and transitional living assistance with the goal of strengthening families and restoring hope. In addition to these services, YCC is expanding our focus to include educating families and children about the effect that traumatic life events can have. Traumatic life events cause an increased need for mental health services and intervention. Our new collaboration with JASYMN is a part of YCC’s effort to be more inclusive while embracing families and transforming lives. Many LGBTQ youth and young adults experience rejection from their families and victimization through verbal and physical abuse by their peers and society. These traumatic experiences often have a negative impact that can lead them to join the growing population of homeless youth and young adults, thus increasing their susceptibility to suicide.

By offering support you will directly impact YCC by providing:

  • Immediate housing for homeless children and young adults
  • Crisis services, including suicide screening for those affected by trauma
  • Mental health counseling and psychiatric care
  • Life skills training
  • Nutritious meals for children and young adults in our residential programs

If you are interested in learning more about the different levels of sponsorship available and how to become a sponsor, please visit our website today and call 904-446-4966

 

Embracing Families. Transforming Lives.

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