elevate
List of Trainings Available

elevate provides trainings and seminars for professionals, foster/adoptive parents, youth and the general public. These trainings cover issues and topics that impact the foster care system today. Click on the name of the training below to see more information.   L.I.F.E. L.I.F.E. (Living Inspired. Fulfilling Expectations) This workshop is designed to give youth an inside look into the responsibilities and expectations associated with being a successful adult. elevate Yourself  This training is designed to help youth advocate for not only themselves, but also other youth who share similar backgrounds in the child welfare system.  B-S.A.F.E.  This training is intended to help youth, adults, and professionals explore the importance of the birth family, siblings, and other connections for the foster/adopted youth.  More Than My File  This workshop is designed to help foster and adoptive parents and professionals look past "the file" and better understand the youth in their care and what youth can bring to their own situations.   The School of Foster Care  Well-meaning educators sometimes assign tasks that are awkward, difficult or impossible for foster and adopted youth to complete.  This session, co-presented by current and former foster youth, explores some school related issues, why youth struggle with them and how to approach educators about making schools more sensitive to youth.   Preparing For Court  This interactive workshop will familiarize foster youth and foster parents with the court system, prepare them for court dates, and make them more confident when working with the legal system.  elevate also welcomes requests for various speaking engagements, providing audiences with the chance to hear inside perspectives from system-involved youth. elevate DVDs Children & Families of Iowa has also created a series of DVDs that provide insights from youth, legal advocates and other experts on the foster care, judicial and educational systems. Stories of Hope shares the personal stories of several system-involved youth. It not only speaks directly to other youth or foster/adoptive parents, but also to the general public.  It will pull at the heartstrings of all who watch it. Insights offers perspectives from legal advocate and the youth they represent with regards to the legal process involved in the child welfare system. In Seeds of Hope, system-involved youth share their experiences that they have had throughout their education.  Advice is offered to teachers with how to handle foster/adoptive situations in the classroom. Contact Ruth Phillips for more information about bringing elevate to your next training day or conference! ph: 515-697-7922 e-mail: RuthP@cfiowa.org

elevate is the result of a unique collaboration between CFI, the Iowa Department of Human Services, and the Iowa Legislature. Originally formed in 2005 with Iowa Department of Human Services adoption incentive monies, elevate was developed as a vehicle for youth advocacy and to enhance recruitment of more foster homes for teens. As the group grew and more teens became involved, it was apparent that there was a need for an active voice for foster/adoptive children. elevate became this voice, and it has since become a force of change and education in Iowa’s Child Welfare system.