You Gotta Believe!

Adopting Older Kids And Youth is A-OKAY

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Eleven ORIENTATIONS
EVERY WEEK

Sunday at 4pm in Jamaica Queens
Monday at 6pm in Yonkers, Westchester
Monday at 6pm in Bayshore, Long Island
Tuesday at 6pm in Bronx

Wednes. at 6pm in Coney Island, Bklyn
Thursday at 6pm in Middle Island, L.I.

Thursday at 6pm in Harlem, Manhattan
Thursday at 6pm on Staten Island
Saturday at 10am in East NY, Brooklyn
Saturday at 10am in Hempstead, L.I. 
Saturday at 3pm in Greenwich Village

Call for location & direction to all classes at 718-372-3003, or find directions to all locations by clicking on "Directions to Us" - above.
The only time above orientations are not offered is on holidays and holiday weekends.

 Listen To A YBG Orientation Radio Broadcast below:
http://am1240wgbb.hipcast.com/deluge/2f34ee7a-08fd-bd9a-75a6-30d82ee3c984.mp3 

 

MEET OUR WAITING CHILDREN.

Log on to either New York City's or New York State's website to get a flavor of the children who need permanent homes by clicking below:

    www.nyc.gov/adopt
         Click on "Meet Our Kids"
    Click on "Search Our Database."

 www.ocfs.state.ny.us/adopt

Log on to the Wendy's Wonderful Kids website, a signature program of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption,  to learn more about this unique nationwide recruitment strategy to find homes for America's and Canada's longest waiting children. 

www.WendysWonderfulKids.org

Watch video clips of children featured on Wednesday's Child this week and previous weeks too: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/station/shows/wnbc/wednesdays-child/

SUPPORT GROUP:
All 5 Boros +:

BROOKLYN: Last Friday of Every Month from 7-9pm, Holy Redeemer Church in East New York,
MANHATTAN: Third Tuesday of the Month from 7-9pm, University Settlement, 273 Bowery.
QUEENS: Third Monday of the Month from 7-9pm  at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 246-55 87th Avenue, Bellerose, N.Y. 11426
STATEN ISLAND: First Wednesday of the Month, 7-9pm, Bubbles Playhouse, 2102 Clove Road.
BRONX: Second Thursday of the Month, 7-9pm, at Abbott House, 3010 Jerome Avenue, Bronx.
LONG ISLAND: First Monday of the Month, 7-9pm, YGB office at 150A L.I. Ave, Holtsville, NY.

Families looking for a great way to deal with children with severe behaviors we recommend  BEYOND CONSEQUENCES, LOGIC, AND CONTROL by Bryan Post, Ph.D. & Heather T. Forbes, LCSW   To read an article by Ms. Forbes about the book's central premise click here: www.beyondconsequences.com/freearticle.pdf

Read this fabulous article written by Julie Alvarado in Fostering Families Today March/April 2010 issues where she says "Children who have suffered even the most severe trauma and children who present event the most challenging behaviors are not beyond the hope of healing.  Children who have suffered at the hands of angry, controlling, manipulative and uncaring adults will more effectively heal in treatment and with parents who are the opposite --- unconditionally loving and caring, non-confrontational, not controlling or manipulative, who are gentle and not angry.
"Decreasing Disrupted Placements and Failed Adoptions Through Emotional Regulatory Healing"
http://bit.ly/regulatoryhealing

You can order also order Bryan Post's newest book THE GREAT BEHAVIOR BREAKDOWN  that identifies 27 of the most challenging behaviors that parents face and provides step-by-step guidance to help transform family conflict.
http://www.postinstitute.com/in-the-news/150-the-great-behavior-breakdown.html

Three Part Series on Youtube Entitled:
Breaking Barriers to Teen Adoption

Part 1 - http://youtube.com/watch?v=FAxMWRqqwxI
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7ML2Z2kbyU
Part 3 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_iTNXX8WLQ

Watch this Great Two Part Series "WE INTERRUPT"
Listen to what Minnesota Youth have to say about being recruited for.  This fabulous production was made possible by Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS)

Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StY__eircls
Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvG0-JvmR-I

How a Youth Coming To Teach Waiting Families Lead to her Placement
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjr_aodzY_g

Don't ever forget why we do what we do. We need families
to adopt teens in order to prevent their homelessness upon discharge from the foster care system. Please read
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/nyregion/08foster.html?emc=eta1

BLOG SUPPORT: 
Check Out These Parent Adoption Blogs:
www.fletcherclan.blogspot.com
http://www.bartswholenewworld.blogspot.com

ANOTHER GREAT BLOG - Brenda McCreight
Married mom of 14 - 4 are adults with families of their own.  10 still reside at home.  Dr. McCreight is also a therapist and author.
http://theadoptioncounselor.com/Blog/

AND YET ANOTHER BLOG - Chester Jackson's
http://whathadhappenwas.tumblr.com/

See Terrific article written by Claudia Fletcher about Developmental stages and adopting older children.
http://www.nacac.org/adoptalk/retracingdevelopmentalstages.html?utm_source=Master+List&utm_campaign=2b418ec646-Jan22Update1_22_2010&utm_medium=email

Great article in January 7th, 2010 edition of Queens Chronicle
http://www.zwire.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=20400989&BRD=2731&PAG=461&dept_id=574908&rfi=8

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Listen to Pat and Chester on Island Outlook in case you missed them on the July 4th, 2010 radio broadcast: http://www.kjoy.com/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=4778372

You Gotta Believe! offers an excellent radio forum where we interview many adoptive parents of teens and emerging adults who moved in as teens and emerging adults and a variety of professionals who work with families with this unique background.  Please click below to listen to any one of the 106 broadcasts we have produced since March 2, 2008.
http://bit.ly/YGBpodcast‏

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/adoptolderkids
Become our Facebook Fan:  bit.ly/YGBFacebook

For Dates and Times of All our cable access TV Shows
Click Here: http://www.yougottabelieve.org/tv.htm

EXTREME ADOPTION:
ADOPTING YOUTH OVER 18 - Click Below & Watch This:

http://www.listenuptv.com/listenup/shows?show_id=174

Great New Article: Children and Youth Services Review:
"An Examination of Theory and Promising Practice for Achieving Permanency for Teens
Before
They Age out of Foster Care" 
by Rosemary J. Avery.  
Click Here:
http://bit.ly/ygbavery

Also, listen to one of the most unique workshops ever about over 18 adoptions:
Its Never Too Late: Adopting Teens Who Are Already 18 When They Move In.
 This workshop features four single moms, Mary Keane, Mary Chancie, Lynn Zelvin, and Loretta Tayar, and three youth, Jonathan Cruz, Nefertiti Holmes, Richard Wilkerson (all whom were 20 when they moved in) speak about the importance of having family no matter what age one is.  This workshop occured at the 2008 NACAC Conf.
This two CD set can be purchased  for $17 by clicking here:
www.adoptioncds.com/product_info.php?cPath=40_73&products_id=728

UNCONDITIONAL COMMITMENT ... THE ONLY LOVE THAT MATTERS
... TO TEENS  --- THE VIDEO - $30
Please order this informative and exciting video of 13 adoptive parents who adopted teens and pre-teens, as well as 9 young adults who were all adopted as teens, speak to the powerful role that unconditional commitment played in each and every one of their placements.  Please make check out to You Gotta Believe and mail to 1728 Mermaid Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11224, and give us the address where you would like for us to mail the DVD to you. 

Workshop Description

Workshop Overheads

Teen Homeless Prevention Project - Final Report - April 2006

Permanent Parents for Teens Project - Final Report - Jan 2009

 

WATCH ON TV/LISTEN ON RADIO
Adopting Teens & Tweens 
CLICK ABOVE  TO LEARN ABOUT
OUR 7 WEEKLY TV PROGRAMS

Or Watch on your computer every Thursday at noon & 8pm (EST)

http://www.bricartsmedia.org/community-media/bcat-tv-network
Scroll down and click on "Launch" under BCAT 2 any Thursday at noon and 8pm.

Listen to our Live Call-in Radio show every Sunday evening from 8-9pm on WGBB 1240 on your AM dial.  Or listen from anywhere in the world to a live stream broadcast of our radio show by logging on to the radio station's website below. 

www.am1240wgbb.com

BIG BIG NEWS!

If you missed our weekly radio broadcast you can listen at any time by clicking here:
www.am1240wgbb.com/Show%20Pages/TeensAndTweens/teens.htm

 

Break the Cycle...

 

Watch this terrific conversation Gary Mallon and Pat O'Brien had entitled
A Discussion about Permanency for Older Adolescents

http://bit.ly/nrcpfcwebcast

MSNBC - See Pat, Chester, & Eboney
Talk About National Adoption Day - 11/16/04
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28_W1NVOsSU

Also, watch this excellent short film that follows six teens who aged out of a mid-western State foster care system  http://fromplacetoplacemovie.com/

NEW YORK 1's: NEW YORKER OF THE WEEK
Pat O'Brien & You Gotta Believe - 5/8/03
http://ny1.com/1-all-boroughs-news-content/30273/you-gotta--believe---encouraging-new-yorkers-to-adopt

Want To know how to Recruit Families For Older Children & Teens In Care?     Click on the great report done by NACAC
http://www.aecf.org/upload/pdffiles/familytofamily/family_every_child.pdf

Want to learn how to find families for teens? 
Read this great publication and desk reference from the
National Resource Center for Family Center Practice and Permanency Planning
at the Hunter College School of Social Worker called
Six Steps To Find A Family: A Practice Guide to Family Search and Engagement
http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/downloads/SixSteps.pdf

Listen to WNYC's Radio Rookie Shirley "Star" Diaz
Talk about her years in care and concerns about aging out in this fall.
http://www.wnyc.org/radiorookies/sohodoor/star.html

NBC Ch.4 News - Features YGB Staffer Craig Allen with son Teddy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYGforM9aCc
  

Listen to a dynamic radio interview w/Bryan Post interviewing Pat O'Brien
www.postinstitute.com/audio/PostInnerCircle050708e.mp3

Great article from the New York Region of the New York Times, Westchester edition,  featuring YGB Staffer Mary Keane: "Foster Mother Give Teenagers a 'Safe Place to Grow Up.'"
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/28/nyregion/westchester/28keanewe.html

Great Segment about our collaboration with the Wendy's Wonderful Kid's program on Channel 7's Viewpoint - Sunday January 25th, 2009
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=6617695

Watch this wonderful piece Columbia News Tonight did on our very own Denise Royal who they featured as New Yorker of the week. http://blog.jrn.columbia.edu/nightly/?p=642

Watch this great piece about the Heart Gallery coming to Brooklyn and the featuring of our Brooklyn agency and one of our families:  http://netny.net/currents/stories/heart-gallery-072809/

A coach offers a permanent home for a youth in care. 
YGB was proud to have helped this young man move into this wonderful family
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/07/25/lemon.meet.dasheen.ellis.cnn?iref=videosearch

Chester Jackson comments on a new Ad Council Ad promoting African American Adoption. This segment was put together by NBC's new website geared toward African Americans called The Grio
http://www.thegrio.com/2009/09/new-ad-campaign-encourages-parents-to-adopt-black-children.php

Excellent piece from News 12 "Making a Difference" about Pat Dudley and the contributions the Long Island office has made in many teens lives by finding them families.  The YGB Dudley family is also featured in this video: http://www.news12.com/news/article.jsp?articleId=234807

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home | Who Are We? | Articles | Events | Contact | Directions

MAILING ADDRESS:

You Gotta Believe!
1728 Mermaid Avenue
Brooklyn, NY  11224
Tel: (718) 372-3003    ygbpat@msn.com (e-mail)


LOCATIONS:

1728 Mermaid Ave.
(at West 19th Street)
Coney Island, NY  11224
tel.: (718)372-3003
fax: (718)372-3033

150A Long Island Avenue
Holtsville, N.Y.  11742

tel.: (631) 654-7970

fax: (631) 654-7980